My Dad
In her heartfelt blog post, "My Dad," Dr. Melissa Sonners reflects on the profound impact her father had on her life through the shared experience of music. She describes how her father introduced her to the stories embedded within songs during rides in his black Maxima, which not only shaped her deep appreciation for music but also influenced her emotional and creative expression. This legacy continues to inspire her daily, enriching her life and work with a deep-seated love for storytelling through music.
Someone recently asked me what my BEST memory with my dad was. It was an interesting question and at the time I didn’t have the space to come up with the answer.
And then, as typically happens- when I spent some time in the quiet, the answer came to me.
Experiencing MUSIC together.
My dad taught me about music.
He laid out the red carpet for me in a way he probably didn’t even realize he was doing. He opened up a world for me that has probably been one of the greatest GIFTS & foundations in my life.
He showed me the STORIES that lie within the lyrics.
We would ride around in his black Maxima- it had an INCREDIBLE sound system, and BLAST the tunes. During the chorus he would sometimes turn down the music JUST long enough to tell me about the story that the singer was sharing. Their diary was shared for all of us to hear.
He taught me about songs like “Candle in The Wind.” The story of Norma Jeane, better known as “Marilyn Monroe.” It’s still, and will ALWAYS be one of my favorites. If you haven’t ever heard it, go listen.
Music has always been an incredible ESCAPE for me. A way to DAYDREAM & FEEL the world SO DEEPLY from the HEART, rather than the MIND.
When we were little and would take the 12 hour drive from Ohio back to our hometown in Minnesota, I would spend most of the car ride listening to music. If I had a new CD for the ride I would look at the lyrics page and learn the lyrics to every song, the story behind the music for those 12 hours while my brother slept through 🙂
I was so inspired by what BEAUTY could come from tragedy, trauma, challenge and adversity.
That someone’s struggle and story could be cleaned up and turned into a symphony that would LITERALLY move others, sometimes to TEARS.
I have always had a DEEP love of music. I know I am taking care of myself when I wake with a song in my head and my heart. This song becomes my anthem, sometimes for a day, sometimes for the week. I play it as often and as loud as I can.
These songs I gravitate to have always been (without me fully realizing it until now) about someone’s challenge turned into victory, growth or shift.
I have always been so deeply moved and drawn to watching musicians documentaries about their lives and how they got to where they were. I like seeing ALL that they went through to get there. I get inspired by them showing the difficult road that they CHOSE to take in order to get to their NORTH STAR.
I’ve actually jokingly said that G*d forgot to give me a good voice, I was meant to sing with how much I love music and stories.
But now I realize, it’s all come together. For now, this podcast is my sheet music. My guests’ stories are the notes and I am building out my song.
Taking my time while the lyrics take life ♥
Thanks Dad
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