MUSIC
I do so very much enjoy music. I have it on nearly all of the time. If I am in my car, it is on, if I'm at my desk, it is on. If I go for a walk my Ipod is plugged into my ears. At church my favorite time is when we worship. I sing, we've clarified in past posts I'm not a good singer. And I believe I've also clarified I don't care ;)
I am a product of the 80s. It was "Hair Bands" back then, fellas with long locks strummin' on guitars and bangin' on drums while flipping their hair all over the stage. I wasn't interested in their hair, although will admit I was jealous of a few of those lovely locks! Beautiful long and flowing, it wasn't fair! I grew up listing to my mother crankin' Mac Davis and the Carpenter's(more hair!). When I hear those sounds today it takes me back to my childhood.
I can recall very clearly my first BEE GEES album and how awesome it was to have "my own" music. In high school my girlfriends and I would run (yes as in RUN) home after school because at 3pm the top twenty count down began and by all means we were not going to miss it! For weeks, okay honestly I believe it was months "Home Sweet Home" was #1 on the MTV Charts. We would run home to hear the song because we loved it the first few weeks. Later I believe we ran home to see if it really was going to remain #1 again. It was an era of Music Videos. Some of them were amazing. Some of them questionable even as a teenager. We would watch MTV, then go into my room and play records and later cassette tapes. Ha... funny to even think of them now. All of the frustration when you had finally worn the tape out and it began sticking and pulling in the recorder ohhh grrrrr that was frustrating!
We are of a new era today. Kids YOUTUBE videos, they pick and chose what they want o watch and don't need to wait or sift through all the "other stuff" to get to their favorites. We have Ipods, oh and I do love LOVE mine! You can download all of your favorite tunes in the order you want, in the series you desire and it is there well, forever darn near! I still have Christmas music from a few years ago on my Ipod that I look forward to hitting play on year after year.. the joy in being able to only download what you like. No fast forwarding through what you don't.
Today as I think about my love of music, my appreciation for those who have musical talent and the way music influenced/influences my life I smile. I very much am thankful that my children have a love of music. It is something we share & it's awesome. We can't sing, not a one of us has any musical talent, but we do have desire. It isn't like we just bellow, we do try ;) I'm equally thankful that music tells a story about life, when you hear a song from another time it transports you back to where you were, what was taking place in life.... something that few things are able to do - as it does it in such a way you recall as though you are there. (this is both a blessing and not so much). I'm grateful that my co-worker Louisa enjoys Christian music and doesn't mind at all that I crank it on my computer during the day.
I am very thankful that she wasn't at all offended when I asked earlier this week if we could switch to KLOVE CHRISTMAS... that's right. I did it. I started listening to Christmas music, before Thanksgiving. Stop it! Do not judge me! I am convinced that it kick started our holiday spirit. Although, we have both been feeling it already for a short while!
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE LORD Psalms 100:1
Music is something, if there is a language barrier, you have music. One doesn't need to understand the words to understand the feeling it leaves you with... how awesome that is. Today as I crank my music and praise God with my singing (I'm certain he doesn't care that I stink) I am grateful for living in a country where I can listen to what I want to, where I want to and as loud as I want to. Today, I shall make a Joyful Noise!