Music and the Soul: Part 2

I recently wrote about the connection between music and the soul. When writing about that, I reflected a lot on the musical influences of my parents and other people throughout my life. Later, I started thinking about how kids can also be musical influences on our lives.

Times When I had No Words

My youngest child recently graduated from High School, and I really struggled with finding the right thing to say in his senior yearbook ad. When my oldest son graduated, it was easy. He was very technical and into coding and robotics. So, for him, I added a short and sweet message surrounded by pictures of him from over the years. What made it special is that the message was in binary code. Don’t know what binary code is? I guess it is a combination of “ones” and “zeros” that make up everything digital. This mom used an online converter to transfer my message!

For my youngest, who had spent half of his school-age years in theatre and choir, I really struggled to find the words. So, I “borrowed” words from his favorite musicals.

The Yearbook Ad for My Youngest

There truly are no words to describe how proud we all are of you and the man you have grown to be. So, we will borrow words that we know are in your heart and lyrics that live in your soul.

Look at your life and remember to "Forget regret, or life is yours to miss." Start every day knowing, "It's a brand new day - Yeah, the sun is high." Remember not to "throw away your shot" and "that the opposite of war isn't peace; it's creation."

Life "Takes a little patience, takes a little time, a little perseverance, and a little uphill climb,"; but you are up for the challenge! No matter what comes next, "Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise."

Always "Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world" and "Let your soul take you where you long to be."

We look forward to seeing everything that is next for you; just remember to "Always look on the bright side of life" and “Remember that even when ‘Doubt comes in’ ‘You are not alone." Be yourself in everything you do because "No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else"!

We love you!

- Mom, Dad, Siblings, & 5 Crazy Cats

The Musical Yearbook Ad for the Teenage Soul

I wrote this ad in November of 2021 for his May of 2022 graduation. This was a little over a year from when I wrote about music being connected to the soul, but as I go back and read it, I specifically wrote in the ad that I was using lyrics that live in his soul.

The son that this ad was created for has been a strong musical influence on me. Some of the Lyrics above came from musicals I had never heard/seen before, and I had a whole group of people at work helping me include lyrics that they knew of from those shows. I know a lot of people aren’t interested in musicals, and heaven forbid you mention you love “show tunes,” but let’s face it, broadway has absolutely evolved as our culture has evolved.

There are so many times in your life when you really struggle to find the words to express yourself. Sometimes I will stumble over my words and say, “ugh, words are hard,” my youngest once replied, “that is terrifying since you are the writer in the family.” You often hear people say, “I don’t know what to say,” when someone is going through something hard. The truth is, there is not any “perfect” thing to say in bad situations. There are, however, A LOT of really terrible things to say in bad situations. Music fills these gaps.

Music Follows You Throughout Your Life

There is a reason that we have lullabies for babies who want to hear their mom sing them to sleep. Luckily, my babies didn’t care that I am incredibly tone-deaf; they just wanted to be rocked and hear mommy sing. Then as they grew up, they went down their own musical journeys. When they have children, they will sing to them; their kids will listen to the music they listen to, and then when they start to grow up, their children will find their own favorite songs. The lyrics that speak to their souls. I feel like there is a song that talks about this, “The Circle of Life”...

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About the Author:

Allison Frye, Mental Health Advocate & host of the Allison in Wonderland Podcast, has spent the last 15 years dedicated to mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The “Allison in Wonderland” mental health podcast discusses all areas of mental health and gives everyone a place to talk about their own journey.

Link to Headshot if needed: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b7lQfoUagw-XNHOmbgHXgyt_mng7FyPL/view?usp=sharing