When My Daddy Used to Sing to Me

Today's my birthday.    I'm lucky that I have a husband who takes me out to dinner, brings me flowers, and buys me gifts and cards.    My children are also considerate and are especially thoughtful on my birthday, but the last few years just aren't the same.

After I was an adult and living away from home my father would always call me on my birthday and joyously sing Happy Birthday to me in his beautiful booming bass voice.    He was quite musically gifted as were the other members of his family.   I grew up listening to my grandparents, father and uncle playing guitars and singing long into the night.   He was our church choir director and sang bass, or even sometimes tenor, in church quartets.    He could pick out the parts and sing them perfectly without looking at a piece of music or reading the notes.   He is now deceased and music is one of the things that remind me most of him.

For some reason I miss him most on my birthday.    My older brother always calls and sings to me now, and this year my husband even called from work to sing to me.   I know they do it because I've mentioned how I  miss my father doing it.    I certainly appreciate their efforts and it is nice to have people to carry on that tradition, but it's just not the same.    I miss when my daddy used to sing to me.