Faithful readers of John's blog are often reminded of the power of music for both John and his family, especially with respect to how certain music can heal the soul. Several months ago, the healing power of music once again came into the life of John's family and friends when Emily Arin and her friend Jason gave a home concert on our back deck.
Emily has since released her first studio recorded album, "Patch of Land." The liner notes to this album (see below) reflects the healing power that Emily's music has had for John's parents.
The album contains "When You Knew Me When," the song that particularly moved John's Dad one evening when Vin Scelsa played it back to back (and with which Emily subsequently opened and closed her concert overlooking St. Clements Bay this past summer).
... in his own way, he continues to give to others, especially this Christmas season. See this earlier post for additional details.
UPDATE: Thanks to John's brother Mike and sister-in-law Gina, as well as John's Aunt Susie and Uncle John, for likewise making generous contributions to JW's Technology Fund at MCS.
Recall the earlier post which detailed the beginnings of a quilt which John's Mom began making for John's yet to be born niece. Well, many months later, Ariana has, of course, been born and is the cutest little girl anyone would want to have for a niece. Many, many, many hours (100+) of loving labor later (with special help from Mom's dear friend, Teresa), John's Mom was finally able to present to Mike & Gina this Thanksgiving the finished quilt made from pieces of JW's clothing.
Memories of Uncle Johnny will keep Ariana (and future generations) warm not only by virtue of the quilt, but by the love it embodies.
Click on the picture below to see more. As you can see in the photos, Ariana got a "sneak preview" the weekend before when Pop and Mamma Reesee babysat for her.
John's last year of his life was great in so many different ways. One of the most unique was his new found love of kickball. When John first told us that he had joined a kickball league that played on the Mall in Washington, we kidded him about taking up a sport that many people leave behind in the third grade. It was only later that we learned the true initial reason for joining was an excuse for John to get close to Alex. From that encounter, John found two loves; the first, of course, being Alex, but also a love of kickball -- not just for the sport but for the friendship, camaraderie and fun -- the very reason why kickball has played such an integral role in the annual fests commemorating JW's life as indicated here, here, here and here.
Holding a kickball fest in St. Mary's County such as occurred for the past three years has in some ways been a little bit of a culture shock since for generations, the favorite past time in the County has been softball (and beer) --(it seems every softball field is adjacent to a bar). Yet, low and behold, the sign in the adjacent picture just appeared on the softball field adjacent to the local bar near to where JW's annual kickball & kegger fest is held. As it turns out, John was a man before his times (or at least a few years ahead of his peers who he grew up with in the County).
Least anyone want to report John's or Ariana's parents to child protective services, the JW picture was based upon a suggestion that John's parents follow an Irish tradition of rubbing a little whiskey on a baby's gums in order to alleviate teething pain. Ariana, in turn, was simply sitting on a counter top and grabed the nearest thing to gnaw on in order to alleviate her teething pain. Some family traditions are hard to break.
Faithful readers of John's blog have come to understand the power of music for both John and his family, especially with respect to how certain music can heal the soul. One of the earliest blog posts served to highlight this healing power as well as an individual who especially understands the role that music can play; specifically, Vin Scelsa, a New York-based DJ whom John's dad & mom have been listening to since before John was born. Other blog posts have also addressed the special power of certain music. As can be readily seen here, here, and here, Vin is often a part of the story. Additional posts deal with one of John's favorite artists and how it is through the power of certain music that John's continued presence can be experienced by family and friends alike such as here, here and here.
Last month, the healing power of music once again came into the life of John's family and friends yet one more time, and Vin played an indirect role. About 18 months ago, Vin had on his show an exciting new artist whom John's mom and dad had never heard of but whose music they immediately fell in love with. Emily Arin is her name and she hails from the Finger Lakes area of New York, not too far from where John's sister Jes has been attending Grad School for the past few years. Invariably, when John's mom and dad would visit Ithaca, they would look to see if Emily was playing nearby, but more often than not, if she was playing it would be in Brooklyn or someplace along those lines. Thus, we never got to see her on her home turf.
This summer, Emily launched a tour and asked if fans in certain places would be willing to host a home concert. After several email exchanges, John's dad came home and asked John's mom if she wanted to go to an Emily Arin concert. When asked where, John's dad replied "here". John's mom said, "you mean here in the DC area"? "No, here." "You mean St. Mary's County?" "No, here here, right in our own home" replied John's dad. Of course, John's mom was delighted at the prospect.
Emily and her friend and accompanist Jason, arrived on a hot, humid summer afternoon. After rest and a good meal, close to 30 of John's parent's friends arrived for a concert on the back deck overlooking St. Clements Bay. Emily opened up the concert by referencing a three-way email exchange between John's dad, Vin and Emily from about a year ago regarding how John's dad was particularly moved by the healing power of Emily's music one particular evening while listening to Vin's show when he played "When You Knew Me When" back to back. Emily then proceeded to open (and by special request, close) her concert overlooking St. Clements Bay with that very song. Snippets of a truly memorable evening can be seen on the You Tube postings below. You will note that while the first set of the concert was held outdoors on the deck, summer evening thunderstorms forced the second set indoors. You'll also notice John's niece, Ariana, in one of the videos enjoying Emily's music. Ariana got her own "shout out" in Emily's newsletter from the road (click on image to the right to enlarge) as being her youngest fan to date. It turns out that Emily is already succeeding in building a fan base that will last into the 22nd Century.
John's mom and dad just spent a month living in a furnished apartment in the District. For John's dad it was a vacation from commuting. For John's mom it was an opportunity to visit museums and entertain friends "in town." For both, it was an opportunity to see a lot of movies and eat out at some great restaurants.
Living in a furnished apartment in the District for the summer was an adventure that was originally planned for the Summer of '07. That year, which was to be John's dad's last working in Washington since he was to retire later that year, found both John and Mike living in DC. That summer was to be an opportunity for all the family to hang out together in "the city," especially in view of the fact that Jes was heading off to grad school that year. Of course, that was a summer that wasn't to be. Of all the Leonard children, John is most closely identified with the District. He lived at 10th and L, NW for a while before finally buying his own place, a condo in Adams Morgan, a truly unique and special part of the city. He was so proud of his condo and had such great plans for it, even though as it turns out, he bought it at the height of the real estate bubble. Personal finances was never John's strong point.
Because DC was "John's Town," it was impossible to spend the month there without being encountered with a John memory almost at every turn. Whether it was eating in a restaurant in which good food and great conversation was shared, or going to a movie theater where extraordinary films were experienced together, or walking on the Mall where many an eventful kickball game was played (after which plenty of beer and wings was consumed), or even going to a mindless movie and listening to the laugh of a young man sitting behind who had the identical laugh and sense of humor as John, the District is a fount of found memories of John.
An example of one such memory was when John's mom and dad were walking down the street past a panhandler, with Ariana in the stroller. John's dad almost invariably never gives money under such circumstances; John invariably always did - in fact, he always made sure he had singles in his pocket for such occasions. As such, as John's mom and dad walked past the panhandler, together they could almost hear John saying not to be such a cheapskate. So his dad took out some money and gave it to the man, "for John."
This past Friday, John's Dad was accompanied to the restaurant Gordon Biersch in Washington, DC along with four of his most favorite Leonard women; John's Mom, John's sister Jes, as well as John's sister-in-law Gina and John's niece Ariana. Ariana was a little fussy at the table, so John's Dad got up from the table and walked around the restaurant with Ariana. As he did, he got to tell Ariana one of his more memorable stories about her Uncle John.
It was a bitterly cold day in early March 2007. It barely got out of the teens that day. Unbeknown to all, in a little more than a month, JW would die. In any event, at the time, John's Dad had come to the belated realization that working in downtown DC, he had at his disposal the opportunity to get together periodically for dinner with each of his sons on an individual basis since both now lived in the District. That cold late winter night was to be the first of many such evenings with JW. It was only later that John's Dad found out that JW was somewhat nervous about that night, remarking to his fiance Alex that such a request to get together was unprecedented and he didn't know if there was anything more to it than just an opportunity to get together to talk. But talk is all father and son did that evening and it was a truly memorable evening.
Meeting John at the Gallery Place Metro stop, John suggested a walk two blocks over to the Gordon Biersch restaurant on 9th Street, across from the Spy Museum. While waiting at the bar for a table, father and son got a good laugh about the recent efforts of then Vice President Dick Cheney's office to abolish John's Dad's official position and his entire organization -- events that would become public several months later.
During conversation over dinner was the first time John revealed definitive plans to propose marriage to Alex. And he had it all worked out. First, his grandmother (his Mom's mom) had given John her wedding ring. He already had plans to have the diamond in the ring reset. He also thought long and hard where he was going to present the ring to Alex -- high in a hot air balloon over West Virginia sometime in early May.
Never did JW's Dad see John so happy and so assured that he was doing the right thing. It is the last one-on-one conversation father and son would ever have, and it was a truly memorable one.
Ariana will get to hear this story from her Pop more than once for many years to come.
Last night, I was talking with my parents about movies I distinctly remember from my childhood, an eclectic group ranging from one of the best Family movies, "THE GOONIES" (and one of John's favorites), to Disney classics, to the slasher horror movies of Nightmare on Elm Street (the Freddy Kreuger movies). I asked my parents why they let me watch rated "R "movies at such a young age and they replied, that of course, they did not allow it. John, being the badass older brother, allowed it when he was in charge of Mike and I as our babysitter. I distinctly remember one night when John was left in charge and the three of us watched "Nightmare on Elm Street 3:Dream Warriors". As a second grader, I was excited to watch a rated "R" movie but I was also terrified out of my mind. In order to soothe me to go to sleep, John put in "Mary Poppins", one of my favorite Disney classics and a complete opposite of a slasher film. Although John's plan seemed like a stroke of genius for a 9th grader, I distinctly remember my nightmare that night of Dick Van Dyke going through a shredder and running to Mom and Dad's room and the next thing I know they are calling out John!!!!!! Now, "Mary Poppins" will always bring back a hysterically funny memory of John, although at a dear price to Bert the chimney sweep! Thanks John for trying your best to take care of your younger sister while still being a cool dude.
And to mark this occasion, we celebrated a smaller tradition this past weekend for John; a good follow-up to the amazing kickball and kegger fest down in Southern Maryland on his birthday. Gina, I, and making her first appearance, Ariana, celebrated John's birthday at Levante's in Dupont Circle, one of his favorite restaurants in DC (free advertising for Levante's, not an official sponsor).
Although John was always partial to ordering the Pides (Turkish pizza), the Iskander Kebab was one of the better dishes that he craved from time to time. The great outdoor sidewalk seating is reminiscent of European restaurants; although for this tradition we tend to bring our own wine. No wine remembers John better than a $6.95 bottle of Virginia Tech Hokie red wine, and luckily enough, every year that we explain the tradition to our waiter, they never fail to waive the $12 corking fee.
In true John style, a hearty party was held yesterday as we celebrated the 4th Annual JW Kickball & Kegger Fest. Thanks to all who made the day such a joyous event. Click on the following photo to see pictures of the delightful afternoon.
It was Fathers' Day then, too; the day that you came into this world, June 20, 1976. Our lives, of course, became enriched beyond description from that moment forward. We were blessed with having you with us physically for over 30 years. Your presence has not, however, ceased since then. You continue to touch the lives of those who love you, family and friends alike. Even more so, you have a positive affect on so many who did not have the privilege of knowing you in this life but can still experience your presence and love of life through those who did know you and who you have touched in such a profound manner. Thank you, JW, for making me a father for the first time 34 years ago; thank you for making me the man I have become.
For those not familiar with it, John's birth story can be found here.
Last weekend, John's niece, Ariana, was baptized in John's old parish, the one which his mom & dad still attend and from which John was buried. Ariana is fortunate to have a tremendous man such as John as her uncle and now she also has him as her godfather. Everyone needs someone in Heaven watching out for them and Ariana is fortunate to have her Uncle John fulfilling that role. John's dad had the honor to stand in for John at the actual Christening. The cirdle of life continues. Click on the picture below to see more.
Well, John, it's summertime again, and it is time to lace up those running shoes and run some races. This year, your niece has taken on the role of cheerleader and motivator. Yesterday, we went out to run the Marine Corps Crossroads 17.75km race down in Quantico. It was a good race, good weather and a good length.
However, John was never partial to trail running. In his days of running Rock Creek Park in DC, he would always stick to the paved trails. In that, this race went a little off-road; with a lot of gravel trails through the forest and a lot of hills. But it was a good challenge none the less.
Luckily enough, we have a number one fan in Ariana, and will continue the tradition and motto:
This past weekend, St. Joseph's Parish in Morganzacelebrated the 150th anniversary of the church building (the parish dates back to the 17th century, shortly after the founding of Maryland). In preparation of this anniversary, much of the artwork was restored in the church. In addition, a new altar and pulpit were installed. The altar was just blessed by the Archbishop on Pentecost Sunday. John's mom & dad are fortunate to have been able to contribute the pulpit in JW's memory. This seemed fitting in so many ways -- it is not only the spot from which John's dad has the honor of proclaiming God's Word as a lector at Mass, but it is also the spot from which he delivered John's eulogy -- an obligation which no father wants to endure but is obligated to fulfill nonetheless.
For generations to come, people who see the pulpit and hear the Word of God proclaimed from it will know that John William loved and was loved.
John's mom Relays in memory of JW, her Dad, and her mother-in-law and because she wants to see an end to cancer during her lifetime. Relay gives John's mom the unique opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, such as her father-in-law -- "Papa", remember loved ones lost such as JW, her Dad, and "Mammy," and support the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission by fighting back against a disease that has already taken too much.
Please support John's mom's efforts to fight back against cancer by joining my Relay For Life® team or making a donation by clicking on this link. You can make a one-time gift or increase your impact by making a monthly donation to support the cause.
Your efforts will help the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking cancer research, provide up-to-date cancer information, advocate for all people to have access to screening and treatment, and offer free programs and services to improve the quality of life for people facing cancer. By being a part of Relay, we are joining a worldwide movement to help defeat cancer for future generations.
Well Uncle John, it has been a long nine months but I finally made it into this world. Three days ago, my world changed forever, but I am loving where I am at right now. Mom and Dad are teaching me well, except Dad is having a hard time explaining to me what a Hokie is. Dad spent last night telling me the story about the Dave Matthews Band concert you guys went to at RFK Stadium and how you and him shared many experiences; traveling to foreign countries, Hokie football, concerts, and enjoying to the fullest hanging out with good friends and family.
I guess that I have a lot to live up to with the Leonard last name. But, I really look forward to it, and I hope that I will be lucky enough to experience as many good times as you and Dad had together.
The first three days have been pretty easy, a lot of eating, a lot of sleeping and a lot of #2. I appreciate your love for Dave Matthews also, his music was the only thing that got me through my first traffic jam yesterday on my way home from the hospital. I hear that that is the norm for I-95 in Northern Virginia, a ton of traffic at any time of the day; kind of crazy, huh?
So, I had a chance to meet some of the family. MomaReesie and Pop has been around a lot in the first couple of days. MomaReesie actually met me at home the first day after the hospital and spent time with me. Aunt Jes (AJ) came down from some other planet called Ithaca, New York to spend time at the hospital too. Mom's family came to see me also, Aunt Melissa, Grandma and Grandpa, and Mom's cousin Ron. Mom was ecstatic when Aunt Jessica and Uncle Ed came all of the way up from Norfolk and Aunt Sara stopped by too. Great Aunt Meg, Ticia and Susan all sent their love to me the first hours of my life.
I must admit, Uncle John, we have an extraordinary family. With that, I will be sure to update you on the happenings of my young life. Now, time for a nap, and I am a little hungry also; got to go find Mom.
We were talking about our favorite John stories last night in remembrance and I kept this one to post. For my first college senior game at St. Mary's College (when I was a senior in academic standing, not yet realizing that since I was only a third year in sport standing and that I would return for a fourth soccer season) John was my family member to walk me out on the field. It was in the middle of the week and both Mom and Dad were out of town that week (but made all other home games). So John took off work and came all the way down to St. Mary's County to walk me to center field as they introduced me with the rest of my senior class. I don't really remember the game or if we won, but I do remember him cheering for me when I made a save in the first half. (He left before the end of the game to return back to work). It really meant a lot to me but even more to him because it gave him a free card to not attend my three hour college graduation ceremony but was sure there for the after party. (And at this time, I do have to give props to Mike for flying out to Southern MD to make the ceremony and surprise me.) Thanks John for walking me out.
And this post is in true John form, since it is a whole day late.
Three years - it certainly doesn't get easier with time. In fact, as if it was even possible, it seems as if we miss you even more, JW.
What becomes clearer, however, is how your legacy is continuing on in the lives of your loved ones. Like the ripples of a stone dropped into a pond, the inspiration you provide to family and friend alike continues to have a profound impact. Rather than mourn the circumstances of your death we instead celebrate the way you lived God's gift of life.
Tomorrow is Easter, a day of personal rebirth and renewal. The cherry blossoms are a perfect visual reminder of the possibility of that renewal.
The Japanese celebrate Hanami, the viewing of the flowers or cherry blossoms (sakura). It is one of the happiest events celebrated in Japan. It heralds the coming of spring and the end of a long cold winter. For the Japanese it also offers a deeper meaning. As the flowers disappear shortly, it is believed the sakura echo the transitory nature of our lives here on earth.
Hanami, however, is wildly celebrated in Japan with family and friends. Outdoor parties well into the night celebrate cherry blossoms, spring, family, life and love.
A few years ago, JW witnessed the beauty these blossoms have to offer. Somehow, I think he would agree with the Japanese and find they offer a great opportunity to celebrate life and the gifts each of us have received, including JW's love and friendship.
This past Saturday, Momma Reesie presented Gina and Mike with a quilt for our first grandchild, Ariana Grace. The quilt is made from pieces of JW's clothing -- a warm reminder for Ariana of her Uncle John. (Click on the photo to see a mother's and grandmother's love in action through the making of the quilt).
