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He was tough, had unnecessarily large hands and eyebrows, and laughed like his lungs were hiding old air mattresses. His nickname was the Grinch, but his heart grew many sizes in the presence of two things: machines and his grandkids. All things with engines were most vibrant things to him. So in his later years, he combined those loves and made toys.
The summer after he died, our little family took a road trip and visited the Alberta Reynolds Museum. Their motto is "Celebrating the Spirit of the Machine." If ghosts were real my Dad could have haunted this museum—the Ford Model Ts, the first snowmobiles (huge), a 1940s helicopter, early 20th century tractors—there's nothing more he would have enjoyed.
While there, we bought this little tractor soldered together from a spark plug, nuts, and copper. My kids and I knew instantly it was the perfect souvenir, a truly vibrant signifier for my Dad. Soon after that museum visit, I called my Mom and told her how much Dad would have loved this museum; she surprised me when she revealed he had visited it once, with a friend. I thought, whoa, maybe he is haunting it? 😉
Sometimes now when I look in the mirror first thing in the morning, I see my Dad there—his eyes, his cleft chin, and yes, even a version of his eyebrows, ha. Dear friends, who says we can't time-travel and who says we can't continue to have relationships with those we've lost?
Oh, I’m glad that he visited that museum! I’m 6 years younger than my mom, and yeah, I understand her a lot better now.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an unhappy space for me (I hope not for you either), but it sure makes me think.
DeleteI think we learn to understand ourselves better too although it is still a WIP for me.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely a WIP too.
DeleteGhosts, real, felt, imagined - all powerful and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteYes, it invites one to pay attention, always key to how I try to live my life.
Delete...and I'm 8 years older than when my father died!
ReplyDeleteWow, Tom. I hope I get there too.
DeleteGood memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing them.
Thank you for reading my nonsense, ha.
DeleteIt's amazing how age and experience put things into perspective. I love that tractor and I'm glad your dad got to visit the museum while he was alive.
ReplyDeleteYou use the verb love a lot. It says much about your heart. Thank you.
DeleteSo often lately I find myself realizing that my mother was younger than me while going through so much of her life raising children and all that went with it, and I'm amazed at all she accomplished. I mean, our house was spic and span and we ate fabulous, regular meals, and she also sewed and quilted and more! I appreciate her more than ever. -Kate
ReplyDeleteAmazing human. As the youngest in my family, my parents were young too, very young...if I had become a parent at their ages, whoa....
DeleteThat is an ingenious use of old parts to make that tractor! It's so nice that your dad got to visit the museum so your family is not left wistfully wishing he had.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of continuing to have relationships with those we've lost. When we cleaned out my mother-in-law's apartment, we found a lifetime's worth of paper, including letters my late husband had written home when he was at military college and then regular university. I was touched to be able to read them and see yet another side of my husband. It felt like a gift from both him and my MIL, from beyond the grave.
First you tempt me with the flying pig, now the spark plug tractor. I could fill my house with knickknacks like these!
ReplyDelete