An Evening with Neil Diamond

I enjoyed the great good fortune a few nights ago to attend a Neil Diamond concert. As a woman entering my 60’s, he sings an era of music I can certainly relate to. And while a good percentage of the audience fit right into my peer group, there were also a number of people belonging to a younger generation who wouldn’t have nearly the same image pop into their heads as we did ours when he broke into “Sweet Caroline”.

Seated to my immediate right was an attractive young woman whom I would guess to be about 25. To her immediate right was her grandmother, a very spritely woman whom I would estimate to be somewhere in her seventies. And to her immediate right was the woman who linked these two together, the mother of the former and the daughter of the latter. These three ladies were having as much fun as I’ve observed anyone having in quite some time. My view was somewhat blocked of the woman who was the mother of one and the daughter of the other, but the granddaughter and grandmother were clapping and hollering with the best of them. It was a hot night (sure wish I could get “Hot August Night” in their somehow!) and shortly after arriving on the stage, Mr. Diamond shed a vest he was wearing. I heard a “Whoop! Take it off!” via my right ear. When I turned my head, I realized it was the sweet little lady in her 70’s! Another time during the concert, Grandma and Granddaughter were not only clapping in unison, but they were bobbing their heads forward completely in tune with one another.

My point in relaying this observation is to relay what a wonderful celebration of life this evening was. Three generations of women, each with their own very distinct vision in their mind of “Solitary Man” or “Kentucky Woman”, connecting with one another as women will when listening to a famous musician, but also connecting with one another as family and all the myriad of emotions and personalities and history that that entails.

It was a wonderful evening for approximately 12,000 fans, in particular three women seated in Section 16B. Thank you, Mr. Diamond!

From the Mouths of Babes

by Alana Lennie

Less we adults become a bit too sanquine about our ability to know what is best, it’s important that we stop and listen to the younger set, and be ready to take a tip or two from them.

A very dear friend of mine recently celebrated yet another birthday. My friend is the proud grandmother of five beautiful young grandchildren. Shortly before the family birthday party, her 6-year-old granddaughter was in a bookstore with her dad. Suddenly, she announced in a very confident tone of voice that she knew exactly what she wanted to get Grandma for her birthday. When her father asked her, “What?” she took him by the hand and led him to the cookbook section. Now, my friend is an excellent cook and this fact is both known and appreciated by everyone in the family, even the youngest grandchildren. This little sweetheart showed her father a book with the rather impish title of Hello, Cupcake! Grinning irresistibly from the cover are three adorable puppy dogs. No child could resist this book. She insisted this would be the perfect gift. And, you know what? She was right. My friend brought it to a luncheon a few days later and shared it with all of us. She already had stickies to mark the page where the recipe was for the cupcakes she was going to make that week-end with two of the granddaughters.

That little six-year-old mind knew exactly how to celebrate with her grandma. She combined something her grandma liked to do with someone her grandma liked to be with, and Presto! Instant celebration.

I’m sure there are many baking dates in the future for this grandma and her lucky grandchildren. Sticky fingers and bright smiles will be emblems of happy celebrations creating marvelous memories that will last forever.

The book: Hello, Cupcake

By: Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin