Musical Memories

Two days ago I was writing about things that remind me of friends. There's something else that reminds me of people: songs. On Monday, somebody sent me a song that somehow fit the stuff we had just been talking about, at least the atmosphere. I guess I won't ever be able to listen to that song again without thinking of this friend.
On December 7th, 2007, I wrote my one and only MySpace blog entry about this phenomenon:

"I know my Redeemer lives. I know my Redeemer lives. All of creation testifies..."...and I see myself sitting downstairs in Tollgate church in Dr. Calhouns Sabbath school class. It is amazing how certain songs bring memories back to my mind and then I just have to close my eyes to feel the wind playing with my hair while biking home from university or see Arizona's red rocks flying past the truck window on the one side and David driving on the other. Since my mp3-player is broken and I don't feel like buying a new one right now (the "Project Bolivia" eats all my money), I haven't really listened to music lately. It's been something like two months maybe.

This week though, I took my laptop to university and because people were talking in the "Common Room" at the English department I took my headphones and clicked on "JP's praise songs" and thought I would be able to do my Portuguese homework now. Negative. "I wanna be your hands. I wanna be your feet..." Wow. Has been a while since you've been jogging, Maria! (It was my "jogging song" this summer.) "Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down..." How I miss song worship with JP! "Every time I fall a little bit harder. Every time I fall..." How is Natalia doing??? Where is she at? And I see her dancing with a broom in the cafeteria. "I will be here for you. Somewhere in the night. Somewhere in the night." Hey Danielle! Haven't talked to you for a week or so! Hope you're alright?!? "You are holy. And you are mighty. You are worthy..." Can't believe that it's been more than 1.5 years now that I learned this song sitting around a campfire in the middle of the Bolivian jungle.

After a while I switched to other songs so I would get my homework done but tonight I deliberately listened to some of these songs again. It's just great. I love how God created my brain. Music is like a preservative for me. It reminds me of people that are dear to me, captures feelings of certain situations that can't be put in words and makes me thankful for everything that God has already done in my life. Well, and I just decided to create my personal "America Memories CD" =)

Reading it again I was like: "Wow! True, I didn't have an mp3-player just two months ago." It's another story, but God got me an mp3-player. Four times the storage capacity of my old one and I didn't pay a penny for it! I was so happy about that little black thing and I really wanna use it to strenghten my relationship with him. The last four days though, I didn't feel like listening to anything. I felt more like talking to God wherever I was and so I did. Tonight I didn't go home right away either, but climed up the hill on the other side of our little town to have a better view of the sunset. That's how I got the picture. It was a beautiful sunset and a perfect way to close my last full working week in Germany. Walking home, I could already see the stars and I couldn't help but start singing:

You are Lord of Lords, you are King of Kings,
You are mighty God, Lord of everything.
You're Emmanuel, You're the great "I AM",
You're the Prince of Peace, Who is the Lamb.
You're the living God, you're my saving grace,
You will reign forever, you are ancient of days.
You're the Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End.
You're my Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, and friend.
You're my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for you.

And that is actually THE song, that reminds me of my year at Miracle Meadows School in West Virginia and a whole bunch of people at once... =)
Well, enjoy God's great invention of music AND you're not forgotten!!

Happy Sabbath,
maria