It Struck A Chord

It all started a couple of nights ago when I sat back to listen to a video of my brother, Tunker Campbell, as he played and sang.  And, thanks to my wonderful sister who brought this man into our family many years ago – but that’s another story for another time. I beamed with pride as I watched those finger move up and down the strings making beautiful music. He struck chords most of us will never know or be able to replicate. It was beautiful. Then it hit me …

“I can share this video with my friends on Facebook.”

And, off I went! I hit buttons I didn’t know existed and got myself into a real muddle. Not good with all the intricacies of Facebook I sent it off somewhere and then couldn’t find where in the world it had gone UNTIL Facebook graciously sent me a message that one of my friends liked it on  Story.

“Huh? Story?”

Really! I couldn’t picture Mike stopping to read one of my stories and then, to say he liked it.  Well, I was so flattered! I was about to send him a thank you message. Of course, I was intending to start off with some smart remark like  “Mike! First of all I didn’t know you could even read.”

You see, in my head, story automatically refers to one of the books I read or the stories I publish in the blog on my website. Luckily, something clicked in place and my son bailed me out with information and instructions on the Facebook features “Story” and Timeline”.

It Struck A Chord

Looks like an album cover. A life’s worth of music.

“It’s not that hard”, he said to me once.
“It’s only 6 strings.”

Source: D. David Bouzane

Photo: @ Geoff Goodyear (shared with permission).
Click HERE to visit Geoff’s website

Tunker is amazing! He can make those strings talk.

In our family we are blessed with a number of people who can play guitar, and play it well.  Some sing. Some play piano. Some can do it all.  I am betting it is the same with your families. There’s so much talent.  And then there are those of us who, at least, ‘give it a good try’.  Oh yes … it’s only 6 strings.

Remember when you or your child picked up a trumpet for the first time, the flute, piano accordion, or a guitar. Or, perhaps it was the sound of a voice trying to hit a note that went sour.   Can’t you just hear it!

For many who have been connecting on Facebook or other social media over the last couple of weeks, none of it mattered. While we certainly have witnessed so much talent and loved every bit of it, none of us have been looking for perfection. It didn’t matter if the painting was strange or smudged, if the photo was blurred and the lighting wrong, if the songs were sung out off tune or if words were misspelled in a poem or poster. It has been beautiful.

With lessons aside, I sat back to watch the fun that people are having and the innovative games being played.  And I watched and listened to quite a number of the wonderful music videos that people far and wide are creating and sharing as we all cope with the covid-19 crisis. Regardless of race, creed, colour, religion and all the different labels we have managed to place on each other – on humanity – we reach out because we need each other.

It struck a chord.

© 2020 Beulah Peyton Bouzane

“Land God Gave to Cain’ © Tunker Campbell
A song he wrote about his father, Glyn Campbell, who was a trapper from Mulligan