Forever and ever young

Although Bob Dylan and his record label thought enough of "Forever Young" to have two versions of it appear on the 1974 album, Planet Waves, "Forever Young" was never released as a single in the U.S. and was not for many years considered among his most popular songs.  Things have changed.

Dylan kept "Forever Young" at the forefront of may fans' minds by performing it nearly 500 times in concert during the past 39 years.  In fact, according to his official web site, there are only 27 songs he has performed more often, which says a lot considering Dylan has several hundred titles in his catalog.  In recent years, the song seems to have captured more attention than it did during the first 30-35 years after its release.  Certainly, it has become a soundtrack in many lives, including mine.

Norah Jones sang "Forever Young" at Steve Jobs' memorial concert in October 2011, just a few years after a remix of it was used in a soda commercial and the song was heard on a few television series episodes.  Earlier this month, my wife and son danced to the song during his wedding.  This past Saturday night at another wedding, I saw a bride dance with her father to it.  Singer-songwriter Steve Poltz said it is among his favorite Dylan lyrics and performed the song twice this weekend, once for a father and his new college graduate daughter, and once for Trayvon Martin.

Dylan most likely wrote the lyrics for his own children, who were very young at the time.  The song has a strong emotional appeal to many people, sometimes bringing a tear to an eye, sometimes a smile to a face, sometimes both.  In a very touching way, it captures the hopes of parents for their children, the elderly for the young; the cycle of life.  It is truly a timeless song.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

"Forever Young" lyrics by Bob Dylan
copyright © 1973 by Ram's Horn Music;
renewed 2001 by Ram’s Horn Music

Dancing fool

For years, I thought my brother and I were the only Cuban-Americans born without a dancing gene.  Together with my broken Spanish and mediocre baseball skills -- not to mention the very un-Cuban last name I began using when my mother remarried and our family moved from New York City to New Jersey -- my lack of dancing skills made me feel a lot less of a Cubano.

Not any more!

My good wife, disappointed at the prospect of seeing her husband a wallflower or an embarrassment on the dance floor during our eldest son's wedding, suggested last summer that we start taking dancing lessons.  I went along with the idea, figuring if nothing else it would be good exercise and a learning experience for us to share as we began living year-round in our Long Branch condo.

I soon realized that, unlike enjoying black beans with rice and a strong cup of cafe con leche, nothing about dancing came natural to this Cuban-American.  Whether it was a basic hustle, rumba, foxtrot, waltz, tango, cha cha or swing, my mind and body had difficulty getting in rhythm with the music.  I often had difficulty understanding our Russian-born dance instructor, although it had nothing to do with the accent with which she spoke her good English.  It had all to do because I was thinking too much and not just relaxing and letting go -- perhaps another of my very un-Cuban traits.

It took only a couple of months to get comfortable hustling, and more time (and money on semi-weekly lessons) to begin getting the basics of a few other dances.  My wife and I slowly began to guess with some accuracy which dance to do with particular songs, and more often than not we went home after our lessons satisfied with our progress.  Meanwhile, winter turned to spring and eventually summer began and our son's July 5 wedding arrived.

As soon as the DJ began to play at the wedding reception, my wife and I hit the dance floor.  To the surprise of some family members, we put on the hustle moves we learned while grinning ear-to-ear.  During the night, we also danced some basic swing and, at the very end, to Frank Sinatra's "New York New York," we did some promenades while very carefully navigating our foxtrot through a packed dance floor.   I also enjoyed dancing with my aunt and other family and friends, as did my wife -- who was surprised and thrilled to see her inspired father on the dance floor.

Now, we're looking forward to dancing at another wedding in less than two weeks.

It turns out my older Cuban-American brother still hasn't unleashed his dancing gene.  He mostly sat and watched during the wedding reception, as I have done many times.  His son, however, was a hit on the dance floor with an array of unique moves.  My two sons also danced up a storm.  In fact, the bridegroom's first dance with my new daughter-in-law was a very impressive result of some lessons the two of them took in preparation for their big day.  My brother and I and our wives are glad the dancing genes were quickly discovered by the next generation!

Toast for a son and his bride

Following is the toast Charley made for his eldest son and new daughter-in-law at their wedding on Friday, July 5, at the Loeb Boathouse in New York City's Central Park: 

It's great to see everyone here tonight to celebrate this wonderful occasion, the wedding of Steven and Rachel.  It was also nice to see so many people in New York City last night celebrating the Fourth of July, the birthday of our great country.  Steven and Rachel are indeed very fortunate to have found each other and fallen in love. I can't help but think that the relationship they've developed and the future they are about to lead together are truly part of the American dream.

Nearly all Americans are here because, sometime in their family history, someone dreamed of having the opportunity to lead a better life.  Interestingly, both Steven and Rachel have paternal grandmothers who spent years of their youth in Cuba and migrated to this country as teenagers to pursue their dreams. Steven's family settled in the New York area, Rachel's family in the southern and western parts of our country.

Our families were fortunate to able to provide Steven and Rachel a chance to chase their own dreams.  For Steven, it was to be a musician.  For Rachel, it was to dance.  After growing up a continent apart, they both enrolled at Purchase College, and excelled in their studies.  Like their grandmothers before them, however, they realized they needed to change their future direction.

Fortunately, Steven and Rachel had already found each other on the Purchase campus by this point. The strength of their relationship, along with the opportunity to dream of a better life -- something that is still easier to do in this country than in virtually any other part of our world -- has kept them moving forward together, Steven as an accountant, Rachel as a medical student.

In my travels and interaction with people from different parts of the world, I've heard that a defining characteristic of Americans is their happiness.  Yes, we smile more than most people, and we have a more positive view of the world and our lives.  It truly would be a fulfillment of my dream, as a parent and an American, and for our families who first ventured into this great land, for people around the world to see Steven and Rachel years from now and say, "Look at how happy that couple is.  They must be Americans, in love!"

Steven and Rachel, we toast to your joy today and your dreams for the future. And when you look into each other's eyes, may you continue setting off fireworks like the ones over the Hudson River last night!