When a man first becomes a father, his child is helpless and capable of nothing. And so, he sets about the seemingly Herculean task of teaching her all she'll need to know in order to survive. He strives to make her strong, wise and independent. He teaches her to think and have a manner of comportment conducive to earning the respect and loyalty of her peers.
As he and she grow older, somewhere in the back of his mind there begins to form a notion that he is making himself redundant. That, one day, upon learning all that he has to teach, she will no longer need him. It is a terrifying thought and so he represses it, reassuring himself that such a day is long in the future.
But, sooner or later, the future arrives.
My daughter, Katie, is now half way through Grade 12. She is a spectacular student and next year she will be headed off to university. To help defray the cost, she is, like so many others, in the midst of applying for scholarships. One scholarship for which she applied required the writing of a poem. For those who don't know, "QuillFire" is a username reflective of a passion ... I am a poet. And, perhaps not surprisingly, that passion has passed from father to daughter.
The scholarship required participants to write a poem of appreciation to someone to whom they owed a debt of gratitude. Participants were to use, as a writing prompt, the title of Walt Whitman's most famous poem, "O Captain, My Captain," written in tribute to the recently assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
This was Katie's entry:
In Toga-Armor Clad
He taught me math, the hallowed path,
My tutor, since Grade 1,
Taught too to dare in Science Fairs,
Good many have I won.
Taught me to write, with words ignite,
Use sparks to start a flame,
When arguing your argument,
Must words an insight frame.
Archimedes, Aristotle,
Alexander, called The Great,
Athena, Aphrodite,
Of men, their gods and fate.
How to dress with it finesse,
So too, to throw a punch,
To start a fire and spot a liar,
Believe in it a hunch.
Say ‘please’ before you ask it,
Say ‘thank you’ when received,
Tell no lies nor truth disguise,
So that you’ll be believed.
Be loyal to your loved ones,
Find time for them, your friends,
If bond you break, don’t bond forsake,
Say sorry … make amends.
And of the tricks of politics,
Things rarely as they seem,
One finds Virtue in the middle,
And Vice it at extremes.
My teacher and my tyrant,
In toga-armor clad,
My mentor and my captain,
My hero … and my Dad.
The future ... has arrived.
Quill
You guys know the QuillDrill. Be verbose ... but articulate.
And remember ...
Go Love A Starving Poet
For God's sake ... they're starving!
ǝɹǝɥ sɐʍ ɹoʇɐɹnƆ pɐW ǝɥ┴
@themadcurator,
Curator curates what creator he crafts,
Some words they bring tears, some words they bring laughs,
The tears open hearts, laugh lowers defense,
A man makes a friend ... the cost was but cents.
.
.
You can be as bloody raving mad as you like ... just keep dropping those dimes. :-)
Thanks for the support, MC.
Quill
.
.
P.S.deserves to be at the top. Would one of you guys consider giving it some juice? @themadcurator, @ngc, @berniesanders ... there's a poem in a comment (@joanstewart) at the bottom of these comments that
There is an expression about trees and apples that I think applies here 😛
@dollarsandsense,
I think you're right ... and the thought of it warms my heart to know people think so. She is my highest compliment. :-)
Quill
Very good example of the apple falling not far from the tree, you both have done well.
@sultnpapper,
Thanks Sult. She does her father proud.
Quill
Thank you for the afternoon cry :) My heart swells for such a loving and well-deserved tribute! Nice job dad ... you raised a great one there <3
Submitted to c-squared as well.
@lynncoyle1,
Hey Lynn.
You can't blame this one (cry) on me. For once ... I'm innocent. :-) Katie's a great gal and I'm very proud of her. If I weren't such a tough guy, I could admit to getting glassy-eyed as well.
Thanks for the c-squared submission. C-Squared is one of the things Steemit is doing right. I desperately wish some whales would pull their delegations from bidbots and use it instead to vote the curation trails of manual curators.
I just had a idea ... write a poem about "blank" curators ... I need a good adjective. Anyone have any ideas?
Quill
Hard to know what to say. You must be so proud, @quillfire. What a magnificent tribute to a father. That poem gave me goosebumps.
Clearly, you might feel redundant, but she doesn't. As a daughter, I am sad I didn't have more adult time with my dad. Gone 19 years and I still miss him. I, too, am a Daddy's girl.
@fionasfavourites,
Hi Fiona.
I got goosebumps too. That's not an easy poem to write and I know how much work went into it. All those things she mentioned, we've talked about each of them a thousand times and so the poem is loaded with memories.
You know, it's funny, despite all the feminist-inspired political-correctness, I've never once heard either a girl or a woman disclaim the moniker, "Daddy's Girl." Indeed, any female lucky enough to sport the label wears it like a badge of honor.
This is the kind of stuff that gets to us tough guys. :-)
Quill
Ironically, it is because of my father I learned to - his words - stand on my own two feet.
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Amazing job. I am sure she'll get the scholarship. Not to get mushy, but it feels really good when you have some sort of confirmation that you have done well.
Awesome job Dad 😁
@tryskele,
I hope she gets it too ... $1,000.
It wasn't an easy poem to write and she obviously put a lot of work into it. I've been teaching her the finer points of poetic technique for years but I was shocked at how well she did. It is flawless. Even if she doesn't win, the impact it had on me was worth a million dollars.
Quill
What an amazing poem from her to you. You must be a proud dad. I can imagine you were crying when she gave it you.. I know I would :)
@delishtreats,
Hey Delish.
Amazing .... yes.
Proud ... ferociously.
Cried ... I am made of steel.
Quill
Not even one little tear? ;)
@delishtreats,
Steel. :-)
Quill
What a wonderful tribute to the Dad @quillfire the daughter became his own.
What my Dad gave me around age 16....
To My Daughter
Wishing her a successful year ahead in preparing for her future.
@joanstewart,
OMG Joan ... I was expecting something hokey. That was GOOD!!!
The whole poem is masterfully crafted and the theme woven as if a tapestry. I was going to do a pull-quote to highlight this part or that ... but the WHOLE POEM is a pull-quote!
Absolutely beautiful.
Your Ol' Man has chops.
I gave my daughter a poem on her 16th birthday ... she says it's the best gift she's ever received (as if she had a choice) ... it's a couple of paragraphs down:
https://steemit.com/contest/@quillfire/my-favorite-person-writing-contest-by-zoexantelamv
Scroll through the comments on this post ... I'm warmed to see that the Daddy-Daughter thing is such a big deal for so many daughters. :-)
Quill
.
@blockurator, @jaynie, @fionasfavourites, @lynncoyle1, @nickyhavey, @foxyspirit, @felt.buzz, @manoldonchev, @dollarsandsense, @tryskele, @byn, @mariannewest, @brittandjosie @delishtreats, @beautifulbullies @kaerpediem, @appreciator ... have you guys seen this poem? This deserves to be on the ceiling ... and Joan's one of us.
.
I would request that EVERYONE who sees this comment to, please, UPVOTE IT ... it deserves to be at the TOP of the Comments.
You are so kind, yes poetry says it all, I have the original stuck in a book and retyped to share the words.
Both my parents were keen on writing, my Dad did quite a script during the war years up north, Mum wrote a few good posts about growing up in her childhood, published in local newspaper.
Every father should give a meaningful poem to a daughter at 16, very meaningful whether written by Dad or not, it really is something cherished forever.
I missed that beautiful December post because I was preoccupied with happenings for the holidays. Thank you for sending me to look at it. You and Katie are privileged to have each other and your relationship is one to treasure. I am sure it will survive her paramours. You will forever be her Dad.@quillfire
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That is beautiful, @joanstewart. A treasure. Have you considered compiling and sharing your parents' writing - with photographs of the original manuscripts? Would make a fantastic blog series.
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The entire poem was amazing, but that last part,
That had to have left you a bit teary eyed, eh? How absolutely wonderful that she has so much awareness and appreciation for the things you've done for her. Awesome job, dad!
@byn,
Hey Byn.
We're very close and have been since Day 1. Our minds are so closely linked it's a bit eerie. We finish each others sentences and when we start brainstorming, it's a spectacle worthy of popcorn. It's like we can sense each other's thoughts.
It's funny ... I'm the stereotypical patriarch everyone's always complaining about ... but look what it's produced. A young woman that feminists would use as a poster-girl ... but one who is also stridently anti-feminist. Indeed, 90% of her Straight A girlfriends are similarly inclined.
And it's not just us. Every one of the "squared-away" girls I know has one thing in common ... a really good relationship with their Dads. It seems to effect every aspect of their lives: Academics; emotional stability; self-confidence; dating (they're all extremely picky ... something that all the other Dads have noticed as well) ... and general happiness.
Nothing in that statement, of course, is meant to diminish the extremely important role of great Moms but, for whatever reason, there seems to be something about the Father-Daughter relationship that makes or breaks them. Maybe it's the corny Dad Jokes. :-)
Parenting ... and extensive tutoring ... has made me a great believer in the traditional nuclear family (I'm not religious so that's a conclusion based purely upon empirical observation). Nature built in checks-and-balances that social engineering is failing miserably to replicate. I've witnessed a lot of heart-breaking situations ... perhaps, someday, I'll share a few.
Quill
Oh man! You must be prouder than a proud thing on a proud day marching in the proud parade in Proudsville. She is amazing
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@felt.buzz,
Mate ... THAT is EXACTLY how proud I am. :-)
Quill
I honestly love the relationship you two have
I can see you both adore each other
What a beautiful poem for her father
All the best with the scholarship..
Now, can you tell me what's the trick to spotting a liar? :D
@kaerpediem,
Thanks Kaer.
She is an embarrassment of riches. I consider myself amongst the luckiest fathers in history.
Of course, now she feels justified in editing ... my poems!!! Grrr. :-)
That one may require its own post.
Quill
Now we know the truth. Your daughter writes all your poems and you put your name on them.
Ooops ... did I type that out loud?
Clearly, the two of you have a similar style. Or, it could be that the poem is patterned after one of the few Whitman poems that actually had a rhyme scheme, and some semblance of meter. She did well. And the two of you obviously have a great relationship, of which the two should be proud.
Father and daughter, like mink and otter,
Have values much the same.
The mink her fur, the otter his bite
Complement each by name.
@blockurator,
Hey Block.
Well ... you didn't think I was going to teach her your style, did you? :-)
Aztec god upon a tractor,
In middle of the street,
Shakespeare aghast at genre,
From Block ... a Farm Punk treat.
Ironically, she's even more vicious about form than I am (which is saying something). One of her classes this year is Classical Literature and they're studying poetry. And ... she frequently gets into debates with her teacher about poem interpretations. She came home one day, fuming, about the assertion that Robert Frost's poems were filled with "male patriarchal" themes. Robert Frost ... patriarchy. I read over the poems in question ... if anyone ever misinterprets one of my poems that badly, I will return from the grave.
It was once 'suggested' that she expand her horizons by writing ... in Free Verse. Well, you can imagine ... she is her father's daughter. She retaliated with a 10-minute explanation about the neurological effects of pattern (meter, rhythm, rhyme and alliteration), explaining the connection between the stimuli and the responsive secretion of dopamine, endocannibinoids, endorphins, oxytocin and vasopressin.
I mildly chastised her about keeping the cheek in check but who are we kidding, I would have done exactly the same. And ... she has a 97% in the class. I can only imagine what it's going to be like when she gets to university and some green-haired professor insists that Shakespeare was a misogynist because he named a play, 'Taming of the Shrew.' Thankfully, she's not alone. Apparently, many in Gen Z are horrified by Millennial antics and are pushing back. The pendulum I suppose.
BTW, I claim "Otter status."
Quill
Feminist interpretations of iconic male literature is laughable. Any third grader can overcome them. It wasn't the millennial generation that got all that started. It was the Baby Boomers. Generation X (my generation) didn't try to fight the silly nonsense too much. The millennials adopted it and carried it too far. I'm glad to see the younger generation developing some sense and sensibilities.
Love the farmpunk new formalism. Nice mashup. :-)
@blockurator,
You're right ... it was our fault. We were the Millennials' teachers. Millennials ... my apologies.
The Robert Frost angle was new to me ... how anyone could find his stuff objectionable is beyond me ... he was a Pussycat Poet. I think it's simply that he's a famous Straight White Guy.
The thing that most boils my blood though is Aristotle ... apparently the feminists really don't like him ... and he's one of my all-time intellectual idols. His crime: He once argued that women and men have different natures and purposes. Mind you, they're not too pleased with his invention of "logic" and "empiricism" either.
Farmpunk New Formalism ... hmm ... Block, I hate to admit it, but that has just enough panache that it might catch on. What do you say ... we split royalties 50/50?
Quill
Royalties ... sure.
Yeah, my grandfather was into Frost. He really liked the two roads poem. Frost was good, for a day. I think he was a perennial favorite of men from The Greatest Generation who didn't get into poetry. Frost was white, straight, and American. What more could they ask for?
Second Wave feminists reacted against anything white, male, straight, or American and invented reasons not to like them. That's why everything is patriarchal to them. If you're white, straight, male, and American, you're a part of the evil patriarchy. Gloria Steinem and Patricia Ireland are largely responsible for that garbage. Third Wave feminism has a bit more sense to it. They at least acknowledge that the stay-at-home-mom gig is a viable choice for the fairer sex.
Well, I think they doth protest too much. Send them to the nunnery.
Your balance is below $0.3. Your account is running low and should be replenished. You have roughly 10 more @dustsweeper votes. Check out the Dustsweeper FAQ here: https://steemit.com/dustsweeper/@dustsweeper/dustsweeper-faq
Well, expanding one's horizons is never bad. I won't be surprised if in college she'll have to write in free verse as well as in metered structure, f'rex :3
And as noted in some places, free verse isn't really free. It often obeys many rules of its own. ESpecially rhythm. As for alliteration, that has a home in free verse as well.
@geekorner,
You've been talking to @blockurator, haven't you?
Did he put you up to this?
Free Verse ... that guy's a bad influence. :-)
Quill
I think I wrote free-verse on Steemit before Blockurator joined ;-)
And as noted in some citations on Wikipedia, free-verse has a lot of rules. At least the good kind.
Rhymes are easy to do bad. Hard to do well. I think giving up on rhyme and some of the metered verses is needed to grow your basic skills, and then you can go back to meter and rhyme and apply them properly.
Free verse is like playing tennis with the net down. Of course, where I come from, we call that four square with rackets. Nets are for sissies.
@blockurator,
My favorite angsty anti-Free Verse quote:
... Four Square with rackets :-)
Quill
@geekorner.
Or ... learn to write poetry from a persnickety Dad. :-)
Quill
I don't know what kind of basic skills you'd acquire by giving up on rhyme and meter. Those ARE the basic skills. Start there. If you can master rhyme and meter, then you can write free verse. If all you can do is write free verse, all you can do is spill your guts on a page. That's not poetry.
This post is sponsored and featured by @Appreciator in collaboration with @c-squared. Just keep up the good work.
@appreciator,
Thanks Appreciator. Your support is always greatly ... appreciated.
Quill
Pardon me the GOT reference, but...in an early episode of Season One, Ned Stark says. "War was simpler than daughters".
I'm a crusty old bachelor, (not by decision; I tried), but I have a boatload of nieces and nephews, and from what I've seen fatherhood is not for wimps. It seems like you've done a good job of what looks to me like a truly Herculean task.
@redpossum,
You know, I'd like to claim some heroic endeavor on my part but, the truth is, she was the easiest child to parent one could imagine. When she was a toddler, I "baby-proofed" the house. It was unnecessary. I'd explain to her what was dangerous and why. She listened, nodded her head and said, "OK, I won't touch that." And that was it, she never did.
Homework, behaving in public, boys ... all of it was easy. In almost 18 years, I could count the number of times I raised my voice on one hand ... with fingers to spare. She makes me look good.
She now has a boyfriend ... first one, she was extremely picky. He is "me," just three decades younger. Everyone sees it and she freely admits it. He and get along like a house on fire.
While we really love one another, I think it helps that we really like one another. We really enjoy each other's company. And, I suppose, it helps that she laughs at all my jokes. :-)
Quill
Sounds like you got very lucky. I know people for whom parenting has been the exact opposite; they did everything right, tried as hard as could be, and still wound up with the juvenile delinquent from hell.
That poem was great! If I have a daughter in the future I hope she'll turn out to become like yours. Thank you for sharing this with us!
@sgbonus,
I will pass along that very high compliment. Thank you.
Quill
Beautiful post
#PHC
@beautifulbullies,
Thanks BB. I've been meaning to check out your blog for a month ... Lynn Coyle mentioned it. In a year, I've yet to figure even a semblance of a plan for "keeping up" on Steemit. I don't know how everybody does it ... I'm ALWAYS drowning. :-)
I'll swing soon.
Quill
Aw this made me tear up a little. Obviously a great job all around - thanks for being a good dad, and sharing this really touching bit of life and poetry with us. <3
@carlgnash,
Hey Carl.
Me too. She has inherited her Daddy's linguistic propensities. You can teach anyone meter, rhythm and rhyme. What you can't teach is "insight" ... you have it or your don't, and she does. And, she's not yet 18. All those things she listed are things we've discussed a thousand times and so there's a ton of memories wrapped up in each line.
Quill
Goodmorning quill great youre back , and indeed the future has arrived
@brittandjosie,
I had a computer problem that took a week to fix (My screen went black; And I, a heart attack ... not the second part, I just couldn't help myself ... sometimes the poet thing becomes a pain). And then, another week trying to catch up on ... EVERYTHING. Thanks for dropping by.
Quill
You must be so happy that your daughter feels this way about you! It is the drama of being a good parent. We raise our kids so that they don't need us anymore. Off they go. And here we are. All good though.
@mariannewest,
Hi Marianne.
Luckily, Katie seems as determined to ensure that I go nowhere as I am to stick around. She's planning to get a PhD ... but she can also do the math. Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, Fellowship ... if she ever wants to have kids, she's got a problem. There's no way she'd be OK with sticking her kids in daycare as she's the beneficiary of a highly involved parent and fully grasps the upsides. So, she's developed a plan: While she and her husband-to-be finish their doctorates and/or fellowships, Daddy will tutor her kids the same way he tutored her ... she has no illusions about how she got all those Straight A's. And, it's a plan with which I am just fine. :-)
This is actually a really big problem for a lot of women in academia ... their doctorates/fellowships occur at a time when their reproductive windows are closing ... and that's one Hell of a trade off. Doctorates and fellowships are not 9 to 5 endeavors and no amount of juggling alleviates the conflict. Hence, many women who choose to have a family drop out before completion and, in something like biological/medical research (her area of interest) where knowledge evolves so quickly, falling behind by even a few years is near fatal to one's career prospects.
On a societal level, some accommodation has to be made and it's hard to imagine a practical solution that doesn't involve extended family. In all my travels (57 countries thus far), one of the things I long ago noticed was that throughout most of the world, grandparents are typically EXTREMELY involved with raising their grandchildren. It is only here in the West that we have gotten away from this ancient tradition. If one looks at the statistics relating to child-rearing and outcomes, our 'enlightened models' leave a lot to be desired. They are not, in my opinion, sustainable.
Anyway, ask me in 15 years how it all pans out. If I'm still sane, maybe I'll write a poem. :-)
Quill
Love your plan and agree on all points.
I was an extremely hands on parent and now am a very involved grandma. I had little dude 3 with me until his dad decided to be a stay home dad.
It was great and exhausting at the same time 👍
My kid live within 2 miles of me for a reason.
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@mariannewest,
You have my salute.
Quill
Touching... the work of you both. I really wish you the best!
And will be happy to see more stuff like this. Whenever.
@manoldonchev,
Thanks mate. I consider Katie my Magnum Opus ... the one thing in life that I really got right. I am, as you've undoubtedly noticed, very proud. Sorry about all the bragging ... Katie says it's not classy ... but I can't help myself. :-)
Quill
Wow that is awesome! I can only hope one day my kids write one about me like that!
@zekepickleman,
It's all about blackmail. You tell them that if they don't give you enough sugar, you'll send them to live in Siberia. I used to tell Katie that if she didn't stop being so picky with her food, no man would ever want her and I'd have to marry her off to an Eskimo who, luckily for her, wouldn't have access to vegetables anyways.
Mind you, she eventually called my bluff and started pretending to find "Bear" (Alaskan Bush People) HOT ... (clever daughters are both a blessing and a curse).
https://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/alaskan-bush-people/bios/
Quill
Spoken like a fella who knows!
I learned that early and often. They are almost teenagers so I am going to be exponentially screwed.
@zekepickleman,
Well, you seem to have excellent situational awareness ... and that's something, isn't it? :-)
Quill
What a wonderful tribute to you. You certainly did parenting right. I wish her all good things as she moves ahead with her life.
@melinda010100,
Hi Melinda.
A wonderful tribute indeed ... I could not have dreamed of a more moving memento. Katie will read these comments and I'm sure she'll appreciate your well wishes. Thank you.
Quill
Years ago, when my son was in college he had to write a paper on 'who is the person you admire most' . I was completely honored and surprised that he chose me to write about. And even all these years later it still touches my heart.
@melinda010100,
I used to run a couple of hedge funds and my clients were very wealthy. And, a surprising number of them hated, or were hated by, their kids. Complaining, they'd say something like:
"She's so ungrateful. For Christ's Sake, I paid for her to go to Standford and bought her a Mercedes when she graduated. And this is how she repays me."
You can buy neither love nor respect ... you earn them.
Quill
I have a few friends like that. Lots of money and their kids will not allow them contact with the grandkids. You have obviously done it right!
That is so beautiful...."My hero and my dad". Same here my friend my daughter is also going to college and I am terrified, worried and a lot of things comes to my mind. I just can't believe how time flies so fast.
@watersnake101,
Slaughtered.
Women are always complaining about how unemotional men are ... I don't think they're paying attention. They confuse "difference in style" for "lack of substance." Men are extremely emotional ... it's just that it gets released in 'intense bursts.'
Katie 'studies' all of my poems and we discuss at great length the neurological effects of literary stimuli (the science that underlies the art). One of the literary techniques I almost always strive to achieve (not always possible) is the "end-punch."
Telling any story well, whether in poetry or in prose, involves "tension and release." When and how the tension is released separates the Great Storytellers from the Good (this is also extremely important in stand-up comedy or written satire. I intend to write an article about the latter so stay tuned if you're interested). The end-punch involves building tension throughout the entire poem and then releasing it in a single word (preferably one that is a single syllable) at the end of the last line of the last stanza of the poem.
An explosive release of tension that results in "emotional whiplash" (yes, great poets and writers deliberately engage in Machiavelli-like manipulation of their audiences so as to, deliberately, inflict emotional trauma. The experience of 'greatness' is not free ... the audience MUST pay a price).
It looks easy enough after-the-fact (a phenomenon called "retrodictability"), but I promise you, it's NEVER self-evident how to accomplish the feat when you're staring a blank piece of paper. Katie accomplished it to absolute perfection.
Proud Daddy.
I remember, like it was last week, dropping off Katie on her first day of Kindergarten. I am flabbergasted that she is now on the verge of leaving for college. Moreover, I'm flabbergasted that some of the most intelligent and thought-provoking conversations I now have are with her ... someone I was teaching to read and write "just yesterday." She is well-beyond mirroring my opinions and forces me to consider things from angles that I had previously missed. Her being female also adds an intriguing element as it layers on yet another dimension of meaning. Steel sharpens steel ... but it's a process that works both ways.
Quill
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What!?!
2,500 Comments ... that's it!!!
I'd be a WHALE! :-)@arcange, you need to come up with a badge based on word-count ...
Quill
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community
community witness. Please consider using one of your witness votes on us here for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.@c-squared runs a
@c-squared,
Guys, thanks again for your continued support ... especially on this one. It means a lot. I will do whatever I can to drive support your way. You guys deserve it.
Quill
😍😍😍😍💯
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@thereikiforest,
Thanks for the smiles. :-)
Quill
Nice one for sure. BTW I am in the same boat!
@old-guy-photos,
Hey Ol' Guy.
I know it. We're both emotional marshmallows and now we're going to pay the price for it. Our only saving grace is that the girls genuinely seem to feel sorry for us and seem willing to extend us some pity. :-)
All this angsty self-reflection got me reminiscing last night. As a little girl, Katie's favorite Disney Princess was, by far, Belle. And even then she understood, and would explain, why: Like her, Belle was always reading books and, like her, her Dad was an egghead ... always experimenting with something and tinkering with one invention or another. And ... Belle and her Dad were really close.
Geese Louise ... I need to do a post about something manly ... like changing a tire or something. Maybe I'll go start a fire or catch a fish. :-)
Quill
weekly philosophy curation post.Feel free to join us on Discord!This post has been selected for curation by @msp-curation by @clayboyn and has been upvoted and will be featured in the It will also be considered for the official @minnowsupport curation post and if selected will be resteemed from the main account.
@msp-curation & @clayboyn,
Guys, thanks for the support. As you can imagine, I really wanted this post to get some attention and you've done your part. As I've written elsewhere, Great Manual Curators are as important to the future of Steemit as are Great Content Creators. Keep up the great work ... it is greatly appreciated.
Quill
Ooo.. This is so sweet. All the years of patience and teaching that you have bestowed onto your daughter has truly paid off...
Nothing is more valuable that having her display her thanks and love to you...
@ireenchew,
You're right ... I was, and am, deeply moved. This is something you can neither buy nor sell. It is either given freely ... or not at all. It is telling that we all reacted the same way, isn't it? Deep down, we all intuitively understand what really counts in life, even if we are so seldomly reminded.
Quill
Oh my lord what a beautiful mind she has and poem! Please tell me that you shed a tear when you read that.
@foxyspirit,
I am not certain you fully appreciate how the male ego works ... I am made of steel. :-)
Beautiful mind ... I know this sounds like Daddy-bragging which, of course, it is ... but she honestly does have a beautiful mind, which undoubtedly explains why I'm so smitten. It's not just that I love her ... I like her. Even if we weren't related, we would be best friends.
And that turns out to be damnably fortuitous.
Quill
I can see in her, just through the picture how great her mind and soul is. For some reason, and I know this sounds to be the most bizarre, I can feel how you feel for her. Not just the ties of father and daughter but a more celestial maybe? I'm looking for the word but definitely highly spiritually connected.
It is said that we can have many soulmates and some not being on a romantic level. Perhaps you have both been previously connected in another life. Whichever your beliefs, I can feel you both have quite a strong bond.
@foxyspirit,
You know it's funny ... we're both as astonished by "us" as everyone else. We can literally read each other's mind. We finish each other's sentences to such an extent that it drives other people nuts. I'm a science guy so I know what the explanation is supposed to be ... we're only taking note of the "hits" while the "misses" go unnoticed. But we "hit" so many times per day that we're making a joke of statistics.
Quill
I think it is such a relationship to be respected, rather than make people go nuts. Not many people have that. It's pretty cool.
@quillfire a touching tribute to a loving father. You have brought her up well 😇😇
I'm 100% she will win her scholarship with a tribute such as that. If nothing else, she has proven what a great job you've done in raising her.
Well done good sir.