Did you know that in the State of California, 230,000 children and adults with disabilities have had their services cut or reduced by the 2009 State Trailer Bill? Yes. 230,000 children and adults with disabilities have had their belts "tightened," cut off from those services that in some cases are essential to their quality of life.
I have written several times on this blog about the power of music therapy in Sophie's life. An essay I wrote on the subject, titled Small Victories was published in the anthology My Baby Rides the Short Bus. Here's an excerpt:
Minutes ticked by and Jackie continued to sing. The guitar, resting on Sophie's and Jackie's knees, hummed. I closed my eyes and willed my anxiety down. When I opened them, I looked at Sophie and saw what I can only describe as her appearance. But not the appearance of beautiful skin and curly hair, distant eyes and a mouth not often softened by expression. I saw the essence of her, and it was emerging from deep within her, from the baby that I had once had and that had died in bits and pieces over the years. It was as if her skin had thinned, allowing her soul a surface upon which to light. Jackie's voice, the plucking of the guitar, the vibration of the instrument on her lap had coaxed out an inherent intelligence that I had fixed onto over the years and defiantly and sometimes only half believed in. It seemed less a victory than an acquiescence from the universe.
I will be reading this essay at a fundraiser for Music Therapy that a non-profit foundation called Touched by an Angel is having on September 25th from 2-4 in the afternoon. I hope that those of you who live nearby might be able to purchase a ticket ($20) and come by for the reading, great music, performances by two music therapy students and good food (cooked by The Husband, of course!). For those of you living far away, if you are so inclined, please feel free to donate.
I'd sing to you now, or play the flute (my eighth grade instrument), but then you might be scared away!
Click HERE for tickets and donations.
How beautifully you write. How sad that we live in a country which has such warped values.
ReplyDeleteI can only echo Sandra and say that anything which makes Sophie's soul visible is worth funding.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful moment, described so beautifully.
ReplyDeletelove.
ReplyDeleteyou move me with your mother love words...while this vision of sophie gives me tears and wings.
ReplyDeletei would love to hear your voice speak the words that pierce my heart.
I love that photograph. It speaks so eloquently, like your writing. Your piece will raise awareness when you read it; I pray that it also raise a great deal of money.
ReplyDeleteSending love to you and your family.
I wish we could re-engineer our system to be more efficient so that critical programs don't have to be cut. But that doesn't seem to be a problem that anyone wants to face, probably because it would be political suicide to do so.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the fundraiser.
There is so much beauty in that photo, in so many aspects. Am imagining the soundtrack too!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely piece of writing. I'm so glad you're going to be doing the reading!
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ReplyDeleteYour words are music, here. And Sophie's face in this photo is the essence of what you describe. I haven't played my oboe in many years, but I remember, I vividly remember, how it felt to have the music flowing all around me and somehow the music became a part of me and flowed from me, all my deepest feelings and desires - my ESSENCE. I think music is soul-language. And that's why you saw a window into Sophie's soul that day. I hope music can continue in Sophie's life.
ReplyDeletei live out of town but i hope this goes well! my cousin's wife is/was a music therapist in san diego. she loved it, but couldn't make a living at it. i wish she could have kept doing it.
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