Bill and I
Bill & I
Guest Post – My Dad
March 12, 2018
A note from the author’s daughter: Growing up, my dad would sometimes tell me stories of his big brother, Bill. You could always tell how much he held Bill in high esteem. It was very much so the way a little brother would brag about things his older brother had done, how charming he was, how athletic he was.
I never met my Uncle Bill. He passed away when my dad was a teenager. A couple years ago for Christmas, I asked my parents to describe one of their favorite songs – something that reminded them of their upbringing, their adolescence. I wasn’t surprised when my dad answered with the song Daniel, by Elton John but I was surprised by how much emotion the song stirred in my dad. In starting this series “What Music Means to Me”, I immediately thought of my dad and how Daniel holds such meaning for him. My dad penned the following article this past winter break when I asked him to write about it.
The words below are his own.
The author takes shelter in the midst of a nerf gun battle with his son.
The author looking teenage-angsty with his older brother, Bill.
Forty years have come and gone, but memories of my older brother Bill and his life will never diminish. He was just turning 22 and I almost 20 when he died of a heart attack. You see, he was born with an enlarged heart. The doctors never thought he’d live long and at 17, he had open heart surgery. He was always told to take it easy and not exert himself too much.
Well, this was not Bill. He always lived his life to the fullest, even if it was short-lived.
The author with Bill and his older sister, Bonnie
Every time, I hear the song Daniel by Elton John I think of Bill. And as I write this, tears are welling up and falling.
The lyrics “Daniel my brother, you are older than me / Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won’t heal? / Your eyes have died but you see more than I” go straight to my heart. They don’t just bring painful memories of loss, but also sweet tears from the joy of being around him. His laugh, boyish charm and accepting ways were one of a kind. I miss him so much, as do many who knew him.
Bill as a young teen
When a song can touch you this way and bring memories back so vividly, it’s amazing.
