It's a rainy cool night. I'm alone in the volcanic highlands of Costa Rica, missing my family.
As you read this, it's Bill's birthday, and I'm trying to get home. Planes, trains and automobiles. It feels funny to be gone on his birthday, but some things can't be helped. I'll stagger in sometime tonight, God willing and my car ain't entombed in ice, and I'll try to make it all up to him before I take off for Massachusetts again on Friday. No rest for the wicked.
On Saturday, we were riding along through these beautiful tropical highlands and everybody was looking out the window grooving on the scenery. And I pulled out our Rain Crows CD, Dream of Flying Dream, and put it on the bus sound system. It felt so good to share our homemade music with all these great folks on my Costa Rica trip. And I sat there listening, thinking how lucky I am to have Bill in my life, because without his energy and vision and drive to get things done (the first two are fine, but nothing without the third), we wouldn't have a band or two CD's or any gigs to play or any original music to share. He taught himself how to record and produce music in our basement. And here I am handing out the CD's we made. That's something, and someone, to be thankful for.
The Rain Crows, present incarnation. From left, Bill, Julie, John Borchard (pedal steel, dobro, guitar), Craig Gibbs (bass, guitar), Wendy Clark (lead vocal, keyboards), Skip Trask (drums). Always and ever missing Jessie Munson, fiddler supreme, Rain Crow for life.
This winter, he's been grilling, building fires in the snow. Because first and foremost, he's a caveman.
Fire, good.
He dreams of summer days, Pirates games with the kids. How fleeting those kid-filled summers have been. Maybe we'll get one more.
He shows people birds. Every day, in some way, he shows people birds. That's a gift he can't help but give.
And speaking of giving, he gave me these two people. We get to launch them out into the little creek which flows into the river of life. And then we will watch them sail out to sea on their own. I can buy him a present, bake him a cake, but that is the greatest gift of all.
Happy birthday, Bill.
6 comments:
So beautiful...
He is a fortunate man as well, to have you in his life.
When I read that he enjoys Pirate's games with the kids, not being a sports fan, my first thought was how unusual it is for them all to dress like pirates and say stuff like "Arrr!" and call each other "matey". Then it hit me: baseball. Right. That makes much more sense.
Our husbands share the same birthday, so I know he must be a dear man! Happy birthday, Bill!
JZ--as I read this, it's clear you are each a gift that has been given to the other. And thankfully you share bits of those gifts with the rest of us.
That last photo--brings tears to my eyes. It should be titled "Fatherhood."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILL!
You got it right, Julie.
Such a beautiful love post for your wonderful Bill on his birthday. The greatest gift is always love like this.
Your post made me tear up; the love is palpable!
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