Counting - And Singing - Our Blessings

     Last Friday night, as the Black Friday shopping was winding down,  

...the Black Friday singing was winding up just north of downtown Columbus at Maynard Avenue Methodist Church,

   ...where, after having enjoyed a fine day immersed in the Black Friday buying frenzy, I, with Tom and a friend,  attended the "Alternative to the Black Friday Buying Frenzy Concert Celebrating Our True Blessings"  featuring Columbus's golden-voiced folk troubadour,

Bill Cohen.

     During his years as  the Ohio State House reporter for WOSU, our local National Public Radio affiliate station, Bill Cohen used to treat his fans to one much-loved yearly musical offering,  a fund-raising concert for the Mid-Ohio Food bank  which he called his "Spirit of the1960's Coffee House" celebrating the music, culture, and world-changing events of the 60's.

     But since retiring Bill has become a full-time folk-singer, raising money for good causes by singing 60's folk-music concerts year-round solo or with his singing partner Carl Yaffy, together known as the Folk Ramblers. 

     The good cause Bill was raising money for from his "Celebrating Our True Blessings" concert  was the International Medical Alliance of Tennessee,  a volunteer organization that provides medical care in under-served and vulnerable communities around the world.   Bill's wife Randi travels with this group once a year to the Dominican Republic where she serves as a volunteer translator for the doctors and nurses who provide care to impoverished Haitian workers who live and work just inside the Dominican Republic border.  
      The old Maynard Avenue church, a simple yet beautiful setting for the concert, 

...was packed by the time the time the concert began, mostly with Bill Cohen's folk-music fans who'd been young in the 60's,

...but were now in their 60's.  Or older.

    But who cared?  We were there to kick back and enjoy the old songs, the good songs about the good things. 
      And good songs about good things is what Bill gave us, accompanying himself alternately on guitar,

...and piano,

...sometimes in wonderful ensemble with drummer David Maywhoor or cellist Michael Engels.

   As the theme of the concert was a celebration of our true blessings, Bill chose to start off the evening recalling a blessing that, though we take for granted when young, we start appreciating once we've reached a certain age:  the blessing of waking up every morning to another day, which he celebrated with the song "Zippity Do-dah!".
    And with this opening song the evening turned from a solo concert to a sing-along, as those of us in the audience who cut our teeth  - or, should I say, our ears? -  on that first generation of Walt Disney movie songs couldn't resist jumping right in on that early classic.
    Nor could we resist joining in with many of the other fun tunes and ballads Bill sang, such as Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World",  John Denver's "Sunshine", "The Lord Is Good To Me" from Walt Disney's "Johnny Appleseed",  the Bing Crosby 1950's  hit "Counting Your Blessings",  "Oh, what A Beautiful Morning",  "I Believe,"  "America The Beautiful,"  and a song reminicent of old lovers who've had the blessing of sharing  many years together, the  meltingly beautiful "My Cup Runneth Over With Love."
    Bill also played a 1939 recording of an old Eddie Cantor song called "The Only Thing I want For Christmas Is To Keep The Things I've Got",  which had a chilling effect as Bill reminded us that over the next few years as events exploded across Europe millions would lose everything they had, many millions their lives.
    Between songs Bill offered some thoughtful quotes, in his words "reminding us of our many. many blessings on Planet Earth"  among them this quote attributed to Buddha:
   Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us be thankful.
    Bill sang and led us in song for two delightful hours, at the end of which he  stayed around to mingle with his appreciative audience.  I went up to him and thanked him for the music, taking his hands. 
    "Oh wow, your hands are ice cold!"  I remarked.
    "It's 'cause I'm nervous,"  he replied with a self-depreciating smile.
    "Oh, well, you know, you really don't have to be," I told him.
     Anyway, each morning since the concert I now wake up and find myself starting the day with a chorus of "Zippity Do-Dah!"  It makes kind of a nice complement to the "Thank You" prayer.