The Music is Me

I never thought I would actually take the time to sit down, set up and write a blog... however, things being what they are... it's probably in my best interest to get my real thoughts, feelings and all the other crap out somewhere. 
I don't know if anyone will recognize that the title of this blog is actually a John Denver song - a great John Denver song, as most of his songs tend to be... and this particular song is the introduction to the best album he ever produced - An Evening with John Denver. 

Music makes pictures and often tells stories. 
All of it magic, and all of it true.
And all of the pictures, and all of the stories,
All of the magic, the music is you...

The songs on this album mean so much - and my family played it all the time.  There is such strong feeling associated with each and every song.  The short ones, like the Music is You and the Eagle & the Hawk - even more powerful.  The love songs have evolved in meaning for me over the years.  John's connection with nature and how we're responsible for preserving and appreciating it mean so much, and while those sentiments haven't made me an activist, they have inspired me through the years.

This album reminds me of an idyllic time before anyone I knew had cancer, and while people were divorced, I was young enough not to know heartbreak.  These songs remind me of dancing and jumping around in the living room to Thank God I'm a Country Boy and Grandma's Featherbed.  Blissful happiness in those moments of my childhood where everyone sang along.

I grew up in the end of the folk era.  I went to the Folk Mass with my parents and we had 2 guitarists (and sometimes a banjoist) and a piano player.  The music was singable and wonderful and has stuck with me 25 years later, and I highly doubt it's going anywhere.  While some people railed (and still rail about it?!) against the entry of folk type music into church, for me, it was awesome.  I heard harmony, I loved to go to church and SING!  Come on, church was a good time!  Clapping to the music.  Loving every minute of it.  Shoot, we even had puppet shows during church.  And a veritable petting zoo, with rabbits and birds and such.  To think back on it, it's pretty crazy.  I can't imagine doing that now.  Church was where things were going on.  Church was also where my friends were. 

I lived in a neighborhood with mostly old people.  There were not any kids in my neighborhood to play with, and until I was 9, I was an only child.  Church was where my parents had their friends, so, Church was where the kids were, too.  The parents got together and formed a formal group and we used to go to nursing homes and sing songs - old time songs like By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Bicycle Built for Two and many others, and then some like All My Life's a Circle, and My Grandfather's Clock and songs that I'll remember pieces of now and then.  And then, aside from that, we would all just get together and SING!  Irish songs and folk songs galore!  What a musical time it was.  Everybody was always singing!  What a blessing to grow up with that.

When I think about my life today, I can't imagine it without Church and all that singing.  And yet, now, because my beliefs have changed so drastically, it makes me wish for the time when I didn't question...and I just had the good music and the good friends.  But, I do have the memories, and I'll always have the songs.