Okay, this one begins with a question. Is saying you love something the same as expressing your gratitude for it? If love and gratitude aren't the same, they are surely very closely related. Perhaps like most siblings or cousins; the same DNA but not identical. Anyway, I think it is probably impossible to have one without the other. Today I am thinking about everything I love. You know what I mean, of course. The things that make us just plain glad to be alive: birds singing, seasons changing, children playing and laughing, our pets, delicious food, great company, art and music, just to name a few. Music is a huge one for me. Of all the art forms, music is the most immediate. Nothing else can change my mood from grouchy to happy, from lighthearted to serious, from energy-flagging mope to booty-shaking dork in an instant. Some songs or pieces of music make me well up with tears, without fail, just from their sheer beauty or because I closely associate them with people I love, some living and some not. Music can touch that tender spot in me like nothing else. Some songs represent us so perfectly that we make them our personal anthems. Everyone has the experience of time traveling to their youth, their school days, or their first years of independence triggered by the tunes that were in heavy rotation at the time. Music accompanies important passages and events in our lives -- birthdays, holidays of every description, graduations, weddings -- these occasions would seem incomplete without music. We have all had moments that seemed perfect because that particular song or passage of music we love so much just happened to play at the right time, and we've all been helped through trying times and dark moments with the help of the music that moves and inspires us. The songs that accompany our individual journeys in life are more than a collection of melody, harmony, rhythm and meter; they become a part of who we are. Our personal playlists do more than indicate our taste in music. They become woven into our psyches, so much so, that many people request that their favorites be played or sung at their funerals. That's a pretty powerful thing. So today I sing the praises of music. I am grateful for all the music I love, the music out there still unheard, that I will love, and I'm grateful to all the wonderful people making music. Thank you.
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