September 29 - After The Goldrush

So today will be a day when there isn't necessarily a connection between the song and what I write about, but I would be so remiss if I didn't talk a little bit about family. I have been blessed with a great family to grow up in - lots of cousins and aunts and uncles, and they are all simply great people. I had three cousins who were born the same year as me, and I was close with all three of them. I spent a lot of time with both of my male cousins every summer: Johnny lived right next door to my grandma, and when I went there for a week or so every summer, we would hang out together just about all the time. Stein lived at Ski, about 8 hours away - but he would come and spend time with my grandma and grandpa, and I was usually invited along to hang out - and we had a lot of good times.

And then there was Beate. She was my mom's younger sister's firstborn, and her birthday was exactly 6 months apart from mine - and that just happens to be today. My aunt Bjørg and my mom were more than just sisters - they were best friends. Bjørg and her husband Ivar both lived in Trondheim when I was first born - so some of the first pictures of me with a kid my age by my side are with Beate. After Bjørg and Ivar moved to Røyken, which also is about 8 hours away from Trondheim, we didn't see them as often, but when we did, there was always a really special bond between Beate and I. Easter vacations at Brekken in the mountains, summer visits at their house in Røyken, and visits at my grandma's house all helped maintain this bond.

Which brings us to today - and yes, I fast forwarded through a lot of years there. Her brother, Torgeir, now lives in California, so my mom and Bjørg share the curse of having their son in the United States with grandchildren. And then I have Beate. I am really thankful for her. I was so very excited to have her come and visit me a few years back with her family - and her son Robbie and Alison got along really well during soccer camp that summer. And I get care packages - candy and books and cookies. Pieces of home. I am never good enough at thanking her for it, so I am letting today be a very public thank you and acknowledgment of how much I appreciate her and our relationship.

I decided on a beautiful song in an even more beautiful version. I loved Neil Young's original version of this song, but I just purchased The Complete Trio Collection with Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton - and what a version they recorded for Trio II from 1999. It's a shame this passed me by earlier, because this is quite the gem. Happy birthday, Beate!