by Patty Stephens

I sure do miss your voices and lovely spirits. Your hugs. It has been four weeks since I touched another human. Sheltering at home is an opportunity for deep appreciation. I am taking it and spending time in gratitude with my faithful tom cats and good memories of our gatherings.

I imagine many of you think I have been singing my heart out. Think again. It is not to say that I haven’t been singing but I really miss singing together. It has been strange to find myself silent and indifferent to all this time I have for building up my voice, writing songs, organizing music, making videos. Instead I find myself in a deep state of contemplation, gardening, sewing and for goodness sake re-arranging my guest room. Who is going to come to visit? Perhaps I’ll pretend it is a hotel room and put a chocolate truffle on the pillow, take a vacation on the East side of my home.

A friend of mine called and asked if I needed anything. I told her I needed a record player. The next day there was a portable record player on my porch. Wowza! I picked a grip of random albums from my collection of hundreds. Elvis, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan. I put them on the Victrola and started singing along. I sat for a few hours. Singing strong, laughing, crying, feeling big feelings. It felt as though I had moved the stone from the tomb and something in my soul was being regenerated so to speak. I could feel my body letting go and my mind enjoying a surge of pure happiness.

We can’t push the river because it flows by itself, but I am going to sit by the river of song again today and hopefully this big feeling will just keep on growing.

I encourage everyone to do all the singing you can, even if it is just a simple little childhood song or perhaps you sing yourself a lullaby.
Meanwhile enjoy the songs we are posting on Facebook and our web-site. I will be posting more sing-a-longs for your enjoyment and I do take requests. Pick out your favorite album and sing along at high volume.

I love you and miss you all, I miss the us of us!!!!! And yes, I did say album, record player and Victrola all in one blog! Remember I am a 1950”s edition human!

© 2020 Patty Stephens