Lawrence Welk Show

I was just flipping through the channels on the television and the Lawrence Welk Show was on.  It was my father's favorite show and we listened to it every week when I lived at home.  Daddy was a musician and loved to hear the songs that they played on the show.  When I see the show it reminds me of him. 

All my life I can remember hearing Daddy play his alto saxophone.  He bought it when he was 16 years old and the story goes that he ordered it from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram newspaper and paid $60 for it.  He overheard his mother and father talking about it and his mother said "Aint that a sight, T paying $60 for a horn."  I am sure it did seem an outrageous price at that time in 1926 but he got his money out of it because he taught himself to play it and played it all his life.  He loved music and whenever his family got together each person would bring out an instrument and someone would play the piano and they made beautiful
music.  My niece recorded him playing one day and we played the recording at his own funeral. 

My older sister and I both tried to play the sax in the band and I was a bit more successful than she was but I never really was very good.  I remember my band teacher having me march on the outside in a parade but he told me not to blow the horn.  I marched much better than I played.  Even so I have always loved music, too, and my son did play the same saxophone all the way through high school. 

So watching the Lawrence Welk Show brings back fond memories.  It seems like life was much simpler then and we were more innocent.  Perhaps it was because we did not have access to all the information that we have today.  I am not really one to look back and think things were better then because I think we are more open and honest as a society today but there was definitely a sweetness in life when I was younger and perhaps it was just becasue I was younger.  Anyway if you get a chance tune in to a PBS station and watch Lawrence Welk and see what memories it brings for you.