I
woke up knowing today was going to be special - soft shell for supper! The day turned out to be blessed with more
than gastronomic pleasures.
Listening
to my classic radio station, my soul lifted up listening to excerpts from Tannhauser. I know that Wagner was a thoroughly
self-involved person and, unlike Bach who gave all credit for his talent to
God, Wagner was his own biggest fan. I have heard people take Wagner to task
because he arrogantly believed he was the greatest composer of all time.
Listening to Tannhauser, it is hard
to argue against his opinion. Parts of Tannhauser transport my soul to
unworldly heights.
The
mail brought a special treat - Mim sent me a copy of Marcia Synnestvedt
Boyeson's audio tape, The Everlasting
Hills, which was inspired by Marcia's Uncle Cedric King's book of the same
title. I expected the tape to be
outstanding. I have enjoyed Marcia's
clear soprano since she was a young girl.
Nothing could have prepared me for my response to this most unusual
tape. It combines brief passages from
Cedric's book, original songs based on the text and some truly golden oldies -
"My Wild Irish Rose," "Red River Valley" (a Lockhart
favorite from way back), "I'll Take You Home Kathleen" (which I have
loved since I was a youngster) and "Always." What a surprise to be swept with emotion
hearing, "I'll
remember you - always. With a love
that's true - always. Not for just an
hour. Not for just a day, Not for a year. But always."
All
of a sudden, I was back in high school.
Eastern High School, an all-girls school in Baltimore, which I attended
for my freshmen and sophomore years. At
recess, the girls would dance with each other.
Our favorite song to dance to was "Always." How swiftly I was transported back. Some of the girls had long hair, some had it
to their shoulders and the ultra-fashionable had it 'bobbed' style that was
just becoming the rage. Dresses were
straight up & down. The flatter a
girl's chest, the more fashionable she was considered. It was standard practice for young ladies and
women to wear binders to make them look as flat as possible. Alas, I had a hopelessly unfashionable
physique. Even as a young woman, I was -
as one of my children would describe me decades later - relatively "big,
soft and comfortable."
Funny,
how a song can trigger memories.
Listening to Marcia sing, I am reminded of her performance in the ANC
production of HMS Pinafore. She played
Josephine, Kim Woodard was Captain Corcoran and Pete Boericke was Sir Joseph
Porter, KCB. I cannot remember for the
life of me who played Rafe Rackstraw - strange.
If I close my eyes, I can see Marcia with her beautiful dark hair
tumbling down against a dainty white gown singing her heart out.
Marcia
is an inspiration. She was blessed with
a beautiful voice, but did not do much with it aside from sign lullabies to her
babies and sing for the enjoyment of her friends. I am sure that a lot of people told her she
could sing professionally, but it was not a dream she pursued. Then, she was diagnosed with brain cancer
and, from what I understand, all of a sudden life looked very different. And then they found more tumors. It is my understanding that that was when she
took her talent seriously. The rest of
us have been blessed that she shares her gift beyond her intimate circle.
Imagine
what would happen if we all lived our lives as if every moment counts and that
we count within every moment? That sounds pretty high-falutin', but I know how much my life changed in
February when I realized the quality of my life could change for the
worse. It was as if an inner eye was
opened and I could see how wonderful life was.
It was as if an inner voice woke up and started telling me that it was
important to be as active as possible and to cut myself a break and believe that
I hold marvelous powers for good within me.
The
soft shell were marvelous. Since she had
never cooked soft shell crab before and because she is a very practical person,
Elsa went to our favorite Chestnut Hill restaurant for lunch and pumped the
chef for how he prepared the ones we've enjoyed there so many times. They were absolutely succulent and perfectly
cooked and delicious, accompanied by asparagus - my favorite vegetable - and a
special rice concoction. Oh, it was
heavenly.
What
a lovely day. What was dearest to my
heart was the contact with Mim. Our
lives have gone off in different directions, as often happens, and it always
makes me happy when our lives intersect.
Every time I listen to "The Everlasting Hills" I will think of
Marcia and Eastern High School, soft shell crab and my love for Mim.
To
my dear circle of friends, know that "I'll remember you -
always" ~ Grammie K
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