By Cyndi
One of the pleasures of living here in Manila is listening to all the wonderful Filipino 
musicians. The mall close to where we live constantly has a pianist or a combo playing in the center of the food court. It’s very enjoyable to have live music as you eat or shop, and I constantly find myself taken back in time through so many of the songs I hear them play. They play the same music and the same style my father used to play when I was growing up.
My father was mostly a self-taught piano player, except for some lessons from his aunt and a few from a cocktail pianist. It is from the latter that my father acquired the style of fancy frills, runs, and “showmanship” that he had. He had a way of making any song sound great. These made such imprints in my life.
I lost my father to colon cancer in 1994. He was a great dad — not perfect, but pretty close, and I loved him dearly. He gave me such a love for all kinds music. We were exposed to classical, folk, pop, jazz, a little bit of everything. And he always kept his “greatest hits” songbooks of the 60s and 70s on the piano to go through after supper each night. Everything from Peter, Paul and Mary or Glen Campbell to Barry Manilow or Elton John.
So as I was in the mall the other day and heard The Windmills of Your Mind begin (does anyone else know this song besides me?) then a few measures of the bossa-nova piece My Little Boat by Antonio Jobim, I got to thinking about my father’s imprint on me. He left a strong musical imprint on me. Then I thought, we all have some type of imprints from our fathers, some good, some bad. But as it’s close to Father’s Day, I’d just like to ask you take a moment and try to remember at least one positive imprint from your dad (or another father figure in your life).
Memories from trips, experiences, gifts, stories, etc, make imprints on us. Whether it’s holding a crab, building model rockets, going to the fair, or riding Space Mountain — all of these things can make a deep impression on us whether we realize it or not. They affect our lives. Fathers do that — they mark us. Part of them is in us.
Though it’s been a bit emotional, I’m truly enjoying “hearing my dad” play through these mall musicians. He’s not here with me on this earth any more, but his impression of music is still upon me. A father’s love was given to me and I want to encourage you to look at the effect the father figures in your life have made in you. How have you been impacted?
May the fathering spirit from Father God be upon you and may you receive it and imprint it upon others every day.