Stan Thomas
Years ago I heard the Native American flute on a western movie. It was a sound I never forgot but it wasn’t until about 2004 that I bought my first Native American Flute CD. We were on a family vacation in the Grand Canyon and we went into a gift shop and it was playing. I bought the CD and listened to it while driving through the Painted Desert. This had to be the perfect place to listen to my first CD of Native American Flute music. I don’t have any real Native American background but I do have a great love for the music. In 2005 my youngest son Levi was found to have a brain tumor I bought my first flute an F-sharp. It helped me to play in my time of grief.
Even though I didn’t know how to play nor had anyone to teach me the sound was still soothing. After his death in 2006 I continued to play the best I could, when I would feel down I would go by his grave and just play whatever would come to me. By 2008 I still would play from time to time but seemed to get nowhere. I also noticed my daughter was playing a lot, I then found out from a co-worker that one of our own employees was a flute player. I made contact with him he invited me over after work and I heard for the first time the Native American Flute played in person. Wow! I also found that he had two of his own recordings available on CD. I bought them both and this started a great friendship with Twohawks. This led me to the Louisiana Flute Circle where I met a host of new friends, all helpful. I signed my daughter and me up for a class Twohawks was teaching on the Art of the Native American Flute. This was the boost I needed, someone to teach me the flute. I have since ordered four new flutes. Two have arrived and I bought my daughter a 5 hole also. My wife Brenda has also enjoyed playing the other instruments that accompany the Native American Flute and she accompanies me to the flute circle meetings. The Flute came into my life at just the right time. With God’s help the flute has helped me to enjoy life again. Even though I miss my son dearly sometimes I think God lets him hear me play when I offer up songs to the Lord.
