Music in my Veins

 

Music has an amazing power.
 It can take you far away from your troubles, and sorrows, and into a beautiful world of notes, emotions, and bliss.
 Music has been a huge part of my life, since I was old enough to hum the first notes of 'Jesus Loves Me'.
 Family gatherings were often filled with the beautiful notes of a piano or guitar, sometimes family members singing solos, and other times the whole group lifting it's voice in song.
 They sang the popular country songs of the time, like 'Little Bitty' or 'Fishing In the Dark', and they also sang Great-Uncle O'Neil's songs, like, 'Frog-Legs', 'Spotted Owl' and 'Father, Have Mercy'.
What fun it was when the young folk would take up their guitars and sing their hearts out!
Us little kids would gather around the living room, staring up in fascination while our 'old' cousins and uncles sang and played. (Most of them were just teens)

This is the new generation of 'young folk' :D

 More often than not, the songs sung were mainly those beloved hymns of old-time, or gospel songs written by family members.
(Incidentally, the top photo has the lyrics of my great-grandpa's beautiful song that he wrote many years ago. No stealing, please.)
The comfort found in those songs is so much stronger than I could ever try to describe.
 The peace in those inspired words...it just fills your whole being as you sing.
Hymns are such a blessing in troubled times, because often enough there is no healing found except in the comfort of music.
 I remember those hard weeks, when my grandma was slowly passing away into eternity.
The house was filled many, many loved ones, gathered to comfort each other and to say goodbye to the woman we all loved for so long.
 Many of us stayed overnight, for weeks, and it was an adventure to find a place to sleep at night.
You were literally stepping over sleeping kids and even adults as you went through the house, and if you got a blanket, you were lucky.
 My dad even slept in a lawn chair out on the porch one night.
Someone was always up with Grandma, and I don't know if my Grandpa ever got any sleep. I do know that his dark hair beard turned silver before it was all through.
 But during all this, the sleepless nights, the sad days, music was playing throughout the house.

Great-Aunt Eunie played piano(in the photo above Great-Aunt Darlene is playing) with those musical fingers and sang with her lovable Southern drawl, no matter how late it was, or how dark the days seemed.
 Sometimes others joined in, other times it was only her, alone, singing hymns at the top of her voice.
Uncle Casey sometimes played guitar and sang, or it was O'Neil on his own guitar.
It seemed like there was always music throughout the house.
 Through music we can reach out, comfort the lonely and lost, heal the hurt, and other times find our own comfort through those blessed words.

'Hold my hand all the way, every hour, everyday, from here to the great unknown. Take my hand, let me stand where no one stands alone...'

'Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide!'

'And I believe that there's a place called heaven, and I believe in a place called Calvary...'

'In the cross, in the cross ,be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river...'

One of my favorite hymns is 'Rock of Ages', that blessed song from so long ago.
 It just fills me such peace and awe when I ponder the words.
'Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.'
 Rock of ages.
Think how long this Rock, this Savior, has been holding each and every believer, since the very beginning, in his arms.
 Ages and ages.

Then there is the beloved 'Amazing Grace'.
'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.'
To think that an evil, cruel captain of a slave ship saw the great power of God, saw His loving forgiveness, and His amazing grace.... What a loving God we serve!

So you don't you see?
 What a powerful gift He has given us, to sing our hearts out, whether we are hurting, or rejoicing, there is a song for every moment.
 I am huge a fan old-time country, and I love the old folk songs, but nothing, absolutely nothing, could ever beat those blessed hymns of old. <3

What is one of your favorite hymns?

                                                                               LaKaysha