Dad's voice

My dad died on Thanksgiving Day, 1991 after a long struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) which left him speechless the last year or two before passing away.  So it's been over 20 years since I've heard my father's voice and I had forgotten what he sounded like.  I know that might seem strange but it's actually pretty typical.  I have a friend whose wife died a few years back.  For the first two years he didn't change her message on the answering machine because, as he put it, "I didn't want to forget what she sounded like."

 Well, all that's changed.  A few weeks back I found 6 small reel-to-reel tapes in the back of my closet.  They were audio letters my folks and I exchanged during my mission to Argentina (1963-1965) and my first stint with the Army (1966-1968) when I was assigned to South Korea.  I paid a professional to clean up and transfer the tapes to CDs and what a fun surprise.  On the tapes were, among other things:

--Christmas tapes with my mom and dad, sisters Doreen and Diane, and brother Kevin--all very young--opening presents and sharing with me what they had received from Santa. 

--Me playing the guitar and piano (I still play some of the same songs--how's that for being stuck in a rut for over 40 years!)

--One tape of just my dad bringing me up to date on family events.  This one meant the most to me because after all these years I could hear my dad's voice again.  Even as I write this my eyes are tearing up...with love...with gratitude...with memories.  Thanks, Dad, for making that tape and for all you did for me and our family.  I love you.

My dad, William "Bill" Barry, Jr., age 20ish.

Post script:  Maybe all of us parents should think about leaving a video and audio record of ourselves for our children and grandchildren--I know I will be working on this.