This is the eighth Humans&Harmonies (H&H) blog post. (I know I missed last week -- I was enjoying the amazing landscape of Glacier National Park!) Every Friday, another H&H blog post will be released. Each post will have an associated song that you can watch and listen to via YouTube. The songs are written from a perspective other than my own. This week the song is written about Barry's relationship with his father. Click HERE to listen to this week's song called "Heaven's Peak."
The lyrics to "Heaven's Peak." are at the bottom of this page for reference.
"We always got along. That was really cool. My mom and dad separated when I was a kid — six years old. I didn’t see him a lot. He was busy with his day job selling tires, and then at night he was in a band. Between practice during the weeks and gigs on weekends, I hardly saw him. Maybe a few hours on Sunday. Yet we still got along, and we cared about each other deeply. About 10 years before he died we had a talk. He wanted me to know that if either of us died, that we’d be cool with each other — that we’d be content with our relationship and that there were no untold hatreds between us. Without that conversation, I’m not sure I would’ve handled his death as well as I did. He called me a few hours before they pulled the plug, and he said ‘remember that conversation we had?’ I said, ‘yes dad.’ And he said 'I meant it.'"
Barry walked up to me while I was playing my guitar in the park. He had his own classical guitar that he was trying to sell, but he learned quickly that I was too broke to buy anything other than food and gas.
We ended up talking for hours. It turns out that Barry and I have a lot in common, and he wanted to help guide me on my journey across the country. He knew nearly every trail in Glacier National Park — which was where I was headed.
There was one scenic viewpoint in particular that meant a lot to Barry. He had been trying to get his father up into the mountains for years, but life always got in the way. Two summers ago, he was given his father’s ashes, and he knew exactly where to spread them.
“I seek out those places that the general public don’t go to. Those places are private, and special to me. I was up on the ridge between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, and you could see Sperry Glacier as well. It was an unbelievable site. Just gorgeous landscape all around you. It was beautiful that day especially. Sunny. Warm. If you turned around and squinted into the distance, you could also see the tip of Heaven’s Peak. I said ‘Dad, this is the best I could do for ya.’ I’ve gone back every summer since to chat with him.”
Lyrics:
i bet you’ve never seen anything like this before
red rocks, blue water, and sperry glacier floor
a few years back you told me we’d be alright
now i just have to show you this through my eyes
ashes in the wind, share with me
catch this if you can, heaven’s peak
just leave some for me
and i swear i hear your voice
it surrounds me
and i swear i hear you say
that you love me
ashes in the wind, share with me
catch this if you can, heaven’s peak
just leave some for me
