2.15.2009: Jam Band

I am lucky to have a lot of great friends, but few are as special as Ann and Erin, sisters I met at UNI where we bonded over not wanting to get stuck in a church retreat basement. Ann and her husband lost their 6-month son Luke over a year ago to a stroke. I think about them all the time and am so amazed at how their family has endured such a tragedy with faith and humor and love. They are amazing. It was especially fun to see them all this weekend where I saw Ann, her brother, their guitar teacher, and a harmonica player named T-Bone perform at a tiny bar behind a laundromat in Marion, Iowa. The place was packed with friends-turned-fans and we clapped and cheered them on like they were the Rolling Stones. Even Ann and Erin's mom got up to do a solo on the piano which, of course, made me think of Mom's C-F-G blues. I just had been talking with a friend about how great it would be if Americans spent more time singing and playing music together... I felt very lucky to be part of that circle of friends where you don't even have to know all the words to sing along.