The Long and Winding Road

I have loved the Beatles since I can remember. When I was 6 or 7, my sister took me shopping one day, and a local store called Genovese has a record department. She told me to pick out an album, and I did: the Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour." I took it home and played it on our family's gray, primitive stereo player, and I played it over and over again. The album came with a picture book that followed the British TV special that accompanied the album, and I read each page, along with a strong memorization of the lyrics. I still have the album, all these years later, and it's been through many moves and Hurricane Andrew. Now it sits in a wall unit in a room above our garage where mold has been found -- we're awaiting word from the insurance company about remediating the situation. I may have to finally toss my first Beatles album... Several years after the shopping trip, my sister had me stay with her and her young husband in NYC, in their apartment on the Upper West Side. I must have been about 9 or so, and one of the reasons I thought my brother in law Jeff was the coolest older guy I knew was because he loved the Beatles, too. One evening during my stay, he called me over the the TV set. A show was featuring an animated take on "The Long and Winding Road." I remember parts of it to this day -- a prisoner was released, and had to find his way back to his wife or girlfriend's house, as the soaring and beautiful voice of Paul McCartney accompanied his journey. I was young, but I guess destined even then to be an English major, albeit one who is always a sucker for the obvious symbolism. And sure enough, it turns out that life for all of us is indeed a long and winding road, where many times we're alone, and many times we cry. But still, as the song teaches, we're lead back -- to SOMETHING. And so it is with a young man I know well -- who turns 33 this month. His has been a very long and winding road. He's still out on that road, and I pray he returns home safely.