Singing for the Community

I live in a small rural community... there's one main road through our little town and there aren't many businesses located on it. The county is spread out over many many miles of farmland, forests, a state park, and small community spaces. There is a high number of illiterate adults here, many of whom left school to work on family or neighboring farms or to work in the factories in the next county over. I guess education wasn't given a high priority when many of these folks were growing up. And when you think about it, if the parents are illiterate, or have a hard time with reading, then the children will suffer too because the parents won't be able to help with homework or even read assignments sent home by teachers. I have many friends who work in the schools, and they tell me that this is a continuing issue. We also have a significant part of our population that is unemployed and of course, these folks have a hard time keeping food on the table and seasonal clothes on their family members. These are local issues here where I live, and I try to be involved so that I can do a small part to make the lives of some of these people just a little bit better.

So currently I am getting ready for a Music for the Community event which will take place on Sunday evening at a small church on the main road in town. Signs have been posted, a nearby radio station is promoting the event, and the local newspaper has published it in their Community Happenings column. Several musicians will perform... there will be banjo, mandolin, guitar, stand-up bass, hammered dulcimer, and more, and of course voices! I will be performing a few original songs and a couple covers, and I'm looking forward to it! The event will be a fundraiser to benefit a local charity organization that services the needs of local folks by providing food, clothing, and money for heating and lighting homes. At our program last March, we raised $400... not bad for such a small community and an audience of approximately 50 people.

This is what it's all about, folks... sharing our love and our blessings with others, doing what we can to enable others to live as well as we do, to know the goodness of life and the goodness of community. So I hope today you will share a smile, offer a hand, volunteer in some way, and think about the people around you.

Peace.