A Brother's Words; A Sister's Thoughts by Cindy Campbell

On June 21st, 2000, Chris emailed me from a cyber-cafe in the Phillipines. He and a few others took a tour of Corregidor Island. He wrote "If you are not up on your military history, this little island was the last stronghold that the U.S. and Phillipines were holding against Japan in WW2. This is the place where General MacArthur said those famous words, ' I shall return '. I am getting goosebumps typing!!"  While on this trip, Chris had a particularly interesting encounter. "And, get this, this little guy that lived in the hills and fished for a living sold me this original dog tag that he dug up in the jungle. The moment I saw it I just [knew I] have to return it to the family that it belongs to. The soldier's name was Michael P. from Pittsburgh, PA. His wife's name and their home address is on the tag. This is my mission. I choose to accept. I will be so happy to find them and return it!" Chris ended this email to me by suggesting I call our mom ...

The language of music seems to transcend the limitations of mere words. As kids, church hymns were the predominant melodies throughout our house. Even though our mom tried to shield us from "secular" music, the popular songs of the day found their way to our ears. I smile thinking of some of the silly memories that come to mind as I revisit the variety of artists that I found fascinating (and still do) during my younger years. I've been surprised, as an adult, how different songs can evoke an array of emotions!  Music was an important part of my brother's life. I remember him telling me about a song he really loved, and I was a bit surprised. Both the lyrics and the melody are beautiful, haunting, and simple. By the time Chris heard the song for the first time, it had been around for a while. Its message seems to convey a sense of urgency about how quickly life passes us by, while at the same time offering a subtle invitation to fully participate in life. That's o...