For Posterity

Since the birth of my niece Abby, and with every coming Stirland grandchild, I have had an increasing desire to make certain these children grow up with a knowledge of their Grandpa Stirland.  Now with a child of my own, the desire is overwhelming.

A few months ago I sent out emails and phone calls to family - cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. - for any and all memories they have of my dear father.  I have had some information come in, but not the volume I had hoped.  However, this is my fault.  I find that it is still hard for me to go through memories about my daddy and therefor I have yet to call / remind the people that asked me to get back to them.   I am not sure going through memories will ever get easier.  I suppose I just need to "man up" and deal with it for the greater good.  It is important he not be forgotten.

A few days ago my mother had a post on her Facebook page (yes, my mother is on Facebook, and yes, I see the irony in it) from an old friend from Shelley, Idaho.  We lived in Shelley until I was 8.  Daddy taught music at Shelley High School.  The video was of a song my daddy had his Crystal Blue choir.  He heard it in his dream and when he woke he had mother help him write it down.  This is his Crystal Blue group singing it.

It amazes me how much my father touched so many people in his short life.  For a student to post this video approximately 32 years after the fact.... I wanted to thank him.  Michael beat me to it.  In his words:

I went over to youtube and told Todd Christensen "thank you" and this is his reply. I thought it was interesting. "Hi Michael, I'm so happy you were able to find this. I don't think I can't explain to you in words how much your father meant to me as a music teacher and mentor. He was such a good man and sacrificed so much for his students. The story I told about how he came up with this arrangement is totally true.  We used to rehearse in the early AM before school started, and I remember his telling us how one night he dreamed this arrangement. He got up in the middle of the night to pencil in the words of how it was to go. He was truly inspired. I'm not sure if you can tell, but you can hear his superiour tenor voice in that recording. He went to bat for us so many times and helped us when we were down and thinking that we could not go on tour, but he used to sing a song to help us, and I will post it in the next hour for you to hear."

This was the video he posted.  

Daddy use to sing this song to me all the time.  When I got old enough I use to sing it with him.  It means so much to have this recording.  

I could go on and say how much my daddy meant to me - how close we were - how I ache to have him here - to meet my dearest Don, to see his grandchild, to hug me, to feel his presence... but nothing I write could do justice to the feelings I have inside.  And so I will simply say how grateful I am to add this to my memories of daddy collection.

Special thanks to my dearest Don; 

without his help I would not have been able to post the videos.