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(Performed by Caleigh. Please click on the play arrow above to start music - it's so beautifully done)
Four years ago in April, just days before my father passed away,
repairs on his father's fiddle were finally complete. It had been
damaged for some time and had lain mute for many years as Grandpa Nick's fingers became too gnarled with arthritis to play. I have the vague memories of a three- or four-year-old child -- of Grandpa playing a little tune for his beloved grandchildren, his "luptke tosheks" (Polish for "little hearts") despite the pain in his hands and weariness from
a long, hot day in the blacksmith shop. No one else in the family
played violin, so it had sat silent within its case for many years even before Grandpa died in 1989.
That night, Daddy cradled the restored fiddle in his hands, emotion welling up as
he remembered his father, knowing he would soon see him once again.
My sister's close friend, Lenore Siems, a member of the celtic group 'Caleigh' [KAY-lee], played 'Ashokan Farewell' on Grandpa's fiddle. (And yes, she has been crying her eyes out like the rest of us...her nose is not normally such a vibrant, glowing red!)
While she played, my parents
danced their last waltz together in the living room to the poignant melody. Dad, barely able to
move his swollen feet and legs, sported the silken 'fancy pants' boxers
that were soft against his ultra-tender skin. 
Tears flowed freely as children, children-in-law and
grandchildren witnessed this poignant expression of my parents' loving
partnership throughout life, together facing the upcoming
separation in that courageously beautiful final dance. Emotions raged within me...a keen sense of honor and privilege to share in this bonding moment as a
family but aware, also, that we intruded into their intimate expression of oneness and devotion.
Long days and wakeful nights of pain followed before Daddy slipped into unconsciousness and finally entered into the glorious presence of God on April 15, 2004, carried on the echoes of our praise songs that morning. I sat by his side and held his hand as his spirit slipped away with a last long exhale.
Peace be with you, Daddy. I miss you so much. You fought a hard fight and, ever the educator, you taught us lesson after lesson until you had no voice left -- but showed, by example, the meaning of courage and forebearance until the very end.
Once again, Ashokan Farewell floated from Grandpa Nick's fiddle at Dad's 'Celebration of Life', played by Lenore and accompanied on the piano by my eldest, Jessica (age 14 at that time). I stood at the back of the church, holding my 17-month-old baby, who patted at my tears with chubby hands and hugged my neck to give sweet baby comforts to a grieving heart.
For many, many months I could not hear this song without a flood of tears. Four years later, I am left with a bittersweet ache as I listen to its beautifully haunting melody, skillfully performed here by the ladies of Caleigh.
Our daughter, Susannah, age 14, has since learned to play violin and has recently begun to fiddle. She just played 'Ashokan Farewell' on Saturday night at the Scenic Six Fiddle Show in Potlatch, Idaho and brought back a flood of memories, which prompted this post.
Someday she may give her great-Grandpa Nick's fiddle a voice once again. I long to hear it sing out...a vibrant testimony to the interconnectedness of generations and the eternal bond of family.
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| | Posted 8/4/2008 7:48 AM - 14 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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