Look to the rainbow

A couple of Sundays ago, I was eating breakfast with Suz and we had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word on the TV.  We were enjoying our breakfast and Sunday morning chat with the beautiful background music when all of a sudden I recognized a tune they were singing that immediately brought such a surge of emotions that I could hardly contain them.  I ran down to the family room and sat close to the TV as the choir sang "Look to the Rainbow" and did one of the best renditions I've heard.  

Now let me tell you what makes this song so special.  My sisters loved watching movies over and over and over growing up.  The movie Finian's Rainbow became a popular repeat in our home mostly because we LOVED the songs.  "Look to the Rainbow" was a favorite of my sister Shannon who passed away last October.  We have a home video of her when she was very young, just belting it out in her proudest voice with her best Irish accent and making up words she doesn't know!  

As the choir sang the lovely tune, I just sat and cried with my sweet wife next to me, holding me and comforting me.  This phrase was very fitting and rang true with me "Tis a rhyme for your lips, and a song for your heart, to sing it whenever the world falls apart."  

As I listened to them sing I became overwhelmed with gratitude that I have such great memories because of my sister.  Without Shannon, I wouldn't love that song and it wouldn't tug at my heartstrings.  It was almost like she was giving me a message through her memory...thats there a lots of places I can turn "when the world falls apart" even to a song from a silly childhood movie.  Although I miss her like crazy, I am so thankful she's my sister and for the role she played in my life!  

Various members of my family are participating in the Salt Lake Marathon on April 18.  Some are running the marathon, some the 5k, some the half marathon (me).  We're doing this to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Research.  Please click HERE to donate whatever you can!  $1, $5, $10, all amounts are welcome.  Just give whatever you can in memory of my sweet sister Shannon and to help others like my sister Lindy to live fuller, healthier lives.  

Click here for the song clip from the movie in the opening credits.  The Motab version is better but this gives an idea of the song and the movie (for some reason the movie isn't as good as when I was little, but I still love the songs).  Hopefully the choir will record their song for all of us to enjoy!