Remembering my Mother’s Birthday

I haven’t been here in a while, but I can’t let the day go by without sharing music I am listening to. Wilco’s song, “On and On and On” is so lovely and perfectly resonates with my heart on this special day. Today is my Mother’s birthday. Sadly, she left this earth 26 years ago, and her death is a painful chapter in my life. In order to move forward after losing her to cancer, I had to place the sadness and loss at the back of a very high shelf in my brain and my heart. Each year on her birthday, I pull out my frayed dust-covered tender feelings and thoughtfully examine them with gentle care. I miss her smile, her undying support and love, her lilting southern Alabama drawl paired with her brilliant generous smile. She was passionate about her home, her garden, and her family.

I wish my children could have really known her.

I need to remember to tell my mother’s stories.

My hope is that my dear mother lives on in me…

On and on and on
We’ll stay together, yeah
On and on and on
We’ll be together, yeah
You and I will try
To stay together, yeah
On and on and on
We’ll be together, yeah

Please don’t cry
We’re designed to die
Don’t deny
What’s inside
On and on and on
We’ll stay together, yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

One day we’ll disappear
Together in a dream
And whether short or long
Our lives are going to be
I will live in you
Or you will live in me
Until we disappear
Together in a dream

Please don’t cry
We’re designed to die
You can’t deny
Even the gentlest tie
On and on and on
We’ll be together, yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on, we’re going to try

Please don’t cry
This world of words and meanings
Makes you feel outside
Something that you feel already
Deep inside
You deny
Go ahead and cry
On and on and on
We’ll stay together, yeah
On and on and on
On and on and on

You and I
We’ll stay together, yeah
You and I will try
To make it better, yeah

“On and On and On” appeared as a track on Wilco‘s 2007 album Sky Blue Sky. Wilco, an American rock band, was established by singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy in the mid-1990s following the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. Over time, Wilco has transitioned from its alternative country roots to become one of the most successful and diverse rock bands of its era. The decision to name the group “Wilco” refers to the military and commercial aviation radio voice abbreviation for “will comply,” a choice that Jeff Tweedy himself has described as “fairly ironic for a rock band to name themselves.” They have released  twelve studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), three live albums, twelve singles and four videos. January could be the perfect time to listen to their music again.