a word about family...

seriously, you guys, my dad is just the sweetest. check out his tribute to the people he loves. bring tissue. also, if you go to "recordings," you can find some pretty snazzy tunes recorded by the band (here's where the love of folk, blues, and bluegrass first began). everything goes back to late nights, sitting, listening intently at the top of the stairs to the band practicing in the basement, to picnics with friends who happen to be musicians, to dancing and running through the park, knowing that we were safe under our parents' watchful eyes, to families that live and love with passion, and finally to the family, to home. how could i ever settle for anything less?

and it's funny, being down here. at times, i feel like my friends have become a part of my family - and they have. but nothing can replace the core. i find myself missing my baby brother daily, especially as i watch life happen and know how his sense of humor and his sensitivity and his desire for fair play would delve into the events that i observe and participate in. it's almost overwhelmingly difficult, sometimes, to be away from the people you love the most, knowing that they miss you as much as you miss them. and then you think about the kids, the ones who say that you're the reason they haven't dropped out yet, that you're the reason they went ahead and read a book - their first book ever, even though they're 16 years old - all the way through... and you wonder if you could ever leave them and you know that you'll have to make a choice, and, either way, your heart will break. but you love them anyway, because, otherwise, what's the point?