Coming and Going

And so November has arrived, the 9^th month (Nov-nueve) that is really the 11^th. (Go look it up.) It’s a month of significant birthdays that seem to come in pairs.  My nephew Ian and daughter Talia and (Nov 25^th/26^th), my father-in-law Ted, my granddaughter Zadie and my dad Jim (18^th/18^th/ 19^th), two old friends on the 8^th/9^th and so on. Today is the birthday of some beloved SF School alums, memorable Orff teachers who studied with me, a fabulous jazz guitarist who I’ve played with occasionally, a Finnish Orff colleague who teaches in Salzburg and another Orff colleague who teaches here in Portland. 

 

I remember the birthdays of the family group above without any prompting, but many of the others I know because of Facebook. I’m sorry to support the money-maker of selfish billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, but I do appreciate the way Facebook gathers community by giving us opportunities to send well-wishes to so many people we care about. Every day, I send off birthday greetings, mostly short without comment, but I know that it means something to the people—especially old school alums and Orff colleagues— that I’ve even taken the time to click and send. 

 

While I was on the birthday theme, I looked up famous people born in November and got mostly pop stars and movie stars (though Joe Biden made the list). So I tried historical figures and that was more satisfying—W.S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) on the 18th, George Eliot (classic woman author who had to pretend to be a man to get published) on the 22^nd, William Blake (inspired visionary poet) on the 28^th, and Winston Churchill (famed British Prime Minister) on the 30^th. 

 

At the other end of the matter, Facebook is also the place for obituaries and once again, I appreciate knowing about both the people I know and the people I admire’s exit from the planet. November is the month of both Day of the Dead and All Soul’s Day and as such, is sometimes called Remembrance Month. Some years back, preparing for a Day of the Dead celebration, I started to make a list of all the people I personally knew in my life who had left before me. I made a folder called Honoring the Departed and still keep adding to it so I know specifically to remember. Family members, friends, neighbors, fellow school alums, SF School alum parents and some of the “kids,” Orff people far and wide. As happens with someone over 70 years old, that list keeps growing faster than I would like it to and there are now over 200 people. I will light a candle in the next few days and take a moment to remember each. 

 

I suggest you might consider the same. It’s bittersweet, but important.

 

PS As for historical figures, JF Kennedy, C.S Lewis and Aldous Huxley all died on November 22^nd, Margaret Meade on the 15^th and Stephen Sondheim on the 26^th.