Magical Moment 288, "A Gift of Song"

I’ve never been a huge fan of opera music. I’ve seen 2 operas in my entire life, O Pioneers (based off the book by Nebraskan author Willa Cather) on a 6^th grade field trip, and Phantom of the Opera, the movie (does that count?). But something happened recently that made me want to give it another chance and reminded me that music of any genre can be one of the most cherished and powerful gifts.

It was on a hospital visit with a charity called Sing for Hope, where I and two other volunteers prepared music to serenade the patients. One of the performers was an operatic soprano. The evening was filled with poignant and sentimental moments, as music often brings out emotion in the most unsuspecting people. And in a hospital setting, a place most dread to be, it was amazing to see the smiles and appreciation on the faces of those we sang to.

We entered a room of two older ladies who had been placed together as roommates. From the very start, we could tell they would be characters. In high spirits and smiling, these ladies weren’t going to let anything keep them down. A fellow vocalist made the introductions and asked the patients, “Is there anything special you would like to hear? Do you like opera music?” To my surprise, one lady nodded with an enthusiastic “yes.” She adored opera music and began rattling off arias in Italian.

The soprano looked pleased and asked how she knew so many.

“When I was little, I used to clean the house every Saturday listening to the Metropolitan Opera with my nut-job mother!”

The room erupted in laughter. Soon, the soprano poised herself and began to sing.

As soon as she opened her mouth, it was as if the room went completely calm. The machines stopped beeping. Everyone relaxed. Our breath was longer, our heads tilted in attention. Her voice rose and fell with ease and though we couldn’t understand the language, her facial expression helped tell the story. Her brow was furrowed with anguish, her eyes moistened with longing, her arms and hands reached out, pleading with an invisible partner.

I was so surprised by how much I was enjoying the song, that I had to suddenly remember where I was. I looked around the room and noticed that the patient was crying. Her good-natured teasing spirit had quieted, and now she was in a different world. I remembered what she said about her mother, most likely deceased by now, and wondered what memories were flashing through her mind.

The end of the song was met with heartfelt applause. The patient wiped tears from her face and composed herself to speak. She made several attempts, but was too overwhelmed to reply for a minute. We all waited patiently as we could sense that she really wanted this to be known. And then, after a final tear was wiped away, she said in a shaky tone,

“That was a gift from my mother, up in Heaven.”

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le...

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-...

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