My Life Has A Soundtrack

I love music. I always have. When I was growing up, television didn't stay on the air 24 hours or even most of the day. But the radio did. Everyone had a stereo of some kind. We had tons of records, both albums and 45's. My brothers always had records. I can still feel the static of the cellophane that covered the cardboard sleeves that housed the music of my life. The slick vinyl music with the tiny lines that separated one song from another. Music filled our home. Not just "kids" music but the music of my mom's generation and all the soundtracks from the musicals of the time. And when we weren't playing albums, we were listening to the radio. There was not a plethora of stations to choose from either. There was just a lot of different music played on one channel. And we would sit and anxiously wait for "our song" to come on. We entered the contests, called in to the request line and made dedications to our friends and boy/girl friends. We danced on the porch, in the house, and even on the furniture (when mom wasn't home). Dance contests were a staple of our week. We knew every word of every song and sang them at the top of our lungs. We would create our own music videos (though we had no idea what those were) by sometimes acting out the lyrics. It makes me smile to remember. I listen to the oldies to revisit the songs of my youth. Every song reminds me of a person, an incident, or even a specific day or time of day. To this day my family still loves music. My daughter was rocked to sleep by some of the greatest music every written; "brown-eyed girl", "Country Road Take Me Home", the entire soundtrack from "My Fair Lady", "Jesus Loves Me", "Yankee Doodle/She's a Grand Old Flag" medley, and some Beatles just to name a few. My tastes run far and wide. She too is a musical child. And her tastes are far reaching as well. Our music minister has a gift for selecting music that speaks to the hearts of God's people. Whether we are at choir practice or singing to our "family" at church, I feel the closest to God at those times. I have heard many a great sermon in the guise of song. I have been convicted and moved to tears and a desire to "do and be better" through music. I remember the song that was playing when I walked forward and told my church family that I had accepted Christ as my Saviour and was wanting to be baptized. I remember it was that same song when my daughter-in -law made that same walk on Christmas Day. I am so thankful that God gave us music. It moves, inspires, and cheers me. When the day seems long, and the burdens heavy, I "crank it up" in my car or in my home and let the music take me away. I am grateful for the soundtrack of my life.