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Reunion
Reminisces
By Jody Lilidahl, BHS Class of '70
Some
years ago, as I stood in the kitchen of our cabin in Alaska
washing dishes, occasionally gazing out the window at the snowy,
wintry landscape, a love song came on the local AM station that
blew me away! Being the incurable Libra romantic that I am, I
stopped to take it all in; the refrain went something like:
“Have I told you lately that I love you
Have
I told you there’s no one else above you
Fill
my heart with gladness
Take
away my sadness, ease my troubles that’s what you do”
Without
even finishing the chore, I called the station in hopes of
learning who the artist was and the name of the song. As it
turns out, it was Van Morrison’s original cut of “Have I
Told You Lately”.
Long story short, the tune
completely floored me (and still does), and I was at the music
store that very afternoon. As any member of my family can easily
and laughingly acknowledge, a normal vision of me is Dad working
in the kitchen with Van blarin’ away;
“Have I told you lately that I love you
Have
I told you there’s no one else above you”
Six or eight months later Rod Stewart cut the tune, and I
heard it everywhere I went, and still do from time to time. I
always enjoy the original artist’s version of tunes, but Rod
Stewart’s is great too, and I sorta chuckle every time I hear
it, thinking myself a little less crazy for falling all over it
in the first place.
“Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s no one else above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take
away my sadness, ease my troubles that’s what you do
Oh the morning sun in all it’s glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
And you fill my life with laughter
You can make it better
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do
There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun at the end of the day
We should give thanks and praise to the one
We will give thanks and praise to the one”
So here I am, back in the living area of our cabin in
Alaska, doing my chores and listening to Van and Rod croon away,
only now I’ve just returned from my 30th high
school reunion in Bunkie, having enjoyed a wonderful and
heartfelt homecoming that I know will take months at best to
sink in. It’s times like these, when the memory of the event
is so fresh you can still taste it, when the leftovers aren’t
even all gone yet that I begin to ask myself all the normal
questions that I’ve asked thousands of times over the past
thirty years. Questions that loom up at the oddest times, that
always have and always will be there, everyday, always an inch
from the surface, always a part of who I am, always the reason
why folks from Subiaco, Italy to Quelimane, Mozambique to Nome,
Alaska to New York, New York know that Jody Liliedahl is from
Bunkie, Louisiana. And know not to get in his way when his
sights turn south, especially for homecomings!
Why
is it so important for us to keep the bonds alive and well? Why
is it such a major league shot in the arm to simply spend time
in Bunkie, to laugh and joke and cuss and argue with everyone
who goes back to day one with us? Why do we feel so grounded and
centered and ready to face the cold, cruel world when we do? Why
do we just feel better about ourselves and life in general after
having spent time there and after having seen everyone?
After
many years of learning not to question this attachment, but
rather to simply enjoy and savor it, I think I may have come to
realize a glimpse of why it’s there, of why it stays so strong
and even grows, if that’s possible, and why we may finally
come to accept it as a permanent and valuable part of who we
are.
Of
the thirty some odd classmates at the recent reunion (I never
heard an exact head count, though I’m sure one exists) five of
the original nine members of Mrs. Bush’s 58’ kindergarten
class were there, and almost everyone started first grade
together at either Bunkie or Evergreen Elementary or St.
Anthony’s. And everyone started high school together.
Webster’s
Encyclopedic Dictionary gives twenty-eight definitions for the
word love. I’ll list the relative ones: (1) a
profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
Mmmm – possible, and maybe even probable in some cases,
but not quite what I had in mind. Lookin’ for another kind of
love. (2) a feeling of
warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent,
child or friend. Pretty much bingo in my book. Pegs it
pretty squarely on the head. It’s a keeper, big time! Just
that one alone would more than suffice, but I’ll list all the
others that are also accurate. (9) affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one’s
neighbor. Definitely on target! (15) for
love, a. out of
affection or liking; for pleasure. b.
without compensation;
gratuitously.. Definitely on target, I feel compensated
big-time in the most important ways! (21) To
have love or affection for. That works! (23) to
have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in. Works for
me! (24) to need or require; benefit greatly from. Again, a great big BINGO!
Forgive
me if I’m wrong, but I think I recall Mr. Armand teaching us
that if any of the definitions applied, then the term was
clearly explained. So let’s see what we’ve got. Of the
twenty-eight definitions, seven fit and no less than three are
perfect!
So
now I know the answer not only intuitively, but also arguably
academically.
It means so much
to all of us because, lo and behold,
Ah Duh!?! –
WE LOVE EACH OTHER!
There.
Now it’s plain for everyone to see, and no squirmy
Clintonesque B.S. can twist it around to come out any other way
than how it is.
We plain and
simply LOVE EACH OTHER!
All
of a sudden it’s clear as a bell to me, and I’m sure it
applies to every reunion that ever has or ever will happen, for
us as well as all the other folks on the planet.
You come because
you’re in LOVE!
Now
I’m more content than ever. A peace has descended that
transcends the joy of the recent weekend in Bunkie. I walk over
to punch on the boom box and stretch out on the couch with a
beer just as a beautiful, light piano roll begins and Van starts
to sing,
Reverently. Softly.
Devoutly.
“Have
I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you there’s
no-one else above you
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness, ease my troubles that’s what you
do
Oh the morning sun in all it’s glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
And you fill my life with laughter
You can make it better
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do
There’s a love that’s divine
And it’s yours and it’s mine
Like the sun at the end of the day
We should give thanks and
praise to the one.
We will give thanks and praise to the one.
I
Love Ya’ll -
Thanks For Being There
- Jody
lilidahl@ptialaska.net
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