my $20 makes his path through the world a little easier, then I'm giving it.

Friday, January 20, 2012

I was just doing a quick scan of the news and saw that Etta James has died. If you aren't familiar with her, Etta James was a soul singer best known for her song, At Last, among the best torch songs ever recorded. She had a tough life and as she sings you can hear her experience in every note.

I've loved her music since I was a teenager, swooning along with her as I've loved and had my heart broken.

My most cherished memory of her music is this. For many years, my sweetheart, Kevin, and I took our friends and mentors Brother Blue and Ruth Hill out for Valentine's Day. Sometimeswe'd go out for dinner, sometimes we'd go hear music, sometimes they'd come over.

One year, maybe 3 or 4 years before Brother Blue died, we went out to a nice restaurant that was having a Valentine's Day jazz dinner. Brother Blue loved jazz. We ate and listened to music together, watched people dance and had a lovely time. I danced with Brother Blue - or more accurately, Brother Blue danced around me, he was an amazing dancer - and Kevin danced with Ruth.

When the singer started the first few lush notes of At Last the dance floor was swarmed, every couple stood up to dance. Kevin and I danced. Ruth and Brother Blue sat at the table, held hands and watched us.

When we sat down, Brother Blue said,