Another Time, Another Place

I just watched an old video of Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1986. It was a PBS special, and they were celebrating 25 years together. The songs they sang were timeless and their voices were still in good form that year. “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “If I Had a Hammer” and others were sung with enthusiasm and received by the huge audience with equally great enthusiasm.
Watching this video was kind of a thought-provoking time for me. I grew up with their songs. I sung along on the radio with them when they played. I have their earlier recordings. And I’ve followed them through the years. Sometimes during the performance, I was able to take myself back to those years. Other times, I thought about how much we’ve all changed, yet nothing really has changed. Sometimes, I’d just enjoy the music, the professionalism, and the performance.
They did not sing “The Great Mandela” or “Its Raining, Its Pouring,” but they did sing many others of my favorites. It’s an old video, but one I’ll keep. My boys will, when I’m gone and they’re going through my things, wonder why I kept it. I’ll watch it only a few more times in my lifetime, I suspect, but that’s OK. Sometimes, we need to be taken to another time, another place. For me, music is a good way to do that.