A few years ago, Max examined my face and told me, “Mom you don’t have those pigeon tracks coming out of your eyes. That’s good.” I said to him, “What?” Then I realized what he meant. “Oh, thank you, honey. You mean I don’t have any crow’s feet.” “Yeah,” he said. “You just have a lot of dimples in your face.” My son is observant and yet so kind about it.
Today my sons and I went to our favorite used and classic book store and a pawn shop in downtown Santa Rosa. We wandered through and found books for each of us. At the pawn shop, Max found a flute and asked me to buy it for him. I said to the pawn shop clerk, “I sure hope this isn’t a hot flute.” He told me that they run a police report on everything. I said, “Good because we don’t want Yanni coming after us for stealing his flute.”
After we got the flute, Max said, “I just remembered that I actually don’t know how to play the flute.” He spent a couple hours teaching himself how to play on Yanni’s hot $100 pawn shop flute. And he’s actually really good. I don’t know why I’m surprised. He’s taught himself to play everything else.
On our way to Santa Rosa, my Shane shared a playlist with us that he named “mom.” He said, “It was only appropriate to name the playlist after the person who taught me about the music on it.” I listened to “mom” tonight. After I practiced my cello. Which my sons encouraged me to begin playing again.
I cannot begin to explain how important music has been and still is in my life. It’s like explaining how important breathing is to yoga. When my Shane shares new music with me. When my Max practices his drums, ukulele, bass, guitar, and now – flute. My heart is full because of their music. And it’s full because of my own. That is the gift my sons returned to me.
Today, my sons (as they always do) said thank you, Mom, for the books. Thank you, Mom, for the music. Thank you, Mom, for dinner. And I gotta say – Thank you, my beautiful boys. You are worth every dimple on my face. Every scar on my belly. Every moment of my every day. You are the music of my life. May you have and hear the music of your life, every day.
“If music be the food of love, play on.” W. Shakespeare.
mamaninjawarrior 