One Old Green Bus

Post details: Blog Your Blessing Sunday: Memories and Music...

08/31/08

12:00:01 am, by

, 503 words

Categories: Blog Your Blessings Sundays

Blog Your Blessing Sunday: Memories and Music...

It's rare I fall back on posting nothing but a media clip, and I'm REALLY not doing it now... but bear with me...

Unless you loath Beethoven... or really hate classical music... I entreat you to click "Play" on the file below before carrying on...

Growing up, my mother played piano... pretty much constantly. Her favourites were actually show tunes and more "contemporary" songs, but she'd mix in plenty of classical music as well.

She made sure I had a good grounding in music... an appreciation for all types and styles... but I always gravitated to classical... Bach was my favourite... followed closely by Handel... then Mozart... then Beethoven... the list goes on...

Even today, when stress and worries get to me, the sound of the music you're listening to is beyond soothing... it allows me to escape to a more elegant and gentler world within my own head.

One memory classical music also brings to me is a fond memory of listening to a busking violinist in the Paris Metro many years ago that brought my mother to tears...

I remember that incident well despite being over three-decades ago... oddly enough, we were on our way to visit Père Lachaise and in the station we disembarked from (most likely Station Philippe Auguste, but I can't be sure...) was a young man... playing a piece on a violin with unbelievable skill and passion... and my mother, being a somewhat reserved woman, moved away from the crowds... stopped... listened... and started to cry. I asked her why and she said how it reminded her of listening to people practise at The Royal Conservatory...

Kind of extra touching as we were about to visit Chopin's resting place amongst others.

...but the image is in my mind still... of a Paris Metro, a lone violinist... and my mother crying not of true pain, but of a glad and happy memory she has of her own youth.

Classical music evokes many memories for me... the most precious is that of simply being a kid... sitting on the couch... listening to the strains of my mother's prized Lesage sing to me...

I can't really elaborate any more on this blessing... save to say that the music truly saves me more often than not.

My blessing today is the music in our lives... and the memories it stirs...

It doesn't have to be classical... and it probably isn't for most people... as long as it brings up good and strong memories...

Heck, I could have easily included Charles Aznavour, Jim Croce, or even John Denver instead as they all contain memories of my parents listening to music... and therefore, we would be listening in to.

...but that Lesage piano... my memories of it's incredible sound and my mother making it sing to us... as a memory... and the affect of that music on me... that will always be a blessing.

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Blog Your Blessing Sundays is a creation of NeoBluePanther... who may or may not be the famed Luchador!

Permalink 8 comments

Comments:

Comment from: Lynda [Visitor]

oh yes... memories brought back to life through music, from classical to pop and everything in between, they each evoke a special time, place, smell, and emotions that we link to them... Not sure what Gilligan's Island has to do with it, I'm sure you mean John (Country Roads, take me home...lalala...) but I am not here to criticise lol ... My introduction to classical was in the 70s when I came accross 'Classical Barbara' (lots of memories there)...Later the busking violinists and balalyka players on the steets of Russia would capture my heart...and now our tastes are wide and varied and our lives are not complete without music, and each genre has its time and its place... bless your Sunday and 'thanks for the memories' :-)

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 09:38

Comment from: admin [Member]

· http://www.doubledeckerbuses.org/

Hey Lynda... I must have had Gilligan on the mind! Yes, duly noted and adjusted... John Denver. I have several friends who cite "Hooked On Classics" as their entry into classical music... which is slightly cringeworthy... but hey, whatever lights the appreciation!

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 10:05

Comment from: SandyCarlson [Visitor]

· http://slchome.blogspot.com

That's a rich blessing, Bus Guy. My grandmother used to play the piano. She was magic, and she played a bit of everything. There are so many songs that are her songs, and when I hear them, I think of her.

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 13:49

Comment from: Paulie [Visitor]

· http://postcardsfrompaulie.blogspot.com/

Well, it sounds like a double blessing then. . . the music you appreciate because of your Mom's interest and YOUR MOM herself who gave you this blessing to appreciate great music and the musicians who made it.

Come see my blessing on my new blog.

Paulie

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 16:03

Comment from: Paulie [Visitor]

· http://postcardsfromthenorthwest.blogspot.com/

Oops! This si the new addy.

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 16:04

Comment from: admin [Member]

· http://www.doubledeckerbuses.org/

Hey SandyCarlson... It is a wonderful thing...

Hi Paulie... I do see it as a multi-armed blessing... but still leading from one source.

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 16:12

Comment from: Kuanyin [Visitor]

· http://www.moonlightbecomesme.blogspot.com/

I too grew up playing piano and listening to classical music and listening to my parents selection of music. This was a blessing for both of us...so many wonderful memories!

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 17:39

Comment from: admin [Member]

· http://www.doubledeckerbuses.org/

Hey Kuanyin... Agreed! Many wonderful memories indeed!

Permalink 08/31/08 @ 17:45

Allow me to start with we do not own nor are we selling a bus. Just had to get that out...

This blog was started in April of 2006... during a very bad time for me and my family when money was very tight and life was very hard.

We maintained a happier outlook on life by fantasizing... talking about what we would do when times were better... and as Sue and myself are Anglophiles, England factored greatly into our "plans".

During these bad times, while looking at news items which, at the time included items about London removing their venerable old Routemasters, I came across one photo of an old green bus... and somehow, my whole family adopted it. It became very much "our bus". (Details about "our bus" are available by clicking here.)

Like most of you, I'd heard about the fellow who'd made a million dollars selling tiny ads online... and the fellow who did trades and turned a paper clip into a house... so I thought, since we couldn't make our bus actually into "our bus" (well beyond our means,) I'd try an "online" appeal... to make the focused item of our hopes into a tangible thing in our lives...

More specifically, in a burst of adult/juvenile optimism, I had hoped to show the youngest member of the family, who at the time was still very youthful and impressionable, that dreams really could become reality if you hope and, more importantly, try.

Well, I'm pretty sure you figured it out... we had limited succes in this venture... and the youngest has now reached an age where she is more traditionally "teenaged" cynical than much else about the world, which isn't a dreadful thing... but there's a "good news" portion to this... our personal situation with money is better, life has improved, and some people really liked my rambling here... so, I decided to keep things going... Yes, I will "give up" on asking for help on a bus... and have to give up on even trying as hard to get the bus through online means... and yes, be far more realistic... but I don't mind this "turn" of things as I actually enjoy venting, trying my hand at humour, and generally keeping on online presence outside my usual things.

Thanks to those who were/are "Busly Dream" enthusiasts... I suppose that our buses for now will be single-deck with the letters "TTC" emblazoned on them... but this blog will live as does our dream! (It's just a little quieter on that latter bit...)

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