Part III: Dayeinu! More Me and Wynton!

During the twenty-minute wait for Wynton, I admit I felt myself fading and the color going from my face from sitting upright for so long. And I was also getting a bit nervous! What was I going to say to him?! (I don't exactly meet famous people on a regular basis!)

When Wynton did come out, he shook my hand, talked to me, signed my program (with "Happy Birthday Emily, Wynton"), the photographers took a zillion pictures (as you can see!), and he headed up for the reception.

He is incredibly quiet and soft-spoken. He also very funny and full of flattery. He kept saying how beautiful I was and asked me for 'some sugar'. I so wish I had a picture of me kissing and hugging Wynton because I got to do so twice! :) He spent much more time with me than I expected, and although I am pretty much never at a loss for words, I was so shocked at meeting him and actually getting to converse with him that I wished later I had said so many things differently. Mostly, I wish that I had thanked him for being not only a great musician but also for being an educator, a great steward of jazz music, and a generous humanitarian. 

After I met Wynton, I somehow managed to climb UP all of those stairs I had gone down earlier. Ah, the gift of some extra adrenaline. 

And so began my birthday celebration--with an outing to a concert and a meeting with Wynton.

As I laid in bed that night reflecting on the event, I just kept thinking about the events of the past couple of weeks.

The evening of the concert coincided with the end of Yom Kippur, during which Jews were busy breaking the fast of the last 24 hours. I remarked to Mom during the concert that I thought the performance was a pretty darned good way to 'break the fast' in our own celebratory way.

In Judaism, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is followed by 10 days of introspection.  At Rosh Hashanah we eat foods sweetened with honey and wish each other a sweet new year. Then, in preparation for Yom Kippur, we spend time thinking about the year passed.  During Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we ask God for forgiveness, we ask those we have wronged for forgiveness, we ask God to be merciful and to 'write us into the Book of Life' for another year.

This year, having both the Jewish New Year, the symbolic writing of another year of life into the Book of Life, and having a new year in birthdays fall at the same time seemed to call for some extra introspection. 

I headed into a new year tentatively and uncertain. 

And then I felt joyful in a way I hadn't in a long time. 

After the concert, I could only think of a word we use at Passover:  Dayeinu.  At Passover we mention the many things God has done for us--we say "If God had only done such and such, it would have been enough." And we say that over and over again about the blessings he gave us as we recount the Exodus. 

If I had only seen the concert, it would have been enough. Dayeinu.

If I had only felt well, it would have been enough. Dayeinu.

If I had only come home and not felt sick, it would have been enough. Dayeinu.

If I had only been able to wear 'real clothes', it would have been enough. Dayeinu.

If I had only had the platform to see so clearly, it would have been enough. Dayeinu.

I had all of these things and more. And my birthday wasn't even officially here yet!

I'm still overwhelmed by the memory of what happened. I'm so thankful to Lisa for making me feel welcomed and unembarrassed by my disability. I am humbled by what she does to make concert-going happen for me.  I am grateful for what she did for my birthday. I'm wondering what I did to be so blessed by her. I'm thankful to Wynton for his incredible kindness in taking so much time to be with me. 

Did Lisa know I needed something special? Did she know I needed joy again? I'll never know, but I'll forever be grateful, humbled and reminded of why I fight so hard for healing. Many times since the concert, I have conjured images of the concert and meeting Wynton, just as a little reminder. And, I have to pinch myself a bit to believe it all.

Blessings,

Emily

Photos:  Courtesy of Lisa and the photographers at the theatre...