Today is one of my very favorite days of the year. Happy Birthday Neil Diamond!
Thirteen years ago, Ashlee and Sara and I were driving to Centennial High on a Friday morning, trying to decide what to do after school. Then we heard on the radio that it was Neil Diamond’s birthday. Problem solved. That night we had our first Neil Diamond birthday party, complete with brownies, homemade cards, and some ring-and-run action.
Fast forward to 2010, where the Neil Diamond Birthday Club is still going strong. Over the years, our numbers have grown as new members are adopted in. We have celebrated with “The Jazz Singer,” Neil Diamond posters, tee shirts, pins, dollar bills, cakes, mugs and refrigerator magnets. The packages we’ve mailed back and forth from one end of the country to the other are amazing. I’ve even seen Neil live in concert. Twice.**
A strange tradition? Maybe. But over the years we have come to realize that it’s not really about Neil Diamond and his music… or even his sequined jumpsuits. (Even though the man IS an icon.) It’s about friendship and a special day we set aside to celebrate the little things that make us smile.
My favorite Neil Diamond memory that actually involves Neil Diamond happened at a concert in Salt Lake shortly after September 11th. Neil came out singing “Coming to America” as his opening number. Midway through the song, he said, “They say that music can heal. And I say, let the healing begin.” Does it get any better than that? No, it does not.
Thirteen years ago, Ashlee and Sara and I were driving to Centennial High on a Friday morning, trying to decide what to do after school. Then we heard on the radio that it was Neil Diamond’s birthday. Problem solved. That night we had our first Neil Diamond birthday party, complete with brownies, homemade cards, and some ring-and-run action.
Fast forward to 2010, where the Neil Diamond Birthday Club is still going strong. Over the years, our numbers have grown as new members are adopted in. We have celebrated with “The Jazz Singer,” Neil Diamond posters, tee shirts, pins, dollar bills, cakes, mugs and refrigerator magnets. The packages we’ve mailed back and forth from one end of the country to the other are amazing. I’ve even seen Neil live in concert. Twice.**
A strange tradition? Maybe. But over the years we have come to realize that it’s not really about Neil Diamond and his music… or even his sequined jumpsuits. (Even though the man IS an icon.) It’s about friendship and a special day we set aside to celebrate the little things that make us smile.
My favorite Neil Diamond memory that actually involves Neil Diamond happened at a concert in Salt Lake shortly after September 11th. Neil came out singing “Coming to America” as his opening number. Midway through the song, he said, “They say that music can heal. And I say, let the healing begin.” Does it get any better than that? No, it does not.
So do me a favor. Go download “Sweet Caroline” to your iPod. Blare the music and sing along as loud as you can. Shake your hips to all the “do-do-do’s.” This is mandatory! Enjoy. And be sure to let the healing begin.
**Disclaimer: While attending one Neil Diamond concert was obviously necessary, I do realize that two was probably crossing some sort of line of respectability. In my defense, my sister hadn’t been yet and I wanted her to experience Neil Diamond in concert before his age got the better of him. Someone had to go with her. That’s ok, right?
What an important holiday!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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