Blog 347 – 07.19.2016
(Excerpt from the book, Emily – The Little Girl Who Sang Her Song To Anyone Who Came Along)
Episode 19

Just shortly after Emily visited me at Brothers Cabin near Jamestown, Tennessee she met her Sax Man. It was music that brought them together. I believe they met at an open mic night at a club where Emily enjoyed singing her songs. Soon they were making beautiful music together literally and in the style eluded to by Rudolf Valentino in his famous line from the movie The Sheik, “Let me take you to the Kazbar and we will make beautiful music together.”

What girl could resist a ruggedly handsome, intelligent, sexy sax man. Like her mama, a lounge singer in her younger days, Emily was a push over for a musician and the sweet sexy notes of the sax man. I was so happy to hear that at long last Em had found the love of her life. It was always all around her, in her, and flowing through her but how nice to find it in the eyes and arms of another who gets you and whom you also get and get to have fun with.

I am reminded of a lovely song that Don Ho sang in the late sixties that went something like this:

I have been a rover,
Always on the roam,
Hiked a hundred highways,
Never found a home.

Still you know I’m happy
Reason is you see,
Once in a while along the way
Loves been good to me.

There was a girl…

Indeed there was and as the Cowardly Lion sang, “What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage.” And isn’t courage just another word for love? Again I site that mysterious verse, “God is all in all.” I interpret that to mean God or Love is all there is – everything – who and whose we are – where we’ve been and where we are going. Love is the family business. And if we just exercise love enough, courage enough, we can have a whale of a time.

Emily introduced me to Toby, the sax man, on the phone. I knew how happy she was to find him and so I had an immediate affinity for him. He was with her for what were I think the happiest and most productive days of her life. What a way to go out. I could not write a better ending for a beautiful life but I did not write it she did. And as a lovely song sung by the lovely Vanessa Williams says, “You went and saved the best for last.” Toby, you were that for Emily and she saved the very best for her last act. Thank you for playing leading man to our star Emily. Take a bow.

As a foot note: A couple of years after Emily exited this stage her beloved Toby found another wonderful girl to love, Carol. They were married and live in Virginia which is as their license plates used to say, For Lovers. I am happy for Toby and his new bride and know that Em always wanted those she loved to be happy. And we are, Angel, for having heard you song.

Your friend and fellow traveler, Emily’s Dad,
David White