“Royda Crose, PhD, Life Cycles”

A few years ago, I spoke to you on the phone and you generously sent me 10 copies of your tape, Songs For The Inner Child, to distribute to nursing homes, hospice programs, and other places where healing music would be of benefit. I want to report where some of the Songs For The Inner Child tapes were placed.

I have passed on tapes to several patients in nursing homes or to their nurses to play for them. One hospice worker requested a tape after she heard the first song on the album in a workshop setting. One colleague took a tape to play for the family at the funeral of his estranged father. He was very moved by your music and wanted to share it with other members of his family.

Most recently a group of my friends have used your music in caring for a friend who had terminal breast cancer. After her cancer metastasized, we formed a care group to help her live as fully as possible for the rest of her life. She lived for two more years and died on June 21, 2000.

At our first organizing meeting to figure out how to share the care, we played, How Could Anyone. Tonight we will have our last meeting as Ellen’s Angels Care Group. I plan to open the meeting with that same song. During the last days of Ellen’s life, as she lay struggling for breath in the hospital, your tape was playing constantly to give her comfort. My last image of her, two hours before she died, was seeing her in the hospital bed, with her 32 year old son lying by her side singing lullabies in her ear along with your music. At her memorial service, one friend sang, Peace Be With You,after learning it from your album. I will be writing about this experience of caring for Ellen in a book that I’m calling Ellen’s Angels: Sharing the Care.

I used Songs For The Inner Child in my own family. For months after the divorce of her parents, my granddaughter (age 5), soothed herself every night by listening to your tape. At bedtime she wanted those healing lullabies to ease her into sleep during this very emotional distressing time in her family.

Your music is certainly doing what you intended, bringing joy, comfort and healing to people in all phases of life, illness, and grief.

Royda Crose, Ph.D.
Psychologist/Gerontologist
Lifecycle Consultants
Ellen’s Angels; Sharing The Care