"Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." William Congreve

I've always been musical. I would never actually call myself a musician by ANY stretch of the imagination. But I grew up dancing, playing the piano and singing constantly. Much to my chagrin, I was NOT voted Most Talented for my Senior Superlative. Still a little put out about that, but that's a whole other issue. As is my bitterness about not being voted Miss Hammond my senior year. Or co-captain of the cheerleading squad my senior year. Or the fact that they decided to do away with someone singing at graduation my senior year. Dang- I used to think senior year was pretty good. Looking back, my senior year sucked!

But back to music. I spent all 4 years of high school taking voice lessons at Columbia College. I sang show tunes, I sang hymns, I sang Italian arias. And I loved every minute of it. I knew I didn't have the voice to make a career out of it. I harbored no delusions of grandeur. But I knew that I could sing. And I did so every chance I got. Still do. I sing in the shower, I sing in the car, I sing with my mom, I sing Hannah Montana with my little cousin. Heck, I make sure to sing happy birthday to my friends, making up new songs for them as I go. One of my best friends and I have ALWAYS sung with (and sometimes at) each other.

But music goes deeper than that for me. I've always wished that I could also (to steal a line from the fabulous Mr. Manilow) write the songs that make the whole world sing. I've always dabbled in poetry. Writing when the mood strikes. But to be able to set it to music as well would be amazing. Because almost every day I find a song that truly speaks to me in that moment. I've got nearly 7000 songs on my iPod. Some of them are from my own CDs, some are free downloads from Starbucks, some are songs I've simply heard a verse of and decided I must own. But it's amazing what can be found when you are nosing around your own musical tastes. Lately, I've had one particular song on repeat. It's a song by a girl named Lucy Woodward. And it just makes me feel like I'm not the only one who feels like I feel. That right there is why I would love to write music. Because somewhere out there, there's a person who feels exactly the same way I do at exactly this moment. And I'd love to be there for them.