“You don't want to see the sun go down.”
- Hannah Jane /Hootie and the Blowfish
This is the birthday of our nephew Chase. He turns 31 today. 31, can that be right? He and his bride, Kerri, live in Pennsylvania and are the proud parents of six-month old Noah. He's brilliant like his parents, you can already tell.
Kendra and I were fortunate to be involved in Chase and his younger brother, Luke's lives when they were growing up. Although we lived five hours apart, our families got together often, so we spent lots of time with them. One yearly tradition was for Chase and Luke to come to Memphis and spend a week with us in the summer. We would pull out all the stops and go at 110 MPH to have as much fun as possible. We'd do some new things each year but also perennial favorites, such as the 500 games of wiffle ball we played in the side yard.
When Chase was five, Kendra and I moved from Cleveland, Ohio where we'd been for two years, to the South City neighborhood of St. Louis. My dad was ill in the northeast part of Missouri and we needed to be closer to help out. We bought a house in a hurry (don't do that) and moved in December 1999. Kendra's sister, Kim, and her husband, Daryl, came to St. Louis to help us unload. Of course, Chase and brand new baby brother, Luke, were along too.
It was all hectic, but one positive was that I was reunited with my turntable and albums. I hadn't hauled them up to Cleveland knowing it would likely be a temporary gig. I was so glad to have my toys back and I set things up in the basement first thing so there'd be music for the move in.
We all have certain songs that when we hear them we a transported back to a very specific time and place. It's amazing how music can do that, produce such vivid memories and emotions. The very first song I dropped the needle on, I cranked up to eleven. Yes, sweet release! Chase was upstairs but he heard it and came flying down the steps, eyes wide, head bobbing, spinning himself into a dancing frenzy. It makes me happy whenever I think of it, Hannah Jane and that jubilant little five year old dervish. The power of music. Good times. Good memories.
Happy Birthday, Chase.