CLEVELAND — Music can be healing, so it shouldn’t be a surprise there’s music at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
A local veteran is sharing his talent — one he had to dust off, but like all good things, one well worth the wait.
On the job, he’s used to helping people get from point A to point B.
But Paul Holbert manages to find some time to move people another way, too.
“I’m just grateful to be working up here at the VA. I love coming up here every day, sincerely, and helping out the veterans. I can’t say enough about that,” Holbert said.
Paul’s a veteran himself, a Navy man. Like many veterans, he went through some ups and downs when he left the service.
“It’s hard for me to talk about because it’s really a blessing I made it up here. I called the VA for help,” Holbert said.
One of the things Paul lost when he was struggling was his love of music. He didn’t play for about 20 years.
“One thing led to another, and I just went in another direction,” he said.
Until Holbert saw a piano, sat down, and fell in love with music again. For the last two years, he’s shared his gift with anyone who would listen.
“We all know him throughout the hospital. I call him ‘the music man’ because he just gives you a good feeling,” said Tony Simon.
“It makes you just stop and take a deep breath and it has such a positive effect on, like, our wellness and our health,” Linda Carr Whitehead said. “I love it.”
Paul plays on the lower level of the VA center a couple of days a week. He’s worked hard to recenter his life, and he pays it forward.
“It’s a blessing. I can’t put it into words. I’ve always had a great love for music, a great love for the piano,” he said.
And that’s music to everybody’s ears.
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