It was Ramesha who read this morning that Tony Bennett had passed away at the ripe old age of 96. He told me the news and then asked who Tony Bennett was.
Of course, I immediately started singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” which meant exactly nothing to Ramesha, who was born and raised in Switzerland.
But as I sang the song — the entire thing, remembering pretty much all the lyrics — I remembered just how much I loved “the City by the Bay” for the twenty-odd years I lived there.
And even though I was never a huge Tony Bennett fan, I feel a lot of sadness on his passing. As well as a whole lot of gratitude for gifting us with this wonderfully iconic song.
“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” — Thomas Henry Huxley
I’ve got quite a bit of education, but I have not yet achieved this oh-so-valuable result.
I first saw this as a post in Facebook. Curious to know more, I read a detailed article on a website about World War II history.
The enduring friendship that was forged during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany between American athlete, Jesse Owens, and German athlete, Carl “Luz” Long was truly inspirational.
I highly recommend reading the full article, and especially the last letter that Luz Long wrote to Jesse Owens. It’s deeply touching and also a real testament to the truth of our oneness in spirit.
Titled “One Day On The Fields of France,” it’s based on a true story from World War I, and conveys a beautiful message of healing through forgiveness. At the same time it reminds us that wars and division and conflict are not our natural state.
“One Day On The Fields of France” by Greg Tamblyn
Swami Kriyananda also put it beautifully in one of the most beloved of his songs, “Brothers”:
Then brothers, why endeavor To set ourselves apart? The fences we’ve been building Squeeze tight upon our hearts! Come sing the truth that all men are brothers! Come sing the truth that all men are— Brothers!
But of course, I had to once again get up early and make it through a morning of singing for Sunday service. It was beautiful and inspiring, as usual, but it took some real work to keep my energy up.
But then…?
…aahhhh. Nothing. Niente. Nada.
Ramesha went off to the Buttes with a friend and I pretty much crashed…but in the nicest, most quiet and subtle way possible.
I read a silly novel. I napped a little. I caught up on a few emails (but nothing demanding). And read some more while drinking a cup of herbal tea.
I eventually worked up to folding laundry and doing dishes.
I didn’t go anywhere or talk to anyone. And it was just what I needed.
I spent a fair amount of time this morning talking on the phone with a friend who’s dealing with a serious cancer diagnosis and difficult treatment scenario. She’ll probably be facing a stem cell transplant in a few weeks and wanted to talk with me about my experience.
I was happy to answer questions, listen to her concerns, and just generally offer support. What I didn’t anticipate was how our conversation would make me realize how distanced I felt from an experience that was unbelievably intense at the time.
It brought to mind something I read just the other day (can’t remember where, unfortunately), about how — while our human brains will remember that something was painful — we can’t actually feel that pain again (which must be why women are able to give birth multiple times).
Of course, it all started coming back to me as I dredged up my memories. And I suddenly realized that this time last year I was in full-on transplant preparation mode.
To bring it into clearer focus, I went back to my July 2022 calendar and discovered that from July 11-29 I had twenty different medical appointments — from lab draws and chemo infusions; to oncologist, cardiology, pulmonary, and physical therapy appointments; culminating in my second bone marrow biopsy.
And now? It’s hard to believe all that really happened.
It was our first time back — both to the location and to teaching at the program — since March 2020. In fact, we were poised to go up and present our class when the word came down that everything (pretty much in the world) was cancelled!
So, it was great to be there and it was also a little surreal to think back and remember how so much changed at that time…virtually overnight.
