UKULELE MIKE LYNCH – All things UKULELE

Dear friends,

We at the Lynch household are busy making Cornish pasties, which was our tradition (per his request) to celebrate Mike’s birthday and Father’s Day…we continue to do so to honor his memory.

It seems fitting to have this tonight and tomorrow because we need something special to fill the void of our usual traditions of caroling parties and goodies galore that friends bring. Mike’s grandmother taught his mother how to make them; when I entered the family, she taught me…and now our daughters make them with me. They are simple in ingredients: meat, potatoes and onions, chopped and layered with butter and salt, enveloped in pie dough. The house fills with the aroma, making our stomachs growl in anticipation…as mine is now!

Church services are on Zoom and so is visiting. There is solidarity knowing we are all experiencing pretty much the same scenario…paring down our activities to what matter most and getting creative with what we have. And we have been blessed with much!

And so, no matter how you celebrate, I hope you Celebrate! Next year we will hopefully be able to enjoy our traditions without fetters…and I know we will savor them the more for having to do without them now.

Blessings to you and your loved ones…good health and much joy in abundance! My gift to you is really from both Mike and me…one of his labors of love.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Collene

November 26, 2020

By Collene Lynch

Hello friends!

We in the U.S. gather together today to thank God for our blessings. Our gatherings look different this year, as there are many empty places at our tables. Perhaps if we picture our loved ones sitting with us, eating, laughing, exchanging stories, praying and singing with us, they will seem a little closer. I imagine some of us might say we are saving their places for next year…and that brings a smile as I write this.

Growing up, our family seemed normal size, as we were one of a multitude in our neighborhood with large families…even though there were 10 siblings and 4 foster sisters, there was always room for others at our table. You can imagine how challenging it is for one of us to host the whole family when there are 65+…One year my brother decided to erect a tent, complete with heaters and rugs so we could all sit in the same ‘room’. It was wonderful! (And yes, we still brought guests!)

When I reflect on the last 8 months, I realize that the pandemic has changed us in unexpected ways. Although we have been discouraged, angry, resentful, afraid…we have also been resilient, hopeful, determined, gracious, thoughtful and very, very creative!

And when I have taken my eyes off the ground, looked up and kept my eyes open, I have seen amazing things! Some are so small, you have to look carefully to notice them…a smile behind a mask, an offer to help carry a bag, neighbors waving from their cars as they pass us walking. And there are some acts of kindness that can never be repaid.

Here is my litany of gratitude: For Mike, my one and only love; Erin and Dianne, our caring, loving, giving daughters; my larger, boisterous, hilarious family; Mom and Dad, examples of inclusiveness and welcome; our neighbors who walk with us, happy hour with us and who care for each other; our garden, which many of you have seen in the background of Mike’s videos; my many circles of friends, from church, to quilting, choir, and garden club; the gift of song; ice cream; my artsy-fartsy side; for music-sweet music; for goodness exhibited all around us and for ‘guardian angels’ who have come to our aide at the most crucial of times…yes, there is more, always more…and…

I’ve saved a gratitude for you, the ukulele community: In thanksgiving for your generous support, your lovely comments about Mike and what he has meant to you, for your graciousness if I flub up an order or the website isn’t working as well as it should. I appreciate you!

I like to flip through Mike’s arrangements and just play through them randomly (although some of you know that Finlandia is my go-to-all-time favorite). Last night I was looking for a video to share with you that would fit this day and came upon ‘We Gather Together’, from the Chord Melody Two book, so I will share that. It is a great one to start delving into chord melody because it keeps to the first 3 frets.

And so as we gather together today, aching for the smiles, hugs, jokes, stories and great food we normally share with our loved ones, I am remembering why we are separate. It is an act of love. And love wins in the end!

I wish you good health and much joy this holiday season!

Mahalo Nui Loa!

Collene

PS: I invite you to share with us one thing for which you are grateful! (If it’s a litany…all the better!)

PPS: I would have posted earlier, but the letter I wrote last night didn’t save…If you see it out their in LaLa Land…please tell it to come back!

A Love Story

Hello friends!

On August 22, 1970, Mike and I each married our best friend. This year marks our 50th wedding anniversary. It was literally a lifetime ago, and yet…I remember very clearly our courtship and the first time we said “I Love You”, prompted by the song, ‘Both Sides Now’…

We were standing in the entry foyer to my family home; it was separated from the rest of the house by a door…which we kept shut so we could say our ‘good nights’ in private. (I have 9 younger siblings, so this was essential!) As music was how met, and being enamored of Judy Collins, it was natural that we started dancing to “Both Sides Now’, accompanied only by our hushed voices. In retrospect I can see we anticipated the words in the last verse:
“Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say, I love you” right out loud”

That’s when we stopped dancing. That’s when we stopped singing. That’s when we said “I Love You”-right out loud! In that moment, a lifetime together truly began.

You might find this funny, quaint, even odd…but for us, music was our language and if you knew Mike, you knew him to be corny (puns were his specialty) and sentimental. And I was right in there with him!

Because we were in music ministry together at 3+ churches, there were 6 priests at our wedding. Yup, it took 6 of them to marry us!

In his words to us that day, Fr. Pat Carroll, S.J. told us to go out and “make beautiful music together.” And so we did!

“Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
When every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way” -Joni Mitchell

I love you Michael B!

Mahalo!

 http://www.UkuleleMikeLynch.com/store.htm

I couldn’t find this when posting last night. As you can see, Mike had a mustache “way back when”…and daisies were definitely “in” in 1970!

Friends, please note that there is a copycat Facebook page you must avoid. We have notified Facebook and hope it is taken down soon.

Copycat page (fake): h ttps://www.facebook.com/UKULELE-MIKE-141760012516596

Real Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ukulelemike.lynch

Webmaster/IT

May 17, 2020

Hello friends!

May 18th, marks the 40th anniversary of Mt. St. Helen’s massive eruption. Forty years…yet I remember it vividly! We stood outside in the street that Sunday, watching the plume mushroom as if an atomic bomb had exploded, in awe at the sheer magnitude nature wrought! It wasn’t as if we weren’t warned, but it seemed to us a long time coming…There were a multitude of  volcanic seismic events-for years-building up to the fateful day. It was a relief to have it finally blow it’s top!

Mike was obsessed with the impending eruption, from the first alerts from geologists, and keenly followed every story, especially of Harry Truman. Harry was keeper of the Mt. St. Helens Lodge and obstinately refused to budge from his “guard post”, no matter the threats of impending doom should he stay. He said that he would rather die than leave…and it was the mountain that buried him in it’s bosom.

Mike worked feverishly on the song all night and sang it for us the very next morning. It was typical of his compositional MO if he was impassioned with an idea for a song. You Ukulele Mike Lynch followers were the beneficiaries of his passion for arranging. It was the same for anything he composed, whether for the ukulele, Native American flute, violin or his many liturgical compositions for congregational singing.

He rolled it out to his classes that week and his students sang it for the closing concert just a few weeks later. It became a favorite; students looked forward to bringing it out every spring…and many, returning to visit, reminisced with their old music teacher about Harry and his mountain.

Although this blog is All Things Ukulele, I hope you will allow me the latitude to re-post this song, posted by Mike on the 30 year anniversary…It weaves a story worthy of retelling-especially around a campfire! click to listen and view The Man and the Mountain.

Mahalo Nui Loa!

Collene

Dear ukulele friends,

We may be separated from one another, especially now while we try to keep each other safe, but only physically. I see the world coming closer together-in spirit-for the common good.

We are a global community, reaching across all countries, on all continents. Some might say that we are scattered across the world, but I believe we are connected; connected by our love of music, and in particular, by our love of playing the ukulele.

Our family is grateful for the outpouring of love and support from you, the ukulele community, after Mike left this life so unexpectedly.  I have enjoyed getting to know you through our exchanges and it is so meaningful to know that Mike’s legacy of teaching lives on after him.

And now, though we are separated physically from one another, while we strive to keep others safe by distancing ourselves from others, I see us coming closer together in spirit. And in that spirit, I offer again Mike’s song dedicated to the global ukulele community: With Just 4 Strings.

Mahalo Nui Loa!

Collene Lynch

Ukulele Mike Lynch RIP

Dear Ukulele friends,

In great sadness, we post that Ukulele Mike passed away unexpectedly Tuesday morning, January 2, 2018. He is survived by Collene Sinclair Lynch, his loving wife of 47 years; children, Erin and Dianne; his brother, Tim (Lucy) and their family; and the entire Sinclair Clan.

Mike loved playing the ukulele (and just about any other instrument he could get his hands on)! He considered himself a teacher, rather than a performer, and strove to make music accessible to students of all levels.

He was devoted to you-his followers and friends around the world-on the web and YouTube.

Please note that the family intends to continue Ukulele Mike’s commitment to his Ukulele fans and followers. All music and songbooks, etc. will continue to be available through the store.

We thank you for all your loving tributes to him; it means a great deal to us all! Together, with just 4 strings, let us build a world of peace! Mahalo!

Remembrances may be made to Puget Sound Kidney Centers Foundation.

Please sign the Guestbook at the Harvey Funeral Home website.