Jules Heartly| June 3rd 2021

Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you.   A  Farewell

It was early, and the wind howled like a beast thru the eaves while the heavy drops of the storm fell hard on the neighborhood roofs. It was all unexpected since prior to that, we were having such wonderful sunny dry weather. Just the day before I had been contemplating my patio framed by a clear blue sky, while I was feeling the calming whisper of the evening breeze.

On that rainy morning, I woke up to the realization that I have reached the 5th! while hitting also a 7th!

The 5th year blogging and the 7th book published.  I could say positively that I was taken by surprise.  The WordPress congratulations email came, and I was so doubtful, I even went back and checked the date of my first published blog. It was true.  It had been 5 years! And without a doubt, Two Mice on a Scooter is my seventh book out in paperback and digital formats, following the release of the second book of the series Mornin The Super Bird. 

I immersed myself for a minute in the feeling of joy of the accomplishment; I hadn’t had it as a goal, but it certainly felt good reaching the milestone. 

Right after, I reached into my bag to retrieve my phone, intending to share the moment with perhaps one of the few people that would understand the meaning of it: my father. 

Well, you see,  for the last decade, my dad had been one of my first phone calls for reporting a triumph and sometimes even a tragedy, or just the recipient of a call when I needed a subject distraction to muffle the world or minimize emotional pains. 

My dad, a talented speaker who gave me my love of words, my love for books, my curiosity for the unseen, the spiritual world, my celebrations of the esoteric,  the appreciation for Argentinian Tango, and my sense of purpose to make the world better than I found it. 

I romanticized the call I would have.  First, we’d probably discuss the latest sporting news, cycling, soccer, golf, and tennis, during which he would probably somehow find the way to tell me one of his life’s stories (and lessons from it). 

 His anecdotes were all so interesting and so well narrated, it was almost like watching a movie.  The details he conveyed were such, you could vividly see the characters and breathe the air of the moment when they took place.  Like that story about a time when being a college student looking to earn some money, he took a job as a salesman and traveled by car to a very far town where the car had to be towed from one road to the next taking advantage of the river low tides times…  I got so involved in the scene I even got concerned about getting my feet wet after reaching the crossed road. 

His stories reminded me of his fearless, adventurous spirit and his conviction on making money only if it was legal or how he would say it “ earned with honor”.

Since the subject to share during my phone call, was related to the writing world, I was probably down for a treat!  I was set to hear the narration of one of his stories, probably of the times when he wrote the speeches of so many regional and national politicians or the times when he delivered the introductory peroration for them in his loud voice with his arm high, exalting everyone to welcome them, just to be almost silenced by the even louder applause, the loud ovation my dad always got, the one that sounded like the thunderous waters rushing down in a stampede on the Niagara falls. 

He would probably indulge me in a speech right there over the phone! My favorite thing since I was a child!  To listen to one of his impromptu discourses.  The temptation of making the call grew every millisecond. 

My dad’s oratory had been throughout his life probably the one thing he was aware and most proud of and I believe probably one of the reasons he got elected to be a council member.  

“It probably will not make me rich but it certainly will enrich the minds and knowledge of others” he used to tell me, “plus it is something I enjoy.. You must do something you love, otherwise work is really a painful effort.”

Because of my dad’s amazing oratory skills, many people contacted him to request his help with writing declamations and complete lectures, but often than not there were the ones that wanted his services for free against his will, in other words, they promised to pay, but they never did.  “Let them live with their conscience,” he told me when remembering those times.  “ I sleep well every night, I may not have a lot of money but I do have ZERO financial debt.  I make sure to pay back every penny ever owed especially to people who trusted me enough to lend me money when I didn’t even ask  for it.”

Having grown up in the late ’30s when violence and rough economy were not the highlights but the only news, my father became resilient. He tested professions and took additional jobs when his teaching job wasn’t enough to provide for his large family.  Perhaps was then when he developed compassion and sympathy, for others, doing the best he could do to be of support but also knowing that there are other forces beyond ourselves that mold life.  Even when he became a successful established business owner, he kept being good at feeling sympathy, usually, and upon the news of someone’s illness or death, besides doing his best to provide help, he’d always say, “ A prayer must be told and let the Divine Power in the universe do its thing.”

Knowing all that and with my phone on hand, I imagined, how thankful my dad would be for having me chosen him to share such a special moment. He told me many times, “when you are thankful for something, an action, a moment, anything, you must say thank you three times. Give thanks until all involved feel it! ” So, I prepared my three thanks.

But as I started to dial his number my body suddenly felt like a block of lead, and my heart sunk like the iron anchor of a ship, as I remembered,  he wouldn’t be able to pick up the phone anymore, as where he is now, there are no cell phones, or land phones, or any electronic devices that interrupt everlasting peace.  The one that we sometimes get a glimpse of during a captivating sunset or mesmerizing dawn.  My dad left the physical body I knew him for, all of the sudden a few days after my dad with his voice breaking by a rollercoaster of emotions, thanked me for everything…

Needless to say, I didn’t make the call, but I did write this blog, to share all Seven books published with you and since I wouldn’t have been able to reach this milestone without your readership, I would like to say the same words that my father told me during our last conversation, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

And to my father with my heart flooded with gratitude, imagining him shimmered like silver in the sunlight, I say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, and Farewell!

Thank you for reading my blog! and Please share your stories and comments. they mean a lot to me.

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