My inspiration for this post came from my dear, longtime blogging friend, Debbie @ Musings by an ND Domer's Mom, who is not only a gifted...
The above photograph was actually taken by my father while he was in the Army, stationed in Newfoundland, Canada in 1945.
*my fathers handwriting on the back of the photo...
And I can only imagine what tremendous excitement it gave him to finally meet his all-time favorite Hoboken, New Jersey, Italian-born singing idol, Frank Sinatra, on the day he came to visit his military troop.
There were two things that my father had always wished about his life...
1) To be able to sing.
And 2) that he had gone to dental school to become a dentist.
A singing dentist, I guess? LOL!
My dad (who was also named Frank), loved listening to his treasure trove of Sinatra albums.
I have such vivid memories of hearing LP's playing on Sunday afternoons, while smelling garlic, basil, and tomato sauce emanating from the kitchen. Such Sinatra tunes as: Night and Day, The Way You Look Tonight, Witchcraft, and Come Fly With Me.
One day last week while I was standing in line at Starbucks, I noticed they were playing Sinatra songs, which immediately made me smile and think of my dad.
But what's interesting is that I never fully appreciated or really felt Sinatra in my soul until I got to the age of forty-one and was ironically cast in a play in which my character and the character who I was romantically involved with shared a scene together at the end of Act 1, where the two of us danced to a Sinatra song.
The play also included various other Sinatra tunes that were musically woven between each of the scene changes, so that every performance for me was like experiencing Sunday afternoons in the Carnavil family.
Little by little throughout the rehearsal process something shifted inside me, where I began to finally hear and connect to what it was that my father had always cherished about Sinatra; his voice; and the songs he sang.
About midway through the run of the play, I officially became a full-fledged Frank Sinatra fan, finding myself singing his songs throughout the day.
And what was especially touching for me was that many times during that one particular scene in the play when I would dance with my partner, I could literally feel my father onstage dancing through me and smiling.
It was as if Frank Sinatra had magically brought my father and I together again, as we both shared a common love.
"So, thank you Mr. Sinatra."
"And Dad...I finally now know why the hell you loved him so much."
My father, the other Frank (*the handsome young man on the right) -
"I miss you, Dad. But know that I feel you anytime I hear Sinatra!"
Have a beautiful weekend, everyone! 💗
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