Needless to say, I set to work immediately, and was even
more amazed when a week or so later I received notice that the article would go
on line on Friday, May 24. Friday Sydney time, actually. I still was having a
hard time processing this, but late Thursday night (PA time) I saw the article
on line. An article I wrote. In The
Guardian.
I shared it all over social media, and early the next
morning contacted my sons, both of whom live locally, to share my good news.
Instead, I learned of an awful tragedy. My oldest son runs
his own business, providing soil treatment for playing fields, mostly golf
courses, from parts of the greater New York City area into Connecticut and Long
Island. One of his most valued employees, and a good friend to boot, had
drowned in a freak fishing accident Thursday evening.Twenty-nine years old, sole provider for his
family; two children, ages one and three. He was a very good friend of my
younger son who also works for the company. My sons are heartbroken.
It’s one tragedy in the hundreds that strike people every
day. The recent severe weather in the U.S. has caused many such valleys in so
many lives. It’s often said, “None of us get out of here alive,” and that is a
certainty, but the death of a vital young person is difficult for everyone to
process. We go through our lives, aware we could be involved in such a tragedy,
but certainly not anticipating it. To my mind, a good thing—we can’t live in constant
fear of the bad thing that might be lurking around the next corner.
I am grateful beyond words for the music in my life. My personal
motto is “Music—the most powerful force in the universe.” Music can help us
grieve, can help us heal, can inspire us, can elevate us as nothing else can. After
my week of peaks and valleys, I attended a high school choral concert last
night and heard a wide variety of music sung by some great young people, who
loved what they were doing and performed exceptionally well.
The final selection on the concert was a powerful and deeply moving choral piece
by Joseph Martin, “The Awakening,” which speaks of a world without music. How silent,
how sad. The final part of the song is based on the composer’s personal
experience of emotional healing through his music ("Let music never die in me, forever let my spirit sing.") It ends with a burst of brilliance: “Let music live.”
Music is the constant in my life, as I wish it could be in
everyone’s life. It’s our connection to heaven, wherever that may be. It’s a
gift from our Creator, whatever we may call him. It helps us survive the
valleys and delight in the peaks. It elevates and enhances our existence. It makes life worth living.
Let Music Live.
