Thanksgiving through the gift of music

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(Click video for wonderful background music as you read on...)

This song takes me back to my Oklahoma Christian years, a wonderful institution full of good memories, patient professors and the start of friendships that still linger. It's amazing how music has been a part of my life's walk.

We had a lot of music in our home growing up. Roger Miller, Peter Paul & Mary, Trini Lopez, the classics and some jazz. We enjoyed a capella music from Camp Yamhill, Oregon by some precious people who formed a mission team, later working in the city of Belo Horizonte concurrently with my parent's mission team in Sao Paulo.

My parents sang in the car nearly everywhere we went. In fact, my best friend Regina and I loved singing songs in the back of our Volkswagen Kombi; The Monkeys, The Beatles, The Partridge Family, The Osmonds and Jackson Five as well as songs from musicals like The Sound of Music.

Later I collected my own records, Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, ELO, some Styx albums, and yes, Debbie Boone. I played a little guitar and owned nearly every John Denver LP made. For the kids, an LP is short for Long Play vinyl records, the big black disks that look like plate chargers. I actually had the sound track to Star Wars, not knowing I would get to see John Williams perform in person as conductor of the Boston Pops years later when I moved to the Boston area.

While in Boston, as fortune would have it, I got to meet some wonderful singer song writers when I worked for a folk music producer named Harry Lipson, owner of Folk Tree Concertmakers. I took ticket orders over the phone for the concerts, and got to know some of the artists who wrote many of the songs I sang growing up. I worked with great people who taught me a lot about the good things in life through the art of music.

You could say music helped bring my husband and I together, as well as our faith, love of soccer and enjoyment of family. We loved listening to U2 and Sinead O'Connor. John took me to see U2's Achtung Baby and Zooropa concerts. Later John worked one job for Folk Tree, driving folk artist Nanci Griffith and her entourage around. We still have a hand written piece of paper from Nanci's band that was taped to the back seat of the van driver's seat that read, "Today's name is John." When we married, we chose to have dancing at our wedding with many of the songs we enjoyed growing up, including "Dancing Queen" from one of my favorite bands ABBA.

A caveat: The previous part of my post is not meant to offend anyone in my life who has chosen temperance and non-dancing as their expression of devotion to God. It's simply my own history that I am thankful for and enjoy sharing. My wish is you hear gratitude, and not bragging or sounding like I am better or smarter than my relatives, which may somehow be misconstrued. It's simply the generation I grew up in. I have sought to live out my life as a Christian against this background, although I have tremendous respect for the values of the 1950s. I have lived out those same values on a very different stage, post-Ozzy and Harriet America.

Then there have been times when I have reduced my song list to Christian music alone to help me cope through difficulties. But the truth is that Christian music and hymns are a part of a wider portfolio of music I credit God for using to help lift my spirits at opportune times.

Just this morning John and I reiterated our love of filling our own home with music and happiness on the road to doing life. It's been a wonderful gift to marry into a family that appreciates music as well. John's brother Pete, John and I would listen to music each summer on our treck to the annual family vacation spot at Lake Willoughby, VT. John's mother teaches piano and voice. She and I enjoy singing Christmas carols together as we did long ago at the piano with John's sister Cathy.

Today my favorite genres are still light jazz, light classical, Christian, folk, country classics, the best of popular '60s forward. I have barely gotten started as I think of so many more instances where music, family and life have intertwined.

Here is a '70s musical review by a funny man named Tim Hawkins. He is a modern-day Red Skelton. I hope my folks and their contemporaries enjoy this slice of silliness and not think we have strayed far from their path, but instead see the unique opportunities we have to live our faith, family and fun in our own world. I hope that the next generation enjoys the fact that their parents can have as much fun today as ever. I hope all three generations [or more] bond more this Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

This post is dedicated to Harry Lipson of Folk Tree Concertmakers. Harry, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with Folk Tree and your family for so many wonderful years. You are a class act, were a great boss and wonderful mentor in the art of customer service. Have a terrific Thanksgiving in beautiful New England!