Doorway to the Soul

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called music "the universal language of mankind." Music mogul Dick Clark calls it somewhat less elegantly "the soundtrack of your life." "America's oldest living teenager" even trademarked the phrase, so while music is universal, the phrase itself belongs to Dick... sigh. But I digress.

Dana told me about an experience that illustrates the truth of Longfellow's statement. While nursing Lori, Dana began to sing a lullabye. Lori started humming. "Huh?" Dana wondered, and stopped singing. Lori stopped. Dana started singing again. Lori continued humming. This went on a few more times. This doesn't happen when Dana's talking to Lori, just when she's singing.

I thought this was the coolest thing. Not because it means that Lori is going to be a singer or anything (though that would be cool, too). But because it shows how powerful music is, and how deeply rooted it is in us. Music really is a doorway to the soul. It can lift our spirits, bring joy to a broken heart or soften a hardened one. And it has a special way of bringing people together, like the bond between a young mother and her five-month-old child.

Music isn't something we made up; it was God's idea, and it's been there from the beginning. In the 38th chapter of the book of Job, we're told that at the foundation of the earth "the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy." Which is also why movie soundtracks move us so deeply. Even God had one when he created the world!

Hmm... I guess Dick Clark is right after all. ;-)