Coming Home
Wrestling with what to call this story, I settled on what’s written above. On Saturday evening six of us met at Docks Bar and Grill on the edge of Bangs Lake in Wauconda. Gary invited us to hear his son Jeff play in a band. I’d never visited Docks Bar and Grill before. On a chilly late Autumn evening a warm bar and the prospect of music is invitation enough for me.
It pays to know someone, who knows someone in the band. We had a table reserved for us at the end of the dance floor. Asked at the front desk if we were with the 
philosophy group it sounded a bit odd that disciples of Plato and Kant would show up to hear a rock n roll cover band.
What a great evening. Jeff Smith, the drummer of Genr8r warmly welcomed us and the music was magic. I believe that I felt the spirit of the late Tom Petty when I heard his signature song, An American Girl.
Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn’t help thinkin’ that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, an d if she had to die
Tryin’ she had one little promise
She was gonna keep
And who cannot but tap ones foot and even get up and dance to the soul-deep back-beat of Mony Mony by Tommy James and The Shondelles. That one goes back to 1968. It is a quintessential party rock song. We’ve sung and
danced to that one at every wedding reception that we’ve ever attended.
The band played on, and we talked to the extent possible in a noisy bar. The platter of nachos, cheese, flavor’d with jalapeno was our bread, the drink from the bar, our wine. Friendship duly celebrated. Thank you Gary for extending the invitation, and thank you Jeff for anchoring the band with a wicked back-beat.
Is there a little more to life somewhere else?
6 thoughts on “Coming Home”
But the real question is: Was Jesus detected in this experience?
Speaking solely for myself, yes– I was aware of Jesus. Whenever friends meet in good will, exchanging conversation about what is meaningful in life, with music recounting the common sadness and joys of life, and especially when nachos are served–Jesus is there.
Sounds like a great time was shared and enjoyed by all who attended! Thanks for sharing some of the highlights.
May I offer my thanks to those who accepted my invitation, your presence made my usual attendance much more enjoyable. Friends matter.
Clearly a common language was discovered among the disparate views that are encountered at other times. I wonder if it is it possible to utilize the commonality of music and/or camaraderie within a specific environment to move into the tenuous arena of political discourse? Since we all have singular points of view, we need to find agreed upon reference points as markers to begin the dialogue about more contentious issues.
I think that you are on to something important.
In my dreams I’d invite the President and his cabinet to a thanksgiving dinner, with a like number of immigrant families from Central America. I’d also invite to share in the meal and to sing a song with his acoustic guitar, Jeff Justman and his family. Music is a weapon of mass instruction. The rest would be up to the President.