​I’m a fireworks girl! ​ ​ I love fireworks so much that I have been known to drive all by myself to find a place to pull off the road just to get a glimpse.

My husband has always thought it was cute, but he would much rather watch them on TV.  Being the good sport that he is, he has allowed me to drag him out to see a countless number of fireworks shows.   

​Of course, I love to ooooh and aaaaah along with the crowd and try to spot the new ones.  I love the anticipation of the big beautiful ones!  Who doesn’t?   But I think I have finally put my finger on what I really love about fireworks.  It’s the people and the memories of shared experiences that I treasure. 

When I was growing up, I loved spending the Fourth of July with my grandparents in White Plains, NY.  My grandfather, the budget director for Westchester County from 1930-1950, helped with the county’s economic recovery after WWII.  He was eventually able to budget for an Independence Day fireworks show to be held at the high school stadium, where it is still being held today!  While I do remember going down to the stadium for the show, the memories I cherish the most were when we would grab a blanket and walk down the street to a spot where we could get a clear view from a distance.  It was always a fun time with my grandfather.  I remember feeling like they were “my Pop’s” fireworks and feeling proud of him for starting that tradition.  It wasn't the fireworks that were so great, it was having that special time with him that still warms my heart to this day.

"Ok...​Show is over!  Now…I must find a bathroom on the way to the subway! Oh…Starbucks is closed, really?  Oh that restaurant is closed too, really? ... and that one…and that one?  I thought NY was the city that never sleeps!!!  Oh wait…it IS a holiday after all.  Are you kidding me? There is absolutely nothing open???  Was this was the worst decision I have ever made?  Why did I think this would be fun???”

By now I am starting to panic because, not only is there no place open, but we are in the middle of a hot, sweaty crowd of wall to wall people, all trying to get on the subway at the same time!!!!  We finally get into a subway car and are standing like stinky sardines (much tighter than this picture).  The lady next to me and I were talking about how unbearably HOT it was... when all of a sudden, a woman nearby just took off her shirt - right down to her bra!!!  Then that lady next to me said “Well, she done stripped down!!!”  Now I was really in trouble because I was laughing so hard while trying to hold it at the same time!!!  

​Do you ever forget to breathe?  I do!  Well…sort of…I mean, thankfully, day in and day out, my brain miraculously tells my respiratory system to work so I don’t have to think about breathing.  But sometimes during stressful situations, I find myself holding my breath without even realizing it! 

This very quiet and meditative playing is what I do a lot when I am alone.  I never knew until recently there was an audience for this type of music. The extensive use of the soft pedal is popular in a style of piano music called minimalism.  I feel so fortunate that this track found its place on a compilation album of more than 30 artists.  

The title came from the grandmother of one of my former students named Anna. 

  ​  Anna's grandmother, endearingly called “Ma’am”, had lost her husband not long before she started bringing Anna to her weekly piano lessons.  Being very musical herself and a great encourager of creativity, Ma’am would always enjoy hearing what I was composing at the time.  One day, I played this tune for her and with a tear in her eye she said, “Oh I love it! It gives me a feeling of hope, like a new morning!”  

That’s when I knew I had my title!  This song is forever  dedicated to "Ma'am".

 My daughter gave us a really cool book for our 40th anniversary called
​ 52 Uncommon Dates.  We are trying to do one a month and the “The Cemetery Date” was next on the list. 

 Two wonderful things were going to be different this year on my birthday… it was going to be on a Saturday and it was going to be a gorgeous spring-like day!  So I said, “Why don’t we have our cemetery date on my birthday!??”  Of course wanting to be agreeable, he went along and we actually had a wonderful time that included a lot of laughs!  

The book gave us instructions of different things to do on our cemetery visit.   Neither of us has ever been keen on revisiting grave-sites, so we started by visiting Robby’s parents’ and sharing some memories of them.  It was nice to be able to “take in” the beauty and peacefulness of the cemetery.   We discovered a statue of four Biblical prophets nearby and found that the prophet Isaiah overlooks their sites.  So many things we didn’t notice on the days of their funerals!

 Then, much to our surprise, we discovered the grave marker of a good friend who died suddenly a few years ago in a biking accident.  He made a difference in so many lives and is missed by all who knew him.  We paused here for a while...  

​I was actually feeling really proud of myself this year!  I put up limited decorations and did a GREAT job with shopping ahead.  But alas, it ended up being one of the busiest holiday seasons ever because I took on as many extra jobs as I could fit into my calendar.  Musicians are in greater demand during the holidays so we have to make hay while the sun is shining!

What I didn’t count on was a rare early December snow storm that would push all my extra performances into the same week!  While I was somewhat complaining to a fellow piano teacher about how busy I was, and the many hats musicians have to wear, her response stopped me in my tracks!  She said, “Aren’t we privileged though?”  WOW!  I needed that!  ​

​It was good to be reminded that being a musician really is a privilege.  Sometimes I wish I was a scientist working on a cure for cancer, or a first responder saving lives,  or even a good cook taking meals to people in need.  It's easy to start wondering if what you do makes a difference.