And now for something completely different.
For this weekend bonus shot, not B&W, not even a still picture.  Video, shot on a pocket point & shoot camera by an old friend on the fly, practically on the sly. About four random (to me, beautiful) minutes on a sunny  Sunday afternoon in spring.
The boy child was doing a duet with his Mama: she on piano (and vocals), he on guitar. Which looks suspiciously  like a feather duster.  Also he wanders off midway through to go fetch some other sheet music.  I was impressed that he turned it right side up.
So very often I think to myself, “If only those haters drunk on that hatorade could just sit down and truly bear witness to any ordinary moment of our lives — ones like these, for instance; totally random, yet as representational as any other — they’d have to think differently. Wouldn’t they? How can this not simply mean: love? And therefore: good.”
I know, I know. Â Still, a gal can hope. Matter of fact, sensibly or no, hope springs eternal.
The lyrics to Jane Siberry’s “The Valley,” not quite all of which made it onto the on-the-fly recording:
I live in the hills
You live in the valleys
And all that you know are those blackbirds
You rise every morning
Wondering what in the world will the world bring today
Will it bring you joy or will it take it away
And every step you take is guided by
The love of the light on the land and the blackbird’s cry
You will walk in good company
The valley is dark
The burgeoning holding
The stillness obscured by their judging
You walk through the shadows
Uncertain and surely hurting
Deserted by the blackbirds and the staccato of the staff
And though you trust the light towards which you wend your way
Sometimes you feel all that you wanted has been taken away
You will walk in good company
I love the best of you
You love the best of me
Though it is not always easy
Lovely? lovely?
We will walk in good company
The shepherd upright and flowing
You see…
[Ed. note, for those who’ve gotten this far down: I’m out for a week’s springtime break with the fam-damily, heading to parts which may or may not have reliable internet connection. I hope to share at least pictures; not sure yet how frequently.]
Beautiful.
Beautiful kids, beautiful music, awesome sight-reading!
And beautiful skirt. There are days when I wish my little guy had an older sister from whom to steal clothes.
Ah, LD. You make me cry. They will think differently, eventually. Change is painfully slow. But it is happening. I in my brown skin and my love in her pink skin – we would have had a hard time being together 20 years ago, and the lesbo-ness of it wouldn’t even have been the biggest reason. I know how much change has already happened, because – well, because there you are with yours, and here I am with mine. All that beauty, all those daily moments of love, and strength, are rippling out into the world. Each image, each moment of love and care, changes somebody. Not everybody. But somebody. This moment has changed somebody.
And as my wise old dad told me when I was 5, crying over the first time somebody called me the N word – you have to find a way to let it go. Do your best to be good to everybody you meet. But when they don’t or can’t like you for reasons you can’t control, you have to find a way to let it go. There are many, many people who love you.
I know – it’s very simplistic. But it saved my emotional bacon when I was 5, and it’s the guiding star by which I’ve steered ever since. Have a wonderful spring break!
Reminded me of listening to my mom singing/playing the piano when I was a little kid. My favorite part of the video? That he knew that he should have a pencil on the music stand — definitely the child of a musician!
OMG theredbaron that’s just what I said when he did that. Which is why he turned around and looked just after that. I muttered to my chum AZ: Proper musician. Must have pencil on music stand.
Thank you so, Shereen, for your ongoing compassion and — ! — emotional bacon saving. My weird attempt, still in experimental stage, is to hold/release simultaneously. But I know you’re right. I’m trying to fake myself out.
And you know, rev2bebt, we’re lucky we have the haberdashery options near to hand, for sure. I really don’t know how visionary or responsive we’d be if he were longing, but not so able to satisfy the longing. What with his language skills still developing. I know I did a lot of longing for a while (w/ no older brother, and not even an older boy cousin in sight; least our guy has both to choose from in his own home space) before it took with my parents. Though eventually it did. Boy did it ever. I put the dan in dandy.
Hi LD,
This is so, so lovely. I’m delighted and impressed that you’re able to notice and appreciate the beauty of daily moments while you’re living them. I find that I often lose sight of that perspective in my own life (and the gratitude that comes with it). Thank you for sharing this little video.
B.
That love of yours can sing. Gorgeous voice. Not quite as gorgeous as the faces of the guitarist or the cat wrangler, though.
And keep hoping! Every moment like this is important. It does change minds. Maybe not as dramatically or immediately as we wish, but every drop counts.
Your wife has the voice of an angel! Seriously beautiful stuff right there.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
You know, Bryna, it was my chum who thought to whip her low-tech video-shooting camera out of her pocket. But it’s very true, there’s so much to appreciate. And it’s a win-win situation: grateful people are tons happier. Regardless of what it is they’re grateful for, or how measurably easier/more difficult their lives are. So it’s sure worth a try.
And lizwhiz & BeethovenLives: tellin’ me about it, this gal’s pipes. She wooed me singing Joni Mitchell and in a night kitchen back in Minneapolis lo those 15+ years ago, and it still works like a charm every time. Good thing is, with a mezzo, the older they get, the better their voice becomes. Call me biased, but I think this pretty much goes for women everywhere. Yeah, I’m a connoisseur, and I don’t care who knows it.
Are you taking requests for future video postings? I was kind of hoping you’d also post the one where she’s singing the Gounod “Ave Maria,” the somewhat unconventional arrangement for voice, piano and feather-duster.
🙂
Will work on that. Have to ask the artist. The video is back home, so there’ll be a time delay. But it’s worth it.
Oh, yes the Centr@l V@lley. I grew up there and left as soon as I came to terms with my sapphic self. All my family is still there and I can’t tell you how many high school peers have ‘unfriended’ me on F@cebook after finding out I was a gay. More have surprised me with well wishes though. Times are a changin’.
I really loved watching this. Thank you for sharing it with us. More, someday?
Your girl has really grown up, hasn’t she? I remember when she was just a wee thing.
I had time to go back to this post and watch the video and I’m so glad I did. What a lovely scene from your afternoon to share! Your wife’s voice is like liquid gold – so beautiful! And the song is one I had never heard so I did a little googling around the web and now have downloaded a CD by KD Lang who sings a version of this same song. Thanks for opening my eyes (and ears!) to this song. Your little guy is pretty darn cute too with his feather duster and announcement to TAKE YOUR SEATS. Mine are older and I miss this age.
Beautiful.
Thank you, thank you, and more thank you’s. I am now going to campaign that the beloved — aka the Mrs and my waaaaaay better half — submit herself to being videoed again. Monthly? I’ll try. Our ever-ready chum annz has that video-capable pocket camera and is clearly fast with the trigger finger. It’ll have lower production values than Peeparazi (Vikki’s tour-de-force this year), but I’m going to hope that rock-bottom production values will help lend it a bit of charm.
I read your blog regularly (as does my fiancee) but usually at work where the videos won’t play. When I finally watched this it definitely brought happy tears to my eyes. Maybe widespread change is slow, but you are definitely an inspiration to a young lesbian couple hoping for a family as beautiful as yours one day.
What a woman!! I wish I could sing like that for my kids. What a treasure she is. Of course, reading the ENTIRETY of this blog (minus the most recent year, which I’m working on) I already know why she considers you such a treasure as well. Currently you are NOT posting (according to Tweets, a casualty of a new job?) I am hoping you will come back soon! Okay, I need to go, have to learn piano to play for my fussy son….
I’m a lucky dog.
And sorry for having had to “go dark” here for my first month on the job. It’s been a doozy. I’m hoping to mosey back now. And thank you for reading here (thank heavens there are archives back a bit to keep you occupied) in the meanwhile.