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Raoul’s Two Cents: January 17, 2025

The Gift of Music

Woke up in the middle of the night. This isn’t the first time. I guess I’m gettin’ old. It’s becoming to be a regular occurrence. And, as usual, music is playing in my head. Sometimes it’s a popular song and other times it’s a song that’s waiting to be composed.

My thanks to Youtube.com for providing entertainment in these strange hours. I watched different cover artists performing my favorite songs. It never ceases to amaze me that the young kids of today choose to sing tunes from my generation. And they are incredibly talented.

When I was their age, my ears would be glued to cassette tape and hi-fidelity vinyl record players. Not a lot of guitar stores then. And my nylon guitar was so cheap it was difficult to distinguish one chord from another … as long as you stayed with the beat, it was passable. At magazine stores, I used to memorize chords I would steal from expensive chord books so I could play songs at home. Today there are websites that provide this for free. Today, guitars are available for purchase online … and they’re relatively affordable!

As with everything in the 21st century, technology has boosted our wealth of excellent soundtracks where crystal clear mixes of heavenly voices tangle with bass notes that swell from the bottom while violins (natural or synthetic) linger at the top. Beethoven would salivate to live in this smorgasbord world of music.

And talk about the variety! There are genres to soothe your every mood — lyrics that tickle your fancy .. tunes that jolt you back to your childhood and your fist loves … drumbeats that bring out the gorilla in you. Indeed, God has spoiled us with MUSIC — an incredible gift that plays with our emotions in a spiritual level.

QUICK STORY ABOUT MUSIC

I time traveled to the dawn of time and come up to early man.

“Hello, do you know what music is?”

“Music? What is that?”

“It’s what makes the ordinary special. It can make your speech sound better. Did you know you can make your voice sound low or make it sound high? Do re mi fa sol la ti do! This is called singing. This is music.”

“Wow! I didn’t know you could do that. Music is wonderful!”

“Ah, but music is more than that. See this stick? It makes a sound when I hit a rock or a tree or another stick. 1 – 2 – threeee, 1-2-threee! This is called a beat. And this instrument is called a drum.”

“Hey, that’s pretty cool. Oongah! Boongah!”

“You can combine singing with a beat: Twinkle, twinkle, little staaar. How I wonder what you aaaaare!”

“OMG! That’s super cool. Now I understand music!”

“No, wait! There’s more! You could make the sound like a singing bird or a gust of wind by blowing through this hollow tube called a flute. Then you can combine the flute, the drum and your voice with lyrics that express any mood you want to share.”

“Get outta here! Man, this is amazing!”

“In fact, you can combine more instruments like a horn, a guitar, a piano, etc. — all of these playing in unison and in harmony is called an orchestra. Now that is MUSIC!”

We end our story with the man mesmerized and speechless. He is lost in the world called music.

I assume we all grew up hearing all kinds of music so we’ve taken music for granted. But not me — especially now that I’m slowly turning deaf.

No. I haven’t been abusing my eardrums like the heavy metal Rock and Roll stars. My deafness is hereditary. My uncles and aunts are cursed with it. My Dad had acute hearing loss in his last years. I had hoped to (but it was near impossible for me) to share the Gospel in his last days. But during his last night on earth, I pulled out my guitar and gave him a private religious concert by his bed and he was smiling. I never saw him smile in his sleep before.

If you appreciate music, praise His holy name! Enjoy His musical feasts. Even though I already have tinnitus, I still can hear. That’s why I’m so grateful. Are you?

I end with the video I discovered when I woke up this early morning – a behind the scenes recording of the song from Disney’s Tangled. I admit it’s kinda cheesy but it’s a well made production. The song is about Rapunzel whose cloistered world bursts open when she falls in love. Yeah, love has created some of the most beautiful music. I dedicate this to my granddaughter’s birthday. Happy birthday my little princess!

TGIF people!

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“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.” — Ludwig van Beethoven

“Music is the soundtrack of your life.” — Dick Clark

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”— from Mark 14:26 that describes the mood of the apostles after the Last Supper.

p.s.
Let’s continue to pray for the LA Fire Victims. Tom L. of Pasadena sent this helpful link about Safety Precautions and Ash-Exposure Prevention. Please pass it along.

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Joanne of Hacienda Heights, CA

Original art by Raoul Pascual.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Thanks to Joanne of Hacienda Heights, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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