Heaven

It's my wife's birthday today and we both celebrate it with a simple lunch at her favorite pizza place. Sunday, we go out with the entire family to enjoy Yakitori at a resto I found online.

Last night, I kept texting her from a studio where a band rehearsal was going on for a highschoool reunion scheduled for next month.

It was actually our third and most fulfilling one as compared to the first two sessions that I can rate a 2 out of a perfect 10.

It has been almost 15 years since I have really played and rehearsed for a gig. The line up last night was a combination of rusty old musicians and professionals who play regular gigs. There was rythm guitarist and vocalist Jorge Marco, an old bandmate from highschool who is actually responsible for all this, and myself who I both consider the rusty old ones in the group.

The rest were the pros: my old bandmate Warren Norton who played lead guitar and sang back vocals, Patrick Choi played keyboards and back vocals, and Alan Dichoso on bass and back vocals. All play for a classic hard rock band called Grind Stone.

I came in late being skeptical and all about the outcome. Upon arrival, excitment filled the air and I was alive again.

Hearing them tune their instruments gave a hint of the good old days and how pros would really play. It was a totally different experience for me as the warm up jamming songs turned out to be kick ass versions of classic rock covers.

Each tune one would propose by playing parts of the song would be answered by a drum roll, bass lines, and mean guitar riffs followed by vocals and a tight jam would be the end result.

I was challenged because I found it hard to sustain shuffle beats to songs like Steely Dan's "Reelin in the years" and Toto's "hold the line".

As everyone said, at the end of the day we all had fun. Speaking for myself, I felt this scarry feeling whenever I would experience playing good music. It is the kind of feeling when your spirit lives, flies, and you start to loose yourself amongst the colors and notes and sounds that come together from people playing around you, two of which I have played for the first time.

I remember hearing an Indian who asked a jail guard in the movie "The Green Mile". Before his execution, he asked..."I wonder what would heaven be like?" He then shared a story about himself and his wife when they were still young and they would make love beneath the stars. After which he remarked " I hope heaven would be like that".

I personally don't believe in the concept of white coulds, and angels with wings, and everyone wearing white.

For me, there are moments in our lives when we experience heaven and when we look back, we just smile and cherish the moment. These are all archived in our brain and subconscious and it does not leave until the day we die.

Last night was one of those moments. Today, being my wife's birthday, my girl of 27 years...I look forward to more.

On a side note, that cool looking Ludwig Vintage drum set from the 60's with a 17 inch bass drum is one of my dream sets.

Who knows, I might be able to own one soon. It could be a good gift to my youngest son who now shows interest in playing the drums. If ever he does get into it seriously, I do hope he experiences heaven the same way I did....