Once in a blue moon

The old Earl Thomas Conley song has been playing in my head all day after reading the news this morning.  Apparently tonight has an official "blue moon" and is something that occurs once a month, after the first full moon of each.  That actually seems pretty frequent considering the phrase "once in a blue moon" means something that rarely happens.  Anyway, astrology lesson aside, the song has special memories for me because it was a favorite song of my mom's growing up.

My mom has always loved music and raised us to appreciate all kinds.  In fact, she guesses that my eclectic CD catalog comes from the fact that she took a music appreciation class when she was pregnant with me.  I remember growing up listening to her listen to The Police, Kenny Rogers, and many others with quickly became favorites of mine too.  For whatever reason, I can still recall the day she brought home the Earl Thomas Conley record and how she played it until it was faded and worn.  The song she seemed to love best was "Once in a Blue Moon" and if I catch it nowadays on the radio I'm reminded of her singing in the living room of the house I grew up in.

It was a bit coincidental that I was humming the tune today as I drove to mom's house.  They are about to tackle a huge remodeling project and I brought my organizational skills to help her clean out the first few rooms to be made over.  I'm a very sentimental person but I don't need knick knacks to help me keep memories - Mom is just the opposite.  As we cleaned today she found a bathrobe she had when she was pregnant with my sister, some thirty odd years ago, a paper stocking with glittered initials "HC" she'd kept from my school project, and a maraca from my baby sister's first music set.  Needless to say, I helped her do some purging!

I guess everyone holds onto memories in different ways, and although I do keep some treasured trinkets from my childhood through today, I hold the biggest portion of them in my heart.  For after all, the best moments in life can't be captured in a keepsake.  They aren't something that can be bought from the store but in the special yet simple times spent with family. 

Tonight, Tim, Noah and I went outside to enjoy the beautiful evening.  The temperature was amazing for November and a brilliant night sky served as the backdrop for our own private showing.  What drew our attention to the deck was the amazing moon.  As we enjoyed it from the hot tub, it seemed to have hypnotising powers.  We all just sat in the calm, still of the night, covered in the soft light from above.  It was a magical moment and one that I will always remember, yet can't place in a box or on the shelf.  I will always recall it though when I hear those words, "Blue Moon."