I recently attended a culture night at a private girls’ school. I thoroughly enjoyed the engaging program including a student’s presentation on her Latin American heritage, the gospel choir’s moving number, the second graders’ Japanese fan dance, and a student duet of the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo.” The most unforgettable part of the evening, however, involved a yearly tradition of “I Am From” poems written by first- and eleventh-graders. The entire audience—myself included—listened with rapt attention as students from both grades shared their poems, each line beginning with the phrase, “I am from . . .”
“I am from noisy streets where horns honk and dogs bark at all hours of the day and night.”
“I am from late night conversations over half-gallons of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream around the kitchen table.”
“I am from basketball games on Saturdays, piano lessons on Tuesdays, and walks in the park on Sundays.”
“I am from worn out LPs of the Beatles, Joan Baez, and Simon and Garfunkel.”
“I am from shoveling icy walks in the winter, raking colored leaves in the fall, and weeding flower beds in the summer.”
As I listened to the poems, the bits and pieces of each girl’s life gave me an intimate peek into her world and a glimpse of who she was. For almost all of these 6- to 7- and 16- to 17-year-olds, the way they ended that phrase revealed things about their home and family lives. In those formative years from birth to high school graduation, brothers, sisters, moms, and dads constitute a major part of our lives.
Each of us has a collection of life experiences from which to write our own “I Am From” poems. Similar to these girls’ poems, I would wager that much within our own poems would revolve around family ties and relationships—both the families in which we grew up and the families we have gone onto create. What is it about family that makes it such an important part of our lives?
I am not a big fan of reality television shows, but while flipping channels on a Saturday afternoon, I uncharacteristically stopped on one. The show chronicled the final days before a young couple’s wedding. The producers had masterfully exploited every ounce of drama, and I found myself completely sucked in, watching the program to the end. In the show’s final moments, as the couple stood at the altar and exchanged their written vows, the bride eloquently expressed her desire to build a loving home on the foundation of their new union—a home where all who entered would be nurtured, loved, and protected.
The bride’s sentiment reveals much of why families are such an important part of our lives. We long to be loved and to give love. We feel joy when love is expressed to us in both actions and words, and we find true, immense joy in selflessly returning that love. When we are loved we feel nurtured and protected and when we love we offer that to others.
Love is central to the family. Children first learn what love is from their parents. Many parents would in turn say that they truly learn what love is when they have children.
Singers face unique challenges when combining career and family. Weeks at a time on the road make creating lasting relationships difficult. Cynthia Lawrence and Mark Calkins, featured on this month’s cover, offer their sage advice for finding success not only as singers, but also as husband, wife, and parents (p. 10). Also in this issue, Carol Kirkpatrick shares four tried and true suggestions for balancing career and relationship (p. 40). Valerie Williams discusses in her “survival guide” for the singing parent the sacrifices parenting requires and offers tips to make the journey a little easier (p. 44).
Within the collage of each person’s life-defining moments—particularly those that involve relationships—are interwoven colorful threads of both positive and negative experiences. Sometimes these events are results of our own good or bad choices; other times they result from other people’s actions. Often they are simply the challenges life hands us. Regardless of whether we choose the experience, we can determine how it will shape us—for better or for worse.
Cherie Rose Katz left a burgeoning career to care for her terminally ill father (p. 30). A brother-sister duo is also no stranger to the heartache of losing a family member (p. 58). All three singers share how their own life’s challenges involving family and relationships strengthened them—not only as individuals, but also as singers.
During this month when the conundrum that is “love” seems to be in everyone’s thoughts, I am grateful for my own collective life experiences—good and bad—that generate my “I Am From” poem.
“I am from toothless grins smiling back at me, chubby arms wrapped around my neck, and wet kisses planted on my cheek.”
“I am from newsy phone calls from loving parents and large family gatherings full of witty conversation and raucous laughter.”
“I am from peace and joy, enhanced after surpassing times of strife and conflict.”
May this issue dedicated to families inspire us all to better relationships filled with love.
