November Rose

Finally, it was cold and there were scattered pockets of first frost. As I made my way along the Delaware River in the early morning, a dense fog hung over the swift-moving current and mystical elements of the natural world gradually revealed themselves.

A lone duck stayed close to shore near the place where the Aquetong Creek flows into the Delaware. Several miles upstream, where the creek springs forth from its subterranean source, there is a profound spiritual connection; the Aquetong Spring was sacred to the Leni Lenape Indians.   

I am drawn to the Delaware River in a way I cannot fully explain. That morning, as the fog began to lift, the river whispered to me: Everything you need is within you.

In such moments of clarity, I believe it is possible to connect with the Divine that is around and within us. Ernest Hemingway observed of nature, “It is what we have instead of religion.”

As the fog began to lift, I saw her standing defiant in the face of the coming winter: November rose, a reminder of nature’s eternal resilience. Spring will come again to the Delaware River Valley. There will be rebirth and renewal.

For now, the edge of winter approaches and the days grow shorter. But we need not “rage against the dying of the light.” Each season offers an opportunity to connect with our divine selves.

And so, I mark my time not in years but in the passing of the seasons, each with its own song, its own message. Evidence of the Divine and a brief, tantalizing glimpse of eternity. November rose.

All That Jazz in Cape May

It was a great escape to the Exit Zero Jazz Festival last weekend in Cape May, N.J. My mantra for the weekend was get away, get loose and get lost in the music. Politics and the mess in Washington magically disappeared from my radar screen for several days as I did just that and got lost in the music.

Held twice a year in the fall and spring, the Exit Zero Jazz Festival is a smorgasbord of jazz performed by an array of musicians at a mix of venues around town, from Carney’s, Sea Salt and the Rusty Nail to the Cape May Convention Hall.

The performers played with a shared passion that was contagious. Their intensity enabled you to feel the music in every cell in your body because when it’s good, really good, music takes you to another place. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis likened that passion to “sustained intensity,” which he said “equals ecstasy.”

Tim Price Jazz-a-Delic, New Breed Brass Band and C.L.A.F.F.Y. were among several groups we saw. Our table at Carney’s was close enough to Jazz-a-Delic that I could almost reach out and touch Price as he blew on his sax and electric bassoon.  

Price exemplifies the versatility and deep talent of the Exit Zero Jazz Festival musicians. He’s performed with jazz greats like Sonny Stitt, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson and Benny Green, as well as with rock and soul icons like Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Ike Turner and Dr. John.

When Marsalis observed, “Jazz means working things out musically with other people,” he might have been talking about Price and the other Exit Zero Jazz Festival performers. “You have to listen to other musicians and play with them even if you don’t agree with what they’re playing…,” Marsalis said. “It teaches you that the world is big enough to accommodate us all.”

New Breed Brass Band has its roots in the culture of New Orleans – five of the band’s founding members are New Orleans natives – and performed an alchemy of funk, rock, jazz and hip hop with amazing energy. The group is a past recipient of the OffBeat Magazine Music and Cultural Arts Foundation’s Best Emerging Artist Award.

C.L.A.F.F.Y. is led by bassist and composer Alex Claffy, who has been described by JAZZIZ Magazine as a bassist with “…an ear for timeless melodies — regardless of genre or era — and he engages with them with originality and unbridled creativity.” Claffy has performed in Europe and is a regular at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village, where he’s next appearing on Nov. 21. 

The festival also featured well-known performers including Manhattan Transfer, David Sanborn and John Oates. And the Atlantic Ocean, with its pounding surf and cool wind blowing in off the beach, formed the perfect backdrop.

Price described the Exit Zero Jazz Festival as encompassing “…genres of music that all move together. The festival is made up of a lot of stuff, which is what jazz is all about.” A lot of stuff indeed, to which I would add, and about teaching us “…the world is big enough to accommodate us all.”

Jake

Tonight, at sunset, Barb and I spread Jake’s ashes in a nearby field where he used to run. One year ago, today, our boy made his way to the Rainbow Bridge where, it is said, he will wait for us. As we scattered Jake’s remains in the wind, all of the feelings and emotion I’d been holding in these last 12 months poured out.

The truth is, before Jake, I hadn’t been much of a dog person. It had taken no small amount of coaxing by my wife to persuade me we should have a dog in our lives. Now, I can’t imagine how I got along without him. I am forever grateful to Barb for bringing this gentle, lovable and goofy dog, who became my friend and teacher, into my life.

I cherish the memory of Jake not so much for what he taught me, but for how he made me feel – unconditionally loved. He constantly reminded me that in the grand scheme of things, fortune and fame are of little importance and that what matters is how we make each other feel.

At times when my mind would fill with racing thoughts, his quiet presence spoke volumes about being centered and stilling the mind. He cared not a whit about yesterday and even less about tomorrow. It was all about being fully present in the moment.

One of his greatest joys, aside from chomping on pizza crust, was chasing rabbits. He ran after them at a frenzied gallop with his ears flying in the wind. The fact that in 12 years he never caught one mattered not. It was the thrill of the chase that sparked him; it was the journey and not the destination.

Jake also reinforced something I have always known but sometimes forget. Nature is our greatest source of healing and happiness. He loved the outdoors and delighted in traversing woods and fields. Jake taught me about the nature of unconditional loyalty. He was by my side through thick and thin, in times of joy and times of sadness. He was always eager to share my joy and never failed to lean into me and comfort me in times of duress.

I will forever remember how Jake made me feel. His was pure love. Maybe there is a Rainbow Bridge and Jake will be waiting for me. One thing I know for sure is that I am a far better person for having had Jake in my life. He was a dear friend and an uncommon teacher.