The Leader Of The Band

I've been nostalgic today. This morning, I drove to our campus and, of course, no one was there. It was 7:15 and I left a chalk message like others will do on our driveway for our seniors who will pick up their caps and gowns this afternoon. It was at the time when I would typically be getting my room ready for the day and making sure stuff was in place for 1st period basketball practice but I was by myself. As I left the parking lot, I was reminded of the line from Joni Mitchell's classic song, Big Yellow Taxi:
"Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you got til it's gone."
Seniors doing senior stuff? No big deal..... until it is. A teacher doing teacher stuff for a normal day? No big deal..... until there is no school. I think from now on, a lot of no big deals will become big  deals again.

As I departed our campus, I popped the CD back into the player. (This may be another blog for another time but the CD is ''Coach Hawley's Groovy Tunes, # 8!") The fourth track came on, Dan Fogelberg's haunting The Leader Of The Band. It's a tribute to his father, Lawrence, pictured above. The senior Fogelberg was a long time high school music teacher/band director in two Illinois high schools. It was written before the elder Fogelberg passed away but the son expressed the sentiment many of us feel; it takes time and distance and maybe even death to realize the sacred place a father (and mother) can hold in the lives of their children, even if the children are full grown. Eight days ago was the 12th anniversary of Dad's passing and almost out of nowhere, I began weeping. I'm not sure why- other April 15ths have passed without emotion. Grief comes in stages, sometimes with long intermissions between scenes and acts. The funny thing is that others appreciated my father more at the time than I did and I'm guessing Dan Fogelberg, who died in 2007, probably would have agreed with that sentiment. But with the help of the Lord, who gave us fathers, we can work through it over time, especially if our relationship with our dad was a good one. 

Please say a prayer for Maria and Kelly. These two wonderful young ladies were students of mine in Tennessee and both lost their fathers within the past several days. I can't say I recall their dads but our paths might have crossed at graduation or other school functions. I know they are hurting terribly because...... I know. And I intellectually understand that kids are grieving the loss of a rite of passage that won't get a do-over. Honestly, all that stuff didn't mean much to me but maybe it's because I got to do it. I'll experience all the traditional school stuff again as a teacher, Lord willing, but maybe I'll pay more attention next year. We don't know what we've got til it's gone. I miss you, Dad.

To listen to Leader Of The Band, click or copy/paste the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQmkoMZyvOQ

Applicable quote of the day:
“My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man, I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.”
Dan Fogelberg

God bless,
Steve/Son of Roger
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org