66 years ago...

This was their song..
And now the purple dust of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky, the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart

You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights dreaming of a song
That melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you

When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
Now my consolation is in the stardust of a song

Beside a garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells its fairy tale
of paradise where roses grew

Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
my stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.

...A union was formed on May 31, 1941 that had eternal ramifications, starting a beautiful family with Richard, Michael and Suzy. Harriett and Ed's legacy lives on in their children's families...

Granma, it was so good to be near you on Memorial Day at the cemetary. It was a beautiful day and there was a ceremony with flags and rifles and someone reading off the names of the US Veterans there at St. Joseph's. It was a nice backdrop, as I tenderly turned up the earth at your grave to give way to the new life of the flowers. I miss you so badly it hurts.

A Live China Doll

This is beauty.

Connor Cornwall

I met a turtle in Tennessee. He was a box turtle, taking a trip across Melissa's driveway. He got to moving pretty fast when Scott started the nosy car--since it was time for us to leave.

We circled around him, so he had no choice but to walk toward our toes.

Melissa dared Ashlyn to stay put and see what would happen when he came close. He took a few steps in her direction and she squealed and jumped away. Then Melissa tried to stay put, but she didn't have any more gumption than Ashlyn. Finally, I said, "let me try."

And would you believe that turtle pushed against the side of my foot until I was forced to lift it up and there he stayed. I felt so honored. He must love me. So I picked him up.

I could take him home to Chicago! But then he peed on me and I decided he would be much happier on Cassie Court.

I think his name was Connor Cornwall.

Covenant Presbyterian

This is our church in Chicago. You take Lake Shore Drive to I-55 to the Wisconsin exit onto the Dan Ryan. After you are north of the downtown area, you take the Damen St. exit, turn left off of the ramp, go through the light and take the second right, called Charleston. It is in a charming little neighborhood called Lincoln Park.
I have never known another Protestant church quite like this one. The Presbyterian Church made this incredible acquisition for about $200,000, if I am remembering the story correctly, from an old Polish Catholic Parish that had finally died out.

It is so colorful and seems to be in its original glory. I sing on the worship team and it has wonderful acoustics! Paul Van der Bilj, the music pastor, is a gifted guitarist and song writer. Aside from his own annointed songs, he also draws on texts and melodies from different traditions and cultures.

Sometimes we get to sing from the balcony. For Christmas this past year, I sang a solo, Jesu Bambino, in the candle light service.

Covenant follows the liturgy and all of the church's historical calendar events, like Ascension Sunday, 6 weeks after Easter. It brings such a feeling of celebration and community.

Pastor Aaron Baker is so down to earth and more of a scholar and colleague than a stuffy minister. He has cast many a new light on well traversed passages...

We visited it before we got married because our friends, Karla and Jason Reed attend. We even briefly entertained the notion of having our wedding here, since we knew we were making it our church home once we moved to Chicago....I am going to miss it terribly and surely will not find its equal in Boston. I have so many meaningful memories in this place.

Franklin

Scott and I went down to Franklin, TN over Mother's Day to visit his sister and her husband and four kids. They have a new and beautiful home that reminds me of something in Europe. Cassia's room has the balcony in front and a high loft for crawling away to read. There is a room that overlooks the great room, that Melissa may decide to call the Tea Loft. Down the hall is Ashlyn and the boys room and further down the guest room and the wonderful school room. The far stairs descend into the kitchen, which is one of my favorite rooms! It has two dishwashers, a warming drawer, an ice machine and the island has a sink with disposal! It has a double stove and griddle and the refrigerator looks like the cabinets. There is a bar with room for six stools and a butler's pantry on the way to the Formal Dining Room. I would love a kitchen like this some day. Outside there are four acres, laced with fresh springs that pool and make the land a little swampy. The kids played in the water and found crayfish among other things. This place makes me feel like a small child again with all the immensity around me. What a place! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Da Capo al Fine

'Da Capo al Fine' is a musical term indicating that the musician is to go back to the beginning and play or sing the piece through to the end. This blog will be a journal I keep as I return to where I belong: music. I am so excited about being a student once again this fall at The Boston Conservatory. It is there that I will learn all the dance I ever wanted, all the acting I never got and probably more singing than I thought possible. It will be a real live dream come true! And my best friend, Scott, is following me there, with more support and enthusiasm than I deserve.

Yesterday, we took a walk along Lake Michigan at Promontory Point in Hyde Park on the rocks, which we haven't done in a long time because of the cool spring. There were hundreds of crab apple trees among others, in full bloom. I had to gather a bunch because they make me happy, with the scent sending me straight back to eight years old in my front yard. Scott gave me a kiss under this tree's petal-laden branches that reminded me I am not, however, eight anymore... The flowers and beautiful glowing skyline of Chicago don't feel as if a goodbye is around the corner. I wish I could go back to the beginning and play through to the end of our time in Chicago, making sure to smell more flowers along the way.