Stockbridge MA in the Berkshires ~ photo by Jacqueline Bennett

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com

As Stockbridge, Massachusetts, tucked sweetly in the Berkshires mountains, prepares for its annual celebration of Norman Rockwell fame ~ made iconic by the American illustrator’s depiction of the Main Street at Christmastime ~ my thoughts drift to another iconic tale of Stockbridge. The village is a touchpoint in the James Taylor classic “Sweet Baby James” 

“Now the first of December was covered with snow And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston. Lord, the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frostin’. With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go ….

Perhaps it is the lullaby melody or having been young when that song was young but for me, it is bittersweet. Whatever Taylor had in mind when he penned his lyrics ~ the beauty of lyric and music is that it takes on personal meaning for the listener. To me, these moving, perfectly descriptive lyrics speak to the uncertainty of what’s ahead, joyful though it may be, amidst the beauty and tentativeness of the present moment. When James Taylor wrote that song, inspired by the birth of his namesake nephew, Taylor’s star was rising. Yet he was a young songwriter/musician who could not possibly have known the success that awaited him. 

Certainly we have all experienced moments where we can feel the ripeness of the future. Nonetheless we know that means what has been extraordinary about the present phase of life is slipping away and we already feel nostalgic for what will never come again ~ ” With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to to go …   

As you travel the roads of your life this holiday season, I hope you do feel ripeness in the future but also ~ breathe ~ and take in the beauty of these moments that will never come again.