As usual, my Wallflowers Pandora station is killin' it today. I've mentioned a zillion times before how large a role music has played in my life thus far. Today I started listening not as much to the songs but to the memories they brought to mind and the people who will live eternally in those songs for me.
Since the Wallflowers station is primarily '90s and early '00s, most of the people I thought of were from my high school and early college eras. I started thinking about how, even though we may no longer be in touch, or even though I feel the role they played in my life was minor, each of the people behind the songs have impacted me in some way. Some people's impacts are more profound than others, but through them I grew in virtue (or not), learned lessons about authentic relationships (or not), or just had a lot of fun. I will let those memories live with me forever.
For instance, when I hear Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome," I will always remember cruising in my prom date Matt's maroon Grand Am on the way to our freshman year prom. My dress was short and purple, and we had a great time, thank you very much. Throughout my elementary and high school years, our class had roughly seven girls and 20 boys. I spent quite a lot of time with the boys, and learned valuable lessons not only about avoiding girl drama, but also about relating to the opposite sex and forming deep friendships that differed from my girl friendships. I also learned a lot about football and how to carry many glasses of milk to the lunch table to avoid making multiple trips (thanks, Scott, Brady and Lucas for those). I'm certain the fruits of those particular lessons will manifest in my life as the mother of many sons!
Hearing Tonic's "If You Could Only See" transports me immediately to the Rolla City Park, spending hours in what I was certain at the time was profound and deep conversation whilst swinging away the evenings. There was one person I would skip Bulls games for, and he taught me a lot during those years and for a long time after. For instance, thanks to cruising with him, I learned the lyrics to "If I Had a Million Dollars" super fast! He also taught me unknowingly about how God's will for my life and my will for my life differ and that what seems like suffering can be the path that leads me to knowing myself better.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that while I can't name a particular lesson from each particular person who has played role in my life and formation, I do believe that all of those people were put in my path for a reason. There are billions of people, but I'm so grateful for the small few of them who have been, and continue to be, a part of my life.
Since the Wallflowers station is primarily '90s and early '00s, most of the people I thought of were from my high school and early college eras. I started thinking about how, even though we may no longer be in touch, or even though I feel the role they played in my life was minor, each of the people behind the songs have impacted me in some way. Some people's impacts are more profound than others, but through them I grew in virtue (or not), learned lessons about authentic relationships (or not), or just had a lot of fun. I will let those memories live with me forever.
For instance, when I hear Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome," I will always remember cruising in my prom date Matt's maroon Grand Am on the way to our freshman year prom. My dress was short and purple, and we had a great time, thank you very much. Throughout my elementary and high school years, our class had roughly seven girls and 20 boys. I spent quite a lot of time with the boys, and learned valuable lessons not only about avoiding girl drama, but also about relating to the opposite sex and forming deep friendships that differed from my girl friendships. I also learned a lot about football and how to carry many glasses of milk to the lunch table to avoid making multiple trips (thanks, Scott, Brady and Lucas for those). I'm certain the fruits of those particular lessons will manifest in my life as the mother of many sons!
Hearing Tonic's "If You Could Only See" transports me immediately to the Rolla City Park, spending hours in what I was certain at the time was profound and deep conversation whilst swinging away the evenings. There was one person I would skip Bulls games for, and he taught me a lot during those years and for a long time after. For instance, thanks to cruising with him, I learned the lyrics to "If I Had a Million Dollars" super fast! He also taught me unknowingly about how God's will for my life and my will for my life differ and that what seems like suffering can be the path that leads me to knowing myself better.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that while I can't name a particular lesson from each particular person who has played role in my life and formation, I do believe that all of those people were put in my path for a reason. There are billions of people, but I'm so grateful for the small few of them who have been, and continue to be, a part of my life.
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