A Fiddler in Everyone’s Life

I always liked the violin / fiddle. In 1991 we moved from Rock Hill to Peoria, Il and lived near there for 3 years. We bought a house about 20 miles north of Peoria in a little town called Sparland, Il, which is about 5 or 6 miles north of Chillicothe, Il. (Yeah that's right Chillicothe, Oh has a sister city in Illinois.) But I digress. Sparland's population was less than a 1000 people. Chillicothe, on the other hand, had about 6000 people. There was a saying in that area, "If you didn't work for CATERPILLAR, KOMATSU DRESSER or Diamond Star Motors, you was farming".

Well, there was an older couple that attended the congregation there in Chillicothe; Bro & Sis Daley. They were among the sweetest people I have ever known in my life. They had to be up in their 80's even then. Their home was small and unpretentious. Sis. Daley had and used a ringer type washing machine still on the back porch. They were loving and kind and God was with them. One evening we were at a little gathering at their home (they had 2 daughters in the area and all went to the same congregation - small as IT was). Bro Daley's granddaughter married, Danny, who could play guitar and sing. He did this one nightas Danny was pretty good and his entertainment was timely. Afterward I mentioned to Bro, Daly that I always wanted to play the violin or fiddle, but never made it happen. He looked at me for a moment as if deciding if he should share a precious secret with me. He stood up on his somewhat wobbly legs and motioned for me to come to his bedroom with him. He reached under the bed and started pulling out cases containing fiddles that he himself made. I sat there on the bed and handled the fiddles as if they were treasure (and they were). I dragged a horse hair bow across one of them and made a screeching sound (not a hissing noise like Charlie Daniels LOL) . Then he took one of up and started to play. Lawd! Lawd! I was enthralled, I don't remember the song but I do remember him playing (some very old tune that we would categorize as country music now). He then looked me direct in the eye ( as he often did when he was serious) and said why don't you just pick one , take it home you and try to learn to play it.  My heart swelled at that moment to hear such a thing. He was loaning me, without hesitance, one of his treasures.

I taught myself a few things on that old handmade fiddle; and now every time I hear a fiddle playing an old country tune, I think of Bro. Daley. You know as I write this, it came into my mind that Bro. Daley reminds me of the great grandfather  character in a song by Randy Travis called "I thought that he walked on water".

The Daley's died several years ago (not far apart from each other in time). I still, at times, can hear their voices and laughter and their praises to God. Be at Peace, Bro and Sis Daley. We will see you again soon.