Dad Recites Six Golden Coins

Oh, boy, do I have a treat for you! I have been wanting to do this for a while, and started working on it last Sunday. Which, if you remember correctly, was Father's Day. A perfect day to spend with my dad again!

Years and years ago, Dad recorded himself reading some of his favorite poems. I have it on CD now, and I've written about it before here. And now, I'm going to share one of the poems with you. I used photos from Dad's life to illustrate the recording, which was one of his very favorites. And now, may I present "Six Golden Coins," written by Martin Buxbaum and recited by my daddy.

Note: You'll need to pause the music player on my blog sidebar before you watch this video.

Long Lost Pen Pal

Have I mentioned how very much I love blogging? One of the coolest things about it is how it makes the world feel much smaller, and how I've "met" some amazing people like the daughter of Martin Buxbaum. I mean, how would that ever happen without my trusty blog?

And now, I have yet another "small world" story to share. It's just mind-blowing.

When I was in 9th grade, my parents took me on a trip to Holland and England. While we were in London, we met a group of German students who were the same age as me. They were on a school trip. (Imagine that kind of a field trip! In America, we splurge and go to the zoo. In Europe, they go to other countries.) I befriended one of the girls and two of the boys. We exchanged addresses and promised to write. I lost touch with the boys relatively quickly, but Christiane and I kept writing. We would write to each other and learn about our different cultures and dreams. We continued writing off and on even when I was in college and up until my marriage to Dan. She sent me a wedding present (a German cookbook) and I sent her photos of the wedding in 1995. I think that may have been one of our last contacts.

Fast forward 14 years later to March 15, 2009. I checked my email in box and, lo and behold, had a blog comment from Christiane! My mouth dropped open, and I immediately emailed her back. Apparently she Googled me and found my blog. We've emailed each other a few times, and she has sent me photos of herself and her son. Now I can't wait to pick up where we left off. My childhood pen pal. Wow!

We live in wonderful times, y'all. How amazing that we are able to communicate with people from our past and bring them into our present and futures. I love my blog!!!

A Box of Love

And when we got home from Jamaica/Virginia? I had a wonderful box of love waiting for me from Kate Buxbaum-Prado. Remember? She's the daughter of Martin Buxbaum, the author of "Six Golden Coins." She promised to send me a package, and she exceeded my wildest expectations. Do you see this?!

I opened her box before I even unpacked my suitcase.

I sat right there on the kitchen floor and cried tears of gratitude for such a generous soul. Kate sent me SEVEN books that were written by her father. Oh, man!

And do you know what this stranger did for me? (She is no longer a stranger, of course. She is now a friend!) She inscribed each and every one of those books with a special sentiment for me. What an amazing gift. I am unworthy! Kate also included his biography and photos of her father. I hadn't seen his picture before, so this was a great treat for me.

I have only read one of Martin Buxbaum's books so far (Rivers of Thought), but I'm now diving in to my new collection. I can't wait to read all the gems of poetry he wrote.

Thank you, Kate. Your gift is priceless to me. I can never repay you for it, except to help you keep your dad's memory alive. I pray that I honor him in the words I write on my blog. And I hope you and I get to know each other better through the coming years!

Like Father, Like Daughter

I have the BEST news to share with y'all. It has lifted my spirits all week, but I haven't had a chance to tell you about it until now because I was getting permission to share it with you.

Last Monday night, I got a comment on my blog. My jaw dropped when I realized it was written by the daughter of Martin Buxbaum.

Huh?! Who's that, you ask? If you've read this blog, then you should already know, people!

Martin Buxbaum is the poet who wrote "Six Golden Coins." Uh, yeah... that's the poem I named my blog after. Need more explanation as to why? Then go read the "About My Blog" blurb on the right-hand side of my blog page. Scroll down a bit, you'll see it. Or you can go here for the post too, and you'll also see the original comment that Kate Buxbaum-Prado left me (Martin's daughter).

I got the comment and my heart just about burst open with surprise and joy and, of course, sadness. Why? Well... you have no idea how MUCH I'd love to call my dad and tell him that the daughter of one of his favorite poets got in contact with me. I can just hear him saying, "Wow! Did she really?" He'd be so proud and excited about it.

I emailed Kate back and told her how honored I am to keep her father's words alive. And even more honored that she would contact me. I also visited her website and read some of the poems she has written, and realized she has her father's gift.

And isn't that the biggest honor of all? That our father's gifts and lives will be carried on through us? My dad was a poet too, although he was never published. But his love for words and dramatic readings lives on in me. Kate's father was a tender poet, and the tenderness he bestowed on his children is evident in her poems and also in her character, as she reached out to me.

The truth is I'd love to call Dad and share all this with him, but I know he already knows. He's beaming down at me, full of joy and wonder at what a small world we live in. I am thrilled that my little old blog has resurrected both Kate's father and mine for at least a short while. We, their daughters, are blessed to carry their legacies within us.

Six Golden Coins by Martin Buxbaum

Within a hidden pocket of

A baby’s tiny soul

God’s hand reached in and gently placed

Six coins made of gold.
“I give to each some gold,” said He

And he who does not spend

Will find that only lead remains

Upon his journey’s end.”
I passed the years in childhood

In laughter, love and fun

When I stepped across to manhood

I heard Him saying, “One.”
In pale moonlight I held her close

Her eyes were deepest blue

My heart beat out, “I love her, God!”

He smiled, and answered, “Two.”
One night she whispered, “Yes,” that she

Would be a wife to me

My heart sang to the heavens

And His pleasant voice said “Three.”
Our first child brought me happiness

I’d never known before

And as I knelt to thank Him

I heard Him whisper “Four.”
Years passed and then my grandchild

Made an old heart come alive

And warm His voice that murmured

“That was coin number Five.”
When I spend the last He gave me

It’s then I know I’ll see

The Kingdom of the One who gave

Those precious gifts to me.

I can't mention my dad (see my previous post) without including his favorite poem, "Six Golden Coins" by Martin Buxbaum.

I used this poem to tell him I was pregnant with Katie. I gave Dad a gossamer bag that held six golden coins (those Sacajewa dollars) and a copy of the poem. When I returned home from that visit, he sent me a letter saying, "You are wonderful! Your news has made 'an old heart come alive.' Thank you! Every child is special and every grandchild somehow fills a 'hidden pocket.' You have made mine heavy with joy and abiding happiness." Dad and Maureen (my stepmother) were at the hospital when Katie was born. Dad held her for the first time, then handed her back to me with that same gossamer bag tucked into Katie's blanket.

I also tucked a copy of the poem in his coat pocket as he lay in his casket. And every time I visit his grave, I tuck another gold coin into the ground around his headstone.

When Jackson was born, my sister was in the operating room. I put one of Dad's golden coins (from the gossamer bag) into a special coin charm holder, and my sister pinned it to her scrubs. So, in a way, Dad was there for the delivery too. On the way home from the hospital with Jackson, my sweet husband turned on Dad's CD in the car, and we listened to him read "Six Golden Coins."

I decided to name my blog after this poem. We are all given a precious gift at birth, and all have the ability to "spend" that gift as we grow and learn, laugh, cry, and love. I pray that the way I choose to spend my coins is pleasing to God, and makes the best use of what He gave me.

See also: Like Father, Like Daughter