memories – Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“I like to compare the holiday season
with the way a child listens to a favorite story.
The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins,
the anticipation of familiar turns it takes,
the familiar moments of suspense, and
the familiar climax and ending.”
Fred Rogers

Holiday's Past

The day after Christmas I found myself watching old Christmas TV shows and movies, like The Twilight Zone and A Christmas Story. I watched an episode of The Twilight Zone from 1960 that I’ve watched maybe a dozen times, but this time I saw the story in a whole new light.

Rod Serling is a favorite writer of mine for a very long time. My admiration for Serling stems from his ability to take a short story about an individual and make you care what happens to that person. He could show humanity in so many different lights. Always subtly weaving into each story a political or human antidote.

In the violent world we live in today, watching old Christmas shows and movies gives us a feeling of comfort. We’re familiar with the story. We know how it ends. Yet as an adult, each time we watch, we see something new or different. Each time we learn something new about ourselves and about holiday’s past.

Shine On

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories.
And the longer a song has existed in our lives,
the more memories we have of it.”
Stevie Wonder

Singer Jackie Evancho’s album, “Songs from the Silver Screen”. She was just twelve years old when she produced this album in 2012.

Music has always been a part of my life. Particular songs will conjure up good and bad memories of a time, a place, a feeling and even memories of a scent.

My taste in music ranges anywhere from classic singers such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and music from classical, rock, country western as well as blue grass.

There is one genre that I haven’t been familiar with. Opera. The closest to opera music I experienced was when I saw a performance of Phantom of the Opera, twice I might add back in the 1990s. But you can’t really count that as true opera music.

However, that all changed on August 10, 2010 while watching, America’s Got Talent. That evening a 10 year old singer named Jackie Evancho sang the song, O mio babbino caro. I didn’t understand a word of the Italian lyrics but that didn’t matter. Her performance not only gave me goose bumps but also brought me to tears.

Her album, “Songs From the Silver Screen” is pure perfection. This young girl’s voice is magnificent, along with her choice of songs.

You can be sure that the music of Jackie Evancho will give fond memories to millions of people. Because, fond memories of music is so powerful they never fade.

As for this Jackie Evancho fan, her music will always be fond unfaded memories.

Shine On