POST 40: "OLD SONGS"
“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Teresa
It seems I have strayed a long way from my Barry story. Actually, you see, Barry’s music was there with me every step of the way. It never left me. I learned over the years that the songs that form us and shape us stay with us. “Even Now,” “One Voice” and “I Made It Through the Rain,” along with so many others encouraged me through the difficult times. The new songs fit in seamlessly. They cheered me through the happy moments. The Fan Club memories and stories created a foundation that made me a successful minister. I am positive of this.
However it took the story about Barry’s marriage to receive the angel nudge (this one’s from Brooklyn so it’s more like a shove) “OK, here’s your insight, you got ten minutes to get started or your butt gets hauled over to the Committee on Chanting the Book of Numbers.”
Just like that, the self-imposed exile was over. Why? I do not know. Like I mentioned earlier, I asked my analyst husband what he thought. The vulnerability latent in the story allowed me to take the final step I needed to take for years. That step is this: that my story can become a healing story. My story about Barry and Mother T. and other side trips can bless others. It is a story to encourage others on their way. Because this is what we are called to do.
So I am called to sing a song that might resonate for you. It might contain a phrase that sounds familiar to your song. That is what my brother Chris did for me. It is what Barry’s music and the Fan Club did for me. It is what Mother T. did for me. It is what my amazing angels have done for me. It is what I want to do for you.
Whatever inspiration I felt that day, I just know that suddenly I permitted myself to listen to Barry Manilow again. I went to Wikipedia and got caught up on his career, where he’s been, the shows he has done, and the numerous awards he has received. I looked at his discography and examined what he has produced since 1979. I tried to make sense of the trajectory of his career and his musical choices. I started catching up, in a judicious fashion, on interviews. I systematically reread lyrics and began reacquainting myself with the music that first saved my life.
I asked myself, how did it do this? Why did Barry’s music throw me a life line when I needed it most? I began to listen to all the music all over again. Starting from the beginning to the latest. After doing this, I realized there was still that old connection. Why did it speak to me so?
To answer this question, I retraced my steps back into the music of Barry Manilow.
Notes:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/838305.Mother_Teresa
Give the gift of music to the next generation through donations to:
The Manilow Music Project
8295 South La Cienega Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90301
info@manilowmusicproject.org
Click here to go to the next post or click here to return to the previous post.
It seems I have strayed a long way from my Barry story. Actually, you see, Barry’s music was there with me every step of the way. It never left me. I learned over the years that the songs that form us and shape us stay with us. “Even Now,” “One Voice” and “I Made It Through the Rain,” along with so many others encouraged me through the difficult times. The new songs fit in seamlessly. They cheered me through the happy moments. The Fan Club memories and stories created a foundation that made me a successful minister. I am positive of this.
However it took the story about Barry’s marriage to receive the angel nudge (this one’s from Brooklyn so it’s more like a shove) “OK, here’s your insight, you got ten minutes to get started or your butt gets hauled over to the Committee on Chanting the Book of Numbers.”
Just like that, the self-imposed exile was over. Why? I do not know. Like I mentioned earlier, I asked my analyst husband what he thought. The vulnerability latent in the story allowed me to take the final step I needed to take for years. That step is this: that my story can become a healing story. My story about Barry and Mother T. and other side trips can bless others. It is a story to encourage others on their way. Because this is what we are called to do.
So I am called to sing a song that might resonate for you. It might contain a phrase that sounds familiar to your song. That is what my brother Chris did for me. It is what Barry’s music and the Fan Club did for me. It is what Mother T. did for me. It is what my amazing angels have done for me. It is what I want to do for you.
Whatever inspiration I felt that day, I just know that suddenly I permitted myself to listen to Barry Manilow again. I went to Wikipedia and got caught up on his career, where he’s been, the shows he has done, and the numerous awards he has received. I looked at his discography and examined what he has produced since 1979. I tried to make sense of the trajectory of his career and his musical choices. I started catching up, in a judicious fashion, on interviews. I systematically reread lyrics and began reacquainting myself with the music that first saved my life.
I asked myself, how did it do this? Why did Barry’s music throw me a life line when I needed it most? I began to listen to all the music all over again. Starting from the beginning to the latest. After doing this, I realized there was still that old connection. Why did it speak to me so?
To answer this question, I retraced my steps back into the music of Barry Manilow.
Notes:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/838305.Mother_Teresa
Give the gift of music to the next generation through donations to:
The Manilow Music Project
8295 South La Cienega Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90301
info@manilowmusicproject.org
Click here to go to the next post or click here to return to the previous post.