Music and healing from abuse

♫ Even coffee sings to me. ♫


The latte hums a happy tune 

as it bears the signature of its muse. 

It might have started as I sang along with Petula Clark's "Downtown" as the chair became my stage and a spoon became my microphone. Or it might have been in my first grade music class where I "belted out" Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I had a hammer". Talk about emoting!!! Overall, my memories of music reminds me that MUSIC is a vehicle of expressing my life and individuality.  

I believe that I have always had this "Inner World" of music. I hear and try to create what I feel, hear and see in my mind and "heart". This has always been a "safe place" in my life and only trusted "other musicians" have been welcome to enter. I could "rest" within the safe walls of "My World of Music". 

My World of Music; listening to music, singing, playing music and writing songs has always provided me a mood changing, mind altering and spirit lifting "place of refuge". In my world, I can "be whoever I want to be" and retreat from the abuse, pain, stress and cares that others have used to burden, oppress and depress me for their own purposes. I have refused to allow most people "inside". There have been only a very few chosen, respected and truly valued musicians; whom I have had the joy of collaborating within songwriting. 

Singing in choirs have served to allow my spirit the wings to exercise within music; to keep my voice "up" and my sight reading and musicianship sharp. We truly all need to know what is valuable in our lives; what makes our lives worth living and allow us a "place of refuge"* where we can "BE ourselves". It is a consistent and ever present "strength" in ways; a fortress that NO ONE can enter without my permission. In many ways, I have set boundaries that I will allow no one to violate and this has helped me understand the need of personal boundaries in healing from abuse. There are many hymns that have the words "my refuge and my strength". I see how "My World of Music" have always been these for me. 


* And this is where the FB page and blog title of "Singing a New Song" originated; it has married my healing journey of "finding myself, healing from abuse and learning to dream again" with the actual world of MUSIC; my love and muse. 
We all deserve to be "Singing a New Song". 

Disclaimer: ALL images have been borrowed and I claim NO ownership in any way. 
Thank you for the use of your wonderful pics.