I had been on the warpath with my mom for several years, beating the drum of battle, and I had to admit on some level I liked it. I was having an ego party, and forgiveness was not invited. The anger made me feel strong and powerful in a relationship where I had so often felt weak and emasculated. So I continued to harbor hard feelings towards her, holding them close to my chest like a shield that kept me safe and protected, one that she could never pierce through and get to my heart.

I was fairly certain that she was three thousand miles away telling a similar story, except her tale had me starring as the villain, with her being the innocent victim of her son’s undeserved wrath. We both had collected ample evidence to stick to our stories, and be rigid and self-righteous about them. Yet she was getting close to eighty years old, and I did not feel I had the luxury of unlimited time to wait until I felt in the mood to give up my stony silence and end the stalemate between us. On a freezing January morning in Michigan, I finally prayed to release the bitterness I held towards my mother. I told the universe that even though I didn’t feel willing to forgive her, I wanted to become willing, and needed some assistance to get there. I had a good cry and, in admitting that I had dug my heels in and needed some help getting out, felt some relief. There was an opening, and a pinprick of light entered a darkened room.

My creative life has shown me that music soothes the savage beast. It helps heal what is savage inside us. It helps take our attention from survival to joy and celebration, from the consciousness of fight or flight to an elevated place. Not all music, of course. Music that comes from the heart and soul of artists who are transcending their egos as they write and play, that music helps the listeners transcend their egos as they listen. Music can offer us a glimpse, vision, a moment to be out of our minds and come to our senses. When music moves us, in the heart, and even the body through dancing, we are different people. We change. Music is a gift from the angels. All of us have had our moods transformed, our defences softened, and our hearts stirred by the power of music. Music that carries the direct intention to heal and uplift takes that power to new and expanded potential.