Our wedding anniversary, and the promise of rain. We had coffee on the deck as the day warmed, and I went off with Charlie for a walk and a swim. On the way to the pond I listened, in the woods, to an amazing podcast by the New York Times, with Gregg Breinberg, the choir director at Public School 22, an elementary school on Staten Island, N.Y. “A Bit of Relief: The Long Distance Chorus” It tells the story of this choir director and how he continued practicing with his young choir during the pandemic, and how he produced the graduation video of them seeming to sing together, when really, they had each recorded themselves on video singing their part! It’s a very emotional story about his work with these young singers, and about the emotional experience of making music. I also love what how he said: “Music is a live team sport.”

You can see the video of them singing below.

The graduation video of P.S. 22 Chorus singing “The Scientist” by Coldplay

We had a lovely anniversary day, particularly because it rained, and we need this rain so much.But first, just relaxing, and we went to my friend’s dock and swam together as a family, and that’s where we were at almost 2:00 when Frank and I were married, here, in Sherborn. It started to rain while we swam, fat drops falling on the green surface. It rained all afternoon, finally soaking the roots of all the growing things. We all drove into the city on a mission: coconut cake from Bova’s Bakery in the North End, our favorite cake, and I carried home the heavy box on my lap as we drove through the rain, listening to music, the girls and Will and the dogs in the back. We each got to choose two songs to play. While Frank was getting gas, I asked Will to play, for my turn, “Memories Are Made of This,” sung by Johnny Cash, because it’s our song. Will found it, and before it was my turn it was Frank’s turn. And guess what he asked Will to play?

Then, on the way home, we ordered a special dinner to go from the Farmhouse in Needham, and took our take-out home to a special dinner, not on the deck, because the wonderful rain was still falling, but in the dining room on our wedding china. And then we ate cake.

By this time tonight, we were married, on our way to the White Mountains for our honeymoon, by car, exhausted and happy to begin our life together.