There're really so many "big" thoughts in my head these days that I can hardly seem to pin one down for examination. When I do manage to catch one, I find myself looking at it from many different angles and wondering which one of those is the one I believe to be true.


Over the weekend, several friends and I went to hear Ray LaMontagne and Guster (and the Fruit Bats!) at the Ryman. First of all, God has given me many good friends and I rejoice in thier presence in my life. Secondly, music is one of my favorite things about living in Nashville. Thirdly, the Mother Church is my favorite venue for a concert- it is intimate, vibe-y, and acoustically wonderful. I sat in my pew seat thinking of how sore my backside was going to be at the end of the night and about all the shows I'd seen there in the past and the friends I had shared those nights with, and I felt extremely lucky. To have shared The Pixies/Thrills and The Pretenders with Ben, Chris Isaak/Wes Cunningham with Tiffany, The Opry with Katie, WILL HOGE with Kelly... Something was different for me Saturday night. The opening chords of the first song vibrating with the honesty of Ray's voice was special. I felt it straight to my heart. I sat in the last row with tears rolling down my cheeks. I've felt so broken and cracked for most of the last year, but something about his music- as melancholy and painful as it is in some places- helped my heart heal a little bit more. I'm grateful.