OTR

December 09, 2009

OTR

Last night my friend Laura and I went to see one of my favorite bands play at the Sixth&I Synagogue in DC. Matt gave me the tickets for by birthday. He likes to give experiences instead of things - I love that. I have been a fan of Over the Rhine since I was a freshman in college and their songs have been a constant companion. Music has a way of touching my spirit in a very special way and my tears usually come when listening to songs. They did not disappoint. It was a great night.

If you aren't familiar with their music, check them out on itunes. Their song "Professional Daydreamer" from the Ohio album is one of my favorites and I was thrilled they performed it last night. It was the highlight of the concert for me.

Comments

Erin Kathleen said…

I have the same feeling about them, Shannon! They've been the soundtrack of my life for the past 15 years or so - and somehow always manage to speak to me right where I need it. Music - especially theirs - speaks to the soul in a way that words cannot. I have so many favorites - "Latter Days" especially. They opened the show with "I Don't Wanna Waste Your Time" which had me in tears. Perfect.

December 9, 2009 at 11:12 AM

Welcome to Holland

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.