Purple Mountain Majesties

I stopped at a scenic overlook this morning just across the Colorado state line.  There wasn't a safe place to stop where I could take a picture of the Welcome to Colorado sign, but I figured this was a better picture anyway.  The song writer got it right when she called the mountains majestic.  I'm sure there are other words that are equally as descriptive, but majestic seems to fit.  I've driven through the Ozarks several times, but this was my first time to drive through the Rockies...or at least the foothills.  You can't help but be awed by the height and power of the mountains.  There are several songs written about or referring to mountains, some literal others figurative, I'm sure you can think of a few.  Several came to mind while I was driving today.

One song that doesn't have to do with mountains, but that I listened to more than once on my drive today was "This is Your Life" by Switchfoot.  If you haven't heard the song, I would recommend looking it up.  Like everything else it can be found on youtube.  Throughout the song, the same question is asked..."This is your life, are you who you want to be?"  I've asked myself that a lot lately.  Driving by myself for hours at a time provides many opportunities for reflection, and that's certainly a question for me to reflect on...am I who I want to be?  Am I who I'm meant to be?

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  It wasn't always organized music...certainly there were piano lessons, the choir, my time in band...but my house growing up was filled with music, long and short car rides, church services...music is everywhere.  One of the little known facts about me is that I love musicals!  My family knows this about me, but it's not a love I share with everyone.  My favorite is the Sound of Music, I can sing every song and probably recite most of the lines if you can get me started.  The first musical that I saw live was Norman High School's production of Grease.  I remember going to the high school auditorium for a middle school field trip and returning with my friend Mary for an evening performance.  We felt so grown up, dressing up, buying our tickets and attending the production by ourselves.  I've been blessed over the years to see other productions live.  My high school had a very active theater department which did a musical each year and last year I got to see my first Broadway production in the theater district of Manhattan.  Of everything I've seen the musical that came to mind most today was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  I've not seen the stage version, only the movie, but it's one I've watched since I was a kid.  I was thinking of that one today as I drove through the Raton Pass.  I doubt all mountain passes are the same, but the scene in the movie where the women scream causing an avalanche that closes the pass came to mind today as I drove.  Like other arts, music is a form of expression that I have a deep appreciation for it.  I'll never create it, but I'll certainly enjoy it.