One Family

It is hot, sticky and ominously quiet where even the birds remain silent. Then the first bolt of lightening cracks over the sea. We know that we are soon heading right into the midst of a big electrical thriller.

It was the early 1990s. I certainly never dreamed that moving to the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada, would be the beginning of a whole new creative phase of composing music. And I definitely didn’t know that out of such a powerful wind, rain, hail, lightning and thunder event, I would be led to write a song that is so grounded, pure and all-encompassing. “One Family” has since taken on a life of its own and continues to touch the hearts of people from around the world.

“One family, holding hands
And joined in Being
One family
Look within ourselves and see
One beautiful Being full of Light
We’re just One family
Glowing in Thy sight”

Click Here to listen to an excerpt of “One Family”

We had lived in Coquitlam, BC for 3 years, but the message to move to the Sunshine Coast was coming so strongly to my husband, Tink Robinson, that we finally decided to have a look. The Coast is actually on the mainland, but the quickest route is a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale (near Gibsons, where the Beachcombers TV Series was filmed). We bought a lovely cedar home on a half acre between Roberts Creek and  Sechelt (about a 20-minute drive from the terminal).

There we were in paradise with two ponds and a creek, huge firs and cedars, cherry trees, lush green grass (which took 5 hours to cut …), six rhododendron bushes, azaleas, cherry trees (the crows always picked the berries clean the night before we were planning to gather them …), garden and even an RV pad. Our place was fairly close to the only main narrow highway which wound its way along the coastline.

From our living room picture window, we watched the cruise ships pass by and listened to the bark of sea lions out on White Islet. Then the word got out … “Tink and Judy are living on the Sunshine Coast!” The first summer, people showed up out of the woodwork to come and stay over. No sooner had we unpacked, than we became a free B&B (also lunch, dinner and tours).

Ah such an idyllic haven. Strange though … we wondered why the locals kept asking us if we were there to retire. We weren’t aware that most people move to the Coast to retreat from societies demands.

“Stop working? No way”, we thought. Most of our theater work was in Vancouver which shouldn’t pose much of a problem since the last ferry ran after midnight. However, just after we moved, the schedule changed. Now the last ferry left Horseshoe Bay at 9:15 PM. Many times we would pull up to the dock only to see the ferry leaving the port. Then we would drive for an hour all the way back to Coquitlam to stay with relatives.

Traveling took up a great deal of our time and I was still taking the leadership training in Psychology of Vision® in Hawaii and Vancouver Island. When we were home, we enjoyed the sheer energy of the mountains and sea, went on many hikes, explored and toured visitors around the incredibly beautiful Sunshine Coast. However, we began to wonder why we had moved there. Pondering the ‘meaning of it all’ was my mood on the day of the storm.

The ominous quiet descends. Then we hear the first electrical crack over the water. We begin witnessing the most spectacular light show we have ever seen, rendering fireworks to amateur status. After about 10 minutes the wind adds itself to the mix, the waves begin lashing the shoreline and then big spatters of rain pelt our faces. We run for cover just in time. Now we can barely see to the end of our property. I love the sound of beating rain on a roof but this felt as if the whole sea had been sucked up into the sky and fired back to the earth through a machine gun.

Maybe it is the awesome power of nature that leads me to the piano after the storm subsides. I certainly don’t remember making a decision to write a song. And I would think that after experiencing the turbulence, the music would reflect that mood. Not so. A deep calm glues me to the piano bench. I wait and listen.

“One family
In this world to play our part
One family
One Voice, One Mind, One heart
One family, here we have come to know
We’re just One family, going Home”

With deep gratitude and humility, I tune in and feel the One Spirit. Melody and lyrics are given to me in one continuous harmonic thread. I am told that there is only One of us here. Our destiny is to remember our magnificent ‘authentic Self’, the I AM within and remember our true Home.

We are all One Family. And So It Is.

“One symphony
Blending colors in One song
One symphony
Healing hearts, growing strong
One melody
Pure as the soft winged dove
We’re just One family
Singing our Love

One family
Breathing Love to all the earth
One family
Holding vision for the birth
Of One planet, the healing has begun
This graceful universe, All is One
We are a family
All is ONE”

 

 

To listen to a clip of “One Family” – Click Here (Song #9)  If you would like to download the whole song for 99 cents – Click Here

P.S. I would love you to visit my brand new From Spirit to Story to Song Website Home for more fun and inspirational stories.

While you are there, download my song and FREE Gift for you, “Give Yourself Love”.

© Judy Armstrong 2013