The Joy of Being in the Company of Loved Ones

I always count the days that I can spend alone with my adult children as priceless, for I know that I won't have many more of these occasions.  I was reminded of this gift by one of those chain email recollections on "Being A Mother" sent by my wonderful sister-in-law, Jan.  Seems like a nice way to tie together today's blog entry.

Ted arrived back at the apartment on Monday evening having spent Sunday and Monday at a "meet and greet" for potential PhD candidates at NYU.  We had a good evening reviewing all the exciting but intimidating options he now has for graduate school.  Tuesday I took the subway with him to Grand Central Station where he caught a train to Yale for another "meet and greet" and I went to the Morgan Library for their exhibit A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy.  Austen destroyed her novel manuscripts, but that rapacious capitalist J.P. Morgan did manage to buy up a large portion of her correspondence to her beloved sister Cassandra.  Reading these intimate letters (in tiny handwriting to conserve precious paper) was a glimpse into a household of loving sisters but also a preview of Austen's wonderful powers of observation into human nature.  Ted returned to the apartment Wednesday evening and we had three (precious) hours together as I helped him organize his busy travel schedule.  I told him I gained my experience at multiple cross country trips from my consulting days.

Friday evening I was able to enjoy Beth's company at a wonderful performance of Brahm's Piano Concerto #1 in D Minor by Andras Schiff with Riccardo Muti conducting the New York Philharmonic.  I became a "Friend of the Philharmonic" this year and two nice benefits are free tickets to open rehearsals and "last minute" cheap tickets to concerts-I guess they'd rather fill the seats at $29 which makes everyone happy. This is one of my favorite piano concertos, with dramatic, passionate outbursts (the opening notes of the orchestra  from a kettle drum knock you out of your seat).  Once again we were in the rafters, but I brought my opera glasses with me and concentrated on Schiff's hands as he attacked the challenging piece.  As  you may have noted, I love learning about the biographies of the great artists and am especially taken with how many of them produced such phenomenal work in their youth.  Brahms wrote this piece in his twenties shortly after meeting the Schumann's, Robert and Clara, who were his mentors.  Robert had serious mental health issues and tried to commit suicide- he died a few years after being  institutionalized.  The piano concerto was written during this tumultuous two year year period.  Brahms became an extremely close (platonic) companion of Clara and he provided her family with support and she provided him with guidance on his music.  The concerto recalls both the tumult of the psychological upheavals as well as the comfort (in the adagio) of the loving relationship with Clara.  My mother used to always say that biography was much more compelling than novels and it seems like each of my exposures to art and music reinforce this observation.

Finally, on Saturday afternoon I watched the joy others had in the companionship of loved ones as I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on the first warm, sunny day in many weeks. It was pleasantly crowded.  I hope you are enjoying your loved ones also!