On one of her greatest hits CDs, there is a song called 'The Greatest Man I Never Knew.' I've been listening to it for at least a year on my iPod, and I've always thought that it was about a man who loved a woman from afar. It made sense at the time.
My dear friend Erica lost her dad recently. The day I found out, I was driving to visit my friend Victoria, listening to my iPod. That song came on, and I suddenly realized something. It wasn't about a man secretly loving a woman who lives down the hall, it was about a father who loved his daughter. The song talks about when the man dies, and how he always thought she knew he loved her.
The greatest man I never knew
Lived just down the hall
And everyday we said hello
But never touched at all
He was in his paper
I was in my room
How was I to know he thought I hung the moon
The greatest man I never knew
Came home late every night
He never had too much to say
Too much was on his mind
I never really knew him
And now it seems so sad
Everything he gave to us took all he had
Then the days turned into years
And the memories to black and white
He grew cold like an old winter wind
Blowing across my life
The greatest words I never heard
I guess I'll never hear
The man I thought would never die
S'been dead almost a year
He was good at business
But there was business left to do
He never said he loved me
Guess he thought I knew
I can't imagine losing my dad right now. Sure we fight, a lot, but I always appreciate him.
Erica and her family mean an awful lot to me, and have for about 10yrs now. I keep thinking about how great of a man her dad must've been to raise such an amazing daughter like her. She is a beacon of kindness, compassion, friendship, honesty, integrity, and a general kind of love that many people are lacking.
She helped me prepare to go through the temple two years ago, she brought me cupcakes when I was recovering from my colonoscopy, she made me a red hooded cape for Halloween one year, she frequented Village Inn with me on free pie night all summer one year, she hems my clothes so that they'll fit right, and she is an outstanding mom. I love her kids to pieces, and I know that they are so amazing because they have her to guide them.
So anyway, here's to Larry Barfuss, the greatest man I never knew; because without him, I wouldn't have Erica. Rest in Peace, sweet man.
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