Soothing the Tormented Soul

This evening, Sheryl organized a beautiful surprise for me: a candlelight concert right in our living room. She invited Shalom Wiebe, a talented therapeutic harpist, to provide a session at home. As is the core of music therapy, the goal wasn’t mere entertainment, but rather to find a way to soothe a weary soul.

Shalom played a Celtic harp, a beautiful instrument handcrafted by her father; you might recognize its iconic silhouette from the Guinness logo. Despite the instrument’s structural limitations, she managed a rendition of the theme from the movie Up, a personal favorite of mine.

I appreciate the ethereal sound of the harp, but I still prefer the cello; it sounds like a human voice, specifically one that’s telling me everything is going to be okay—even if it’s lying.