Music is the heartbeat of life...

Every now and then an artist comes along that literally brings me to a halt. 

I adore music with every fiber in me. I personally believe that God created music for people like me. Music is the heartbeat of my life. I cannot remember a day in the past 10 years or more of my life where music did not make an appearance. On trips to the Rockies, Appalachians, The Canyonlands in Utah, Italy, Austria, Germany, and many more there have been two constants; a bible and music. 

I have vivid memories that involve music as an association to an event.  I can literally recall a moment in time when I hear the song "Sparks" by Coldplay reminding me of a drive down into Florence, Italy and wondering if it was meant to be that this beautiful song had been destined to play driving into a city of beauty unsurpassed elsewhere in the world. The song "Different Names for the Same Place" by Death Cab for Cutie reminds me of the book 'The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand, a book I read while listening to the album. To say I am passionate about music is a gross understatement. 

Over the past few weeks, Iron & Wine has absolutely dominated my music playlist over the past month. When I listen to 'Our Endless Numbered Days' it literally brings me to a standstill.  I couldn't begin to explain what it is, but something about the music and the lyrics and the emotion, the whispering lyrics and soothing acoustic guitar just takes me to a place of peace. 

Music is the heartbeat of my life. It sounds ridiculous that something so simple could have such a huge impact... maybe that is why I like it so much. Simplicity and beauty. 

Grace is Gone

During my teenage years, I listened to the Dave Matthews Band nearly all of the time (my family can back that up) and I started playing guitar so I could learn the songs. One of my favorite songs of his was a song that he wrote and recorded for an album that was never publicly released.

"Grace is Gone" is a song he wrote about a man who sits, lonely in a bar, asking for one more drink because his girl, Grace, has left him. She has broken his heart and he wants to forget her... it's a bummer of a song for sure. Well, fast forward a few years and a movie with the same title came out. "Grace is Gone", an independent movie with John Cusack, one of my favorite male actors, as the lead role.

He plays a husband whose wife has been deployed to Iraq, away from him and their two girls. As you may have guessed, he receives the news that she has been killed in action. To avoid telling his daughters, he spontaneously decided to take them on a road trip to a theme park in order to find a way to tell them....

When I first heard about this movie, I figured it would be super anti-American and anti-war. It wasn't either of those things, but not because it was pro-war or pro-America. It was simply pro-humanity. It showed the struggle of a father trying to find the time and words to explain to his children how their mother won't be coming back. It helped me to see through the mess in Iraq (or anywhere else we have troops) and remember that there are people going through this same battle everyday; dealing with a loss that makes little sense, regardless of whether the occupation is right or wrong.

It's people, struggling to make sense of senselessness. Just something to think about ....