Last week, Kelly and I visited Children of the Night in Van Nuys, CA to sing for the teens there as we have done for many years with other members of the Special Angel Band. Our band leader Jon Walmsley was with us this evening and the kids were great. They listened and talked and shared feelings. Jon played some old Beatles tunes and they loved it. They even sang along and knew the lyrics to one of them. You just can't imagine how great it was to hear Jon play the Beatles and see these kids singing along.
Kelly and I sang some of our original songs and the kids really liked the lyrics. I'm always amazed at how we connect, no matter what. These kids have been through a lot and the one thing we try to do with our music is give them a chance to relax and reflect, share feelings and learn new ways to look at things that we experience in life. Through talking about how the songs make them feel or how they can relate to them, they become empowered. One of the kids commented that every song had meaning to it. As a songwriter, I think that was a great compliment. That's what it's all about. How great is the ability to communicate through music? Pretty darn great.
It was a good night but the best part came later when we brought Kelly home. We went in to have something to eat and the twins woke up when they heard us talking in the kitchen. The little ones are pretty good at crawling out of their cribs now. Kelly has twin boys, almost 3 now and a daughter age 10 who loves to sing with us. The boys, Ryan and Kyle, came out giggling and visited awhile. Soon, Kelly brought them back to bed. I heard singing coming from their room and walked over and stood by the door.
Then came the best part of the evening watching Ryan's face looking up at his mother as she sang to him softly, rocking him in the big rocker by his crib. As I listened to her sweet voice singing You Are My Sunshine, I knew that was the best song of the night. The smile on his face said it all. Music.......the universal healer and communicator. What a gift.
