This year I decided to pay more attention to both my anniversary with my beloved husband Stan, and also to Valentine’s Day. In the past, it has been easy for me to be either dismissive or cynical about national holidays that can be characterized as Hallmark events; in other words, commercialized markers in the year, designed to create obligations, or to enrich companies that created the holidays in the first place. However, much about the qualities of these events is determined by what you bring to it.
Why not have a day to honor love and commitment? Best case scenario, every day is such a day. But we do go unconscious and take things for granted. So specific dates of the year that are earmarked to remember important issues can be good wake-up calls. As I get older and older, I want to waste less and less time being unconscious and/or unappreciative. I was in an online open mic on Valentine’s Day. This prompted me to think of a variety of love songs that might be complementary and appropriate.
One such song is by Christine Lavin, a New York singer/songwriter. She waxes nostalgic about how romance was handled in previous generations, before people hurled themselves into sexual and emotional connections with folks they hardly knew. (Well, at least it was probably less frequent!) Barring arranged marriages, courtships were longer. People didn’t move away from where they were born as often as we do these days. I am no sociologist, so I will stop here. Suffice it to say that Christine’s lovely song appeals to me.
With the miracle of computers, I am now able to make videos of myself singing at home. I will share my version of Christine Lavin’s “Rituals” with you.
Susan Rose: Singing Grandma 