Music from the Heart

I'm not sure how many of you know about one of the most precious gifts ever given to me. When I graduated from high school, my mom sent a letter to the numerous people who had somehow played a role in my life. The letter asked them each to send song lyrics that somehow reminded them of me and a description about how the song related to their experiences with me. My mom and aunts then compiled a book for me that contained the lyrics and stories that each person had sent in. What an amazingly powerful gift that continues to touch my heart even to this day. When I need to be reminded of my place in this world, I open up that notebook and remember that I am valued.

It's amazing how powerful music is to my heart. I can't explain the ways that a song can touch me in a manner that nothing else can. I can listen to lyrics and be moved to tears, moved to laughter, moved to dance or moved to raise my voice in praise. I have to believe that music is one of those precious gifts granted to us by our precious Lord. Without it, I'm not sure what I'd do. When asked which sense I'd rather lose, hearing or sight, although baffled by the depth of this question, I have to ultimately choose sight, because without song I fear my soul would be weakened.

Again, this piece of my character has been carefully cultivated by my family before me. My dad was a music major in college and still plays his horn to entertain and ease his soul. As in my mom's post (on hope) and in my stories about Aunt Kelly, it is obvious that these women in my life loved to praise the Lord with song and dance. There isn't a time when my sister rides in her car in silence; she has to have music blaring with voice lifted to sing away her worries or to declare her joy. Music defines my family in ways I can't explain. Most of my memories that don't deal with food in some way, center around music playing in my ears.

One of my favorite memories of my engagement is when Herb sang to me and danced with me on the beach. I loved that he had a song in his heart designated for only me. And before we were married, my whole extended family stood in our living room teaching each other to dance to all of our favorite tunes. I've never laughed so much or smiled so hard as when my cousin Megan attempted to teach my mom and aunts how to do the body roll. It still brings joy to my heart to think about.

So why does music have such power? I wish I could explain. I wish I could explain why in church yesterday I started to cry as we sang "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord". I wish I could explain why every time I hear "We danced anyway" I laugh and think about my sister and I blaring it in our car singing together. I wish I could explain why the song "Be Thou My Vision" reminds me of my mom's heart for the Lord or why "Lord of the Past" conjures images of my dad singing in church. I wish I could explain why I make up songs to myself while doing various tasks around the house. And I wish I could explain why it's so important to torture my husband with country music so that he can see a glimpse of my heart and attempt to understand why I love this song so much. But I can't.

All I can say is that music speaks more clearly to my heart than most words can. It reverberates in my soul repeatedly and with great purpose. It changes the way I look at life and the way I look at God. It lifts my spirit when nothing else can. And it tells a story much greater than myself. So "sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong, don't worry if it's not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song." Because "If you sing a song a day, you will make a better way, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Just a few favorite songs that live in my memory always. But do sing, like nobody else is around; it'll lift your spirit!