Home life and growing up, influence and personality. People are made up of emotions, greatly formed by the previous and present experiences of just plain living. Anger, love, hatred, peace, happy, sad and on and on. All things seem to be controlled by these. Politics, religion, marriage, everything, even the music we play and the choices of the instruments we play. I would venture to say that the way we play has a great deal to do with how we have dealt with our emotions and attitudes and even our God given talents. We have not all been given the same abilities and gifts of talents but one thing we all have been given is free will. This is God given without respect of persons or recall. Man will try to usurp this and put his fellow man in bondage. Bondage to ideas, things, money, booze, religion, politics or what have you. Now this seems to be the big struggle in our life time. To be free. To be free to use our free will. To gain control of our emotions, our frustrations, our anger and yes, even our feelings of love. Now this is where my music has been so very important in my life and also in my brothers. My parents and my own Grandma and Grampa. During the depression we all lived in the same house. When emotions ran high, when bills had to be paid or when Gramps had words with my Dad, old Gramps would walk over to the piano and pound out an old Rag. I would sense the frustration emanating from his finger tips. After a bit, a ballad would start filling the room and when he drifted into a love song, old Gram would slide alongside of him on the bench and would sing bits and pieces of the song with her squeaky operatic type voice. Pretty soon Dad would be seen cranking up the tension on his fiddle bow and then the happy old tunes would fill the air with Dad sawing out ‘The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise’, his favorite. Me brother and me would get out the lincoln logs and the led solders. Life was great. Kind of like David playing the Kings demons to hell. All my life I have used music to temper and quell my emotions. What a blessing to come in from dealing with the public all day and play through my emotions. Maybe a little blues or something in the minor on the piano, finally lifting my mood to the point I would get up, give Ruthie a great big smacker and help or play with the kids a bit. Friday would come. What a great feeling to play the weekend away with the band. When I was a kid in my last year of high school playing in a seven piece dance band at a night club in Jacksonville Fla., the other sax man said to me. Kid, I think your scared. Your horn is playing you. When you start playing it, that’s when you’ll start to swing. Never forgot that! Attitude! Just plain attitude! When you take control of your instrument and don’t let it control or intimidate you, things happen. So, monday morning would come and back to work again. Refreshed and ready, thanks to my love of music. No more dance band but me, myself and my keyboard are still working magic for Ruthie and me. For my emotions, my attitude on life and our joy of living out the twilight of our lives in what you might call harmony. And now you know the why of and the how of how I approach and play my music. I believe attitude and playing by the rules that God set are the secrets of life and happiness. Something that can be attained by anyone, in any walk of life or economic circumstance. Freely given by God, not man, Free Will. Our choice, to do or not to do. To change or not to change. Attitude! Just plain attitude!

Grandpa Doug

Hi G. Doug, Your story about You, God, Music,and Life--Was beautiful, it said so much, much more than most care to talk about. That's got to make you somene special!!

In my terrible years, of divorce, and famuly seperation, I lived with a sick feeling right in the center of me. When the curtain went up, and we began to playwith my band, I was a different person, there was life. After the four hour gig/job, I returned to the reality of my life. Music does play a special part of our lives, our emotions. I can't imagine going through my worst times without it.

I now consider myself a happy person, A good wife, a nice home, good finances, and a strong relationship with my maker.

With all of those blessings, I still go to a special place when I sit at the keyboard. AMEN!!!

Have a good day, John C.

John C, I like happy endings.

Grandpa Doug