Our Take: Be Thankful for Music

It’s the weekend of Thanksgiving and everyone’s on the run,
They are cooking and shopping and finding ways to have fun.
But amid all the excitement, while we enjoy those near to us,
It is time to count our blessings and acknowledge what is dear to us.

We all cherish health and the hope of success,
We value restraint and avoid the excess,
We want those we love to be happy with their lives,
To love their children, their husbands and their wives.

We pray for peace on earth though we know otherwise,
We see wars and conflict every day with our own eyes.
It would be easy to assume that the sadness will prevail,
That any efforts of ours would be to no avail.

For those who are religious, they seek solace in their belief, 
For those who are not, it’s more difficult to find relief.
Though it provides no answers, our music can assist,
In the long road of life, it can help us persist.

There is a message in jazz that I always remember,
A great tune requires the effort of every member.
On the bandstand each plays one after another,
Then they join in the end, as if each were a brother.

Some play good and some play great, 
But everyone on the bandstand carries their weight.
Even the very best cannot make music alone.
They need each other to achieve the right tone.

Now if you fought with those players, the music would stop.
There would be no harmony, no melody, no Jazz or Be Bop.
Was the battle worth the pain, 
What objective did you gain?
Your life would be reduced to a failure and a flop.

When those around you are upsetting you so,
And your anger is brewing and your temper may go,
That’s the time to remember our music and how it is played.
All alone can be scary, with others you are not afraid.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, count your blessings, please do.
For life is very fragile and may not be going well for you,
But with music in your heart and a song in your head,
You’ll be strong for the future no matter where you are led.

Be grateful that you have music in your life. It was a very good choice.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz, David Foster: The Hitman Cruise and Top Shelf Country Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

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