(warning…sappy post ahead)

I have avoided a particular CD since my dad died. I just could not put in the CD player to listen to it.

I started cleaning house (physically and mentally) today and thought that today is the day I get to sing our song through my tears.

You see, my dad was a pure and simple great guy. There were also 8 long years of my childhood that I didn’t see him. I didn’t (and don’t) care to rehash why I didn’t see him… I just called him when I was 18 and told him I wanted to meet him in the West Village in NYC. 6 months later I was living at his home in Connecticut.

Years after, I met my D. We fell in love and set a wedding date of 9-16-01. Through all of the planning and negotiation between 3 families (I have 2 families and D has 1) and a national tragedy, I knew I would dance with my father and he would walk me down the isle.

I also knew that the song we danced to would then become ours and it had to be right.The song would be “Kind and Generous” by Natalie Merchant.

La la la la…
You’ve been so kind and generous
I don’t know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I’m in debt to you
For your selflessness my admiration
For everything you’ve done you know I’m bound
I’m bound to thank you for it
La la la la…
You’ve been so kind and generous
I don’t know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I’m in debt to you
And I never could have come this far without you
For everything you’ve done, you know I’m bound
I’m bound to thank you for it
La-la-la-la…
Oh, I want to thank you for so many gifts you gave
The love, the tenderness, I wanna thank you
I want to thank you for your generosity, the love
And the honesty that you gave me
I want to thank you show my gratitude
My love, and my respect for you, I want to thank you
Oh, I want to thank you, thank you; thank you, thank you
I want to thank you, thank you; thank you, thank you

So, here’s to our song. The one in which I get to remember the essence of who we are, father and daughter spinning on a dance floor and jumping a hurdle that once seemed to loom so large over us.

Thanks dad. I miss you every single day.