HELPING HORACE HELP HIMSELF

HELPING HORACE HELP HIMSELF
Some Christmas season a few years ago, at the suggestion of Thad Carlson, who introduced me to visiting inmates in the jails and prisons, I went with a friend to visit some “shut-ins” in our neighborhood with a Poinsettia as a holiday offering. I had volunteered to visit the home of Horace Baugh and his wife. The Baugh family had been important in my formative years, as they were a very musical family. Horace’s brother Frank had come to my elementary school to excite us in the creative possibilities of music. He had asserted that music was not necessarily the stuffy art form where people wear “penguin suits” in dark concert halls and play on fancy instruments...he maintained that music was everywhere. He brought bells and whistles and noise makers and made with great delight from us, witty and charming music. He was great! It was my hope in visiting with Horace that I could repay in some small way the joy that the Baugh family had brought to me. When we arrived, Mrs. Baugh quietly confided in us that her husband was very weak and was reluctant to receive visitors. She sadly acknowledged that he was “slipping away” as she put it. We explained that we would only stay a moment, but hoped to bring some holiday cheer. He let us in and took us to the reclining chair where Horace was seated. He looked frail but pleased to see us. We sat down, presented the flower and prepared to leave. In doing so, I asked if perhaps I could leave them with a song that I thought they might enjoy. I went to the piano and began to play “Christmas makes you feel emotional. It may bring parties ???and thoughts devotional. Whatever happens or what may be, ??? here is what Christmastime means to me...City sidewalks, busy side walks dressed in holiday style in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas, Children laughing people passing meeting smile after smile, and on every street corner you’ll hear... During the verse I heard someone moving towards me from behind. When I began the refrain “Silver bells....” I was singing a duet. Horace had gotten out of his chair and was standing beside me singing in perfect harmony the refrain of that wonderful song. When we finished, I turned to see his wife whose eyes were filled with tears of joy. Horace said “have you got any more?” I said “about a million”. We sang a few more at which point Horace said “Dear, don’t we have something we could serve these good people” he went off into the kitchen to prepare a refreshment for us. In his absence, his wife confided that he had not shown this kind of energy for months. What was it? The music!!! I do not mean to presume to say that any form of music will create such an effect, but I wonder how many times we have missed an opportunity by not trying. Mrs. Baugh began to use music more often and the last months of Horace’s life was filled with joy and fraternity with his grandchildren and friends. Is this really such a new discovery? The Greeks used music for healing and energizing millennia ago.