I’ve written in the past how music is the soundtrack of memories. https://joebroadmeadowblog.com/2020/02/19/the-soundtracks-of-life/ I spoke about how just the first few notes bring back memories of the moments of life. But today, my soundtrack consists of many different tunes from what my playlist might reflect just 365 days ago.

You see, today marks the first anniversary of the birth of my grandson, Levi David Walkup. While we all like to say today is his birthday, the reality is we only have one birth day and then an annual celebration of the date, and this first one is such an incredible milestone.

Now, the lyrics of April Come She Will or Marrakesh are replaced by London Bridge is Falling Down, The Farmer in the Dell, and Mary Had a Little Lamb. I now know all the lyrics to Encanto. (And no, we don’t talk about Bruno.)

Where once I would awake to the lyrical voice of Jane Olivor singing the song, You, playing in my mind, now I wake to the sounds of The Ants go Marching… (so far I’ve refrained from teaching him the alternative lyrics to the ants go marching three by three, the last one stops to take a …  but I will not be able to stop myself forever. He needs to expand his view of the world and music is a great venue.)

We are slowly introducing other music to him. We get him to dance to La Bamba by Ritchie Valens and, when I am alone with him, he rocks to Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower or Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is by Chicago, but the other tunes consume the majority of his musical repertoire.

One year has passed in the blink of an eye and sixty plus years of musical memories have been replaced. These tunes may not win awards or climb the charts, but oh the memories they accompany.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The ants go marching one by one hurrah, hurrah….