It seems like a photo of a sunset over the iron mine west of Cedar City is a good image to summarize this meditation. It has been over 4 years since I wrote this song, and so I’m not sure what led to the thoughts which are captured herein. When I re-read the words of this song, I thought it was about Dad. “I thought he was so fine, Full of love and always kind.” “He was doing what feels good, Always doing the best he could, Thinking it was what he should do.” “Never letting himself get moody, Diligent even if sooty.” It did seem like Dad spent a lot of time inside the boiler at Nelson Meat Packing Plant, or the boiler at the By Products Plant, or the boiler at the house welding leaks where water would get in with the coal fires. So, Dad certainly got sooty. There was a night when Mom was so mad at Dad she took a butcher knife and started to attack him. I stopped her, and Dad took the knife away. The wording might have just been rhyming of the word strife and knife, and still based on that most emotional of events. Dad “Never faced an ethical dilemma, Not caught up in dogma, Did as taught by his Mamma.” However, Dad died in May of 1996, a couple of months after his 80th birthday. So maybe this meditation was about who I wished I was. “Helping others, taking time, Then I noticed (I’m) getting older, (I’m) no longer a young soldier, (I’m) much more careful and movin’ slower, Somewhat colder, and still bolder than most.” I was “always obedient, Sometimes to a fault, Others saw it an impediment, Not recognizing (I) was their salt.” “If (I) could do better (I) would do. (I) was always fulfilling (my) duty,” striving to be “Like a hero in a movie. Responsibilities drove (my) life,” I worked hard to “Always be supportive of (my) wife. I have studied attempted to follow the teachings of Christ, Buddha, and Allah.” “Morality was (my) line in the sand.” I left Landmark and Continuum Resources because of actions of Senior Management. I strive to “Never follow a reckless band, Nor beyond what’s natural to expand, Simple concepts to understand.” So maybe this meditation was all about merging the best of both of us into a song, with the hope some of our descendants will pick up on good characteristics, and stay away from the mistakes we have made.
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