A Musical Journey through My Life

The world was smiling on a Friday in March 1957 when I came into this world. Somewhere on the radio, Elvis was singing “All Shook Up” and my parents felt the same way. With a battle cry, I had come into this world. Elvis played a part in our family when I was a toddler. I was fascinated with watching this man on TV and the moves he was making. Dad saw his daughter was not paying him any attention and he made me laugh when he imitated Elvis.

I was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY. As time went on I realized that NYC was not a small town. However, I loved to walk all over Manhattan from river to river. In my neighborhood, Bay Ridge there were many lovely spots from which you could stand by the water and look over to the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Now that I am far from my hometown I can remember and smile listening to an old song “The Sidewalks of New York”. My favorite version is sung by Nat King Cole.

When I started kindergarten I knew one thing for sure and that was boys are strange. However, one boy, who was Italian named Stomatis decided I would make a good girlfriend. He always made sure to hold my hand when we played musical games in school. His family lived right across the street from the park my mom or dad took me to, Owl’s Head Park. He was sure to turn up to climb the monkey bars with me or swing on the swings with me. Later on, his family moved back to Italy. The song that reminds me of this time in my life is by Bobby Vinton “Days of Sand and Shovels”.

Throughout my young life, my best friend was my father. I was daddy’s little girl. Unfortunately, I only got ten years of loving my daddy. He died when I was ten. One of my fondest memories is what mom told me. My dad was a bit over six feet tall and I hardly came up to his knees. When I was five my mom worked in Manhattan and one day my dad and I waited on the corner from where she would walk up the block from the subway. Mom told the story well. She said she looked up the block and saw a tall man jumping around with a small child. She thought what strange people. We were doing some kind of dance. When she got close enough she realized it was her husband and her daughter. I still chuckle remembering this. The song that made me always think of my dad was “Daddy’s Little Girl”.

For some reason many years later when I was in my twenties the song that would bring back fond memories of my dad was “Your Wildest Dreams” by The Moody Blues. I guess in my wildest dreams I longed to have my dad back.

Some of the happiest times of my life were spent in high school. My girlfriends and I would gather together to sigh over teen idols and listen to our favorite music. Luckily we agreed on the teen idol. It was David Cassidy. We were glad that he was on the TV show The Partridge Family and really loved their first single “I Think I Love You.”

Later on, our group of girlfriends also included boyfriends. With fondness, I remember my high school boyfriend. He was thought of as one of the most handsome and popular boys. I was amazed that he chose me as a girlfriend. This was in the 1970s so the time of couples having a song of their own was past but we still chose a song just for us two “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles.

Summers were spent gathering at the beach. Sometimes just me and one or two girlfriends. I remember us lying in the hot sun like sausages grilling but we enjoyed this time. It was a good opportunity to check out the boys on the beach. The memory of these summer days comes back to me with the song “Beach Baby” by First Class.

I remember one summer when my mom decided to take me with her and we went to Michigan to visit my aunt. The family relation was that my grandmother (mom’s mom) was the sister of my Aunt Daina’s mom. The family had a large house outside of Detroit, in Farmington Hills. However, as much as I loved visiting them I also missed seeing my boyfriend and the song that made me think of him so much was “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies.

When things seemed to not work out well I was the regular “drama queen”. Returning home after a bad day I would put on my 45 RPM single of “The Last Time” by The Rolling Stones and try to dance off my frustration. If mom was home she would come to the door of the bedroom with a funny expression on her face and simply ask “What happened now?” The look on her face like “the long and suffering” was enough to make me laugh again.

Time moved on, high school ended, and we all were thrown out into the big wide world. I went on to university but kept close to home taking the subway to school every day. At this time, disco had become the biggest fad in New York City and as often as I could I went out to the discos for a night of dancing. This part of my life comes back to me with the ABBA song “Dancing Queen”.

I graduated from university at the start of the 1980s which also coincided with my first ventures into the working world. I had high hopes, big dreams, and starry eyes in my twenties. This time in my life had many ups and downs and I had many mood swings. It was hard to find a boyfriend and my best times were spent listening to popular Latvian music on records with mom and I having cocktails on Saturday nights. This time in my life comes back to me when I hear “Moody Blue” by Elvis because that was exactly how I was at this time.

There was a bad portion of my life at the end of the 1980s when I made a wrong choice and my first marriage did not go well. It is a time I remember as a learning time and associate it with the song “Knowing Me Knowing You” by ABBA.

The 1990s were fast approaching and I was not sure which way to go. At this time my mom had already passed her 80th birthday. When she learned that her homeland Latvia was once again a free country she terribly wanted to spend her last years there. I was unsure of which way to go but since nothing was holding me back in New York City I made the decision to make mom’s dream come true. At the end of January 1994, we made the move to the capital of Latvia, Riga. The song reminds me of how it was for my mom because she was so excited to be going back. I still listen to the song and my memories take me there "Going Home" by Chris de Burgh.

It was a move that showed me that no matter what else will happen in life it is fate that moves us on. Mom got to live two years in her homeland when due to health problems she passed on in 1996 just short of her 85th birthday. I remember my mom with fondness and associate the song “Brown-Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison with her since she had lovely, sparkling brown eyes.

It was at this time I was debating what I should do and then like out of the blue I met my soul mate. Martin quickly became the love of my life and we realized we were meant to be together. He was coming out of a bad marriage but also had two children a boy and a girl who both were very fond of their father. Even though they lived in the city of Jelgava, it was not far from where we lived in the suburbs of Riga and they visited often. It was a very happy time for us both starting off in a new life. If any song brings me back to these times it is “Days of Wine and Roses” the version by Robin Gibb.

The years seemed to fly by and we had a large garden. To me, it was a wonderful time to share with Martin and our house was like an oasis away from the strife of life. At home, we spent quiet times together when it was just the two of us and it was particularly wonderful in the summertime when our flowers and roses were in bloom. Looking at photos on my PC “Summer Days” by David Cassidy always bring me back to that time and that garden.

It is funny to look back and think “Where did the time go?” Soon a handful of years became ten then twenty and I wished for at least a dozen or more. However, in August 2017 my husband had become ill and my stepdaughter Mara and I took him to the emergency room. It was on a Wednesday and I remember feeling lost coming home without him but hopeful that he would recover. Unfortunately, during a procedure the following day Thursday he passed away. I never saw him again. Now, I get teary-eyed whenever I hear the song “Goodbye My Love” by Demis Roussous.

Running from painful memories I sold the house and returned to my homeland the US. Having no one to turn to in my hometown of NYC I made my new home in Florida where my friend, the same best friend I made in 6th grade and went through my teen years with lived with her family and there was an apartment I could rent. But often my thoughts returned to Latvia knowing that for a long time, I would return there in my dreams. A popular Latvian band called Prata Vetra or Brainstorm in English explains what I feel so well in their song “Welcome to My Country”.

I now live alone with two cats Freddie and Morticia, who give my life some joy. I have my memories without which I would have nothing. I go on down life’s road knowing that when my life comes to an end I will be reunited with Martin for all eternity. Knowing that it will be like in the song “Somewhere in Paradise” by Baccara.

I write, create poetry, blog, and enjoy my time online.