What Moves You?

I have been MIA on my blog for a few months now…Boat loads of thoughts & ideas, but always a challenge on how to express them! But today I started the day off with receiving an email from a friend that really moved and engulfed me with so many thoughts and emotions.  This amazing friend of mine is a beautiful singer and had expressed to me a couple of weeks ago that she has been so busy with life that she has not been singing recently. I not only encouraged her to not give up on it, but to also send me recording of a song when she gets a chance!! I love music..I listen to it when I am sad, or happy, or upset, or in a romantic mood or getting ready to go to a party, or Bhangra..something in music just connects with me.  Certain songs will take me back in time to people, to moments of my childhood, my college dorm room and singing Police songs with my girlfriend, songs dedicated to friends and trips we have taken together, my daughters first grade DVD song…the thoughts and moments are endless.  The other day when I heard on CNN that we were getting involved in another war and we will be sending more soldiers into the unknown…only one song came to mind.  I could not think of the name but it was playing in my head..so I spent 30 minutes looking for it in my iTunes Library.  The song btw was Love Vigilantes by Iron & Wine.

I grew up in a house where my mom would not only play music in our cool double cassette player(remember those) all the time but she would walk around the house singing. My mom’s beautiful singing would echo throughout the house.  I didn’t always enjoy my mom’s singing, I was quite embarrassed by it actually..as any party we would go to..she was always requested to sing a song.  I would always walk out of the room as I felt everyone was staring at me. I grew out of that behavior in my teen years and finally realized what a beautiful gift my mom had been given and what a joy for her to be able to share it with others. When my brother moved to the US, I was 11 and I still remember her sitting for hours on end recording song after song on a 90 minute two-sided tape so she could give it to him to listen to when he would feel homesick!  (which BTW must have gotten mixed in with my stuff during his move when he got married 17 yrs ago..so that will be going in the mail to him tomorrow).

When I moved to the US in my teenage years my mom gifted me with a similar tape with all my favorite songs and also a notebook in which she had written over a 100 some songs in Hindi for me to sing.  The first thing I bought upon landing in the US was a tape deck.  I can’t even tell you how many

countless hours of homesickness my mom’s beautiful songs got me thru..but the line between curing home-sickness and wanting to go home was always a lil fuzzy after hearing her beautiful voice.

It’s been a long time since I heard my mom’s singing other than on b’days when we make her not only sing happy b’day in English but also in Hindi.  I don’t even own a tape deck anymore, but I know I am gonna be looking for a way to convert my mom’s tape real soon and try get those songs on my iTunes Library! (what did we do before iTunes)!!

Today, true to her word my friend sent me a recording of her song, and I must have listened to her song 20 times and its playing as I type this.  Her voice is so melodious, calming and soothing..Something about her voice connects with me and I hope she will continue singing and moving people with her beautiful voice.

She truly is talented and gifted and I hope she continues to find the time to sing and share her passion with others.  Maybe I have my own selfish reasons for her to continue singing..

Music,Beautiful Lyrics, my mother, her singing, my friends beautiful songs,family, Flowers, Painting(what do you see in the painting..)..they ALL Move Me….What Moves You ?  – Sports/People/Cricket/Basketball …Would love to hear your thoughts!

P.s. I have a friend who told me he does not like to read long blogs…so keep it short…I tried!! I really did Sameer..