Gratitude Journal – Day 143 – November 21, 2014

Pay it forward….

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She told me of her daughter’s desire to play guitar…and I thought back to myDarlin’ and my younger days getting started in music.

-    The investments; financial, emotional and physical, that our parents made in supporting our musical interests and dreams.

-     myDarlin’ exploring keys, string, brass, woodwind and voice, while across the country I did the same with French horn, guitar and voice.

-     The excitement of mastering a lesson, then applying it to a song.

-     The endless hours of practice behind a closed bedroom door, which in my case, did little more than muffle the sound of a sick elephant…. or was that…. Yes! a French horn

And the ironic thing is that his explorations led to a mastery of all that continued until the day he left us, while mine broadened my horizons, but didn’t become part of my daily life. Well, that is unless one considers singing in the shower, LOL!

And we looked at his gear, there was a guitar suited for a beginner which he had picked up as part of a package deal. It would be perfect for her. I loved watching the twinkle in his eyes as he prepped it for her, and found a case to place it in. The note that I wrote said…

-    This guitar is a gift of music to you with one string attached. When you no longer need this guitar, it cannot be sold. Please pay it forward by giving the gift of music to the next. Music is Life…

This young girl wrote a heart-felt thank you note to Miss Sheri & Mr. Rob, promising to work hard when practicing to be the best she could possibly be. And it made me think back to my parents giving me an acoustic Yamaha and myDarlin’s parents giving him a stand-up bass at the age of 14.

At the Open Mic last night, the first ‘Woodys Aloha Scholarship Award’ (in memory of Robert Kenui Pope) was presented to At the Open Mic last night, the first ‘Woodys Aloha Scholarship Award’ (in memory of Robert Kenui Pope) was presented to another young musician. The inscription on the award reads, ‘This scholarship award comes with an obligation to commit to inspiring and encouraging the development of other young musicians.’ And he beamed from ear to ear as he realized that this guitar, the gift of music was meant for him.

Tonight I am grateful for parents and mentors believing in their children and the children of others dreams of music. For some it will become a part of their everyday life and for others it will only have changed their life forever. In either case it fills our very being as Music is Life.

‪#‎KeepLookingUp‬ ‪#‎MusicisLife‬ #PayitForward