1. Never fear, I've gone for beer.
2. I see said the blind man.
3. He's so mean, his insides are green.
My dad chaperoned Girl Scout trips. He said he wanted to make memories. I have so many memories. The piece of me that is a storyteller I inherited honestly from him. No I did not get the natural rhyme to my speech. But I did learn mirth and laughter from him. When things were bad, he always cracked a joke. I remember the relief I felt as a kid.
As an adult, I used humor in the classroom. It substituted for my weakness with small talk and the coldness of my quietness. I broke a huge rule as a teacher. I smiled the first day. I know you weren't supposed to before Christmas. But that was my gift from my father.
I paid the price of being nice and it is still a bargain.
I memorized this poem by James Shirley as a child from listening to my dad. The punctuation may be wrong. It is from memory and not from reference. I still hear his voice. I wish you could too.
The glories of the blood and state
Are shadows not substantial things
There is no armor against fate
Death lies it icy hands on Kings
Scepter and crown
Tumble down
And into the Earth is equal made
With the lowly scythe and spade.
I haven't heard that poem, but I do like the words. How neat your dad chaperoned Girl Scout troop events :) He did his intent if you still have memories :)
ReplyDeletebetty
My dad loved us and we felt it. He was also a very good person. Sometimes I come across someone like him. I rode in an airplane beside someone who was like him. Some folks are put in this world to be a bright light.
Deletenice memories.
ReplyDeleteSo true. My only regret is I did not move closer while he was alive.
DeleteChuckles, dads can be the best of companions to their daddy's girl, what more with a lovable sense of humor! One can never go wrong if one is life of the party! Wonderful write Ann!
ReplyDeletehttp://imagery77.blogspot.my/2016/04/safe-sex-awareness-enhanced-haibun.html
Hank
I was a daddy's girl for sure.
DeleteNot supposed to smile before Christmas? What kind of rule is that?
ReplyDeleteThere is a good reason for it. It helps with discipline. It is just something that did not work with my personality.
DeleteI always smile to my students - nobody really likes a fierce teacher!
ReplyDeleteOpen Minded Mormon A-Z
I don't know. I remember a group of children who wanted me to follow them to an art class and straighten everybody out. They were miserable and the troublemakers.
DeleteDaughters always have special memories of their Dads. Fantastic that you remembered his poem.
ReplyDeleteI think this is very true. My dad encouraged me to get an education when others did not bother to send their daughter to college. It was considered a waste of money since they were to become a housewife.
DeleteVery unique contribution for the letter D. I never heard of Dadisms but the term makes a lot of sense. I'm visiting from the A to Z Challenge, reading your blog for the first time and enjoying it. http://stephanierosebirdstudio.blogspot.com. Will be following.
ReplyDeleteI decided to google the word to make sure I didn't make up anything weird. And darn, the world had already made it up and it meant what I meant. Oh well, thanks for coming by. I will check in with you.
DeleteThat is quite the rule. Made up by some stick up their bum fool? I can rhyme away any old day haha
ReplyDeleteOh man, they have the rule in Canada too. Along with the rule, we will believe half of what your child says if you will believe half of what they say. lol
DeleteNo smiling before Christmas? What a terrible rule, I'm glad you broke it:-) Such sweet memories you have of your dad - I love the poem! "There is no armor against fate..."
ReplyDeleteMy father in-law had a saying I always thought profound: "You can never tell the depth of the well by the length of the handle on the pump"
I like your father-in-law's quote. So much wisdom by those who came before, eh.
DeleteSmiling - of all the nerve ;) My dad says "I see said the blind man" too :) Some of his other sayings are not so innocent, however, since he picked them up in the RAF ;).
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
My dad was former military too. I think it gives you a perspective on the world. Lots of renaissance men in the group.
DeleteI don't remember much rhyme coming from my Dad, but he had a lot of sayings he would quote and he loved to tell jokes. He'd tell the same jokes and I'd always laugh at them.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
My grandfather had those clever rhyming sayings - dont know where they came from (a book?)
ReplyDeleteIm blogging for the A to Z Challenge from Fill the cracks and Moondustwriter's Blog. Happy A to Zing!
Dads are awesome! It sounds like you were/are very close to him! :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, love the first quote!
This made me miss my dad and his dadisms. What a great father!
ReplyDeletePopping in from denisebennorth.blogspot.com from the A-Z Challenge where I am writing Daily Affirmations for Intentional Living.Have fun blogging!
This made me miss my dad and his dadisms. What a great father!
ReplyDeletePopping in from denisebennorth.blogspot.com from the A-Z Challenge where I am writing Daily Affirmations for Intentional Living.Have fun blogging!
I love it! #2 was also one of my dad's favourite expressions :D
ReplyDeleteMy Dad also would relate the 'I see said the blind man - and we would finish it off with 'and so he died'
ReplyDeletefrom the story of the blind man who persuaded a man to carry him across a raging river, having understood something his transport had said to him said' I see, I see' - 'in that case' said his transport' you can walk across yourself' and promptly dropped him into the raging river where he drowned:(
I have had a look around here and have enjoyed all the letters - keep smiling:)