The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood

 


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When I Grow Too Old to Dream - 2023 11 12

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  Two years ago Mom moved in with me after forty years in mental health group housing due to the impact of her schizophrenia. She turned 91 on the day she moved in. She immediately suffered a serious health decline and we were put on the palliative care registry. This month Mom celebrated her 93rd birthday. She is a frail elder. Often when she has energy, she is singing in her room. This is a song she has been singing since she moved in. It was only recently I finally asked where the song came from. It turns out Aunti Ivy, Mom's oldest sister, used to play this song on the piano. The family used to gather around and sing together from her songbook. This was one of those songs.  Aunti Ivy is gone now. She was 11 years old when Mom was born. Mom must have been a little girl when this song was sung and she memorized the words. This week we have finally identified the song and it is going to be added to our songbook. We are now learning to play it. A new music project has been ins...
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Neighbourhood Folk - Nov 3 - 2024 11 03

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  I had no idea what to expect for the second monthly Neighbourhood Folk gathering the first Sunday of November. The clocks changed today, so I felt a little disoriented with the time of day, especially when it got dark at 4 pm. It didn't matter.  It turned out to be a wonderful gathering, a unique combination of family and neighbours. It turns out our neighbourhood stretches beyond East Vancouver, out to Maple Ridge, to Chilliwack and even as far as Brazil. Holly came in from Maple Ridge and she brought Eridanus, Anna and Sophie. Our immediate and extended family was joined by several neighbours. It was fun to introduce each other and realize we have been living one or two blocks from each other and didn't know, or we live far away from each other but share music in common. We started off with a song I wrote many years ago, when Azriel was a baby, 'Hush Now Little Baby'. It was our first time playing it together and we did a lovely version of it. I still didn't get...
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