Soul of the Song
What's going on in our country is difficult to be with. I have cried more in the past 9 months than I can keep track of. And more recently, I have been trying to process the unimaginable events in Charlottesville and how it's all being handled and portrayed. My heart has broken over and over for every person affected by the terrible deeds, as well as the harmful words and lack of protection by those in power. Yesterday once I had caught up to all of the news, the tweets, the harmful things our own President is saying and doing... I was incredibly sad and I felt I needed to see some beauty. I got to, and it was magical.
This morning I feel immense gratitude for the experience we had last night. Dear friends invited us to the Hollywood Bowl. We said yes without even knowing who was playing. Didn't matter. We needed time with friends and some light. When we arrived to find that it was in fact Queen Jill Scott, we were giddy. And, opening for her, the Robert Glasper Experiment. SO MUCH TALENT. Mind-blowing to be honest.
It was truly one of the best nights of live
music I have ever seen. I needed to be in the space with that much love
and joy and fierce talent in the face of all that's going on in the
world. I needed to sing and dance and feel awe with my brothers and
sisters of every imaginable variety, size, shape color. I was honored to
be part of that crowd of joyful faces.
It was a beautiful night and I loved celebrating the incredible gifts of these artists. Jill spoke eloquently and was no B.S. about what's happening in our country, and she held her stance with grace and LOVE. She sang her encore song to the images of slain African Americans who were killed by the police with no justice found. Tears streamed down my face as I watched the faces and read the familiar names. I felt shame, sadness and loss and I also felt hope and I felt connected to everyone there. I am so thankful.
Jill Scott embodies so much of what I want for myself. She was as big, fully expressed presence and she commanded the stage, as I imagine she commands her own life. She fully used her body, her voice, her range and her power to stun and amaze us and we drank it up like nectar. We needed it. All of us. I left there feeling better than I have in weeks, more hopeful, more connected to everyone. Music does that. Thank you, Jill.
I also came away with this: We each have a circle of influence. Some bigger (hers) and some smaller (mine) and as I watched this queen sharing her gifts, I wasn't intimidated by the power of her voice, I was lit up by the power of her choice in how she uses it. It made me want to come home and write songs and sing and in the morning light, I truly no longer care how good I sound, I just want to do it, I want to use mine. Because I can. And because every song matters. Vulnerability matters. Hope and love and artistry of all kinds matters. It is what will get us through, what will get the message out and what will evoke change. Inspiration of all kinds is what we need right now.
This morning I feel immense gratitude for the experience we had last night. Dear friends invited us to the Hollywood Bowl. We said yes without even knowing who was playing. Didn't matter. We needed time with friends and some light. When we arrived to find that it was in fact Queen Jill Scott, we were giddy. And, opening for her, the Robert Glasper Experiment. SO MUCH TALENT. Mind-blowing to be honest.
It was a beautiful night and I loved celebrating the incredible gifts of these artists. Jill spoke eloquently and was no B.S. about what's happening in our country, and she held her stance with grace and LOVE. She sang her encore song to the images of slain African Americans who were killed by the police with no justice found. Tears streamed down my face as I watched the faces and read the familiar names. I felt shame, sadness and loss and I also felt hope and I felt connected to everyone there. I am so thankful.
Jill Scott embodies so much of what I want for myself. She was as big, fully expressed presence and she commanded the stage, as I imagine she commands her own life. She fully used her body, her voice, her range and her power to stun and amaze us and we drank it up like nectar. We needed it. All of us. I left there feeling better than I have in weeks, more hopeful, more connected to everyone. Music does that. Thank you, Jill.
I also came away with this: We each have a circle of influence. Some bigger (hers) and some smaller (mine) and as I watched this queen sharing her gifts, I wasn't intimidated by the power of her voice, I was lit up by the power of her choice in how she uses it. It made me want to come home and write songs and sing and in the morning light, I truly no longer care how good I sound, I just want to do it, I want to use mine. Because I can. And because every song matters. Vulnerability matters. Hope and love and artistry of all kinds matters. It is what will get us through, what will get the message out and what will evoke change. Inspiration of all kinds is what we need right now.
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