Steemit #openmic Week 87: “Blue Jays” (Days n Daze Cover)... A tribute to lost loved ones on Memorial Day

It’s Memorial Day here today in the States, so I had every intention of visiting my Dad’s grave after work and bringing my guitar. However, it’s a sweltering 95 degrees Fahrenheit and work kicked my ass today. I’ve promised myself that I’ll visit soon.

Dad was an Air Force veteran, and although he never picked up an instrument in his life, he instilled his love of music in all of his 7 kids from a very young age. Before he died at the young age of 49, he loved to hear all of us “kids” and our friends when we would get together to play music.

This is a cover song by one of my favorite bands, Days n Daze, which is about tragically losing loved ones way before their time. This song was written, played, and recorded with a ukulele... but I’m no uke player, so I had to adapt for guitar :)

Please excuse my out-of-tune singing and whistling. When I do solo entries, it’s usually a last minute decision and I don’t have time to practice. Plus it’s hot and I’m sweating like a whore in a Church house. 🤣🤣🤣

I’m feeling pretty emotional, so I’m sorry for being so “talkative”. But 2009 was one of the worst years of my life.

First, I lost two of my aunts (dad’s sisters) to multiple sclerosis. Then, one of my best friends, Tim, was killed in a tragic car accident. The very next morning, we woke up to find out that one of our other best friends, Kenny, had died from a heart attack in the middle of the night at age 29. Five months later, my dad succumbed to the effects of renal failure and cirrhosis of the liver and left this earthly life at the age of 49.

After Dad’s funeral, we all drove a few miles down the road from the gravesite to the river and decided to jump off of the rocks into the water... in our dress clothes! ;) (Wish I could find pictures of that day!)

My Dad was fun, outgoing and super spontaneous, so we knew he would have loved that.

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all of the brave people that have served, and those who are currently serving our country. And a big thanks as well to the entire #openmic crew for providing musicians of all kinds, a place to share and interact. I truly love this community.

Thanks for reading and listening!