I can hardly believe my good fortune- twice within the last ten days I have been able to spend some quality  time with Nick Barootian, a former voice student of mine who is now going to seminary at Luther Northwestern in the Twin Cities and very seldom gets back to Racine.  Nick and I go way way back because he grew up at Holy Communion, so I remember him back when he was an adorable boy soprano!  I believe it was when he began ninth grade (and his voice had changed) that Nick began studying private voice with me- and because he went to Carthage after that,  I had the pleasure of teaching this gifted young man voice lessons for eight years straight.  Beyond that, Nick also sang under my direction both in Holy Communion’s senior choir and then under my direction in the Chamber Singers and even for those couple of years when I directed the Carthage Choir. He also helped with the final preparations for my O the Joy folk service and was the recipient/ inspiration for quite a few of my compositions over the years.  In fact, it was for the two of us that I wrote one of my best songs,  “Great and Glorious Light” more than ten years ago.   I wrote that song one Thanksgiving Day afternoon when Kathy sort of chased me out of the house because I was getting in the way.  That was back when we lived a block and a half from church, so that’s where I retreated. . . and by the time I got home two and half hours later, I had composed “Great and Glorious Light” and had called Nick at home to tell him that we were going to be singing a brand new together that following Sunday – and we did.  That’s just one of countless times when we made music together – often flying by the seat of our pants  and having a ball doing it !

Then he went off to graduate school in Boston and to seminary after that, and the lines of communication between us became surprisingly dormant.  Frankly, it bugged me for awhile but I eventually came to realize that Nick really needed to have other mentors in other places and that the important role I had played in his life for such a long time couldn’t (and shouldn’t) sustain itself over such a span of both time and distance.  So Nick has gone on to do many things in many places and I’ve settled into a smaller role along the sidelines which is exactly where I belong in his life now- as a proud member of the cheering section, wishing him well and thankful that I had the privilege of nurturing his talent for a time.

And then a couple of weeks ago, Nick left a message on our answering machine, saying that he was going to be back in Racine for the next two weekends- first for the wedding of a family friend and then for some other special event the following weekend – and that he was really hoping to see both Kathy and me while he was around.  And we ended up crossing paths twice-  last weekend when we met for breakfast, which included the delighted added bonus of meeting up with Nick’s college roommate and my good friend Caleb Sjogren.  And then yesterday, Nick and I met for lunch at Old Madrid in downtown Racine, talking and talking and talking . . .  and then spent some time in my studio singing together.  .  . the first time in AGES that we have been able to do that.  And what this visit demonstrated more than anything is that Nick and I seem to be the kind of friends who can pick things up where we were three years ago without missing a beat.   I know that not all friendships work that way, and that we can have certain dear friends for a time who then slip away – or with whom we become awkward and self- conscious and acutely aware of the passage of time and of the changes we have both undergone.  But sitting across from Nick at lunch felt just like 2004 or 2001 or 1997.   And I’m pretty sure it’s not that either of us is caught in a time warp – or stuck in a rut – but rather that our connection is a powerful one that endures over time, anchored both in the faith we share and in the love of music which we also have in common.

The time we spent singing together back here at the house was especially delightful.   We were improvising duets with each other – I shared a couple of my musical compositions with him – and I even vacated the piano bench a couple of times so he could do some of the playing.  What a joy!  I suppose making music with a friend is something like playing a round of golf with them- except that music allows for a connection that is so much deeper and touches on the things that most deeply matter in life.  And I could be wrong,  but I think it’s just possible that 25 years from now, Nick and I will still enjoy the pleasure of making music together from time to time.  Of course, by that point I’ll be 73. . . and he’ll be 53. . .     and at the rate we’re going,  gas will be $29 a gallon and the ice of antarctica will have shrunk to the size of three igloos.  But there will still be this incredible thing called music, among the most precious gifts that God has given us – and a gift around which friends and family alike can share some of life’s greatest joys.

pictured:  Nick playing our piano.  It was really fun to just sit for awhile and watch Nick’s hands.  If there’s one thing we have in common, it’s the way our hands glide over the keyboard as we’re playing.