5:15
(To Sir With Love)
From Turks and Caicos shores, you came to be ~ 9:30. Through Mother Gardiner and Father Coverley; your purpose graced this realm from eternity.
Adopted and raised by Mary; who molded, groomed and nurtured you in a place where they dubbed you “Pullen” of British blood and isles.
Like a Reed sprouting and growing strong, with iron arms and special hands for wrestling, boxing, building, fixing and cooking; your shot at showing the world who you were ~ making your mark in time.
Then at 16 you spirited away. Taking new waves through wind blown sails and engined vessels to seaboards far beyond your borders. And guided by trade winds, you ventured the “Seven Seas.”
From Malta to Morocco: Africa ~ Arabia ~ Caracas ~ Curaçao ~ Monaco ~ Amsterdam ~ Rotterdam ~ Tokyo; even the Capes, like Cape Hatteras (my favorite): and so much more new lands that held your swift feet, and captured your excited heart.
Out of Tokyo came a story for the ages. One we would never forget.
You in a bank, and the natives calling you one of them. Pegging you for one of their brothers. A yellow man; Chinese descent ~ mixed breed.
Then there’s the one of you and a woman in labor. Though she was a stranger, those special hands of yours received her baby when no one else was there. delivering both souls in the midst of the anguish of childbirth until help could take them to safety. She gave him your name.
Your life was a real anthology fit for page and screen.
From there you grasped 6 of 7 continents and other lands abroad.
Briskly you roamed and gathered experience full and free.
fine dining, new cuisine and cooking to your heart’s content; at every port that welcomed you ~ priceless knowledge you gained and passed along.
You explored new and exciting worlds; grand enough to write chronicles. Ones by the likes of Lewis and Tolkien; Kipling and Twain; Dickens and Dumas.
And on your quest for adventure, came one unexpected and new.
A marriage of divine design on Wells of Spanish ~ Bahamian shores.
Your union brought 4 more unforeseen allies; ones you’d love for life.
2 Els and 2 Essis loving you right back; 3 just like you, and your 1 and only girl.
We grew in awe of your energetic spirit; extrinsically rugged with a heart of gold. Stubborn and Loving and Kind ~ Loquacious and Obliging.
Always there ~ never leaving; not even once. Sticking it out in the toughest of times. Conquering obstacles and striving to be better; with faith in your MASTER, you weathered every storm.
Time passed as it always does, and we all grew up; holding every lesson you taught, and those memories of “Life in Briland & Freeport” will forever remain. You, teaching the math ~ “Mathematics of life and numbers,” and moments with your best friend Monty from Malta and Betty, and their plethora of puzzles.
playing your beloved guitar and singing special songs that became our signatures together; like “One Man Went To Mow” and “I’ll Be Satisfied.” Those many golden tunes from the years gone by that you revived in your newly minted role of being Papa and becoming “Pop” ~ as Daddy became Granddaddy to 7 Strong; ones you’d love for life. This time 4 Els & 3 Essis of beautiful blend, loving you right back; 5 just like you, and 2 girls that add sugar, spice and all things nice.
Continually, you gave your food and garden to the world; to neighbors and friends alike. And cooked and fed every mouth you could; ones in need and ones you loved to see and share your time and endless stories with; from the four corners of the earth. As you have always known and done; “the world was yours to tread as you pleased.”
For years you traveled here and back again to share your time and love with me and mine. Until this one time, you could not go back, and remained with me ’til 5:07, where we consciously shared your last wishes and our long, last hug and kiss.
But you never really could say goodbye. It was one thing you could never come to terms with. It became the hardest thing you had to do. We could all attest to this fact. And here it was the same.
At 5:07, you knew this was it, and you kept it all in your heart. You consciously sat and rode with all of us as you usually would. Watching the highway of cars and Georgian trees and hills as you usually would. There with us, and with a contented smile, you fell asleep as you usually would. And when we arrived, I expected your usual tap and squeeze on my right shoulder, indicating you’d be right back, but you were unconsciously gone. No tap… No squeeze… No words…..
Add another 8, and you traded this world for a better one at 5:15.
5:15 ~ You spirited away; Peacefully & Quietly.
5:15 ~ Marked and keeps your last breath in this realm.
5:15 ~ You sailed away to new, exciting and crystal shores; where the soul of man never dies.
So, bon voyage my beloved Daddy. Like Bilbo and Frodo, you have made it to your Sail Day; on your final journey westward bound.
And, I’ll be seeing you when I look at each one of us that holds you in our hearts; the 1, the 4, and the 7.
I’ll be seeing you, when i look in the mirror, and as I gather your vestiges.
On my birthday and yours, in our cinematic way, when we’d crowd the tv screen for our traditional watch days of timeless theatre: or on regular days watching our favorite TCM moments; I’ll be seeing you!
On “Wells Fargo,” “Laramie,” “Death Valley Days,” and all the great Westerns; I’ll be seeing you!
Even in the title movie, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” for which we’d watch together in winter; I will find you.
As it goes…..
“I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places that this heart of mine embraces; all day through.”
“I’ll be seeing you in every lovely summer’s day.”
In spring ~ In winter ~ In fall
I’ll be seeing you when time is no more; when we are finally changed for good.
“I’ll find you in the morning sun, and when the night is new.”
I’ll be looking at my life, my memories, and moments in between, and I’ll be seeing you!
From Your One & Only Daughter ~ To Her One & Only Daddy
“To Sir, With Love”
