Music of the Heart

One thing I love about being 50 is the massive amount of music I've listened to, sung and heard in my life. I truly believe music can be compartmentalized into every decade, every year and every event.

Let me give you a case in point. A few years ago Leslie and I got a couple tickets to go see James Taylor (amazing) at the Cricket Pavilion here in Phoenix. A beautiful summer night under the stars with a real breeze (not common in Phoenix in the summer). He came out, said hello and proceeded to make me cry for the next 2 hours. The music went way deeper than my head and even my heart. I could feel it in my soul, my gut, all the way down to my feet. Nothing could contain my feelings or my emotions that night. Why? Not only did I know every single song that he played but every single song reminded me of some point and time in my life; the history of my life came alive that night. You see when I was about 10 we went to the Indiana State Fair and there on this small stage was a dude named James Taylor singing a song called "Fire and Rain". Then for the next 30 plus years he would write and perform 3 decades of music for me. While I was in my teens struggling to grow beyond myself, while I was in my 20?s sorting out life, career and getting married, while I was in my 30?s in the Ministry wrestling with and fighting the battles of human souls, while I was in my 40?s raising kids who would become teenagers and young adults with their own brands of music (something I still don't quite understand). Something happened to me that night. I realized some of the "Music of my Heart".

Now I look for and listen to music not to fill my head or any void but because it's going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I think one day I'd like to think through the Top 25 songs of my life. Let's see, there's CSNY, Sting, JT, Pink Floyd, Rush, Led Zepplin; then in the 90?s the great impact of Alternative music on my heart (just the early stuff, Nirvana and such). All the phases between rock, jazz, blues, alternative, house, meditation, Christian; the times I think about current music and then music of the past and then realize there are whole sections of music I've missed out on and are just learning a decade later (e.g. Oasis)....etc. etc. etc.

But for now I sit here and listen to JT and Fire and Rain and remember and feel and am very glad... until next time...

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