Research has long shown that music (both instrumental and worded) is processed in a different part of our brain than simple speech. How often have we found ourselves resorting to a sing-songy style when addressing a pet or child, after noticing it garnered more attention?
Looking back, there have been musical pieces that resonated with me, that spoke to a deep spot within my psyche and heart. In elementary school, Ferde Grofe’s “Grand Canyon Suite” melted me each time I heard any of the movements. In high school, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” struck me as so powerful I sang it in our school’s talent show! Later, Wolfgang Mozart’s “Piano Concerto 21,” written in 1785, known as “Elvira Madigan” was hummed or whistled to my horses as I trained them. “Amazing Grace” in any form or language has also long been a favorite. Now there is a song written in 2001 by Rolf Løvland and Brendan Graham that seems to fit my health journey.
“You Raise Me Up” has come to symbolize how we, as a community, are there for each other. I see it not as a religious song, but a secular song of support. We may often feel alone in our struggles, in our concerns, but there is a kindred group readily available to help us through those tough times. We share our experiences, our own paths, and the sometimes convoluted twists and turns of everyday life with others who understand pretty much just how we feel. We learn to feel hope again, that we can get through this. We learn there are others who have been where we are and are willing to share what got them from one day to the next. We can express ourselves freely and know that we are “preaching to the choir!”
It’s not easy to reach out and let someone know we could use a helping hand. It can be confusing—how do I do this, how do I seek the support and camaraderie? So we may sit quietly. Sometimes the answer comes on padded soft feet, sometimes it comes in roaring like a freight train.
Renal Support Network and Mayo Clinic Connect have both been instrumental for me to both seek answers and support, and to offer the same in return. We lift each other up when we reach out and find that helping hand. That mountain is not as difficult to climb, nor is that sea too rough to navigate, knowing there is someone there. For many of us, just knowing there is someone reading or listening to our words can help us process the quandaries we find ourselves in.
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then I am still and wait here in the silence
Until you come and sit a while with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas.
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be.
On those days when it seems bleak, when there is yet another tough decision to be faced, I am buoyed by this song, and by the “community of we” that I have chosen to join and be a part of. Relishing the sense of common experiences, and knowing there is someone who will reach back to me when I reach out, makes it all worth the effort to have taken that first step.
A long-time kidney disease patient, Ginger handles daily peritoneal dialysis since September 2022, along with treatment for multiple myeloma. She has been a volunteer mentor for Mayo Clinic Connect (connect.mayoclinic.org) for over 5 years.
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