On this rainy Sunday afternoon I was happily working on a project in the basement when I got a text from my wife Tracey. It was this meme, based on Neil Diamond’s song “Sweet Caroline”:
I’d been listening to music while I worked, singing along of course. And this made me think of that song, and so I found a version with Neil Diamond singing it at Fenway Park with thousands of Red Sox fans joining in, “So good, so good, so good!” I was singing along, imagining all those people at Fenway, and tears came to my eyes, and all I could do was stand there, in the basement, and sob. I cried for all the suffering these days, and the fear and worry, and for all joy that we’re missing. For the lack of Opening Day, and for the weddings and graduations that have been postponed, and the simple lack, these days, of “hands touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you.”
On a happier note, we had two 93 year-olds at our online coffee hour this morning. These elders are still learning new tricks and new ways to connect, and they inspire me. And it is good to cry. I have to imagine most of us are carrying around lots of feelings these days, and it’s good to find ways to let them come to the surface. So if you need a good cry, find some music that moves you, and put it on, and let the tears come. We are in this together, my friends. Here’s to tears and laughter, and to the time when we will be able to join hands, and sing together, again.