Four years ago I wrote several articles about the Mariner trip to Switzerland [1][2][3][4]. Our time there felt like a week of unending exuberance, late night musical adventures, wild hubris, and general merriment. This trip contained those same elements, but also included moments of reflection on how we’ve all changed. Some changes are wonderful; a handful of new marriages; a new found love; a few of the cutest new babies around. Some changes are painful; the ending of a relationship; the death of a spouse; the tragic accident of friend, and the devastating impact it has on all those around him. In one short week we were all reminded that there are tears for all occasions.

The changes in our lives have made me think a lot about the character of the Mariners, its members, and the extended family of girlfriends, wives, and children that are integral to the fabric of who we are. These changes have made me question my sense of what is really valuable and made me want to better understand the people that I get to be with, both here and abroad.

With all this introspection, a number of clichés come to mind: That which does not kill you makes you stronger; There can’t be a light without a dark. It is easy to say such things. People do all the time. But to live them is much harder. This was a week where the Mariners lived this. We lived it in the rehearsal where each of us fought back tears while playing music for a man sitting in his wheelchair as he shouted “Massimo forever!!!” in a voice we’ve never heard. And we lived it in a thousand other ways that I am not fit to explain or write.

We also lived it with our performance in the center of Basel, in front of thousands of people; a drum line, depleted with tragedy and retirement, turning in a fantastically sharp performance; the first ever live performance of a complex thirty year old fife solo, brought back to life after being on the brink of extinction; powerful chanteys from a group of men that don’t live near an ocean and shouldn’t have a right to sing like they do, but they do it anyway. These are just a few of the very bright moments, according to those in attendance, made much brighter by the dark backdrop upon which they were placed.

After a week of sharing drinks, playing the music that formed our bonds, and singing like there was no tomorrow, when in fact there is, the parting moments arrived. The gravity of our farewells weighed heavily upon us, maybe more than ever. I have pride in knowing that every gram of our souls was put into this week of fifes, drums, songs, stories, jokes, laughter, and tears. We made the most of our time together, because, after all, nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring. This much is for certain, when we see each other again, more change will have affected our lives. Some changes will be for the better, some for the worse. We know this now. We have lived it.

Still, none of that can stop me from raising my glass to all our friends and praying that the days between now and when we meet again bring happiness and health. Cheers!!!