Normally, sometime on Monday, I sit down and write my Inspiritual Reflection for the week. That was the plan for this week as well. however, a few things had happened that were weighing heavy in my spirit and I was praying my way through, I found myself hearing the words of James Taylor singing :
”When your down and troubled And you need a helping hand And nothing, whoa nothing is going right. Close your eyes and think of me And soon I will be there To brighten up even your darkest nights. You just call out my name, And you know where ever I am I'll come running, oh yeah baby To see you again. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, All you have to do is call And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got a friend.”
So I found myself singing these words in my head and breathing in love and breathing out love and in doing so, knowing I was calling on my Creator who is love. With each breath, I found myself being more focused and clear about how I was to move through this situation. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, the Creator has always been there to guide me. All I have to do is remember to breathe Love in and breathe Love out and the wisdom, love and compassion I need comes to me and over me.
I used to wonder what it was about music that had the ability to calm one’s soul, to express what one was feeling in ways that were not expressible any other way. Music is not just the words, it is the sound, which speaks to you and evokes emotions and understandings without saying anything. Music was the sound of birth waters splashing around us in the womb. Music is the pulse of our blood flowing through our veins. There is music going on in our bodies all the time. We have become so accustomed to hearing it, that sometimes we no longer hear it at all. This music is a reminder that the spirit is still living and inventing in us.
Beethoven once wrote, "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents." Music has the capacity to reveal without a single spoken word all that we need to hear at that moment. It has the capacity to help us come to a deeper understanding of what we believe. It can become the air we breathe. We are the electrical soil in which spirit is living, thinking, and inventing. Our lives are a work of art, which is being, composed one note at a time, with lyrics being written one word at a time.
All of this happens, so that when as the Beatles sang about we find ourselves in times of trouble, we will hear the Creator whispering words of wisdom. For me those words, when I found myself in a challenging situation, were let it go and let it be. And then as I began to let it go and let it be, I hear James Taylor in the background, singing winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you’ve got to do is call. And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got a friend.” And then The Beatles responded “And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be,”
And when the night was cold and cloudy, and I found myself in Rochester unexpectedly wondering how I was going to get me and my wheelchair home, there was still a light that shined on me, shining while friends who were in the middle of moving and a former student who refused to leave my side, each in their own ways were the love of the Creator coming to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be and reminding me “winter, spring, summer or fall, all you’ve got to do is call. And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got a friend.” And last night, once I made it home safely due to three loving spirits, I found myself greeted by a blanket of love and support from so many of you who in your own ways were singing “winter, spring, summer or fall, all you’ve got to do is call. And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah. You've got a friend.” And I do, and I am grateful. Thank you.