The Shorthand of Emotion

"Music is the shorthand of emotion." Leo Tolstoy

I love music. I grew up singing to, listening to, and playing music. I still love to listen to music, and I still sing everyday. The devices and songs have changed, but I am not going to lie...I still sing a mean Johnny Appleseed- about twice a day.

As we were in the kitchen this morning, music from my ipod was filling in the background. I love finding new music for Creighton to listen to and I love it when I can throw a song of mine into his playlist too. Music can be a powerful tool, and nothing can bring a distant memory to the surface like a song. Today as "Satellite" by Collective Soul began playing I was instantly taken back to a moment in time this summer, sitting in a little chapel in Hesston, Kansas attending my uncle's memorial service.


My uncle John and my aunt Lois were always the adventurous ones, living in Colorado and taking full advantage of all the wilderness opportunities a setting like that has to offer. They were the "fun" ones who we didn't see much of, but we had a blast when we did. John and Lois cared very deeply for their two children and as a principal and guidance counselor, showed their love for kids everyday. As May sped along last year, it was shocking to hear that John was dealing with serious depression and ultimately ended his life.

Throughout the informal service, Creighton sat on his teary mother's lap and seemed to fully understand the heaviness that enveloped the room. As the song "Satellite" played, Creighton stared at the screen displaying a picture of John laying in the grass with his daughters- the mountains and wildflowers making a beautiful backdrop.

A week or so after we got home from Kansas, I downloaded the song onto my ipod and added it to one of our more regular playlists. I still remember Creighton running around the kitchen acting silly and then the complete silence and stillness that followed the first time this song played. Music can make powerful connections and for him, even as a 26 month old child, he was taken right back to the emotions that he had observed that day.


I was soon jolted back to reality today as "Elmo's Off to School" began playing next. Now that is a song I have no special memories of and will most likely try very hard to forget in the upcoming years!




(Youtube video of the song "Satellite")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GriO5_BtsGw&feature=related