The Episodes

Summer is here, the children are out of school, the grown-ups have fire in their bones and are ready to create and express.  It's such a care-free, inspiring time of year.  The sun is out and the days stretch so much longer, giving you a sense of possibility and endless potential.  I created a list of goals for our family, hopes and dreams for how we might spend our days together, and we have already begun pouring through the list and enjoying various activities.

This afternoon, we gathered in our music room with our best friends and created a musical feast.  We strummed guitars, pounded on drums, and shook our tambourines to a groovy beat.  The babies stomped and sang, writing their own lyrics about family and unicorns.  

 My brother and I spent our childhood afternoons teaching ourselves all our favorite songs, learning harmonies and guitar solos.  My mother limited our TV time and instead encouraged us to express ourselves through music, sending us to dance class, pushed us outdoors and into the wild.  We learned so much by keeping our heads and hands busy, learning to occupy our time with productive and creative passions.  I can only hope to pass these qualities on to my own children, encouraging them to find their niche and allowing them to reach their full potential, all while being able to spend time with family and enjoy their days as much as possible.

Shawn and I have an amazing collection of instruments including guitars, various drums, a harmonica collection, and lots of movers and shakers.  Shawn's most prized possession is his great-grandfather's Gibson acoustic, an amazing guitar that his grandmother left to him when she passed away.  My mother gave us my grandfather's harmonica, purchased back in the 1940's when my grandfather was in Germany serving in the Army.  Such incredible pieces not only make beautiful music, but they carry on family legacies and serve as sentimental treasures.  I spent so many afternoons with my grandfather on his porch swing, listening to him play along to Johnny Cash and Muddy Waters.  The sound of that beautiful instrument warms my heart every time I hear it, bringing me back to the arms of an amazing man.

    It was a beautiful afternoon full of noise and chaos.  We promised each other to do it again, soon, and often.  Seeing those sweet faces dancing so free, singing words straight from their hearts, was the most inspirational sight I've witnessed all week...