By Rich Osborne
Many of you know Marj Watkins.
Air Force wife, writer, artist, charitable donor, and a dozen other roles in the 102 years of her life. She has a new role. She now has a performance venue for Island Musicians.
It started innocently enough. I lead “The Island Rockers” in the “Music Mends Minds” (MMM) Program at the Vashon Senior Center at 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday. One day,I was talking to Marj about it. She told me how much she missed the music.
It came to us that we should bring music to her house.
So I brought my guitar and songbook and we sang together with a couple family members.
It was awesome! She absolutely lights up while we are singing.
Someone (my wife Suzanna Leigh, maybe?) told Erin Durrett about it.
Erin brought a small group of singers from the Church of the Holy Spirit Church Choir.
Marj was a member there for many decades. I heard that it was a big hit.
Then the Threshold Choir brought their wonderful healing magical mysteries (No Beatles) to her.
Then Jane Valencia brought her harp.
Music Mends Minds returned with two ukuleles, (Laurie & B. J.).And on and on. I have had other singers ask to join us.
We will continue as long as we can.
I am now getting a background check to be able to go out to sing with other folks who are homebound.It will take the time it takes. Then we will see how it goes.In the meantime, we will just keep singing. All volunteers. No cost.
Vashon Rotary club put up the startup money for MMM. They continue to support our program. Yay! Rotary.
It’s good for us. It’s healthy. It’s definitely better than politics.
