Aunt Violet

I am going to my great aunt Violet's 75th Birthday Party this afternoon. She is my Papaw Harold's sister. When I was a kid, she was one of the people around me who just "got it." She let me sit in her lap and play the organ at her house. I remember her frequent laugh, her fancy house, and that she taught me what she referred to as "chording" which is the foundation of the way that most professional musicians notate and play music in Nashville, where I live.

I remember that she basically said to me "This is easy and you can do it!" We do not see each other very often, but when we do it is like a timeless friendship that easily picks up right where it left off. Now, her smile is the nearest thing I have to remind me of my Papaw besides pictures. I keep going back to that smile I think because it is so powerful. It is as if there is a boundless fount of encouragement and fun behind it. It truly has an energy of its own.


In a sea of people who seem eager to point out the difficult turns ahead, or to mourn the rocky past, I pray that I can be that kind of person. I want to pass along the secrets she taught me about music, but more about the positive jolt of joy and passion that comes from a heartfelt smile.


Thank you Aunt Violet!