As We Age...

 When I'm scrolling Netflix and I see a movie blurb that says something like, "a heart warming coming of age story" I just keep on clicking right past that. Maybe that's cause I have lived all that kind of stuff and it was with my old friend Kenny Baker whose funeral I attended today.

 From about eighth grade band on up to graduation from high school we were inseparable friends. He played trombone and I played tuba. In addition to the social activity of band we went to the same church and grew up close learning to play music, drive old 1960s beater cars, listening to music, going to concerts, hunting and fishing like our dads taught us and engaging in as many teen age hijinks as our imaginations could come up with. Yeah, coming of age is a good way to put it. Certainty Kenny, as he aged became the man his family and the world will remember him as and maybe one day I will too. 

Here's an old band hall photo from about 1972. Left to right back row is Ernie Murry (I'll play a concert with him tomorrow) Kenny, and Ivor Little. Bottom row is Mike May (RIP), Bob Pennington (Bob's a nurse, I have worked with him and he's taken care of family) and me. 

After high school though we went to the same college our paths in life diverged and we would only meet and play in an occasional community band or band alumni concert. 

Recently someone came up and introduced themselves as Kenny's co worker. Kenny knew I was connected to the person and they told me, "He talks about you all the time." If that's not some cosmic reach out, I'm soon be gone but I'll be watching out for you moment I don't know what it is. If I felt that vibe from Kenny I can only imagine what his family and really close friends feel from his presence in Heaven.  

I saw many old friends from those high school band days at the funeral today. As we age it will just be a matter of time till we feel the call. Hopefully we will be able to reach out and touch the ones we love, our families and each other just like Kenny touched me.   

Here's an old clipping of the jazz band, 1972. Kenny is the trombone on the right. He's been playing that same horn as in the photo all these years.   

       

8th and 9th grade band about 1971. I'm the tuba on the left. Kenny is the tall guy next to the white sousaphone. 

Trombones, baritones and tubas, yearbook photo probably 1973. Can you pick all us coming of agers  out? 

Band alumni concert 2009. Me and Kenny in the back, probably causing trouble.