I stood there a moment to collect myself. My childhood instinct said to run! But, there is no way to run back home. My childhood home no longer exists.
Should I turn it off? Change it to another selection? Or suffer? With the flood of joy enveloping me while my legs melted into jelly, I decided to suffer. After all, there is healing in music. Belafonte's Mr. Bojangles, and Matilda soon gave me a more grounded and upbeat experience. I soon made it home uplifted in spirit.
I have a theory. Sometimes life gives you what you think is more than you can handle. But, try running away from it, and it just follows you. Hide from it and it will find you. What we are supposed to face, will face us off, unless we will ourselves to turn to it, embrace it and heal ourselves in the process.
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you
Away, I'm bound away, cross the wide Missouri.
Oh, Shenandoah, I love your daughter,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away, I'm bound away, cross the wide Missouri.
Oh, Shenandoah, I'm bound to leave you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I'm bound to leave you
Away, I'm bound away, cross the wide Missouri.
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you
Away, I'm bound away, cross the wide Missouri.
This song has always tugged at my heartstrings too. We used to sing it in school ~ and it's melody can take me back in an instant.
ReplyDeleteRe facing up versus running away ~ the older I get the more I have to see a point in facing up to the small stuff. Although I look the big stuff right in the eye every time.
Jan
I sang that song in High School with the Concert choir that I was in... I haven't heard it in a very long time. It brings back good memories of high school and my best friend. I used to sing soprano, but sometimes I would catch myself singing the alto part in the middle of the soprano section. I completely screwed my friend up, especially when we sang the "Hallelujah Chorus"...wonder how many other people I messed up. We still talk about that. I loved being in a choir and should see if I can find one to join again.
ReplyDeleteOne of the songs that brings back childhood memories for me is "My Beautiful Balloon". One of my dad's favorite things to do when my brothers and I were little was to go chase hot air balloons, (before the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta became such a big event) he would get us up early in the morning on an October weekend. We would all squish into the cab of his pickup truck and go look at the Hot Air balloons. Almost every time we did that that song would come on the radio and my dad would proudly sing along.
Well, the day Dad passed away that song came on the radio and brought tears to my eyes, I had not heard it in years and it was not October...it Was April and it just made me feel like he was right there with me.