A Love for Music

I've grown up with music my whole life. One of my favorite memories is when my mom would sing me to sleep with the primary song, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." Music, you could say, runs in my blood. I was trained to sing harmony with my sister and my mom as soon as I could talk. I remember getting upset that we would have to sing for various church functions, and how everyone would comment on how cute my raspy voice sounded. But now, I'm grateful for that opportunity I had to sing with such talented women. I envy both my mom and sister because I always thought they had a much better singing voice than me. I know where they got their beautiful talent - my Grandpa Peterson.

My grandfather had the most beautiful baritone voice known to man. He was born to sing. I guess that's why the Peterson clan is so talented in the music area. I think we each received a piece of his love for music. I miss his sweet voice, his short temper, and his great Scrabble games. Here's some awesome pictures of him during his acting/singing career:

Camelot (on Broadway)
Would you look at those legs! (Gramps is on the left)

Man of La Mancha (My ultimate favorite musical he ever performed)

After he died, a memorial was given in his honor, and my family was impressed to hear from what was then, an Apostle of the Lord - Thomas S. Monson. (My grandpa had been involved in various Church productions, hence the reason why a Church leader spoke). I had the rare opportunity to meet with President Monson after the memorial and as he shook my hand (and some of my other family members around me) he told us to keep the musical legacy of my Grandfather alive. Those simple words will always echo in my mind.

So tonight, when Daniel and I put some music on while we waited for the internet to start working again, I felt my baby kick up a storm. We played everything from Claude Debussy to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I hate to admit it, only because Daniel loves it so much, but the baby wasn't as active when we listened to ska. (I take it that our baby does not like ska. I'm not too disappointed about that...) The baby kicked the most when we played the Debussy station on Pandora. No wonder. I always feel the closest to heaven, happiness, and peace when I listen to classical music. There's just something about those classical instruments that plucks at my heartstrings. (At least I'd like to think the baby was bouncing around because it liked the music...)

The reason why I'm saying all this is because I want to pass on my love for music to my children - but not just any music. I want to pass on the love for classical, spiritual, and uplifting music. I want them to feel the same joy and peace I feel when a violin hits that heavenly note, when the piano slides into that beautiful melody, or when a voice sounds like chocolate - smooth and elegant. I want to pass on the legacy that my Grandfather lived to my children. I want them to sing, dance, and play all sorts of instruments. This is something that as a mother, I hope I do not neglect teaching my children.