More Musical Moments

During the early days of our courtship and throughout our marriage music has played a significant role in our lives. It has been especially important to me. You might say it has been a form of therapy for me since Kate’s diagnosis. I keep music going almost all the time we are at home. Kate has loved live musical performances but she has only periodically expressed much appreciation for my recorded music. It appears that may be changing.

On the way home from lunch, I played an album by the Susquehanna Chorale. I had heard them at Chautauqua and bought several of their CDs. The I played includes Danny Boy, Loch Lomand, Shenandoah, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and Deep River, among others. She has always like this CD, and I have played it a good bit in the car. This time she seemed to be especially moved. She expressed how beautiful it was and was a little teary.

When we got home, we sat in our family room listening to music while she worked jigsaw puzzles on her iPad, and I worked on a blog post. Shortly, she put down her iPad and just listened. She started to get teary and talking about how much she enjoyed the music. When that album ended, I played my favorite album of Puccini arias. She continued to listen and enjoy. Her reaction seemed to be in between just getting teary and crying. She was very touched in a way I hadn’t observed before

Yesterday, we had a similar experience. The added surprise this time was that she remained in the family room for a full two hours. It’s been a long time since I have seen her remain in one place for so long. During that time, I was playing some very soft peaceful music. It didn’t engender the teary reaction of the previous day, but she was quite relaxed as she worked on her iPad.

We topped off the day by going to Casa Bella for jazz night. It is always good, and last night was no exception. She is relatively quiet but enjoys the people with whom we sit, and, of course, the music is the highlight. I am hopeful that we will be able to continue attending these musical nights for a good while.