My Father's House

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My Father's House was originally written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen for his 1982 album Nebraska. There have been a few covers, including by Emmy-Lou Harris, but this cover by the Cowboy Junkies, clearly not intended for their albums, which appeared in Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes is my favourite. I think it's likely due to Margo Timmins singing most of this song unaccompanied, in a place with great acoustics. The sounds of the rest of the band and the sound recording crew working lend a rough edge of authenticity. And though everybody jokes around a bit when they join in for the last verse, it somehow retains the power of the original song, which is about losing chances for reconnection with the people in your family. You should give it a listen.

This has been on my mind since my father's stroke and memory issues, and the fact that we've had to move him out of his home into assisted care. Thanks to a tremendous amount of work from Erin, and help from all sorts of sources, we finally cleaned out his house and sold it to ensure that my father is safe and comfortable for the rest of his life. Saying this undersells the emotional and physical tonnage of this task. We consigned close to half a metric ton to the dump, gave over fifty boxes of books to the Elora Festival Book Sale, gave even more things to charity, preserved key mementoes for the family, and still filled my garage with things I'll have to sort through sooner rather than later.

And today, I picked up the last things from this house which my father has lived in for 33 years, that my mother lived in for 26 years, that I lived in for six years after moving to Kitchener from Toronto. Empty houses sound wrong. They echo. And when they come coupled with 33 years of memories -- let's just say that I wasn't prepared for the emotions that the echoes evoked. But I am glad that I had one last look and walk around. I could not finish this journey without saying goodbye.

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