New York State of Mind

I spent today, Sunday, September 11, with my son, Connor, at the Laurie Cox Classic, a lacrosse showcase for high school Juniors & Seniors, at New England College. We stumbled out of bed at oh lord o'clock and were on the road by 6:15. With the car seat heater on high, coffee in the cup holder, and Connor plugged in and passed out in the passenger seat, I turned on the radio for a little company. WGBH 89.7 was playing "Reflections in Song", a two-hour program of music to mark the the 9/11 ten year anniversary. The songs were sent in by listeners along with the reason for their musical offering.

Some of the songs were familiar, others, completely new to me. Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" came on just at the sun fully rose and I found myself thinking about my college friends and seeing him play at the Carrier Dome in 1990. John Lennon's "Imagine" played somewhere along Route 293 in New Hampshire. An airplane crossed the sky and I worried about my husband, scheduled to fly to Miami later in the day.

The songs stream on. Elvis Costello challenges me to wonder what exactly is so funny about Peace, Love, and Understanding. Allison Krauss' compelling invitation to go "Down to the River to Pray" reminds me of the comfort that getting still and centered can bring. U2, Paul Simon, and Turn, Turn, Turn by The Byrds, each so very distinct from the other, but they feel so connected under this particular umbrella.

"My City of Ruins" by Bruce Springsteen is the second to last song. The song was written before September 11th for Asbury Park, New Jersey, but was included on The Rising, a cd to commemorate the attacks. To me, the chorus is both a command and a prayer:

Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up

repeated over and over again. It so captures what a lot of us where feeling in those days. The desire to have the Towers stand again, to demand those lost in their collapse to walk away whole, for the country to find her footing again. It is just impossible to accept what has happened. What we have seen.

The program ends with "This Land is Your Land" and I am immediately taken back to a Grandparents Day/Memorial Day concert at Connor's elementary school. I can see his sweet little face and hear him proudly singing like it was yesterday. This sleeping, hulking mass beside me was once the size of a football I could carry on one arm. That feels like yesterday, too.

We are just about at the New England College campus. The highway was mostly quiet and easily travelled, but it did get pretty foggy at times and I had to slow down because I wasn't always sure of the way. Just like some songs we know by heart, others not so much. In the ten years that have passed since that original September 11th in 2001, I have come to learn that part of living in the world means staying on the journey, roads I know and songs I don't included. And when I feel my faith falter, I will draw upon the wisdom Paul McCartney offered this September 2011 morning: There will be an answer. Let it be.

Forgive me, Blogger for I have sinned. It has been 58 days since my last post.  Here's what I've been up to since last we met:

After my final week of teaching, my family headed out of town for a good old-fashioned summer road trip. Connor had two lacrosse tournaments in Pennsylvania, first in Swathmore and then in Gettysburg, so we decided to take the time off to embrace our inner tourists. We went to Philly and did the double-decker bus thing. Swathmore is a pretty college town and we spent an evening in Media, another cute, college town. We loved Peddler's Village in Bucks County where we ran into Connor's 8th grade math teacher while we were at dinner. Small world.

We were supposed to spend at least 3 days in Gettysburg at another lacrosse tournament, but our team had to pull out due to the lack of commitment of the other players. (Don't get me started on this!) We decided to cut our losses and head home early to spend the remaining vacation days poolside.

No sooner had I unpacked and caught up on the laundry from our trip, the Fourth of July was here. I found this great little American flag at Michaels the day before the holiday. We bought fireworks in Connecticut on our way home and that night, we had our own little fireworks show in the front yard. I made the most awesome Blue Velvet Cake from a cake box recipe my neighbor hipped me to. It was delish! Our friend Andy came and we flipped back and forth between the Pops and DC concerts. And of course I had to rock my Old Navy flag t-shirt. It's such a bargain.

I went to Narragansett Beach for the first time this summer and Town Beach is officially my favorite beach. The water was so warm, the waves were fantastic, the beach is super clean and there's a great snack bar and bathroom facilities. I Heart Town Beach.

Connor took Driver's Ed at the end of the summer, so this was my last summer of driving my kid. I had the secret pleasure of driving him and his friends to the beach a lot this season and I loved every minute of it. Of course, once we got to the beach, they set up on their own, but occasionally they stop by my blanket to visit. Those beach days are some of my favorite summer memories.

Three years ago, one of my best friends from high school started the tradition of getting together for dinner when she comes to visit her family in New Hampshire. This year, we met on a beautiful night in Portsmouth, NH. Our friend Susan didn't make it this year and she was missed. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Summer wouldn't be complete with family visiting. My brother and his family stopped in Labor Day weekend on there way back home to NYC.  It was a great way to celebrate the official end of summer.

I'd have to say, Summer 2011 was one of the best summers I'd had in a while. I felt like we really embraced the season and made the most of it. Maybe the brutal winter made me feel like I needed to dive into the gift of the warm weather. Hurricane Irene was a good reminder to make the most of nice weather when it's around.

Summer was great, but I'm ready to return to some of the routine that the school year brings. (Plus, my food bill will shrink significantly now that the boy is out of my house for most of the day.) There is something to be said for seasons. They do provide the opportunity to hit the reset button on some things, which is a nice option to have, I think. So...Welcome, Fall.

Thankfully, he still lets me take a "First Day of School" pic! :)

PS: And it won't be 58 more days before we meet again.