By now I’m sure most of you have seen the spontaneous duet which took place last week at Portland State University. Madisen Hallberg decided to celebrate her virtual graduation by singing the national anthem. As she began to video her heartfelt rendition, the most unexpected gift appeared out of nowhere.
Emmanuel Henreid heard her and asked the cameraman if he could join her. As serendipity would have it – Emmanuel or Onry as his friends call him, a trained opera singer, turned out to be the perfect voice of harmony for Madisen’s lovely instrument. Ebony and Ivory . . . came together in perfect harmony, singing our country’s national anthem without an ounce of preparation, practice or pretense.
Just as the moment was spontaneous, so was America’s response of chills, tears and heartfelt swell of joy when viewing the video.
Against the recent backdrop of protective masks and social distancing, mayhem in the streets and the much needed wake-up call response to our country’s virus of systemic racism, we Americans were in desperate need of a harmonious hug.
Many of us have been asking, “Have we lost our way”? Are we still the country which stretches out our arms and extends this message to the immigrant hoping for a better tomorrow?
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
For those longing to hear an uplifting melody of hope, there has been no joyous refrain to quell the dissonance of division.
Until spontaneously, on a beautiful afternoon on the campus of Portland State University, Madison and Onry’s voices came together and reminded us all of the song of freedom and love which is for all Americans. We are all dreamers. We are all one human race. We are all the tired and poor yearning to breathe free.
The impromptu duo’s message? “It was a beautiful moment that we shared,” he told ABC News, “and in that moment, I realized that it’s essential for us to raise our voices in empowerment and in love for one another.”
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
