"i WAS ONCE BORN AGAIN"

This weekend I found a tape that I made on Christmas Eve  1982 at the age of 19. The tape length was 35 minutes.   On it I was  singing and playing gospel piano, then describing my life as a Born Again Christian.

In the background the land line phone was ringing and ringing.  A sound from the past that is now virtually extinct.

While listening to the tape for the first time in 25 years the other day, I heard someone ask me a question (it must have been Steve my boyfriend) All I can hear on that segment of the tape is me asking: "what?" hearing a mumble in the background and then me answering in a Baltimore accent, "yeah" (yeee-uh) is the way a Baltimorean sounds.  Thank goodness the Balto. accent is long gone.

TRANSCRIPTION OF TAPE FROM CHRISTMAS 1982

(ME SPEAKING)

"I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE ALOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, BECAUSE WE HAD A VERY ROUGH YEAR WITH MY FATHER BEING IN THE HOSPITAL,   BUT WE ARE VERY THANKFUL, ME AND MY MOM AND STEVEN (my fiance at the time), WE'RE VERY THANKFUL THAT MY FATHER IS HERE WITH US THIS YEAR AND THAT IS A MAJOR BLESSING THAT WE HAVE TO BE THANKFUL FOR AND IAM VERY THANKFUL THAT JESUS IS LORD OF MY LIFE AND HE TURNED MY LIFE AROUND AND I HAVE A WONDERFUL BOYFRIEND WHO I'M GOING TO BE GETTING MARRIED TO THIS SUMMER. I HAVE A GOOD JOB WHICH THE PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED IN JESUS' NAME AND STEVEN HAS A GOOD JOB, BUT HE'S LOOKING FOR A BETTER JOB.

Now, 98 rock is playing. I'm playing you the music of 1982. ("House of the Rising Sun")

MY PARENTS ARE AWAY, THEY ARE HOUSESITTING SO IT'S NICE HAVING THE HOUSE TO MYSELF, YES IT IS.

(CUT TO A PREACHER WHO IS PREACHING ABOUT JESUS SACRAFICE)/THEN CUT TO ANOTHER GOSPEL SONG.

(tHE NEXT 40 MINUTES OF THE TAPE IS FILLED WITH ME SINGING AND PLAYING GOSPEL PIANO!)

WHAT A FIND!

(P.S. NOW I AM A HUMANIST AS OPPOSED TO A CHRISTIAN)