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Memories march on with band
(by Barbara Christian - September 27, 2012)
Memories march on with band
Funny thing about memories. You never know when they are going to stop you dead in your tracks. Maybe it's a song on the radio, a word or an old photo that has fallen from a book.
These are tiny moments, but they have a large effect as the mind travels back and the remembering begins, the throat tightens and the heart breaks just a little.
Memories can be happy, but they also have a way of nudging us back to a place of sadness, regret and sometimes guilt. No one's life is perfect, and we have all had those cringe-worthy memories. Maybe it's a harsh or unintended word or deed.
And who among us would not take a mulligan, a do-over, to fix the word or deed. Some pretty good science fiction stories have been written about that very thing.
But let's concentrate on the happy memories. A Christmas when our heart's desire was there under the tree. That time at camp when you made a lifelong friend. The first date, kiss or crush. Family vacations. Pick one. They are your memories.
Now flash forward to Sept. 17, 2012. The time is just before 7 p.m. The place is Lewis Sands Community Room on the Chagrin Falls High School campus, and the event is the regular meeting of the board of education.
From far away comes the sound of the Tiger marching band. They are likely practicing. But then the sound grows louder and closer, and then the band is in the room, circling a surprised audience and lining up around the walls, where they stop and strike up a spirited rendition of the Chagrin Falls fight song.
It was such a surprise it's doubtful that anyone noticed the woman in the front row or how she teared up at sight of the flute section. No one could see how it brought back memories of daughter Sarah, who played the flute in a long-ago Tiger marching band. Sarah, who is a mom now but lives too far away for frequent visits and who is missed.
Back in time, there is Sarah marching down East Washington Street in the Blossom Time Parade, and there she is again the next day marching up South Franklin Street on Memorial Day.
Remember how hot the marchers were in their wool uniforms on what was always the hottest weekend of spring? Remember how we wondered why the uniforms had to be wool?
Memories of how, during the cemetery service, Sarah would excuse herself from the band to join fellow chorus members in a rousing rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
Suddenly, it is 2012 again. The band has come to the end of the fight song, and one of the drummers, in a clear voice and speaking for his band mates, thanks everyone for their support and more specifically their spiffy new uniforms.
Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the Chagrin Falls marching band exits the room, the sound of their cadence grower farther and farther away.
Don't suppose anyone saw the woman in the front row or noticed her eyes grow moist with remembering. How could anyone know by looking how much she hopes those new uniforms serve the band well, especially next Memorial Day weekend, when it will no doubt be the hottest of spring.
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