A Whole Lot o’ Hallelujahs

The 21st night of September.

International Peace Day. Chant. Pray. Love. Meditate mindfully, for good measure.

The Climate March. Another global event.

Officially, the last day of summer. Boohoo. But the change of seasons is also a reason to celebrate, isn’t it? Even if it heralds the arrival of chillier temperatures. It’s a mixed-bag, mirroring real life in many ways. I’ll drink to that. Hallelujah!

Speaking of Hallelujah, on a much more micro-scale, today marked the 100^th anniversary festivities of the town where I grew up. Despite the heavy clouds and scattered showers, neighbors and various other attendees whooped it up while taking cover under umbrellas in the large field out back.

Soldiers in uniform, a marching band, celebrity singers and a legendary hockey player held sway over the crowd, while a mini police put-put tooted around, giving rides to smitten kids (and their equally smitten parents). The sun elbowed its way out from behind the clouds, as balloon-wielding masses lined up at food trucks for a piece of pizza ‘n fries.

Into the night, as if staving off the wind + rain, the thump-thump of music continued to blare from loudspeakers and fireworks being prepped. (For a moment, I wondered if a Balinese “rain-stopper” – something of a shaman – had descended upon the grounds, mostly managing to ward off the morning’s ominous warnings of rain, lightning and thunderstorms).

A personal highlight of my late afternoon walkabout involved dance-walking to the sounds of Pharell Williams’ Happy.

The only tune that could have made me happier was Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” – which invariably has me up ‘n dancing every time. Hallelujah to you too, if… you remember the 21^st day of September. 

But it’s impossible to utter the word Hallelujah without mentioning a most momentous celebration – at least for Montrealers, The Main- and music-lovers amongst us. A local boy done good. The hometown crooner who will forever be associated with a one-word song title. Leonard Cohen today celebrated his 80^th birthday. Amen, amen & Hallelujah!

If this city had a Walk of Fame, LC’s star would be embedded in front of a bar or deli. Today it would have been piled up with fedoras, cigars and a dog-eared copy of “Beautiful Losers,” and surrounded by a bevy of women on pilgrimage, quite possibly a handful of them named Suzanne and Marianne.

Hallelujah.