In my brother’s night table drawer, I found a book that my mother had bought for us when we went to see ‘How The West Was Won’. We saw this epic MGM Western with our parents when I was nine years old and Johnny was eight. A family saga covering several decades of westward expansion in the 19th Century, the movie ignited our lifelong love for westerns. Originally filmed in three-lens Cinerama, and projected onto enormous curved screens, the film was the grandparent of IMAX, and we were all absolutely amazed.

Johnny and I both thought the score was magic and I remember how we enjoyed Debbie Reynolds singing “A Home in the Meadow.” The song was set to the tune of Greensleeves, our father’s favorite melody, and since I took piano lessons, I kept playing the music for a long time afterwards. Johnny loved hearing it, and the adapted lyrics, too. I try to imagine Johnny in the world beyond this world and I hear the lyrics of the chorus:

Come, come
There’s a wondrous land
For the hopeful heart, for the willing hand

Come, come
There’s a wondrous land
Where I’ll build you a home
In the meadow