Being born in 1976, Dan Fogelberg was at the height of his popularity when I was a little kid. From a very early age, I remember his song "Leader of the Band," and I also remember associating it with my grandfather, who was a musician.
Calling him a musician doesn't really even cut it. Music was his everything. It surrounded him in every facet of his life. He played saxophone from age 4. He played in the army. He played in every type of band you could imagine. He taught music. He sold instruments to schools. Eventually, he fulfilled the lifelong dream of owning his own music store.
One of the things I will always remember most about him was his ability to whistle entire jazz ensemble pieces, all by himself. I can't do it justice with words. It was the most amazing thing I've ever heard, and he did it all the time, often without even realizing he was doing it.
He also loved the water. He lived near the ocean and always had boats. One of our favorite activities as kids was going out in Boppie's boats. We fished and swam off his boats. We ate the steamers and muscles he caught.
He lived a long, amazing, rollercoaster of a life. He fathered the most amazing person I've ever known (my Mom). He found true love in his second marriage, to my mother's stepmother, who was the only grandmother we knew growing up, as his first wife passed away in 1971.
Although he was a hypochondriac (I didn't get it form the green grass, people) and had been telling me since around 1994 that, "I could go any time, you know," he was always a hale and hearty guy. He was active and kept a strict, healthy diet (aside from the occasional apple cider donut from The Big Apple). So, when his health began to decline, it did so fairly rapidly. I think for him, the loss of independence was as damaging as age.
And so, at the age of 94, he left us yesterday.
I will always remember riding in his van (a cargo van, not really meant for transporting children...but it was the 80's, you know), listening to him whistling, smelling the salt air.
And whenever a song moves me in a really profound way, which is often, I'll remember where I got that from. After all, "I am a living legacy to the leader of the band."
Monday, April 6, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
ADHD in the House
When I graduated from college and moved to Atlanta, I got a job at a school that specialized in individualized education for students with ADD/ADHD. From the get-go, it felt pre-destined. I've never worked anywhere that felt quite so much like where I was meant to be. (Although where I work now for sure comes close.)
I'm a believer that everything, or at least the big stuff, happens for a reason. And I'm discovering the reason for my teaching experience.
I think I've alluded in previous posts to my suspicions that B has ADHD. Having spent a good chunk of time amongst ADHDers, there were behaviors of his that were eerily familiar. This week, we got the official recommendation from his teachers that we get the diagnosis. And even knowing it was coming, it was hard to swallow.
Not because there is anything wrong with ADHD. On the contrary, there are people who have meant a great deal to me in my life - who have been and are among my favorite people on this planet, who have ADHD. But that's just it. Because these people mean so much to me, I know that there are things that come harder to people with ADHD.
Yes, education has made great strides in accommodating this increasingly common learning style. Even in the 15 years since I left the school, huge strides have been made. But it's still a huge challenge that he'll face. Whether the official diagnosis is ADHD or something else. It'll be a challenge. And what parent doesn't dread her child's challenges?
We are looking into dietary modifications to address what's going on with him. I am optimistic that will make a difference. And we'll continue down the road toward a formal diagnosis. We'll see where we end up. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, tonight, I'm feeling so very grateful for all my kiddos from back in the day, for teaching me so much about how best to help my B. I knew back then that they were special and meaningful to me, but I don't think I could've understood how much, until now.
I'm a believer that everything, or at least the big stuff, happens for a reason. And I'm discovering the reason for my teaching experience.
I think I've alluded in previous posts to my suspicions that B has ADHD. Having spent a good chunk of time amongst ADHDers, there were behaviors of his that were eerily familiar. This week, we got the official recommendation from his teachers that we get the diagnosis. And even knowing it was coming, it was hard to swallow.
Not because there is anything wrong with ADHD. On the contrary, there are people who have meant a great deal to me in my life - who have been and are among my favorite people on this planet, who have ADHD. But that's just it. Because these people mean so much to me, I know that there are things that come harder to people with ADHD.
Yes, education has made great strides in accommodating this increasingly common learning style. Even in the 15 years since I left the school, huge strides have been made. But it's still a huge challenge that he'll face. Whether the official diagnosis is ADHD or something else. It'll be a challenge. And what parent doesn't dread her child's challenges?
We are looking into dietary modifications to address what's going on with him. I am optimistic that will make a difference. And we'll continue down the road toward a formal diagnosis. We'll see where we end up. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, tonight, I'm feeling so very grateful for all my kiddos from back in the day, for teaching me so much about how best to help my B. I knew back then that they were special and meaningful to me, but I don't think I could've understood how much, until now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)