Last night, Mike and I went to a concert. It was a surprise I gave him, to see one of his favorite bands. The entire night was incredible… one of those magical nights you remember forever. The joy in Mike’s eyes was palpable. No one had ever surprised him with such a wonderful gift before he said, and you could just feel the joy and love radiating from him all night. It was a beautiful evening. We had lawn seats at this outdoor arena. Not only was every song amazing and the energy of the crowd amazing, but there were songs from this band that I’d never heard before that slammed into my heart with such deep emotion. They went right to the core of me and touched something so very deep…
One of those was a song the singer wrote about remember his father who has passed away, and hoping that he has made him proud. By the end of the song, I was balling my eyes out. It ripped open the core of my own feelings for my dad, whom I was very close to. In a good way though… a beautiful way. I suppose in that moment, I wasn’t really thinking of it as pain so much as I was seeing it as pure, deep love and emotion for my dad. And here this stranger wrote this song and performed it so authentically that he allowed me for a moment to touch that space of deep love for my dad. It was overwhelming, but so cleansing and so beautiful.
The second song that got me was called Day for the Dead, and was about a day that the dead return to dance with the living. It is infectious, and joy-filled, and positively beautiful. The vibrant energy of the band and the entire crowd of thousands all singing and celebrating this song that is all about the ones that we love coming back to us and the grand, beautiful carnival of celebration that it would be. For both Mike and myself, it was so moving to imagine all of our loved ones right there at the concert with us, dancing around us. For a moment, with all that beautiful energy, it really felt like it was possible. It really made me think, maybe they really are here, enjoying all of this right here with us. What a beautiful thought to put into a song.
The final song that got me was called Like Tomorrow Never Comes. It’s all about living life in the present and living fully, not knowing how long you will have. The words took my breath away… it felt like hearing a song written by Drew himself. The beginning starts:
“I’ve been climbing my way through the sky
Searching for answers that I’ll never find
Losing my breath as I fall
Learning to fly, letting go of it all”
For those who don’t know, he was a pilot and died in a helicopter crash. It goes on to say a ton of other stuff that sounded just like him, and there is a theme about solar eclipses. Mike, Shelby and I are driving down to the Smokies in August to see our first ever eclipse… and while we were searching for campgrounds we found one that had an “Andrew” street in it. And just south of that campground, where we will be going to view the eclipse, is a spot just north of the town of Andrews. Apparently, he is very excited about this eclipse happening!
There was even a line in the song that said “I keep looking for a sign”… which I loved, because I have been looking so desperately for a sign from him these past few weeks as the 5th anniversary of his death approached. Well, it looks like I got my sign….
“I’m gonna live like tomorrow never comes
There’s no end in sight, tonight we black out the sun
Better hold on tight, before you know it’s gone
And live like tomorrow never comes.”
