CEDARLANE JUNIOR HIGH - 1972 Spring Talent Show
Growing up on Sigman Street brought many changes to my life, but none more lovely than those I experienced during the summer months of 1971. I was twelve years old and "technically" still a little girl. Even though I flirted with Mabelline's Great Lash Mascara and Avon's Ginger- Rose Blush, I had yet to master anything even remotely close to being "grown-up". I loved wearing my corduroy pants of powder blue and I was rarely seen without my navy deck shoes. That is, of course, unless it was Sunday! I always wore dresses on Sunday! Wearing pants to church back then, well...that might have been pretty close to sinning. With my daddy being a Preacher-Man and all, he sorta frowned on those types of things (can you even imagine that today?). I was better off just wearing a dress and keeping my personal opinions about fashion to myself. He wouldn't have understood anyway...
It was a hot mid-summer day, the first Monday after the 4th of July (why I recall that I do not know!), when I first remember asking begging my Father for a guitar. I dreamed of learning to play since attending tween church camp the summer before and had chatted non-stop about it for a solid year. My daddy was a lover of country music so convincing him was easy...it was finding the extra money for the guitar that proved to be the challenge. Still, he somehow found a way to purchase me a tiny acoustic $15 guitar and ten, thirty-minute lessons. By the time school began in mid September I hoped to be able to play at least a song or two~ By the following Spring I knew enough about my musical friend to enter the talent contest hosted by my junior high school. I sang and played a song called "Bright New World" by Flo Price and won 2nd place. My bestest friend, Becky Blanchette won first place pretending to be Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl...(Beck was fabulous and even now I know she deserved to win!).
SINGING IN THE CHOIR 8th Grade
COLORADO SPRINGS 1975-1976
To my surprise learning to play the guitar came easy to me and for the next three years or so I was never without my trusted, six-stringed friend. When I was 15 years old my father bought me another guitar, this one albeit a bit on the fancy side. She was golden yellow with highlights of scarlet red. Scrolly white Roses complemented her black pick guard and I truly believed I had died and gone to heaven. She was $50, case included, and I felt very blessed by the sacrificial gift. She traveled with me everywhere I went and I loved her so much! She wooed me out of my shell and also encouraged me to develop a deep, lasting bond with my father. He loved to hear me sing(actually, he loved to hear all FOUR of his children sing). He was the one responsible for helping me land a little singing "gig" at the Colorado Springs "Blue House"...a tiny "coffee-haus" for college students that served up live local talent and complementary bagels and cream cheese. I thought I'd hit the big time!
When I met my hubby and we started dating my little guitar was there. When our relationship grew serious, it was my stringed companion who helped me write songs about love and faith and family...even more about life and death, loss and longing...fear, joy, regret and restoration.
The years sped on...
I grew older...
Things changed...
Life happened...
I cannot say exactly just when it was that I turned away from my songbird of many years. Truthfully, I have a wide gap in my memory here... I know the early demands of motherhood played a part in silencing the voice of my friend and sadly she stood alone for months at a time without making a sound. Money was tight and free time was a rarity for me. I was an adult now...busy raising two tiny children and being a wife to my beloved. He would ask me once in awhile to "play and sing" but I was always too busy tending to my life and making a home. My goal was to help provide food and shelter for my family and there was little time for things like song-writing or singing without pay...
So, on a cold winter day in late 1984, a month or two after my Adrie-Girl was born, I sold my little guitar for $85...case included. I had groceries to buy and a light bill to pay. My hubby was at work, and for months and months thankfully wasn't the wiser...
The years sped on...
Things changed...
My children grew older...
Life happened...
Last Saturday, as usual, my Mr. AGPMan and I slummed around town for cottage treasures. The day was full of visits to places we've grown to love and even a dive or two (just to SEE if there was anything good there!). The next day was Mother's Day and we planned to be home early to get things ready for the celebration. Family, food, faith, food, faith and family...that's us!
As we pulled close to the corner of a street not far from our home my hubby suddenly turned into a familiar parking lot.
"I've gotta run in here really quick!" he said "Come with me!"
I looked up as he parked in front of a shop I hadn't been in since my children were in grade school. It was our local music store and I must have driven by it over a thousand times in the past 10 years. Knowing my guy was getting his Clarinet re-padded, I jumped out of our SUV and thought nothing about joining him at the door.
As we stepped past the threshold he smiled and said...
"Let's look around!"
I'm thinking...What? We've gotta get home! Mother's Day is tomorrow!
My guy continued to chatter...
"Wow! They have guitars here, Baber!! Play one for me!"
I eyed the gorgeous displays of high and low-end guitars in the music store~ They were all so beautiful...'just like my long-lost friend' I thought...
With that I whispered
"You know I can't play anymore!"
"Will you try?" he said
"Play for me, Baber...Remember? Like you use to?
I picked up the shiny new guitar the salesman brought out and sat down to strum her tightly wound strings... As I looked in the direction of my husband of 30 years, the one who had always been there, always seen me through tide, through the good and the bad, the want and the plenty, the joy and the sorrow, I saw the face of one who longed to hear again the familiar voice of his youth...
MOTHER'S DAY 2009
~Home at Last~
It was then I knew I'd been had. It had been my guy's plan all along to get me into this store...
on this day...for this reason.
"Happy Mother's Day from your children and I" he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes~
"Practice up! Your daddy and I have been waiting a long, long time..."
Blessings to you as you allow the music to live on and on...
Rebecca
