Spirit recycled?

Those of you who know me, know of my love for blues music. There is no doubt that I could be suspended in a perpetual state of bliss while listening to SRV, BB King, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Santana, and on and on. Blues music cleanses my soul and my psyche. I love all music, all genres. Music is a pure expression of life’s energy manifested melodically. But, give me blues or give me death (OK, please forgive me Mr. Patrick Henry for bastardizing your famous patriotic quote). Recently, while traveling between my patients on a day much the same as any other, I had a little time to spare and decided to stop by Stevie Ray Vaughn’s final resting place right here in Dallas. I’d been once before, alone, and witnessed what was for me an understated memorial to, in my opinion, one of the greatest blues musicians of all time. There we were, me and Stevie Ray. Obviously all that existed on that plot of ground was the memory, and spirit of SRV. I sat, listened to “Lenny” on my ipod and wept openly. I tried to sing along, feeling a little self-conscious that Stevie could be rolling over in there wishing for this poser to “get the hell off his property” and shut the hell up. But, trusting in the sanctity of the moment and Stevie’s understanding of my exquisite fanhood, I sang and wept, sang and wept. The cruelty of life sometimes seems unbearable. Here was one of our most prolific and accomplished artists resting as a young man in the earth, instead of walking amongst us, inspiring us to feel joy, inspiration and mostly hope. However, the law of conservation of energy proposes that energy is neither created nor destroyed, it just modifies or “recycles” its manifestation. I want to believe that Stevie Ray’s energy has been transposed to either another artist or the aggregate talents of so many contemporary musicians. I want to believe because still, twenty years later, I find Stevie Ray’s passing difficult to accept, perhaps I still have issues with “letting go” or I just plain haven’t found another contemporary artist whose music strikes me so deeply.