Singer Dan Fogelberg was also one of my favorite songwriters. The song that I remember most is a song written about his dad called “Leader of the Band”.His father was a musician and he passed that talent down to Dan. Parts of the lyric made me think of my Dad in his final years..
The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul
I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
And, papa, I don’t think I said ‘I love you’ near enough
My Dad knew how much I loved him. Still I wish I had told him more. But this is the portion of the song that continues to impact me as a son.
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band
My Dad was a wonderful, kind, loving and flawed man. I have the flawed part down. I hope I am following his legacy of joy, kindness and love that he modeled so well. I realize with each passing year how much the leader of the pack impacted me. Every dad impacts the lives of their children. Children listen only sometimesbut they are always watching. My Dad probably never realized how closely I was watching.
The last time I saw my father he left me with a memory that will stay with me till I join him in eternity. His condition had worsened considerably. When I walked into the hospital room Dad’s eyes came alive and he grabbed my hand with an intensity that clearly communicated that he knew me. He stared at me and would often flash that special smile.
Our family had encountered one difficult employee at the hospital. She had done nothing helpful and she had done nothing with a bad attitude. I looked at (my sister) Sherry as I held my Father’s hand and said, “We don’t have to take that crap!” To my surprise out of that shell that was my Dad came a very clear and loud response…”I taught you that!”
Those were his final words that he spoke to me. And yes…you did teach me that Dad. And you taught me a whole lot more. You taught me that all of God’s children are to be valued. That everyone is important and deserves to be treated with dignity.
You taught me the concept of grace. When I was in junior high I somehow manage to establish “credit” at a hobby store. I ran up a debt that was monumental in those days. When you found out I was terrified. But you taught me that grace means unmerited forgiveness for obvious guilt. You taught me there is a difference between mistakes of ignorance and willful wrongdoing. You taught me what forgiveness looks like and what it means for someone to pay for your mistakes when it is undeserved. I got a little foretaste of how Jesus would pay a debt for me that I could not pay later on in my life.
You taught me that humor is a gift from God. That laughing at life and especially at your self makes it a whole lot easier to deal with daily frustrations.
You taught me a lot Dad. And I will be forever grateful. Perhaps most importantly, you taught me what it looks like to be ready to die. You taught me how to put your family at ease by clearly and consistently letting us know that you were ready to meet Jesus.
God’s Word consistently paints an image of God as our Father. Many people struggle with that picture because they can only relate to an angry, dominating or selfish father. I thank God that I was blessed with a father who gave me a clear image of how I can relate to God as my Heavenly Father.
I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck, and tell him that I’ve missed him. And tell him All about the man that I became, and hope that it pleased him. There’s so much I want to say, There’s so much I want you to know.
When I finally make it home. When I finally make it home.
I am so grateful that I had a dad that helped me to understand the real love of a father and what that means when God says I am His child.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are! –1 John 3:1
That is what we are! A child of God. That is a pretty good thing to meditate on to start another week.
The Leader of the Pack Left a Legacy
Dave BurchettSinger Dan Fogelberg was also one of my favorite songwriters. The song that I remember most is a song written about his dad called “Leader of the Band”. His father was a musician and he passed that talent down to Dan. Parts of the lyric made me think of my Dad in his final years..
The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul
I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
And, papa, I don’t think I said ‘I love you’ near enough
My Dad knew how much I loved him. Still I wish I had told him more. But this is the portion of the song that continues to impact me as a son.
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band
My Dad was a wonderful, kind, loving and flawed man. I have the flawed part down. I hope I am following his legacy of joy, kindness and love that he modeled so well. I realize with each passing year how much the leader of the pack impacted me. Every dad impacts the lives of their children. Children listen only sometimes but they are always watching. My Dad probably never realized how closely I was watching.
The last time I saw my father he left me with a memory that will stay with me till I join him in eternity. His condition had worsened considerably. When I walked into the hospital room Dad’s eyes came alive and he grabbed my hand with an intensity that clearly communicated that he knew me. He stared at me and would often flash that special smile.
Our family had encountered one difficult employee at the hospital. She had done nothing helpful and she had done nothing with a bad attitude. I looked at (my sister) Sherry as I held my Father’s hand and said, “We don’t have to take that crap!” To my surprise out of that shell that was my Dad came a very clear and loud response…”I taught you that!”
Those were his final words that he spoke to me. And yes…you did teach me that Dad. And you taught me a whole lot more. You taught me that all of God’s children are to be valued. That everyone is important and deserves to be treated with dignity.
You taught me the concept of grace. When I was in junior high I somehow manage to establish “credit” at a hobby store. I ran up a debt that was monumental in those days. When you found out I was terrified. But you taught me that grace means unmerited forgiveness for obvious guilt. You taught me there is a difference between mistakes of ignorance and willful wrongdoing. You taught me what forgiveness looks like and what it means for someone to pay for your mistakes when it is undeserved. I got a little foretaste of how Jesus would pay a debt for me that I could not pay later on in my life.
You taught me that humor is a gift from God. That laughing at life and especially at your self makes it a whole lot easier to deal with daily frustrations.
You taught me a lot Dad. And I will be forever grateful. Perhaps most importantly, you taught me what it looks like to be ready to die. You taught me how to put your family at ease by clearly and consistently letting us know that you were ready to meet Jesus.
God’s Word consistently paints an image of God as our Father. Many people struggle with that picture because they can only relate to an angry, dominating or selfish father. I thank God that I was blessed with a father who gave me a clear image of how I can relate to God as my Heavenly Father.
My friend Bart Millard of MercyMe sings a powerful song about seeing his dad when he makes it home to Heaven some day.
I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck, and tell him that I’ve missed him. And tell him
All about the man that I became, and hope that it pleased him. There’s so much I want to say,
There’s so much I want you to know.
When I finally make it home. When I finally make it home.
I am so grateful that I had a dad that helped me to understand the real love of a father and what that means when God says I am His child.
That is what we are! A child of God. That is a pretty good thing to meditate on to start another week.