Frail my heart apart, and play me a little shady grove

one of the most lasting memories of my adult life happened this weekend. annabelle & i drove down to st. louis on saturday night. we parked our car five feet from the mississippi river, threw a few rocks in, & then walked up nearer to the arch. there were hundreds of people gathered on the steps facing the river, facing a portable stage, where emmylou harris would play a free, open-air concert. the place was alive with all sorts of commotion. we got two hot dogs w/ mustard, some drinks, & walked up to the stage. i put annabelle up on my shoulders when emmylou walked out. annie had her arms raised up, fists closed, and was waving them around at the band with more fervor & excitement than i could, in my adultness, express.

and with each note during "orphan girl", my spirit felt exalted. i felt my sorrow lift. some sort of understanding filled my heart...some brief view of the grand scheme in the life of our family...a snapshot of the larger picture. annabelle & i wore the same awed, open-mouthed smiles. shock & delight. all throughout the show, she kept saying, "her singing sounds so nice, mama."

we moved further back after a few songs, ate our hot dogs & watched barges go down the mississippi. we talked about helicopters, jesus & thomas, & the occassional "doo-doo" reference from a silly, sleepy kid.

there were fireworks after the concert. black-eyed peas "got it started" & then bananarama's "cruel summer". emmylou + summer pop music + fireworks=a caron easley dream come true.

(was inspired by cheryl's post awhile back about things like this. thank you, cheryl!!)