Thank Goodness My Music Returned

by Michael Wheeler

Music has always been part of my life. I have always been a singer: in church, school choirs, high school class musicals. When I was 17 I started to enjoy folk music. I learned to play the guitar and started performing at coffee houses in Ohio. Later on I joined with another folk singer and we even got paid for doing what we loved so much...what could be better? Vietnam caused us to go our separate ways. After 4 years in the Air Force and using the GI Bill for a Masters Degree, I began working in Veterans Hospitals. Thank goodness my music returned. Every Christmas I would go around the hospital with my guitar and sing to our patients. When I was CEO of the Cleveland VA Hospital, I even talked our Chief of Staff to play his guitar with me and sing to our patients and staff. I also joined a community choir that was good enough to play the boardwalk in Atlantic city and Hershey Park.

I will always remember when my father died I played my guitar and sang "How Great Thou Art" at his funeral. It was my personal way of saying goodbye to a great man and dad.

Fourteen years ago I retired. Again suddenly music was out of my life. Luckily I had joined a bowling league and although I was a lousy bowler, the people were nice. One of these nice people was a member of the Settlement Singers. One day we were on our way out the door and she asked if anyone was a singer and would be interested in joining her group at The Music Settlement. When I heard that question I sang out in my loudest voice 'do!" The rest is history or I should say "the rest is MUSIC!"