Over fifty years ago, long before becoming my daddy, this young man found joy in singing, playing the drums, and listening to live music. At some point in his lifetime he recorded a song that would somehow be forgotten, but never forgotten by him.
Fast forward several decades, and this young man has now lived many lifetimes, including one where he is now my father. He was well into his seventies by the time I sought out to find the record he recorded so many years ago. So many people attempted to find it, but outside of several collectors on the internet and random others who’d uploaded it onto YouTube, a physical copy seemed impossible to find.
Unfortunately, after a long battle with dementia, this young man passed away at the grand old age of 87. A few days after he departed this world, I felt compelled to find his record again. I went back to Youtube, and then went to see if any of the people who’d uploaded it had IG accounts. I messaged @jonathantoubin on 11/8/2020, the night before my birthday, and a few days later he responded back.
Months passed since our original correspondence, and to my surprise I arrived home this week and found a package waiting for me at my doorstep.
I was literally blown away. Not only had he provided me with the record, he also included a handwritten note that restored my faith in humanity, the power of music, and just confirmed that there are some genuinely good people in this world. I don’t know if any words could express my gratitude to Jonathan, hence why I’m sharing this via a lengthy post on IG, but MY GOD.
I thank you for doing this single act that will forever make a difference in my life. I thank the Universe for using you as a vessel to get this gift from my father straight to me. And I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and life to do this for me. To you sir, I am forever grateful. #tbt #gratitude #grateful #blackhistory #music #soulmusic #soulmusiclovers #musiclovers #griefjourney #grief #dementiaawareness #daddy #blessings #blackgirlmagic #blackartists
Author F. Renee Hamilton 