You've Got a Friend

Today I sang with a group of adults with intellectual disabilities (autism, etc) They are such a sweet group but sometimes they can be a real handful! But it is always worth it. I'd say today was one of my favorite times with them.  We sat closer together and sang some silly songs like, "The Addams Family", "Flintstones", "Gilligans' Island" TV theme songs. But we really bonded during other songs like, "Stand by me", "Lean on me", "I'll be There", "Happy Together" and yes, "You've Got a Friend". This last song stood out because when I started to sing it two of the girls in the group came up and put their arm around me and we sang it together as a trio. I wanted to say, "take our picture!!" but you just have to imagine the goosebumps and good feelings that we put out there through one of my favorite songs.

I always come away from them feeling so awed by their incredible spirit for life. What would life be like if we could always stay in the magical, imaginative space we dwelt in as a child? So many times that sense of creative imagination halts when other responsibilities come up. But as the saying goes, "we don't stop playing because we grow old,  we grow old because we stop playing."
What a gift for me to be reminded of this every time I sing with them!
Thank you!

So how about you, have you been silly, have you played today?

P. S. I wanted to say hello to new folks who may be reading my blog for the first time sent here from my favorite blog by Katherine Jenkins "Lessons from the Monk I married."
Following her example, I'd like to do a giveaway of my CD, "Choose the Sky" that was five years in the making! This is because I had to stop the recording midway through the process and get cochlear implant surgery. It was a quite a journey but worth it!  You can read about it all on my website:
blueoconnell.com

If you are interested in a receiving a free copy of my CD--all you have to do is comment below and join in my blog by following me! I'd love to have you aboard!