Magical Moment 485, "Try to Remember"

After 6 hours of playing piano for ballet rehearsals today, I began to grow weary of my usual song selection. I've spent the last few months building my ballet repertoire and no matter how much I practice, my song list seems to barely increase.

For an Adagio exercise, I flipped through one of my song books that I rarely use for ballet, The Big Broadway Fake Book. I stopped at the first 3/4 song I saw, "Try to Remember." All I knew about this song, was that it's a corny Tom Jones song, but rather than repeat an old song, I decided to just wing this one.

As I played the music though, I got caught up in the lyrics written beneath the notes. Maybe it's because we just celebrated Memorial Day. Maybe it's because I saw a photograph recently that triggered a memory. Whatever it was, I was flooded with thoughts of my friend Kevin, an Army Lieutenant who was killed in Iraq 4 years ago. Of course I thought about him on Memorial Day. I remember him on 9/11, the Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Flag Day, and his birthday. So I felt odd suddenly becoming emotional on this random day of June 4th. I thought about our care-free college days and our hopes and aspirations for the future. His got cut far too short.

I was not related to him, or a friend of the family. So sometimes, I feel like I don't really have the right to be so sad that he's gone. But I guess I gave myself permission today to remember. I don't need a holiday. Just a photograph. A song. Or a memory.

The dancers completed the Adagio combination on their right side, and before they began the left side, I grabbed my camera to record the music. I wanted to record the dancers, but didn't think I should without their permission.

"Try to remember when life was so tender

That no one wept except the willow.

Try to remember when life was so tender

That dreams were kept beside your pillow.

Try to remember when life was so tender

That love was an ember about to billow.

Try to remember, and if you remember,

Then follow."

Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow,

Follow, follow, follow, follow.

More about Kevin:

If I Die Before You Wake

Happy Birthday

The Eleventh Hour

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