Music Therapy

All my life I have loved music. All kinds. My parents always had music playing on the record player or the Eight Track and I grew up listening to The Doors, Bread, Jim Croce, Elton John, Steppen Wolf, Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor and more. My mom would dance with me, turning circles on the orange shag carpet of the living room to one song or another. 

At night, with the lights out, my mom would put on "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Neil Diamond, to calm us down before bed. 

When I was seven or eight years old I got an ugly, canned pea green record player for Christmas. I loved it! It came with a forty-five adapter and my first record, "Cindy Lauper". I listed to that record over and over. 

My friends and I would sing along to all the songs on the radio. Rachelle and I spent hours watching MTV and covering our walls with posters of our favorite bands. Do you remembers those old boy bands and big hair bands? That was us. One night, she cried to "Forever Young" by Alphaville. I think we had called in to one of the radio stations to request "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart. They had played the wrong song for us but it was okay because we liked this song just a well. 

Jenni talked me into trying out for acapella in the seventh grade. It seemed like she and I were always singing. In acapella, "Memory" from Cats, was my favorite. In her basement we lamented over our heartbreaks to "She's in Love with the Boy" and "Walkaway Joe" by Trisha Yearwood on the Karaoke machine, always with someone yelling at us to Shut Up! 

After Chris died I wasn't able to enjoy music anymore. I wasn't able to enjoy much of anything after that. I got no pleasure from life. Following the first year of his passing, those little things that make me me started coming back, one of which was my need for music, though it was short-lived because then Brayden passed away. 

It has been three years now since Brayden left and six for Chris and I am finally starting to feel like I'm coming to a good place in my life. I am back and feel more like myself than ever. And I am enjoying music again. I have a newfound passion for it. My soul needs more of it. Especially this week as I remember Chris and Brayden. 

Music is powerful. It has the ability to inspire every emotion. At the beginning of the week, I started playing songs that remind me of Chris and Brayden (Tool for Chris and "This Must Be the Place" for Brayden) but began feeling sad and restless. I love to hear new music and share music with and between friends and family so I thought, why not ask you all for ideas - songs or artists that inspire you and make you feel good. 

I am amazed at the responses I got. Keep 'em comin'! Thank you all for helping me through this week It's taken some time to prepare this post because I've really taken to time to listen to and ponder all of these songs and I feel like I've gotten to know each of you a little better. 

There's not room enough here to list them all so I'll just list the name of the person who sent music and one of my favorite songs from their list. 

Aunt Shari's playlist including:  "A Bridge Over Troubled Water" Simon and Garfunkel  

Uncle Bruce: "False Floors" Rogue Valley

Brantley: "2009" Mac Miller

Casey: "Survive" Emeli Sande & Gucci Mane

Dustin: "Born Slippy" London Bridge Edit

Jenni: "Be a Light" Thomas Rhett

Rachelle: "Imagine" the Beatles

Ty: "Heather" Conan Grey

Melissa: "Broken and Beautiful" Kelly Clarkson

Sheri T.: "I Can Only Imagine" 

Beau: "Headstrong" Trapt

Dad: "The Day the Music Died" Don Mclean

Mom: "Without You" Harry Nillson