Musical Bridge

"I never feel age ... 

If you have creative work, you don't have age or time."

-- Louise Nevelson

Last Saturday my friend Rick and I had the privilege of playing a tribute to Woody Guthrie for a small group of folks at a local retirement community. In the shade of a large Oak tree we played and sang Woody's dust bowl ballads and work songs, shared stories about Woody's life, and drank spiked lemonade. Our guests sang along with true heart and soul to every song they knew the words to. And at the end they thanked us warmly for coming and sharing this music with them. But I'll betcha not one of them felt more gratitude than I did.

The event was organized by a woman named Judy from my church. She heard me sing Woody Guthrie's song, "Deportee" one Sunday morning and began a campaign to get me to help her create this small event. For weeks she pestered me about it. She loved Woody Guthrie and wanted to celebrate his 100th birthday with her friends and his music. I put her off for several weeks. I had a busy summer planned, I said. I have to work, I have an exchange student coming, I'll be away on vacation for Woody's birthday. But she would not let up. Eventually she won me over (or wore me down). And what I began with reluctance, I finished with pure joy.

Of course learning some new Woody Guthrie songs and researching his life was fun and interesting, but the best part of this experience were the connections I made with Judy and her friends. I learned that Judy was a bit of a radical when she was a college student at Antioch University in Ohio. She became a Unitarian Universalist just two years ago after meeting our Minister Emeritus who is a resident of her retirement community. And she feels right at home in our congregation of liberal free thinkers. She is charming, funny, determined, generous, and likes to shake things up a bit. When she offered me a cup of lemonade spiked with gin before I sang, I knew this woman and I could be good friends.

When Rick and I finished our set something really magical happened. One of Judy's friends, a frail looking man with a North Carolina accent, came up with his guitar and a small well worn notebook filled with typewritten songs (as in typed on a typewriter). He got out his guitar and invited us to join him on "Down By The Riverside." I harmonized and Rick played guitar with him. And this lovely gentleman came to life. We played more songs together with Judy and a few others adding their wise voices to the mix. When we finished, this dear man said we had made his day. But you know what? I'd arm wrestle him  over who received more joy from that experience. I felt like I was the one who was handed a rare gift. 

And then I thought, why does this have to be rare? I'm going back as soon as I can to sing more songs with these wonderful people. Thank you, dear Judy, for pestering me. You knew what was good for me.