Hello. I told you in a recent blog how my nephew and I went to my friend's home to hang out for a few hours. My friend's father made quite an impression on my nephew, taking the time to teach him about scale, light and shadowing regarding drawing with pastels. At 6 years old, he was inspired and I wonder if that is a life moment that he will remember for a long time. I hope so. I walked the dogs early as I always do and on this overcast Chester County morning I was trying to relive the feeling of the 'last day of school'. I want to be able to remember how I felt, what it smelled like and if I felt less stress or more having finished another year of school, even as a little kid. I don't want to have to struggle to regain these experiences, I just want them to be there. Maybe when we have so many life experiences, some have to drift into a blur to leave room for clarity in terms of more recent life occurrences. Or maybe my brain isn't big enough. I remember vividly sitting in my Aunt's family room in the summer of 1971 watching a new singing group host a summer replacement series. I was 11 and still recall the excitement of seeing the dark haired girl with bangs sing and play drums. That made a huge impact on me as I then took guitar, drum and piano lessons. I never became a star but you never know what will be an important inspiration. I was interning in the art department of WCAU TV the morning that news broke regarding the death of the dark haired girl who sang and played drums. I had to then find a recent photo from the art archives to correspond with the news bulletin. Unprofessionally taken with shock and grief, I went and found a photo. This little head with dark brown hair was in a group picture of past Grammy winners and had been taken just the month before. I knew at that moment that I was not cut out for this industry. WCAU agreed wholeheartedly. We never know what sound, scent or physical item will be an inspiration that may change our life or the lives of others. Have a great day, keep the light burning and keep your senses alert. Oh yeah, on this day in 1942 Anne Frank received a diary for her thirteenth birthday.
"Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn't matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls." Anne Frank
