My Friends

When X first left, and for a good four months after, I couldn’t listen to music. The moment I would turn it on, it touched me too deeply. I was too raw. Too vulnerable. I think that speaks to the power of music! But slowly, I was able to incorporate it. I started with a “Recovery” mix of songs that was good for turning up loud in the car and singing at the top of my lungs! Many of them made me cry, like Kesha’s “Praying,” but I felt empowered by them, not broken or hurt as I had before.

The farther I move away from D-Day, the easier it has been to put music back in my life. Last Friday, as I drove south and back to buy my canoe, I turned on Dar Williams. I hadn’t listened to her in a long long time and it felt good to sing along to songs I’ve loved since I was a teenager.

Then one song came on that caught me off guard. It’s called “My Friends” from her album “End of the Summer.” The lyrics couldn’t capture any more beautifully how I feel about my friends who have supported me these past seven months. (Wow! Seven months?!) . I cried as I sang along to this song that I felt like I was hearing for the first time. Because for the first time, I really truly understood it.

Here’s a funny little youtube video, but it has the song and lyrics together. I hope you are blessed to have friends like this.