What Mom Taught Me

My mother liked to tell the story of how her grandfather, my great grandfather, worked on building the Brooklyn Bridge. I miss her stories, but that Bridge was built to last.

My mother led by example. She loved to talk, but articulation of the important stuff, the complex things? Well that was never her strong suit. That stuff she just showed you. She showed me how to love, how to cry, how to fight, and then how to make-up after a fight and not carry a grudge. She taught me how to stand up for myself. She showed me how to share. She showed me the importance of saying "I love you" maybe two or three times before hanging up the phone. She taught me, maybe most importantly, how to withhold. I found out very early on how little patience this world has for the truth.  Mom got that. She knew how powerful truth could be. And she showed me how not to abuse it.

There are a million things my mom taught me that I can't remember here as I write this, but they come to me nearly every moment of every day. She taught me how to dream, how to not only get by, but how to thrive with very little. How to appreciate the small things.

 how they are:

 THE MOST PRECIOUS BECAUSE MOST EVERY ONE ELSE OVERLOOKS THEM!

My mom gave me life. And I intend to relish it, wallow in it, play with it, celebrate it and share it! Even the sad stuff, because most recently, my mom...taught me how to die. She showed me how to do it with grace and dignity and peace and calm.

Not long ago my mom showed an interest in a movie that had been made into a play. I got her that movie. We were going to try and take her to see the play like we did on her 80th birthday when we went to see Jersey Boys. Inspired by mom, I went to see the play "ONCE" based on the movie of the same name, directed by John Tiffany of BLACK WATCH and the most recent Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. Seeing it made me want to write a song.  Here are the lyrics.

Once or Twice ( And the Melancholy Soothes Me)

I've been doing this a long time

Playing someone else's songs

On a borrowed guitar

Now, this time, it's only for me

And it feels like my whole life

Is just one big broken heart

[Chorus]

And the melancholy soothes me

All those

sad songs about love gone wrong

On the radio

All those sappy unhappy endings

Going on forever 

Man, that kind of stuff just turns me on!

I never let my passion get

the better of me, though I don't 

know where the better of me went

Thought the best thing a man could say

Was "I love you" even if he

Never knew just what that meant

[Chorus]

I know I'm lucky to have found you

And the many magic places

we have together gone

Even though I've done my best to face my fears

I can't imagine walking down

Those roads alone

[Chorus]

And the melancholy soothes me

Lets my restless wild spirit

Sleep at night

Sets my dreams in motion

Before the dawn of another chance

To get this right

And I've been doing this a long time

Shadow boxing with my demons

Like I don't care

Never landing one damn punch

like I'm disappearing 

Into thin air

[Chorus...fade]

Thank you all for being there for me.

Love, love, love...

Mark