Perfect Strangers
My parents were divorced when I was 5 years old. I have no memories of my dad during those early years because he was not there, he was serving two terms in Vietnam as a Marine officer. My sisters and I grew up in California and Colorado, my dad lived on the East Coast. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I had the desire to get to know him better. He had since retired and was living on a farm in southern Tennessee. I sent him an email telling him I would be coming out to Nashville in a few weeks and would like to visit. I looked at my schedule and said I would try to come down on a Tuesday around noon. We had no further communication and I was’t even sure I would go. However, I did decide to drive down to the farm and when I got there he was standing at the front gate waiting. I remember feeling shocked, wondering how long he would have waited had I not shown up. I studied him throughout my visit, watching his mannerisms and looking at his physical features, putting the pieces of information together like a puzzle. When we said goodbye, he laughed and it stopped me cold. It was my laugh, the laugh I have when I am trying to keep from crying, a laugh of uncertainty, of hope and of love. The song tells the story
Perfect Strangers
I’ve got your hands, I’ve got your smile
When I look into the mirror, it’s you I recognize
You’re a little like me, I’m a lot like you
Digging through the ashes, finding nuggets of some truth
In a field of stones, in a field of stones
We are perfect strangers
Yet somewhere deep inside I know you well
Worlds apart aren’t as far as they seem
Perfect strangers, you and me
You’ve got that laugh, that cuts through the room
When you are nervous, you bite your lip, I do that too
I apologize, I don’t mean to stare
It just amazes and intrigues me to see you standing there
It feels like home, it feels like home
We are perfect strangers
Yet somewhere deep inside I know you well
Worlds apart aren’t as far as they seem
Perfect strangers, you and me
I’ve had years to think about what I would say
When I met you face to face but the words have faded away
Time doesn’t wait, it didn’t save my place
It’s here and now I see that fate has made no mistakes
You close the gate, and I drive away
If we’re never at this place again, at least we had today
Love is complete, love is complete