Today is my father’s birthday. He’s been dead for 5 years, but his influence on my life has been incredibly profound. I look through my photos and recognize him in symbolic images that point to something he represented in my life. Representation is a well-developed part of human culture. We use it in language, art, religion, philosophy, identity and so many other ways. The real challenge we ‘civilized’ folk have is to strip away representations and come face-to-face with actual entities. My father was highly educated and an educator himself. His facility with symbol was quite advanced: he was a mathematician and a writer and combined those skills in his career as a Technical Writer. I am grateful for the symbols I still see that remind me of his life, his personality, his love.
scillagrace 
I have similar feeling about my own father, whose passed on 9 years ago, July 2nd. Thanks Priscilla, for helping me remember.
You’re welcome, Bruce. Enjoy spending time with him in your heart.
what a perfect day to remember your dad and the pictures are wonderful and expressive.
He was a fascinating man to know. Thanks for your visit!
very sweet – and wonderful pictures.
Thanks, Amy.
This is my favorite of all of the ones I have seen.
Thank you, Bob! I like your interpretation, too. I was thinking of something like “A Crash of Symbols”, but decided to go this other direction. Glad you liked it!
I have found that the influence of our fathers grows as we age and can see things from a new perspecitve…(for me, my grandfather and adoptive father who took over for my deceased father whom I never knew)
I can see that….my father was definitely someone to grow into. I was so in awe of him that I didn’t have a realistic perspective until I was much more mature.
Beautiful post … images and words.
Thank you! I like your luminous interpretation, too.
A big thanks in return.
Beautiful tribute. Mine has just turned 70 and we’ll have a party in a few days.
Thank you! Enjoy that party – live and love!
What a beautiful tribute to your father!
Thank you, Kathy! I like your Irish worry stone, too!
So beautiful
Thank you! I’m glad you came to visit here. I’m off to see your blog…
You are so welcome your blog is really gorgeous! Xx
Thanks!
Beautiful words Priscilla. How lucky you were to have him so long I lost my father when I was just 17 and feel I never really know him..
Am I right in thinking that yo have posted the sand picture before or something very similar?
Yes, all these photos have been used in a few posts. My mother just corrected my memory: my dad died March 19.