Mexico Medical Student |

My wife and daughter left back for the States yesterday, and it’s just kinda hitting me how much I miss them, especially my Niblet. Several times yesterday I caught myself hearing a baby crying from outside the window (Mexican houses are very close together) and I’d reflexively tense up and stop what I was doing, ready to check out the situation. Fortunately, it’s only another two weeks and change before I see her again when I return to Texas for vacation. However, with end-of-semester stuff in between, I’ll be more than busy. It’s still hard, though.

As soon as I knew that her hearing was developing in the 2nd trimester, I began what will certainly be a lifelong process of teaching her about music. On Claudia’s iPod Mini, I put a small playlist of various “soothing” classical music selections. Claudia prefers rock, and sometimes I play jazz, so she got a variety to be sure, but classical music is something special on so many levels–too many for me to wax philosophical about here. One of the pieces I had in the playlist was a famous variation from Sir Edward Elgar’s work, “Enigma Variations,” where each variation on a theme had a mystery surrounding it. Musical historians are still working on that one, but the one I am referring to is entitled “Nimrod” (referring (partially) to the biblical character). This piece is very famous and is used often at funerals and memorials, namely British Remembrance Day (for World War I), where its performance is mandatory.

In spite of its use at such somber and sad events, I always think of her when I hear it. I hadn’t heard it in a few months, but since I’ve become a YouTube slave, uploading and watching videos like mad, I happened to be with her when I was preparing a video of this very work on my computer for upload earlier this week. I sat her on my lap and we watched it, and in spite of the lack of flashy anything on the screen, she actually paid attention! I put my chin on her head, listened, then looked at her angelic face seeing and hearing the music and I started crying–crying because I knew she was about to leave, but mostly because of the beauty and perfection of that moment. She, of course, just looked at me and smacked her hand on my face a few times and wondered why it was wet, oblivious to everything I was feeling.

I look forward to many such times in the future with her (hopefully I can keep my emotions in check before she thinks her daddy is a nutcase), each time being able to share more and more. She turns 6 months tomorrow–half a year that feels so much longer, yet so much like yesterday. I am including the video here (from YouTube) for your viewing and listening pleasure. I hope you enjoy.