Delicious Morsel #5 – Rest Your Heart

The song “Rest Your Heart” was written in memory of a college classmate, nature lover and friend. In honor of her, I played Douglas Fir cones as instruments, and Gary Mula created rhythms on a pencil holder. See if you can identify them in the mix. We also used a PVC pipe as a didjeridoo, mimicked a bird call by blowing through clenched hands, and added sparkles at the beginning by plucking guitar tuning strings. The possibilities are endless!

Delicious Morsel #5
Rest Your Heart
January 19, 2017

The first person to request a custom song during the CD fundraising campaign was my friend, Greg Clemons, who I met when getting my undergraduate degree in Recreation & Park (RP) Administration.  I still remember him introducing himself, ‘Clemons.  That’s “lemons” with a “C.”’  Ha, ha…  He’s still very funny!

Greg and I had a mutual friend, Belinda, and the three of us were fanatics about participating in every outdoor activity organized by the RP Dept.  Every backpack, birdwatch, spelunking and canoeing excursion, we were there fully immersed.  Besides the beauty, education and fun of these adventures, I remember us laughing all the time.  Maybe we all happened to have a similar sense of humor.  In any case, it was good, clean fun with big hearted people.

About 15 years ago, I found out after the fact that Belinda had passed away.  I was living across the country and a friend of a friend told me the news.  It was quite a surprise.

Many years passed when Greg asked for a custom song, and he said that he would like it to be in some way reminiscent of Belinda.  So, with my attention on the love that the three of us shared, and the wonderful spirit of Belinda, I put this request out to the universe and asked to be shown how to proceed.  The result is a sweet, comforting song that speaks to the fact that love always remain.  A few of the lyrics are, “Rest your heart in the arms of knowing that all is well in this sweet day.” And another is, “… all the love that we ever share, the heart knows.”  The words in this melody also hint at how when we put our attention on someone or something, we truly are connecting with them on some level.

In honor of our love of nature, I played a pair of Douglas Fir cones in this song… brushing them together to create a soft, soothing rhythm.  Gary simultaneously added to the percussion with a metal, mesh pencil holder, which I am now realizing speaks to us meeting in an academic setting.

The song starts with sounds that echo the mystical side of life, including a homemade didgeridoo (PVC pipe).  While a skilled didj player could have contributed something more interesting, I like its presence in this piece.  The didgeridoo is a tool and an instrument traditionally used by Aboriginal people in ceremonies, healings, meditations, and more.  To me it also represents the constant, deep hum of Sound and vibration throughout all of creation, constant and unending.

So, this song, “Rest Your Heart,” is a tribute to loving relationships of any kind, in any period of time – the past, present &/or future.  Love is infinite, beyond time or space, and always remains in the heart.

Thank you for your request, Greg, and for your generous spirit.

As far as the CD goes, Gary and I are literally making final tweaks on a handful of song mixes, and then the music is to be mastered.  I keep reminding myself that anything of quality is worth waiting for… the first crocus in spring, juicy tomatoes at summer’s end, and the songs of migrating birds after a long winter.  Thanks for your patience and love.

Janie

Top photo of Douglas Fir cones by Janie Worm.

*The Delicious Morsel series were posts shared with those who supported the Set Me Free CD recording project by pre-ordering music, requesting custom songs, and making donations towards my fundraising campaign on Indigogo. I am so appreciative of this group of stellar beings.

Non-traditional instruments – Douglas Fir cones, metal mesh pencil holder with ink pen, PVC pipe didjeridoo, bird call made with hand whistles, and guitar tuning peg strings adding the opening sparkles.

Photograph by Janie Worm at the Birdhouse.

We added musical sparkles by plucking tuning strings on the guitar head.

Photo by Gabriel Barletta on Unsplash