I have attended two conventions in my entire life, on consecutive Memorial Day weekends. A year ago, I attended C IV in Los Angeles; this past weekend, I attended the Classical Singer Convention in New York City with my hopefully-opera-bound son.

There was something very familiar about the scenario I encountered in The Big Apple. Grand ballrooms with booths set up with colleges and Broadway types hawking their wares and master classes taught in large meeting rooms reminded me of the LA Convention Center main floor and the smaller rooms where the different exhibits and sessions took place. The opera improv class with the head of the Voice Department from Julliard reminded me of that SW in 30 minutes production at C IV for its sheer mania. I was definitely looking back while dreaming forward, reflecting upon how things change, how they stay the same, and how I hope they turn out...someday.

C IV was an opportunity for me not unlike that which I hope college will be for my son. A year ago, I flew off to a state I'd barely set foot in, a city that was completely new, and stayed with friends I'd never laid eyes on. At one point prior to my westbound trip, I was incredibly nervous...so, so excited, but very nervous. I knew what I wanted to do and looked forward to meeting people who shared my passion, and I couldn't wait to meet the friends who would be my hosts for the six days of my trip. I never doubted the thrill of sharing Star Wars with like-minded souls, but I worried about how I would be received. If these people I would meet would like me as much as they liked this saga that drew us together. If I would fit in even there, immersed in Star Wars. If the Stooges, my hosts, would like me as much as I already liked them from many hours of email and phone conversations.

I imagine that behind my son's politely tough demeanor, he has many of these same concerns about attending the Cleveland Institute of Music in the fall, just as he was a bundle of nerves about this convention we just attended. It was a lot for him...the master classes and college expo, yes, but he also took part in a large scale audition for a competition that could have won him some cash! Troy didn't win the competition, but even more importantly, this past weekend was all about testing the waters, immersing himself in that which he loves, and seeing if he really fits in. Just as I learned during my trip west last year, my son learned that he is, indeed, where he belongs in this field of music that he loves.

I've related Star Wars to my life in so many wonderful ways the past several years, but I can't say that I expected this weekend to bring Star Wars to mind the way it has. Late last night after all of the festivities had ended, Troy suggested that we take a walk. It was late, going on midnight, but our hotel wasn't far from the Brooklyn Bridge, and I was in the mood to walk the span at night (we'd walked across it during the day before). The air was warm and a steady breeze blew, and the breathtaking lights of Manhattan took me back to the LA skyline a year ago. There in the beauty of the night, I shared a moment with my son, just as I shared so many moments at C IV. A smile in my heart with people I love...

Right where we belong.