Second Blog

Recently, I have been home more and have had the chance to spend more time with my mom. I’ve given my mom a hug everyday. Why have I had this change in mind from what I spoke of in my last blog? It is a love that binds my mom and me together: music. Just the other week NPR had a two-night special on TV with James Taylor performing a concert. My mom and I caught the very end of the show the first night and l heard him sing "Carolina in my Mind" (a song that I like a lot). The next night my mom came running into the computer room saying, "Dave, come and watch James Taylor! He’s back on TV!" But I was annoyed at her and responded by saying, "Mom can’t you see that I’m trying to get my homework done?" Several minutes later I wondered what I was thinking when I said that to her. So I went over to my mom, who was curled up on the couch and half asleep was listening to “Carolina in My Mind.” I sat down on the coach and hugged my half-asleep-mom half and I watched the rest of the show with her until she fell asleep. Later that night I could only cry because I realized that song would always remind me of mom whenever I hear it. And because all the songs she has played on the piano since I was a child have the same connection, these too will forever be in my mind reminding me of my mom. I now listen carefully to mom play the piano so that every note will have a memory connected back to her.

I feel half alive
Brought alive by the piano notes pressed by her hand
that go through my ear and become a part of my soul
I know now that song is a part of her that is forever a part of me
Any song played, any song listened to
will forever make me remember

I feel half alive
breath shot into me
though every key pressed
becoming a memory
and every memory seems to be linked back to her
and everything linked back to her comes with a song
and when the song is lost
I feel half alive