My Story Song

3 days ago
6 min read

Updated: 20 hours ago

In August 2025, I had a seizure for the first time in my life. After a couple of days in the hospital and some testing, thankfully, the doctors could not find a cause for the seizure, and I was released to go home. When anyone has a seizure, though, you are not permitted to drive for six months for safety reasons. Though I understood the rationale behind the driving restriction, it was very difficult for me to lose that independence.

After moping around for a month, I called a friend to see if she had any suggestions as to what I could do with my time for the next five months. Her immediate answer was to use my ability to write music and put my Yellowstone story to music. I had only just started writing music two years earlier, and my only music training had been 10 years of piano lessons as a child.

This endeavor took me five months, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I finished the piece one day after my driving restrictions were lifted.

In order to understand the music as you listen, I am including a written description below. The entire piece runs about 11 minutes, and the last movement is my favorite. Click on the arrow below the description to play the music.

'I was in a dark place at the end of the summer in 2015. Parkinson's was bringing me down, as well as creating friction in my marriage. I had been raised in a house with no religion, but somehow, on an especially difficult evening, I found myself sitting in the parking lot of the church my husband attended.

Growing up, our household was void of any religious discussion or practice. Thus, I had no opinions whatsoever. On this summer evening, though, I felt as if life was crushing me in all directions, so I arranged to meet with one of the pastors of this church.

He and I started meeting weekly as I searched for answers about God and Christianity and how to reconcile all this with the suffering that accompanied my chronic illness. Each week, the pastor would give me a Bible passage to read, interpret, and rewrite in my own words.

One week in September, he had me read Matthew 11:28-30:

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I

will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and

gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and

the burden I give you is light."

Being new to the Bible, I presumed this passage to mean that Jesus could take away my burdens of illness. I told the pastor I was confident that even God could not give me relief from my Parkinson's.

The next week, my husband Terry and I flew to Yellowstone National Park for a vacation. For those of you not familiar with Yellowstone, the park is 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. This park sits on an active volcanic plateau and displays numerous geysers and hot springs. My parents had taken me there when I was 10, and I wanted to return with Terry to show him this unique natural wonder.

I remembered Mammoth Hot Springs from my childhood, and I was compelled to return to that colossal hot spring carved into the mountainside, eager to see if reality lived up to the stunning image in my mind.

My memory proved correct, and I was just as taken by its beauty as an adult as I had been as a child. Visitors use designated boardwalks to traverse the unstable ground, ensuring the hot spring remains undisturbed. We parked in the lower-level parking lot and started making our way up the boardwalks to ascend 300 feet to get to the top.

Halfway up our hike, Terry stopped me to ask that I slow down. He had noticed that as we got higher in elevation, my body was moving better, and he was unable to keep up with me. I was absolutely stunned; upon reaching the top, I felt as if I had stepped out of my Parkinson’s entirely—my symptoms had completely vanished.

I spent the next 2 hours at the top running, skipping, and twirling around like a little girl. Instead of life swirling around me, it was exploding from within me. I was thrilled to regain the ability to do simple tasks that Parkinson’s had previously made impossible.

As dusk set in, we headed back to our cabin. We were idling behind other cars leaving the hot springs when a snowshoe hare popped up into view, emerging from a rock on the driver's side. Terry and I froze and locked eyes with this magnificent creature, terrified that the slightest movement would send it fleeing. Traffic started moving again, and the hare went on its way.

Terry drove while I silently prayed in the car. I was filled with gratitude for everything - the beauty of the hot springs, the joy of spotting the hare, and most profoundly, for the gift of a temporary reprieve from my Parkinson's. Just then, a brilliant light caught my eye from the passenger window—far too intense to be the full moon hanging in the sky. In my head, I heard, "There is no need to thank me. It was a joy to watch you running and skipping and having so much fun." I sat in stunned silence, trying to process what just happened. I was praying, and God answered. I have replayed these events countless times in my head, and this remains the sole plausible scenario.

I got baptized upon our return, in response to that life-changing evening. My Parkinson's has been with me since that evening, with my symptoms worsening with time. My faith is my comfort and my strength when things get tough.'

My music has 5 movements/sections

Life: This movement represents my life before Parkinson's. The oboe melody portrays me throughout the music. I wrote a cheery melody while keeping the music somewhat linear to represent daily life. Halfway through the movement, I pivoted to reverse the melodic sequence. This conveys the repetitive nature of life and how we seem to get stuck in a rut at various times.
Parkinson's Lament: Laments are common in Christianity and are passionate expressions of grief poured out to God. Essentially, I am whining to God about my Parkinson's and grappling with why I suffer from such an illness. This movement includes words that are sung in the recording:
                              Is God real?
                              Where are You?
                               Will I feel You? When You draw near.

                               Almighty! Creator!
                               Transcendent! Sovereign over all!

I'm weary! I'm angry!

Please hear me!

I need You!

Disease is killing me!

I am lost and all alone...............

Mountain Waltz: This movement has 3 sections. It begins with climbing the mountain, then transitions into a waltz that enacts me dancing at the top. It progresses from just me dancing to everyone and everything dancing with me. At the end, there is a short, recognizable part to represent the snowshoe hare.

Serenade: This movement is an oboe solo that symbolizes me praying by myself that evening. The solo progresses to a horn fanfare to signify God's presence. I use a trombone, French horn, and trumpet to designate the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

5 .When Life Gets Loud: In this movement, the acoustic guitar player tries to reprise the melody of the first movement to finish out the entire piece. Since this is the finale, the piano player requests something flashier than an acoustic guitar. When the guitar player returns, he brings along a bass player and drummer (I had to write parts for my rock band members as well). From here, the piano gently leads the piece into a new key and takes over this movement. The piano plays 2-measure snippets, and an instrument or section takes over each part until everyone in the orchestra is playing except the oboe. Thus ensues the piano oboe showdown. This is about controlling our own lives. The piano player is in charge of this movement, feeling she is in control. What happens when we try to control our own lives? Chaos erupts around us. This can happen when people stray from God. Also, people with Parkinsons's know all too well the desire to have some control over our lives and our bodies. In the end, I am the piano player, and I have to decide if I want to continue to pretend to be the oboe or if I want everyone to know I play the piano and show the true me - Parkinson's and all. I chose to release this music now as April is Parkinson's Awareness month.

I have struggled with Parkinsons's for 28 years now. I am not asking for you to feel sorry for me; I am just asking you to feel.

Elaine

I chose to release this piece now as April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

My Story Song

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