I Saw Her Standing There
It was the 1960s, and I had always looked up to my big brother as someone larger than life. He was four years older and on every sports team at the high school. I used to sit on the bleachers during basketball games and listen to the comments of strangers about my brother. As he hit shot after shot, the men sitting around me were always shouting things like '_at's it, son! You give 'em what's for!', or 'How do you like THEM apples, eh?!' or 'That's showin' em, alright! They can't catch you out!' Without fail, he was the Star of their show.
During baseball season my brother was an infielder, but constantly wanted to practice pitching. The trouble was finding someone to throw to. His fast balls were faster than anyone was willing to catch, most times. Then one day he came inside, tossing that baseball up and down, sort of ruminating. Thinking hard about this problem he had.
He glanced around the living room and saw me sitting there in the corner, minding my business.
'Hey, sis! I bet you could be my catcher, right? You could catch a ball no problem.' I looked around the room, thinking he must surely have been addressing some other person. But it was me. He was talking to me! Well, I had seen him throw a hundred times and knew how fast those balls would be.
Soon I found out exactly what I was doing there. WHAM! came that first pitch. Whiz-POP! came the next. With every throw I stayed crouched, eyes on that ball, and caught the thing in a strange sort of self defense. Over and over we practiced, over and over he threw and I caught.
Here he was, the star of all the teams, practicing his craft - with me. The kid-sister rarely in his circle of existence, so much younger. But now I was in his circle. It was a circle of two, and no one else. Catching those genius throws for my big brother did a lot for me. And he never had to go looking again for a receiver. Nope. He had me.
This brother of mine went to college during the height of The Beatles frenzy, and attended a dance the first week. As he stood in that hall a certain girl walked in with a group of friends. All of them were young, and all of them pretty. But that girl in the middle? she was - amazing. Dark, shiny hair, and the cutest smile you would ever see. A song began to play, and she happened to look in his direction...
...and she waited. He walked across the room and asked her to dance. She nodded. 'Yes'.
And they've been dancing ever since. A new circle of two.
How many Beatles songs have been a backdrop to the important moments in our lives? Quite a few! Which is why I am humming an awful lot today, this 50th year since the first time I ever heard them singing my tune.
See you along the way!
the SconeLady
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinker-tailor/4214941300/">Tinker*Tailor loves Lalka</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbsphotos/5713934319/">Glenbrook South Photos</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
During baseball season my brother was an infielder, but constantly wanted to practice pitching. The trouble was finding someone to throw to. His fast balls were faster than anyone was willing to catch, most times. Then one day he came inside, tossing that baseball up and down, sort of ruminating. Thinking hard about this problem he had.
He glanced around the living room and saw me sitting there in the corner, minding my business.
'Hey, sis! I bet you could be my catcher, right? You could catch a ball no problem.' I looked around the room, thinking he must surely have been addressing some other person. But it was me. He was talking to me! Well, I had seen him throw a hundred times and knew how fast those balls would be.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinker-tailor/4214941300/
But up I got, put away the Barbie doll I'd been playing with and followed my brother down to the ball diamond. Stood at home plate. Wearing his big, thick catcher's mitt. Wondering what in the world I was doing there.
Soon I found out exactly what I was doing there. WHAM! came that first pitch. Whiz-POP! came the next. With every throw I stayed crouched, eyes on that ball, and caught the thing in a strange sort of self defense. Over and over we practiced, over and over he threw and I caught.
Here he was, the star of all the teams, practicing his craft - with me. The kid-sister rarely in his circle of existence, so much younger. But now I was in his circle. It was a circle of two, and no one else. Catching those genius throws for my big brother did a lot for me. And he never had to go looking again for a receiver. Nope. He had me.
This brother of mine went to college during the height of The Beatles frenzy, and attended a dance the first week. As he stood in that hall a certain girl walked in with a group of friends. All of them were young, and all of them pretty. But that girl in the middle? she was - amazing. Dark, shiny hair, and the cutest smile you would ever see. A song began to play, and she happened to look in his direction...
'Well she looked at me, and I, I could see
That before too long, I'd fall in love with her.
How could I dance with another? Oooooooh,
When I saw her standing there.'
And they've been dancing ever since. A new circle of two.
How many Beatles songs have been a backdrop to the important moments in our lives? Quite a few! Which is why I am humming an awful lot today, this 50th year since the first time I ever heard them singing my tune.
See you along the way!
the SconeLady
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbsphotos/5713934319/
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinker-tailor/4214941300/">Tinker*Tailor loves Lalka</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbsphotos/5713934319/">Glenbrook South Photos</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
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