Music

I love music! There are so many beautiful things that can come from music. The power of music can draw us together, tear us apart, communicate feelings without words, and dictate our mood. Nothing compares to a good soundtrack!

I think about this as I listen to one of my many play lists (of course). This one I simply labeled fun, because its just fun to listen to! Now playing: Santana and Rob Thomas "Smooth". Total awesomeness to say the least. What would I give to be as incredibly talented and Carlos Santana?!?

There is song that sums it up for me. David Allen Coe's "The Ride" the chorus goes as follows:

He said drifter can you make folks cry when you play and sing,

Have you paid your dues?

Can you moan the blues?

Can you bend them guitar strings?

He said boy can you make folks feel what you feel inside?

Cause if you're big star bound let me warn you its a long hard ride.

A great performer can make you feel what they feel. Great songs can lift your spirit or help you understand another's point of view. If you can connect emotionally to a song or movie feel lucky that you've found a great piece of work in dying arts.

My father and I definitely grew up differently and had many different tastes. However we often agreed on music. Good music spans many gaps. I'll never forget the day I was listening to Jewel on the big stereo in the dining room. I was sure that he would ask me to turn it off. Instead I got the exact opposite reaction! Dad actually told me he really liked her and that my favorite song on the CD was also his favorite. I was stunned, completely amazed that not only had he taken the time to evaluate what I liked, but he was willing to admit that it had any value. I was constantly surprised at the value my father held in the things I liked and what I was interested in!

So if you are a parent, please take the time to be interested in your children. They might actually have some very valuable things to offer. If you are a kid, or even an adult, your parents definitely have many useful tidbits to share. Take the time to listen to someone else, or their music, it will teach you many things about them and their generation. Knowledge is precious and should be sought anywhere possible.

Just to leave you with a closing thought. My father and I would always joke about the fact that he listened to Aerosmith when he was my age and I also love them. Often we would opt to listen to the oldies station because it's what I preferred. I cherish greatly the memories of long drives with my father, singing the same songs and listening to the stories of his life when they came out. Wishing that you could still get 2 hot dogs and a Coke for a quarter. There is so much that we might never know. If we never take the time to listen, we miss the stories of the past and may never know about our beginning.