While the day, the inauguration, was shaping up interestingly, and we were thinking surely Barack would need to let our higher selves rest some from the upraising he has given us so much of already....
then....out of nowhere, suddenly...
Aretha Franklin sang My Country Tis of Thee...
Aretha Sings
Words are a poor thing to describe such as this.
I had to say "wow" as she finished the first "thee".
While perhaps the unusual soul and beauty of her singing is like a very fine wine or fine piece of art -- it will appeal to only some people enormously -- I'd like to think that even among those not accustomed to sounds such as these, and inclined to dismiss them out of hand, that on an unconscious level the soul listens. That even if the mind says "this is yesterday's sound", the heart and spirit are warmed and strengthened, and without knowing why, a change comes over us, and we breathe deeper and stand taller. A voice like this makes us feel again a sense that Love is possible, and feel again that way we sometimes felt as children when we wanted to meet some stranger, effusive and eager for a connection.....that this possibility isn't entirely gone, after all....
In this Day, in this Moment, all of it together.
As a lifelong lover of music, this is some of the finest singing combined with one of the greatest moments to create the greatest song I've ever heard.
January 21, 2009
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