Mom Music and Memories

    I remember Mom always had the radio on when I was pretty young, tuned to the local country station WCBK in Martinsvile. They still have the same DJ to this day, Randall Wayne! Whether  she weeded the flowers, gave us baths, cooked, cleaned or did laundry, she did it with music. Her favorites that I remember were the Statler Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys and most especially Hank Williams.
     I have always had a deep love for music. Country and gospel are nostalgic for me because I formed strong connections to them at a really young age. These are my foundation, and my first love. Even though I moved on to a lot of other stuff in high school, I have come full circle.
     Although I loved the style she did,  Mom was completely against the artists who stole my heart: George Jones? Rode a lawn mower to the liqueur store AND nicknamed the Possum. Johnny Cash? Drug addicted jail bird. Willie Nelson? Wife beating pot head. Hank Williams Jr? Poor reflection of his Daddy. I could go on.

     Obviously Moms impressions of these guys did not stop me-I still love the sounds of their voices. And I love the Statler Brothers (given a huge boost by the Man in Black by the way!) and Hank too. We definitely agree on one thing though-we neither one can stand Conway Twitty. Ava does not have this hang up unfortunately.
     I carry on the tradition-listening to the local country and oldies stations in the kitchen and the car. Ava has a strong idea of what she likes, and usually that is different from what I like. Clementine generally responds most to the stuff I like. She claps, squeals, and waves her hands over her head!
    Let's not even get into gospel too much, beyond this: I miss it. I get so excited when the musicians do something "old" on Sunday mornings, but it's a rarity. I'm not a fan of modern Worship music, and no one seems to sing the old hymns I grew up with. I need to find some good CDs.

     I love the way my girls love music, as I did. I love hearing something I listened to with my Mom and saying to them, "Grammy loved this song! It's..." I think it's important to include kids in your passions, instead of making the whole world kid-centric at all times. And I can't wait to take them to Nashville this fall...I know they'll love it!

     What have you passed on to your kids from your mom? I'd love to know! I'm really into traditions, and it's so interesting what gets passed on isn't it?