(While I am still being truthful I must admit that I have made it as far as Ft. Worth, Texas. I drove out of the rain just east of Amarillo and thought it was over--until last night. For the last 12 hours it has been raining with no letup. My sister, Mary is now saying I am Typhoon Toni because everywhere I go it rains and floods. Enough already!)
Before taking Jim to the airport to fly back to Hilo to be with Mary, we made one additional visit with some more old musician buddies of his.
It was another great jam session with music I would have paid to hear.
There were a few 'young ones' sitting in with the old pros and it was really nice to see the way the beginners were mentored. No criticism, no teasing-- just occasional pointers and lots of encouragement.
I have a theory--that if schools focused more on music and not so much on competitive sports; and not so much on big bands but on small groups and individuals, original compositions, and creativity; we would have a much healthier society.
There was no competition here--only a sharing of stories and original songs, lots of old favorites and praise for the newcomers. Young Sean's rendition of 'Bo Jangles' was so wonderful it gave me goose bumps.
Before taking Jim to the airport to fly back to Hilo to be with Mary, we made one additional visit with some more old musician buddies of his.
It was another great jam session with music I would have paid to hear.
There were a few 'young ones' sitting in with the old pros and it was really nice to see the way the beginners were mentored. No criticism, no teasing-- just occasional pointers and lots of encouragement.
I have a theory--that if schools focused more on music and not so much on competitive sports; and not so much on big bands but on small groups and individuals, original compositions, and creativity; we would have a much healthier society.
There was no competition here--only a sharing of stories and original songs, lots of old favorites and praise for the newcomers. Young Sean's rendition of 'Bo Jangles' was so wonderful it gave me goose bumps.
A gift was given to Jim as a 'going-away' surprise...
I don't know how to describe it but would welcome his telling us in the comments--if he is so inclined.
We said goodbye to the friends and Jim's son, Sean after a lovely afternoon and drove away from Loveland.
(A week later the town was underwater. I don't know how many of these friends that Jim has talked to since then but I sincerely hope they are all well.)
(A week later the town was underwater. I don't know how many of these friends that Jim has talked to since then but I sincerely hope they are all well.)
I know how you feel about being the bringer of rain. It has followed us around the northern tier for weeks now. Enough already!
ReplyDeleteYour post about the flooding in Colorado put a very human face on the tragedy. Thank you for the telling.