My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Whenever my sister, Sheree, and I go down to visit at Thanksgiving our dad always had some pre-cut piece of wood for us to carve. so, we sit on the back patio and carve to our hearts desire. I think I took a similar image like this last year so I apologize if it looks similar.
This is two of my dads carvings. The first one is two hearts connected at their base and carved from one piece of wood, Birdseye Maple. The carvings in the background are small elephants with intertwined trunks. This is my dads, creative outlet and a great form of therapy.
Can’t take the cold anymore. So, my sister and I are boarding a airplane this morning and heading to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with our parents, our sister and our favorite brother-in-law. Checking the forecast we see temperatures to be near the 80 degree mark. I can live with that! My sister and I met Sunday morning for coffee and plan our attack. After settling on our plans we headed out to a woodcarvers show. My dad has been carving for the past 20 years and now Sheree has been bitten by the bug. She’s joined a local club who is sponsoring the show. I have seen some nice carving through photographs in my dads magazines but seeing these carvings up close will take your breath away. Here a few images from the show. I’m not taking a laptop nor expecting to be connected to the internet for the next week. Stay warm!
I remember the first time I really noticed my dad’s hands. I’m not sure if he was holding me or if I was just sitting beside him. Their size was impressive as I was young at the time. I remember touching them and noticed how the wrinkles of age had begun to appear. They had worked hard for many years and they still do. My father learned from experience how to use his hands. He used them to work for a paycheck that provided shelter and food for his family. He used them to repair cars, repair and also build a house, make a toy gun from a piece of wood, plant and harvest a garden. He also used them to discipline his children. I remember the last time I felt the well deserved impact of his hands on my posterior. Later in life he would surprise me by using them to create wood carvings like the one you see above.
A few years back I looked down and realized my hands were starting to look like his. I’m proud of that. My hands are not identical to his nor do they not have the same strength, talents or gifts as his but they have his imprint on them. Today is my dad’s 80th birthday. He still walks everyday and stays in very good physical condition. He’s also pretty sharp between the ears, too! I love you, dad, because of your strengths and your weaknesses and because you have shared your hands with me.
Happy Birthday Dad!