Yesterday, a memory popped up on my phone from my Dad’s Memorial 3 years ago. In the photo sat the 6 of us together at the dinner table: 5 older siblings and 1 me. Or in generational terms: 5 Baby Boomers, and 1 Gen-Xer celebrating our Silent Generation (Dad). Reminiscent of the days we sat on the benches of our kitchen table long ago.
It was the first time in decades the 6 of us sat at the same table, and I wondered how many more of these life occasions we would be gifted. 3 months prior I had visited my Dad with my Millenial and Gen-Z children and Gen-X husband sprinkled throughout the weeks, unaware it would be the last time. Appreciative I had listened to the voice that said:
“Go visit … No, I mean all of you”
When I got the call that my Dad had unexpectedly passed away, a combination of feelings swirled around, but gratitude was at the top of the heap.
Listening to the voice again, I jumped up to have my husband photograph this rare occurrence to add to our time capsule. Any additional moments together would be “bonus” shots, just like the free throws I took as a child in my backyard playing basketball.
Growing up with siblings from a different generation taught me a lot, the love of music prevalent throughout.
I have always considered myself fortunate to grow up with multigenerational music. Joy, sadness, and everything in between could be explained by whatever song hit the record player, 8-track, cassette, radio, TV, or now my beloved Spotify. A deep appreciation for a wide spectrum of artists: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Bread, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson 5 … and many more.
Growing up near Motown added depth as it permeated the airways, but mostly it was Rock and Roll that played over and over in our household. And while my Dad wasn’t particularly fond of Rock and Roll, being more of softer instrumental or crooner type, I am sure he would have been pleased that “Stairway to Heaven” was on my mind.
Here we were again, 6 unique individuals, sitting at a table while Led Zeppelin played in the backdrop of our minds, but this time it was the lyrics of another classic “Rock and Roll”:
“It's been a long time since I rock and rolled
It's been a long time since I did the stroll
Oh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back
Baby, where I come from”
I was a sponge then, and a sponge now to music. Adding to the mix was the music from my parents, (Silent Generation) and the introduction to Jazz as a very small child while visiting my Great-Grandmother’s (Lost Generation) house where my Great Uncle Frank (Greatest Generation) kept his drum set in the basement. Uncle Frank had played among the jazz legends in the fifties, jazz music's last golden age, and would occasionally play for us, and let his great nieces and nephews have a turn just for kicks.
As with everything in life, we don’t necessarily know, in the moment, the things we’re doing are special. But in our mind’s eye, we recognize the gems if we’re lucky.
The harmonic frequencies play in all generations of my family. Today I sit in gratitude for the multi-generational spin it continues to play. With each repeated occurrence, and the familiar wave of sound, I sit in the center of my own world beaming in all directions.
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