May the road rise up to meet you

One of the bloggers I subscribe to, Sharon Longworth talked about an experience of listening to a song while driving to work which brought back past memories for her. I had a big blank going through my head on what to write about today until I saw that. It is amazing how inspiration can come out of left field sometimes. So, here is how this post has unfolded. I thought of this unison choral arrangement of the Irish prayer "May the road rise up to meet you." It is a simple arrangement in D flat major which used to make me cry every time I sang it. I went to camp Albemarle nearly twenty years a go. It was a music camp located on Lambert Drive in Princeton, NJ. The name of the mansion was Albemarle, and it used to belong to the inventor of Listerine. The six summers I spent at this camp was a great time in my life. I remember always enjoying my summers there. The staff even let me board an extra session one year because it was just a wonderful camp. There were various musicians playing different instruments. Everyone had to sing in the choir though. Dr. Anton Armstrong was in charge of the camp when I was there. He always picked this song as the last one on the concert program as a way to say goodbye through song. This song meant that it was truly over. Kids are most often sad when camp is over. I know that I was. I was waiting for the track announcement for my train from NYC back to Princeton Junction, after having read the post from the blogger I follow. This song came to my mind. It made me remember the garden at Albemarle mansion. It had a well right in the middle of it. There were also brick walls that I used to climb and jump off of. We also used to play capture the flag, and I would hide in the garden. I used to love pool time, and I remember walking through the garden to get to the pool. Songs sure do bring back memories don't they? This song is not anything too profound as far as the music itself. It's simplicity is effective though. Thinking of it now, I sense the theme of optimism in the song wishing everyone a safe and fulfilling year. Camp used to be once a year. We were wishing each other a safe and prosperous year with the power of song. Those times as a child at that camp were special. As an adult, and with my busy life it is easy to forget how special those times were. I remember feeling accepted at Albemarle. Here are the words to this Irish prayer which moved me in song. "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand."