Wednesday 13 June 2012

The Ghosts of Summers Past

Clover and Neptune are getting so Old. They turned 12 and 9 in February, and Clover is now in middle school. Yikes! The growing up process is Right and Natural and Good, but it is still also a little bit sad. I'm so excited to see the new things they can do, the new ideas they have, the ways they are developing to express themselves, their interests and goals. It is really, really fun. It has always been fun, though, and it's great to remember the different types of joy that we experienced through the years.

Little things can bring back a lot of memories, for all of us. Recently, we put on some of our favourite music from 5 or 6 years ago. At the time we were listening to Tom Chapin and Tom Paxton instead of Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, and Nicki Minaj. Those were lovely years, and while I may have gotten tired of "The Buddy Song" (actually called "Hi, Hi, I Love Ya") or "The I'm Sorry Song" ("Mikey Won't") played on repeat, they were most excellent days.

We hadn't listened to Tom Chapin for a very long time, but a week or so ago, we were having One Of Those Days. The kids were out of sorts, and my patience was not quite as infinite as I strive for. We were grouchily driving to tutoring, having entirely given up on conversation. The the car was unpleasantly silent.

I reached over and tapped my iPod a couple of times, and the cheerful, colorful music of a children's folk singer sparkled around us. Slowly, the mood in the car lifted. I sang along, and glanced in the rearview mirror to see the kids doing the same.

Tom Chapin, you have saved the day!

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