I have to admit, I was once a serious rocker in my late teens and early twenties. I think I attended just about every rock n’roll concert available in those days! I loved all kinds of rock n’ roll music from soft rock, to hard rock, to heavy metal. It touched a part of my heart and soul like nothing else did. Music took me away to a happier place, and I was in awe of how magical it was, how it made me feel, and how it helped me to cope with a difficult emotional life back then. Now, as a more mature adult, however, I realize how special music is. I now love almost all kinds of music from just about every era in addition to classic rock. As a more astutely thinking and feeling adult, I cherish and admire musicians, those who create the music from their souls and their hearts and share it with the world.
A friend of mine shared a video with me of the honoring of Led Zeppelin at the 35th Annual John F. Kennedy Center Honors on Dec 26, 2012. The final performance brought tears to my eyes. Oh, the memories and the nostalgia that I felt listening to this piece! It was a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (in my humble opinion, the best all-time rock n’ roll song ever written and played), beautifully sung by Ann Wilson from the rock group, Heart. The last part of the performance made my heart skip a beat and fired up every nerve of my being!
After listening to this song and watching this video numerous times, I could not help but think about what it was that truly moved me to tears and made me feel so alive. Was it the lyrics, the melody, the performers, or all of the above? I pondered and concluded that it was two things: the creativity and talent involved in creating this magnificent masterpiece of a song, and the grouping of this creative talent constructed by forces outside of the people who were involved. Those two things made me realize we have so much potential as human beings. We all have never-ending gifts and talents that are waiting to be watered and harvested. It does not ever end. We have so much to give and share. I also realized that the “orchestrating force” we call “God” made all this possible; for example, the band, Led Zeppelin, came together, somehow, at the right time and place. What are the chances, really, that a band of this magnitude of genius would just form out of the blue? The truth is when we are willing to share our gifts with the world (whatever they might be), and when we believe we need to and should, the God-force meets us where we are and supplies us with what we need to make what we desire a reality! It just works that way.
Some of us do not believe we have gifts or talents. Imagine if Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, or John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, or Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart had those beliefs. Not only would I not be writing this blog, but none of us would have had the pleasure of listening to their moving music. How many of us give up on our dreams because we think no one wants to partake in or share in our valuable gifts and talents? If you are in that group, I want to remind you that you DO have talents and gifts. Everyone does. And, it is your responsibility to share them with the world, for if you do not, the world will not be enlightened by you, and you will not be living fully. Not all of us are musicians, but we all have talents that we long to share, and sharing them brings us great joy. What are yours? Are you sharing them?
As my favorite rock band, Led Zeppelin, will always remain in my heart. I will probably listen to this rendition of Stairway to Heaven for as long as I can remember to do so! Music has always and will always ignite my spirit profoundly. What do you have that would touch others and make them come alive? Just something to think about…
To view the honoring of Led Zeppelin at the John F. Kennedy Center, click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rOy5TCB9JMw
To read about Led Zeppelin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin
To read about Heart:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_%28band%29
Let us ROCK our talents, and long live Led Zep!
Peace.
Vilma Reynoso, www.vilmareynoso.com. Inspiration for Creative Health. Abundant Life.
Copyright, 2013, Vilma Reynoso
