Happy February and Happy Valentine's Day!  Although winter is still far from over in Chicago it is encouraging to see a little more sun and longer days this month.

During the dark, cold days of winter many of us crave comfort foods.  We enjoy preparing and eating hearty soups and stews.  Valentine's Day gives us an excuse to consume chocolate, the ultimate comfort food.  Fortunately, current research indicates that chocolate is actually good for us!

I have recently begun to regard music as a type of comforting nourishment for the soul.  I am using it to combat the depressing effects of the gloomy weather, disturbing world news and divisive political rhetoric which currently surround us.

Of course, music therapists are very familiar with the power of music to comfort and ease pain.  A number of hospitals bring in musicians to play for patients.  I remember hearing a presentation at an NWSMTA meeting by a group of harpists who specialized in playing for hospice patients.  The sound of their harps was incredibly beautiful and peaceful.  As a church musician I have been able to witness the consolation afforded to grieving families by the music which they select for funeral services.  One of my students even told me that after their family dog died his mother asked him to play for her and said that it helped her to feel better.

I do listen to music while working at home or driving.  However, I have decided that the best tool for lifting my spirits is big, black, and sitting in my living room!  Even on busy days I am trying to make time to sit down and play music that I love.  Regardless of what I choose to play it just feels good to move my fingers across the keys and bask in the sound.  I find that it is both soothing and meditative.

I will close with a quote from Oliver Sacks, the author of Musicophilia:"Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear."