May the Song Move You

I really hate those Facebook quizzes that ask you what type of music you listen too, or what's on your playlist, or who's your favorite artist. I can never think of answers that a) my friends would not have me committed for; b) I should be ashamed to listen to (I went through a weird period where I had the Grease soundtrack on my MP3 player); or c) should never have made any playlist anywhere.

With all the buzz about the crazy awesome performance by Susan Boyle I started thinking about songs in general and how they have the power to move you completely out of yourself for different reasons. So here goes - promise not to laugh at my way eclectic music tastes - my list of songs that move me and why they move me:

Religious (nearly all the old hymns hit me in the gut and many bring tears to my eyes) these in particular get me every time:

• Rock of Ages - dude - "foul, I to the fountain fly. Wash me savior or I die." I defy you to be unmoved by that line alone
• Old Rugged Cross
• Softly and Tenderly
• The Doxology (thank God my church still sings this every once in a while)
• Great is thy Faithfulness
• How Great Thou Art
• Amazing Grace
  
• In the Garden
• I'm Going Home (Alabama Sacred Harp Singers version)

Ok, so here comes the eclectic part:

• Mandolin Rain - Bruce Hornsby - there's no more nostalgic song
• This Year's Love - David Gray - Dang!
• Mo Ghile Mear - (loved Sting's version on The Cheiftains Long Black Veil CD - that's a totally awesome CD by the way - check it out if you're a fan of Mick Jagger, Sting, Marianne Faithful or Tom Jones)
• Ragland Road - Roger Daltrey's version on The Chieftains An Irish Evening Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast. BTW, this is another weird little gem of a CD - it's got Roger singing Behind Blue Eyes, which was redone by Limp Bizkit in 2003.
• Already Gone - Sugarland - the verse where she leaves her guy - gut punch
• Crazy Love & Into the Mystic - Van Morrison - self explanatory
• Crazy - Aerosmith - don't ask me why. Weirdly, I found that 1 of only two songs I know all the way through is Aerosmith's "What it Takes". What does that say about me?
  
• Tom Traubert's Blues & Have I Told you Lately - from Rod Stewart's Unplugged & Seated CD
• Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
• Life in a Northern Town - both The Dream Academy and Sugarland versions
  
• With a Little Help from My Friends & You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker
  
• Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles
• Roll me Away - Bob Segar
• Bobby Magee - Janis Joplin
  
• Amazed - Lonestar. I put this song here not so much because of the song, but because of where I heard it! I had to go to Buenos Aires for 2 weeks when this song was popular in America. I was completely out of my element and homesick. One day, I went out with the group and while they were talking (much as I like to think I speak a little Spanish, I really don't) this song came on the radio. I think I cried just for the love of hearing a little English!

You can listen to this playlist now. There are, of course, many, many more. What are your favorites and why?

Hide and go seek in the dark

My brother reminded me of a game we used to play when we were young. We named it Hide and Go Seek in the Dark. Oh, don't let the name fool you - it was much more complex than it sounds.

The three of us would hole up in a guest bedroom and plot and plan for hours on end. Hide and Go Seek in the Dark came about on a rainy Sunday sometime when we were still in grade school. If you were "it", your sole duty was to stare at the overhead light for approximately forever if Brett was the timekeeper. The other two would man the light and when "time was up", turn it off.

As you can imagine, if you've ever stared at a light for any length of time, the afterimage is permanently burned into your retina. One person would turn "it" around and around rendering you blind and vomitous (I really hope my dad doesn't read this) and completely without direction. The other two sibs would hide while the sick, dizzy, headblind one would stumble around in the darkened room searching for the next victim of this bizarre game.

Even more bizarre, we played it hours on end and for years! I'm sure we did permanent damage to our eyes (in fact, since I had to have LASIK in December, I'm certain of it). This was in the formative years after we stopped playing Star Wars in the back of Dad's car and before we started listening to Michael Jackson. Dude, that dates me if nothing else does.

Remembering this game was such a relief after a couple of really bad weeks that I find myself owing my brother - not a place you really want to be most times! We lost our beloved dog to cancer and had to put her down (which is the most barbaric thing you can do in the name of humanity). For a couple of days, I walked around with her afterimage burned into my retina. She was such a part of our lives that I saw her out of my peripheral vision for days after she was gone.

Sick, dizzy, and a little headblind, I stumbled through work and life missing that dog more than I can remember missing any human being. I think God gives us pets to show us real unconditional and unquestioning love and it should break our hearts when they are gone. Even now, sitting at my computer writing this, I think she should be laying at my feet waiting for me to get up and play or feed her or play.

Thank you God for simple gifts of furry friends, family, human friends and the joys of memories be they nostalgic, sad, or joyful. "This is My comandment that you love one another and your joy may be full!"