Hive Open Mic ( #openmic ) is a global community of music lovers, for music fans and musicians. Each week is a new invitation for expression and connection.
It's Father's Day weekend, and I'm feeling some powerful energy relating to my role as a dad, along with a connection to my dad, my granddads, and the Heavenly Father. I'm thankful for a film project that brought me to a Lakota Sundance ceremony, where I connected with Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery) and Tunkasila (Grandfather), through ancient songs.
The song I'm sharing here is called "Dear Elder," exploring the many facets of patience, as a virtue, as it relates to parenthood. The melody and words originated at a men's retreat with 40 brothers. We were in a mystical place where thousands of tipis have stood over time: a desert on the Rio Grande River bordering Mexico, in Big Bend, Texas.
Dear elder you take a full breath
When the children make a mess
I will take a full breath
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you quiet down and listen
When the children interrupt
I will quiet down and listen
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you practice silence
When the children raise their voices
I will practice silence
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you meet them eye-to-eye
When the children want attention
I will meet them eye-to-eye
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you go slow as a turtle
When the children test the time
I will go slow as a turtle
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you stop and smell the roses
When the children bud and blossom
I will stop and smell the roses
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you volunteer a hug
When the children push and tug
I will volunteer a hug
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you speak only the truth
When the children lie to you
I will speak only the truth
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you offer up a hand
When the children reach for you
I will offer up a hand
So I will honor the children
Dear elder you live life after life
When the children go and miss you
I will live life after life
So I will honor the children
In sync with our weekly theme, I had the pleasure of seeing some turtles when I went adventuring with my sons, Daniel and Gabriel. We took a canoe ride on the downstream side of Barton Springs Pool, leading to Lady Bird Lake, in downtown Austin, Texas. The date was June 9, 2020. Something surprising happened while we were watching people jump from the Barton Creek Pedestrian Bridge: A canoe tipped over, leaving a family capsized!
We happened to have our GoPro running, watching people jump from the Barton Creek Pedestrian Bridge, when a family tipped over on their canoe. We were the first to respond, lending the people our canoe and catching their shoes while helping them to turn their canoe upright. Sadly, they couldn't keep afloat. So the boys and I had the pleasure of further helping the people by bringing them to the shore and returning their canoe to the boat dock. I feel proud of these boys and their willingness to be Warriors of the Light.
All words and music are original, composed March 2, 2019 and recorded June 17, 2020. I'm thankful for the spark of inspiration that led me to this moment, with this song for this occasion. I feel grateful for the opportunity to share my art. This song fits the current Hive Open Mic theme: "Slow Down," with its overall laid-back pace and its line about going as slow as a turtle.
Hive Open Mic - Week 10 is underway right now, with the current theme: "Slow Down."
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