I reposted a blog post from July of 2019 on Facebook and Twitter. In it, I talked about the fact that I miss singing because I no longer can do that! I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and last night, I looked at my Mon and told her that I couldn’t believe that I no longer have the ability to sing. Something that was so effortless is now impossible. I used to sing so effortlessly! I never thought that that would happen!
Right now, I am just wallowing in that fact. I absolutely love music and I can’t jam out anymore which makes me sad… all of these thoughts were prompted by this song. I wish I could still jam to it and belt it out:
I’ve known my cousinT, Shannon for all of my life! She’s not even really my cousin! Our mothers were best friends (s are!) in high school. Her mom was concerned that she would not be an aunt for a long time because she only had a younger brother. My mom told Shannon’s mom (my Aunt Linda) that she could be her kids’ aunt. I have tons of fond memories that involve my CousinT, Shannon. Hey
I have written about her often in my blog and I thought of her as I watched All Together Now last night. I reposted a post on Facebook from September 4, 2020 but because the link was so old, it did not show up. This is what prompted me to think specifically of my CousinT, Shannon:
My cousinT, Shannon and I would constantly sing at the top of our lungs whenever we were in the car together! Driving to 7-Eleven, going to the Handy-Dip, and driving to her boyfriend’s house (now, her husband). The best time I had with her was our road trip to Shippensburg Pennsylvania!!! She made the bEST mix for our drive!!! We sang the entire time!!!
Shannon also has long dark hair and she is the sweetest person I know but this song especially reminds me of her because she would sing it BEAUTIFULLY!!! In high school, she participated in tons of things in the performing arts department and she sang in the choir and was in tons of musicals! She is my FAVORITE singer!!!
I can clearly remember going to Meijer with her and with Sean in the backseat. He was still in a car seat and was about 18 months old. I think we were singing to RENT and once we finished the song, in the moment of silence between songs, he began clapping his hands and kicking his feet and yelled, “YAY!!!” I remember us both laughing at that!
But, if I am going to say anything about my cousinT, Shannon, it is going to be that we went to DTE energy music theater to see Train. The first time, Maroon 5 opened for them and the second time we saw them at DTE, The Script and Gavin Degraw opened for them. They were excellent concerts and back when I could still sing and enjoy an outdoor concert. This is my ultimate, favorite picture of us and I have shared and so many times! I was still in my 20s then:
Today, When I opened my eyes, I called to my Mom to help me get out of bed. She was finishing up a phone call so I scrolled through my YouTube feed to discover this gem:
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE This song and I had never seen this live performance before. I stopped watching the video halfway through as my M Mom helped me out of bed and into my wheelchair. I listened to it twice more as I drank my water, took my vitamins, and drink my protein shake. Because my hands were involved when the video stopped, I was not able to get out of my YouTube app.
This song gets into my head every single Friday since I was in high school! It really stinks that now, after 20 years of having MS, I feel so far away from being ready to swing!!! But this is, “High school Jenny” before I knew that MS could even be a possibility for me!
I have done this numerous times but let me take it one step further, Back in the days of listening to CDs. Once I bought a CD, I would listen to it in its entirety ready to fully get the Full experience before I listened to the specific song I’ve bought the CD for.
But now, rather than listening to CDs, have playlists on Apple Music, it’s a little bit different. To be fully immersed in the artist, I will hit, “Shuffle” and just wait for my song to come on! But then there are days like this where I haven’t heard this particular song in a really long time so, I will just post it here and then I will be able to listen to it whenever I want because I am the administrator of this website.
I have been hearing this song in many different circles. When I go down rabbit holes in the middle of the night on YouTube I see lots of videos of contestants on The Voice singing the song. I know that I have posted this song on my blog before but I am especially reminded of Mr. Curl when I was teaching out of a classroom adjacent to the cafeteria/gym.
I call it a classroom because it is where I taught my classes for reading but really, it was a storage closet for the PE teacher. Mr. Curl ran his physical education classes where it sounded like they were having so much fun! On Fridays, it was established that it was, “Dodgeball Friday.” I would hear this song often toward the end of my teaching career but I did not know it was nearing its end at the time. All of the PE students figured out that if they screamed for the entire time while they played dodgeball, they would do better! At least, that’s what they did which made teaching reading a pleasure on Fridays!
I think it’s crazy how random songs pop into your head out of the blue and because you have memories, specific memories, attached to that song and with people you no longer know. It makes things just a little bit painful! I can’t seem to get this song out of my head but I still like it even though a little bit of pain accompanies it. I figure if I post it maybe it will leave:
Sean texted me this yesterday and I have decided that I really like it:
I never owned any Rob Thomas CDs but this one got A LOT of radio play! I’m sure we heard it in the car often! I really like that he is old enough to recognize, “A mom song” and one that is not one of my top three! My top three favorite performing artists are: U2, Gavin Degraw, and Sara Bareilles. My Mom says that I listen to, “Wah-wah, cry-cry” songs.
Thinking about it now, I suppose that it’s true but for a good reason! I couldn’t allow myself to be an overly dramatic young woman dealing with heartbreak while raising my son by myself! I chose to feel and express that sadness vicariously through songs!
My heart was squeezed when I saw the Barwis Methods post a few days ago:
Looking at the pictures that were part of this post made me miss it so much and I had so much fun there! I was there from July 12, 2013 to October 20, 2016. There was always loud, “Pump-you-up” music on which was a topic of discussion for me and all of my trainers!:
Mike Barwis:
Jesse:
This picture was taken the first summer I was there and standing and squatting at the Keiser machine was our beginning routine. This song will always remind me of joking around with Jesse at the Kaiser machine:
Jesse was from West Virginia. I never heard this song at Barwis but I was listening to this album a lot on loop driving there and the song reminded me of him as well:
My favorite picture with Jesse:
Jesse‘s last day:
“Phil” whose real name is Adam:
The beginning of us working together and my, “Lollipop Kid” socks.
My favorite picture with, “Phil:
I would hear this song on, ”Camo Wednesdays” and I told “Phil” that reminds me of him because he would always sing along with the radio:
“Phil” and I had a lot of fun working together:
#Matchers!!! #JenandPhil
I never heard this song at Barwis either but it reminds me of “Walking Wednesdays” with Phil:
Michael Rhoades:
This song reminds me of him because I had just posted this video on my blog and we talked about it:
We heard this song at Barwis and Michael said that he liked it even though it was, “Pop-y:
I had just posted this song on my blog as well.
Nick Montoni:
I knew Nick Montoni for the longest. I saw him without a beard when he was an intern and then bearded once he was a full-time employee. His mom worked at Sean’s grade school.
These two songs remind me of my final day at Barwis and Nick told deeds to play these songs just for me because he knew this was my favorite band:
The final song I heard driving away from Barwis for the last time but I did not know it at the time:
I had an hours of conversation with all of these men and I think about them with fondness often!!! 💜💜💜
I went down one of my YouTube rabbit holes and discovered this song. Come on now?! First of all, it’s Santana so I knew I would get goosebumps hearing him play. I didn’t expect to cry though! The tears came when she started to effortlessly sing. I remember singing that song in high school just as effortlessly! The tears came because I KNOW that I cannot sing like that anymore! #MSsucks!!!
