| Oh
the beauty, and the innocence of a six year old child!
Too young to be self-conscious, or care what others
think, and free enough to sing the song of her soul.
Such insight of a third grade teacher who would take
that little girl from her first-grade classroom and
share her gift with the second and third grade classes.
Equal was the wisdom of her first grade teacher who
supported this, knowing the importance of self-esteem.
 This is where it all began for her, some years ago. Knowing
as a child, that this gift of music was one of her
Divine Purposes for Being, she would step
up on a make-shift stage that she and her younger
sister would create, so that she could "sing forth
her heart". Never having experienced a concert hall
or a crowd, there was no way of knowing what that
might look like, yet that is what she remembers
envisioning. "I would close my eyes, and there I
would see people's faces, and heads as far as I
could see."
Now
she knows exactly what that looks and feels like.
"Music
was a very big part of my life, having grown up
in a large family with 5 siblings who were also
musically inclined. Both of my parent's families
could not have survived without music in some fashion.
Back then, they produced home recordings. There's
something about the nostalgia of picturing them
sitting around in a huge living room with the record
maker/player. My influences while growing up were
the older country singers and later in my teens,
the folk singers sang my songs. Everything I would
hear, I would think, "I wish I would have done
that song!" I would listen to any album
that I could get my hands on and if it was a singer
that I resonated with, I was writing down the lyrics
and running off to my room to put the words to guitar
chords that would fit my vocal range. Major influences
in my teens were Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Peter,
Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Melanie, Linda Ronstadt,
and later on Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Pam
Tillis. Although I couldn't sing like Janis Joplin,
her version of 'Me and Bobby McGee' was the absolute
best, as far as I was concerned. That song came
to me quite naturally at the age of 13, and to this
day, it is still one of the songs that I perform
the most. I even re-recorded it, including
on my album The Wind Beneath My Wings."
 "Oh
the joy of choosing to live, and be blissful through
sharing one's Divine Gift. What magic in
being that Divine Star rather than choosing
to orbit someone else's. Such a gift that I receive
as you allow it to enter your heart and life so
that I may live my ultimate dream... my ultimate
reality."
Blessings
of Peace,
Joy and Love to All.
Cathy
Bolton
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