I couldn’t afford to take a week off of writing. I now have a backlog of things to write about. It would be really great if nothing particularly exciting happened for a couple weeks. My second Pfizer vaccine really knocked me back a bit last week. I was hoping to be one of those that barely noticed a thing after the vaccine. The first wasn’t too bad. Instead, I experienced a two day headache with tinnitus, accompanied by sinus congestion and exhaustion. After a couple days, it all went away, and I was up and running again. Not literally running. What kind of crazy person would do that?

This week, I have to note the final final for band. Last night, our family went to our final final band concert. We have been involved in band since Trent entered band in fifth grade (2007) and I had to learn what a French Horn was. We’ve been to many final band concerts of any given school year, but this was the final final. I am in awe of it all. I am the only member of the household that doesn’t have any idea how to read music. I admit, I could have learned over the years, but it always seemed to be a luxury for which I couldn’t spare the time. Instead, I learned to enjoy the music my kids and husband provided. Okay, some of the noises coming from those instruments in the early days couldn’t be called music, but for some reason, it sounded great to me. It’s true. The learning never bothered me. Let’s face it, I never had a quiet house anyway, so what did it matter?

Through the years, the music was a constant. Every kid had other things: Tessa had sports, Taryn had set crew, Trent and Tayden had acting. But always, each one had music. Trent gave up band after Freshman year to pursue choir, but still he was involved in music. Tayden gave up band in middle school to pursue choir, but picked it back up in high school, learning an entirely new instrument (trombone) because the band needed a trombone. Previously, he played percussion. On his first day back to band Freshman year, Ms. Bessey asked Tayden what he thought about trombone, since the band really needed a trombone player. Typical of Tayden, he said sure. And then I learned what a trombone sounded like. 

So, Travis, Trent, Taryn, Tessa, and I sat in the audience soaking in Tayden’s last high school band performance. Afterwards, we talked about band through the years and through the different schools. We tried to calculate how many band concerts a younger Tayden must have gone to before it was his turn to play. Finally, it came full circle with the rest of the clan watching him perform.

It is hard for me to pinpoint what the kids’ music has meant to me through the years. Through the inevitable ebb and flow of parenting, music was a tether that held us together. It was a way to show support when other parts of the parent/child relationship were rocky. It was a place for the kids to turn to when things weren’t going so well in their young lives. For Tayden, it was the saving grace of good friends after a rocky move to Indiana. To all the band and choir directors, I bid a hearty thank you! Mr. Schmidt, Ms. Leonard, Ms. Kiener, Ms. Kerback, Mr. Gumina, Mrs. Leonard-White, Ms. Hardesty, and finally Ms. Bessey. Your dedication to crafting young, squirmy kids into reluctant musicians has enriched our lives immeasurably. 

And so life moves on, as it always does. I simply mark the passing of time, thankful for the joys and even the pains along the way. I sometimes can’t believe the life I lucked into. It’s not perfect, but I will embrace it with all its imperfections, enjoying the ride. Have a great week everyone!