Mother’s question was: “What is your philosophy?”

Can you wrap up your philosophy in a nano second? By what creeds do you fall to believe? Did your dad go to war, learning how to march and carry a gun, but spent more time at funerals firing it, after the war?

I heard the taps and saw the uniformed man at the end of road, for my dad.

If I could sum up his philosophy, it was to gather his children home…today

And forever, to be together, on this earth and in the next. He fixed our moral compass on

God, and Fridays nights he turned the classic music on, and pulled out a little red book

That he took from the shelf, where we too picked out which encyclopedia to read

Or do our Friday night homework for Sabbath School.

Generations, I thought, were doing the same thing Friday night, going to the church,

Singing songs, with someone like Uncle Jack leading them on…and holding us to a note

Until we almost laughed, when the piano went on….without him…and of course, that

Would be me, doing the solo…while not watching his eyes twinkle, to see

If he could catch his daughter, my cousin and I…off the beat he chose it to be…

On the piano and organ, the crowd was listening to see if we all kept together

And of course, the “leader” was to set the “course” for us each to grow up

And become “a leader” too…and that’s why the family….was learning …as we go

To make plans and invite everyone along. . .to enjoy THE SHOW….the TALENT…the

MUSIC…the FUN…the discovering of each other, who brings their “philosophy” to the

table and LET THE FUN BEGIN…and what we can learn from you….?