A Most Significant Object: My Father’s Cane

Climbing out of my car at my dad’s house one summer day, I found him sitting under the old oak tree, whittling. In his eighties, he spent hours sitting in an old glider placed in the shade of the tree on land he’d coaxed fresh fruits and vegetables from for years.

I’d never paid much attention to his ancient hobby before, but this time his hands held a longer-than-usual piece of wood stripped free of bark.

“What are you making?” I asked.

“A cane to help me hobble around,” he replied in his good-natured way.

“A cane to help me hobble around,” he replied in his good-natured way.

Intrigued, I sat down across from him to watch. I had no idea my daddy had the knowledge to make a cane! He answered my questions as he patiently shaved strips of wood to the ground with his pocket knife. My father was many things, but this was the first time I viewed him as an artist. His medium was a reclaimed pine branch found in the woods behind his house. Pine because it is a soft wood with a relatively straight grain.

Whittling is slow, painstaking work. I learned dad had already cured the wood for several weeks, making it less likely to crack. On subsequent visits, I monitored his progress until finally he reached the final step of treating it with a walnut oil-based stain.

The cane is not fancy, but my dad was not a fancy man. No intricate carving graces its handle, but to me, the cane is exquisite. It so much represents the essence of my daddy.

When he passed away at age 96, this cane was the one object I took from his house. It hangs in my closet in remembrance of him. Smooth to the touch, the gorgeous grain of the wood shows through the stain, and a few scattered knots add to its beauty. A sticky rosin clings to the handle where he patched a split with duct tape years ago. It’s not perfect. But neither was he.

Who knows? I may even use it one day, although my children would probably tell you I’m too fancy.

When he passed away at age 96, this cane was the one object I took from his house. It hangs in my closet in remembrance of him. Smooth to the touch, the gorgeous grain of the wood shows through the stain. A few scattered knots add to its beauty. Sticky rosin clings to the handle where he patched a split with duct tape years ago. It’s not perfect. But neither was he.

Who knows? I may even use it one day, although my children would probably tell you I’m too fancy.

A Most Significant Object

A favorite assignment of my first-year composition students was to write about a significant object in their lives and what made it so. I introduced the project by telling them about my dad’s cane. A teacher show-and-tell.

A water bottle, a necklace, a set of car keys, a personal award are a few things I recall them writing about. While many of the items represented a life change of some sort for the young writers, they all had one common denominator: each served as a bridge to a significant person in their lives.

While many of the items represented a life change of some sort for the young writers, they all had one common denominator: each served as a bridge to a significant person in their lives. Share on X

This realization led one student to quip, “It’s not the objects in life that matters, it’s the people.”

People in my age group sometimes wonder how significant we are to those in our life. Do we matter? Do we make a difference? Are we even relevant?

Rest assured, the answers to these questions are more than likely yes. But if ever in doubt, please recall how significant you are in God’s eyes.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

(Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

God made us down to the most minute detail.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

(Psalm 139:13 NIV)

God wants a relationship with us and seeks us in spite of ourselves. God pursued Adam and Eve after they sinned in the garden of Eden.

(Genesis 3 NIV)

Your Turn

Tell us below about a significant object in your life and what makes it special.

Tell us below about a significant object in your life and what makes it special.