BY VIVIAN CARSWELL BLACKMON
“IN MEMORY OF ESPER CARSWELL, MY DAD”
HE GROPED IN A WORLD OF DARKNESS
TO A JOB HE KNEW HAD TO BE DONE.
A JOB OF RAISING EIGHT CHILDREN
ASKING HELP FROM NO ONE.
MANY WAS THE NIGHTS HE WORRIED
HOW THE BILLS WOULD GET PAID
BUT HIS FAITH IN GOD SUSTAINED HIM
AND SOMEHOW THE CROPS ALWAYS MADE.
HE NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE SUNSHINE,
IN A WORLD AS DARK AS COULD BE
HE NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE GOAL
FOR US TO BE ALL WE COULD BE.
HE NEVER LOST HIS SENSE OF HUMOR
AND COULD SEE FOLKS WORSE OFF THAN HE
THOUGH HIS SIGHT WAS GONE, HIS HANDS WERE STRONG,
AND TO BE IDLE WEREN’T MEANT TO BE.
SOMEHOW, HE FED AND CLOTHED US
ON A MILLER AND FARMER’S PAY
IF WE WERE SICK AND NEEDED A DOCTOR
HE ALWAYS FOUND A WAY.
HE ACCEPTED PITY FROM NO ONE
AND NEVER ASKED “LORD, WHY ME?”
HE BELIEVED IN GOD
AND LIVED HIS LIFE ACCORDINGLY.
WHEN AS CHILDREN, I REMEMBER
WHEN WE SAID OUR PRAYERS AT NIGHT
WE ASKED GOD TO TAKE CARE OF US
AND RESTORE OUR DADDY’S SIGHT.
SOMETIMES, AS A CHILD,
I WONDERED HOW IT COULD BE
THAT SUCH A BURDEN COULD BE PLACED ON MY DAD
AND I WISHED SO MUCH HE COULD SEE.
BUT, AS I AM OLDER NOW,
I SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
HIS EYES WERE CLOSED THAT HE MIGHT SEE
THINGS NOT VISIBLE TO YOU AND ME.
ALL THE TALL TALES, HE TOLD ME
THINGS I’LL NEVER FORGET,
ALL THE OLD SONGS HE TAUGHT ME
I’M STILL SINGING YET.
HE WAS A DAD TO BE REMEMBERED
CERTAINLY ‘ONE OF A KIND’.
THIS TRIBUTE TO HIM ON FATHER’S DAY
TO SAY, I’M GLAD HE WAS MINE!
