Thx Recon.
I'm thankful; I'm VERY grateful. I count my blessings and try not to get ahead of myself.
So then, what can I give? What can I contribute? (to any group)
Yes, sometimes we can share our talent...I brought music...which I shared ...and it was special to share it with the youngsters...but at other times, it's a matter of really being present, listening to others, getting to know them better, getting caught up with where they are at in life....I almost just enjoy being in the background and being a good listener better than anything else at these types of gatherings. ....
So many times at family gatherings I/we are expected to perform, to make music....which is good, don't get me wrong...it's a big part of our family tradition....but then I think about the younger generation following up....will they keep the music alive? Hmmmm.
Well, very next morning soon after breakfast guess what the next generation did (cousins)? They spontaneously started making music together...singing the songs they love to sing, not necessarily all the old songs....which is fine...I've told my kids to just play music they enjoy...pick songs they really like and learn to play those songs...in this way I think they are more likely to keep it up...if they had been FORCED to only play all the traditional songs they heard growing up it may have felt like "exercising" more than just making music.
One of my mentors said: You don't really need to practice scales...pick songs you LIKE... and play those songs....scales are boring and repetitious...if you love what you do you will more likely keep doing it....