Melting Snow/Thirsty Flowers

Melting Snow/Thirsty Flowers is the third of five original piano solo CD's of a childhood neighbor of ours, Randall Leonard. This is the poem he wrote which is inside the CD insert:

"The Light dances through the clouds, as emotions swell and then condense to rain down on me.
Rain down on me, with tears of joy that mirror my soul. The sky may darken and yet I grow.
Rain down on me, and wash over my unborn dreams. Illusion is never what it seems.
Rain down on me, and cleanse all my sweet sorrows about tomorrows I will never see*.
Rain down on me. Let the gentle breath of winter's night, transform this moisture, now floating white.
Daylight warms me, and in this moment I claim my power...I am the melting snow for thirsty flowers."

I have given copies of these CD's as gifts. I have all five of them myself. I don't listen to them often enough. Of all the compositions, I like Terra Angelica from his fourth album, Terra Angelica the best. All are hauntingly beautiful. You can find them for sale here as well as learn more about Randall and hear samples of his music.

The young boy I remembered as Randy returned to his hometown around the same time I did. I was still writing freelance articles for the local paper (even after I no longer worked there) when I contacted Randall about doing an interview. Of all the interviews and stories I did, his was my favorite. He was so gracious and adept at putting his feelings about music and life into words. The interview went on much longer than needed just because he was so interesting to talk to. Before I left, he asked if I would like to hear him play something which is when I took this picture. You can read the article I wrote in June, 1998, here.

*Sadly, today is the tenth anniversary of Randall's death. He died one month after his 51st birthday. Another of his writings is inside this funeral card: "Yet it is through experiencing the extremes that we learn balance. So embrace the highs and honor the lows, for their gift is a deepening from which we become the Earth Angels, resonating to the Angelic Earth, Terra Angelica." ---Randall

We could all have learned from him. Our loss was the Angel's gain.