OUR SOULS
BY: KATHRYN MELOY
NOV 2, 2024

Announcements: WOW! Look at all 75 of you beautiful people! We are so humbled we almost reached full capacity in just two weeks of 80 folks! For those of you who are new, thank you for going out on a limb to experience our special little event, and to you returnees, welcome back you heart rock ranchers! You all inspire us to keep putting on this event every year.

We have lots of new faces here today so please introduce yourselves. You all share something in common with one another which is a kind giving heart.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kathryn Meloy. I own Streamline Interior Designs and I'm also the Secretary for the Salado Music Friendly Community Board. The board organizes small to large music events and festivals here in Salado like our monthly musician networking & jam sessions, the Porch and Planet Festival, and most recently, The International Make Music Day Event that takes place Globally on the summer and winter solstice dates.

This is my wonderful husband Glen who will be opening for our spotlight musician, The Amanda Brown. Before we get started, the returnees know I like to kick things off with a little speech, so I hope this resonates with someone out there.

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Speech: Throughout the year, I’ve been reflecting on our souls and exploring ways how to express to others what it is exactly. Pretty deep huh? Do any of y’all remember Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy on Saturday Night Live in the 80's? anyway, I here are my thoughts. I think we all have something we have passions that stem from souls whether it's Casey working tirelessly for the charity we are supporting today, or Amanda radiating her soul through her music, or Glen and I pouring our hearts and souls into this event each year. Heck!  I feel it’s our souls that brought us together today, but what exactly is a Soul?  

Throughout history, the soul has captivated the minds of philosophers, theologians, poets, musicians and everyday people like you and I.

If you google the word "SOUL", it expresses that some people such as Christians believe the soul is a non-physical immortal part of a person, a spiritual essence if you will, that is created by a higher power (God) and exists before birth, and lives after death.  It may also be considered the animating force of a persons identity, personality, or memory. Others may see the soul as a connection to the universe that links them to nature, the four elements, or to each other and brings them to a higher sense of peace within.

My 89 year Dad has been saying to me that last several years “There are no goodbyes at the grave, our souls are connected through baptism and will find each other again as heavenly bodies." His words give me great comfort believing there is no dead end (literally) when we lose a loved one. As a Christian, our physical bodies will leave this earth, but our souls live on with God. Whatever it is that you believe, the soul is something we all feel without physically touching it, and it's something none of us can see, but feel it’s presence.

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “The eyes are the windows to our soul”, what does that mean to you? I like to imagine our souls are like tiny mirrors reflecting our truest self, not the self we have created from our learned experiences. It's like a basket that holds our passions, natural given talents, and gives us the great capacity to love and forgive one another. it's where grace is born. I feel our personalities express how our life’s experiences have shaped us (There are lots of characters out here, like my brother, LOL!), but it's our souls that express our unique way we love. There aren’t two people alike in the whole world, not even identical twins.

I bet many of us here have gone through similar hurtful experiences in life, but it's the way we chose to handle those experiences that comes from our souls.

For myself, I feel my soul is my internal divine tour guide that tells me in subtle and even profound ways how live a more fulfilled and meaningful life. It's what gives me that awe-stricken tingle when I look up to the stars or sit quietly in the mountains. it's where my soft heart for animals comes from and allows me to see the good in all people even when they have hurt me. It's what helps me seek the deeper meaning in the everyday small moments in life. It’s that quiet inner voice that encourages me to be better person, to seek honesty and instill values and morals. I think it’s also where my emotions and empathy live, and in tough times, it invites me to sit quietly with those feelings and grow through life’s challenges. It’s my strength and that sweet whisper within that says “everything’s going to be okay”. 

The soul is a pretty cool thing to ponder if you ask me. After all, it never loses the car keys, or forgets passwords on a weekly basis. Ha!

I think it’s what drives us to naturally seek a connection with certain people that we hardly even know. at times, it might be what causes that cleansing flood of emotions like when we witness the miracle of a newborn child, hold a sweet puppy in our arms, fall in love, or lose someone. Perhaps it’s our souls that gives us goosebumps when we hear a particular song we connect with, or what calms us down when we hear the simple sound of the wind rustling the leaves. There are sooooooo many different types of experiences where our souls are consistently reminding us how rich, beautiful and layered life can be. 

However, in the rush of daily lives, I think it becomes easy for us to lose touch with their souls. We get caught up in the busy noise and distractions around us and tune out what our soul is trying to tell or show us. When we listen, the soul can bring us back into clarity of what no longer serves us and helps us re-focus and embrace what truly matters.

Our souls are like the gate keepers of our wisdom, love and light within us. if we unlock the ability to live life from our soul, instead from of our minds, it can align us with our truest self and opens doors to a more peaceful way of living.

So, in the days ahead I invite you to ponder what the word SOUL means to you. Sit quietly and perhaps ask yourself things like:

• What talents do I have to offer the world and what am I doing to extend my offering? (Kinda like what's your super power and how can you positively affect others?)

• Am I living my life in a way that truly honors what I believe in? 

• Am I expressing my truest self? (In otherwards what would a stranger see in you?)

Maybe... just come right on out and ask your soul to guide you and listen to what your subconscious is saying.

At my hearts core, I feel our souls are not a passive witness to our lives, but the active force that shapes us into who we can become tomorrow. It allows us grow towards peace and express a divine kind of love to one another.

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Speaking of a wonderful soul, let’s give it up for my sweet husband Glen Meloy! 

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Side Note, Glen opened the show with one of his original songs called "The best you can do."  It's a sweet little lullaby song. Go here to listen to it if you'd like.

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