Music as an Integral Part of Life

I am not even sure where to begin in talking to you about music and conveying what an important part it has had in my life. It is part of my everyday and always has been since way back when. All I have to do is hear a song by Waylon Jennings, Jesse Colter, John Denver, Johny Cash, Gordon Lightfoot or anything close to these singers and it brings me back to weekend mornings. Mornings of a different era where we weren't racing in different directions to various sports games and activities but instead we were all cocooned inside a house ensconced in smells of bacon and eggs a frying and voices lifted in song. When I think of music, I think of the various connections it has to so many memories from my past. There are the memories of laughing with cousins in finding our dads stuffed into a stand up shower to get better acoustics as they strummed away on guitars and sang. Singing along with those same cousins, "Billy don't be a Hero, don't be a fool with your life...and as they started to go, they said..." (you know who you are) at the top of our lungs. I wonder how our moms did not shove us into that same shower so they could not hear us. School plays, the boom box in college atop the desk shrieking Yaz's, "Don't stop now, don't you know, I don't want to ever let go..." All I have to do is hear a particular song and I feel as if I am back in that same scenario when that song was playing. I know, a little strange, but anyone else feel that same connection to music? My two brothers have their own bands and my one sister has the voice of an angel, my other sister... is a great CFO. You cannot have it all but she too loves music. My grandfather played in a big band that traveled in Europe before the break out of World War II. My kids, all play instruments and sing, either very loudly and proudly or only in the shower where they think no one can hear them. It definitely is in the genes...this love.

I wanted to share this love with you all in a little recording that my sister and daughter did for our upcoming event, Hearts for Megan. In talking to Megan's mom, I asked her if there was a particular song that embodied or symbolized her daughter. She came back to me with the beautiful song from the Broadway play Wicked. That song is For Good, and if you listen to the words, you can only guess why this song was chosen. The recording is not professional by any means, in fact it was done to the karaoke version on Garage Band and finished at 2 am before Kelsey had to drive back to college. Never the less, it is beautiful and symbolizes Megan's life and the beauty in celebrating that life and all who got the chance to share in it. Take a listen if you would like, please forgive the amateur quality and relish in the words.

~Meg