A look back

This article is filled with details on the life of George Gershwin: "Jazzbo: Why We Still Listen to Gershwin" (The New Yorker)

I have not listened to much of Gershwin's music, but this leaped off the screen nonetheless. Why? Well, I have a friend that is a huge Gershwin fan. I have sat in his different living rooms and heard him play many pieces that Gershwin composed. This last Christmas, my friend's children made a CD of his piano music, including many Gershwin pieces. It is especially poignant because this friend can no longer play the piano. He is on the slow-fall that is Alzheimer's.

I first met Dr. Fitz in high school. New to a church youth group, the Fitzgerald family was very welcoming. I spent hours with Mrs. Fitz, learning about the bible and laughing. When I hear the term "busy bee," I think of her. But, Dr. Fitz had a role in my life that was just as significant. My high school years were ones from which my dad was almost completely absent. Dr. Fitz filled that gap to the extent that someone outside my family could. He added me to the note writing list when I was at camp with his wife and son, he made sure they found me in the foyer at church at the end of Christmas Eve service. For someone who was practically forgotten by her father, being remembered was incredibly healing. I have kept their letters and pictures as a reminder of what a gift they were to me during that time. When I think of the Fitzes, I think of the stability they provided me. They filled in a gap I wasn't even aware was there.

When I married, they were out of the country. But, as soon as they returned, we were invited to their home. When our children began to arrive, notes from "Mom and Pop" Fitz became notes from "Grandma and Grandpa" Fitz. We have both experienced tragic deaths in our families, and found comfort in each other's words and care during those first dark months.

Now that Alzheimer's is at work in Dr. Fitz's life, I know that our days of talks and piano playing are over. I know that their days must be ever-changing and rather frightening at times. I am so grateful for the years that we have had as friends, and appreciative of the fact that I now have this CD of Dr. Fitz's piano music to honor his talent. He will always have a place in my heart. Maybe I will even become a Gershwin fan myself.