April - Full Pink Moon

This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring.

I actually wrote this before I knew the name of this months moon!! It is spring and as the trees start to bud I think back to the conversations I would have with John at this time of year when he was at Syracuse. Naturally we would be discussing finals and his arrival home for the summer and every single year he would want to know if the trees had started to bud..he loved the bright green that colors the world now…when the leaves are young. I never noticed the color before he made me look. And I have never looked at trees the same since.
John brought so much joy to our lives…we were either laughing at the crazy things he did or listening to his beautiful lyrics and melodies, or learning from all the interests he had. He was a truly a gift to me and I often force myself to think of the gifts he is still giving to me. It makes life easier to hang onto…
I think of the many good and wonderful friends I have … so many directly from him…most of my adult friends are parents of his friends . I recount on a regular basis the kindness extended to us after he died…from a community that he just loved…I don’t think he would have moved from Hamilton no matter how famous he became…somehow he knew these people are special. He gave us the gift of the best son in law ever!!! Lauren actually went to school with Tom but it was through John that the connection was made that led to their meeting! And last week we had the honor of taking Lauren and Tom to Granville MA, the home of Noble and Cooley to pick up a drum set that was made from the specs that John had ordered when they agreed to sponsor him. I am going to tell this story so you will know just how wonderful people can be… we don’t hear enough about the acts of kindness done by others …just because…and I am lucky enough to experience it all the time…
When John’s band first became popular he was very busy…traveling around the country night after night, lugging the drum set we bought him for Christmas when he was in the 5th grade…one certainly not made to be played by a “professional”…and it was showing the wear. Once we wanted to meet him for dinner when they played in Boston and he was late because he was driving around looking for parts to keep it together…duct tape didn’t always work. I wanted to buy him a new set and he kept putting me off saying he would be sponsored soon and the manager of the band was working on it. Well, (and he would be mad that I am telling this part) I got to read one of the letters that the manager sent out which began with “hey…” and was horrified, and told him so…and he replied as he often did…”mom, don’t get involved..it will be fine” During this conversation he told me that he was hoping that Noble and Cooley would sponsor him. We got a kick out of it because not only was this company was from Massachusetts (oldest drum company in the US) BUT they made the very first drum set we bought him when he was 2!!! Well, I just had to look it up on the internet and discovered they had a phone number right there…so you just know I had to call to inquire about sponsorship…and didn’t I get one of the owners!! And she was a mom of a drummer too…the rest is history…I got to call him and let him know that he was sponsored …and he was funny..he said, I know I told you not to do it …but I’m glad you did!! We drove out to Granville several weeks later to take a tour of this magical place and John was like a little kid…a twenty three year old guy asking “are we there yet” over and over is funny…We met the most wonderful family who run this incredible company…they took us to see every aspect of the making of the drums and explained their history of making toy drums. We heard about their plans to make a museum in part of the building and took much too much of their time learning about the area and the history of this remarkable family…and when we went to dinner on the way home John told us it was the best day of his life…which turned out to be true because he died one month later…
Now I know that his drum set was already started but I never heard about it…they just dealt with the setback themselves and didn’t bother us…I always wondered about John’s set…and what became of it but it was too hard to do anything else…way too painful to ask (even to this day..I just don’t want to really know) But I did get to see what it looked like, and what it sounded like because Lauren and Tom gave each other the drum set for their wedding gift…it will be the centerpiece of the foundation that they have set up in his honor. Noble and Cooley sent the snare drum for John’s friend to play as Lauren walked down the aisle on her wedding day…his beautiful maple drum was there…made by a beautiful family for our beautiful day…and I just know that they probably didn’t make one penny on that set…which is just another example of how wonderful they are…and kind…and special…another gift that John has given me…
So my message this month is that if you look around you will probably see gifts you have been given too…although I will admit that sometimes you really have to look hard to find them… but they are there…to be cherished and treasured and appreciated … while you have the opportunity.