From early on, the sound of music filled our house. My mom always had a myriad of instruments scattered around our living space: guitars, a dulcimer, a violin, a viola, recorders, flutes, a cello, and various percussion instruments. I remember the joy I took in hosting “dance events” in our living room. I would dress up in something pretty and flowy and dance across our wood floor to my favorite Gabriel Roth or Enya piece. She also loved to go to various musical events and festivals. I remember very fondly the nights I would fall asleep in a chair at The Ark in Ann Arbor listening to singer songwriters play their folk songs while my mom rubbed my back in time with the rhythm. With her friends and her instruments, I would tag along and get immersed in music jams, sing-alongs, and living room folk tunes. We had this one book, "Rise Up Singing" that was our go-to for chords and lyrics to our favorite songs. When it was just me and her in my bedroom, we would sing from the Play section and get lost in On Top of Spaghetti or The Big Rock Candy Mountain. A couple times my mom tried to get me to play a musical instrument, but it always ended up with me feeling incompetent and giving up because my fingers were tired or the rhythm didn't make sense to me. It wasn’t until college that I actually committed to an instrument: the guitar. When I started playing around with different songs, learning chords, it felt very natural. I am no musical prodigy, but I take great joy in complementing the many songs we sang together with the guitar she later sent me as a birthday/Christmas present. I named this guitar solace, for it brought me much peace during rough patches in the first few semesters of college. Sadly, I only had a couple years to glean from her some musical knowledge and techniques. However, I am blessed to have had the time I had. The last time I went to New Mexico to visit my mom, she could still play the guitar with her arm propped in a particular way. It was lovely sharing some of the songs I had managed to build into my repertoire. We enjoyed a few late nights playing old tunes and trading harmonies. I am so glad we got to share so much music and I hope to continue sharing what I learned with other people in my life. From her connection to music stemmed my passion for music and dance, and my life is that much richer for it. - Clara