When I first saw that Prince died yesterday and noticed how Facebook was exploding with memories tied to his music, I felt a little bit of a pessimistic tinge rear up in my heart. “Justice Scalia dies and I barely see a peep from anyone in FB-land about his legacy. Prince dies and he’s everyone’s most life-changing hero ever. Pfft.” (Insert accompanying eye roll.)

This is what I thought, dear friends. There it is. A peek into the mind of Shannon. For better or for worse.

But then… I got down off of my high horse (it’s kind of stuffy up there) and reflected for a moment on the posts. Why was his death evoking such passionate posting on social media?

There are probably several reasons. To name a few –  he was clearly a talented man, he stayed in MN instead of moving to LA, he wasn’t afraid to be himself and inspired others to do the same, and he spared us from Kanye-esque proclamations about his own awesomeness. Those things are all true and we appreciate him for them.

But, I think even more than that, it’s because music is powerful. It impacts us. It evokes memory. It stirs something in us and pulls out strong emotion. Whether it’s the lyrics themselves or the score behind them or the memory that accompanies them, songs move us. Scientists even suspect that music can have healing effects on the mind and body.

I see the power of music when my son wants share a song from his Lecrae rap playlist with us – instead of just keeping it to himself. I see it when my daughter loses herself in a lyrical performance. I feel it in my own soul when a song moves me to tears as I drive along alone in my car. Or when my heart catches during a movie scene because of well-placed music. It wells within my soul when I am sitting in an orphanage in Costa Rica watching children worship in words I can’t even understand. I experience it when I unexpectedly hear the song that I used to sing to my kids when I tucked them in at night.

Music. What a powerful gift it is to us!

---

On that note, can I ask what music you are enjoying lately? Can you share it with me in the comments below? Because I’d love that little peek into your life. And, maybe I’ll find a song or two to add to my own playlist {wink}

As for me, I’ve discovered a new-to-me artist in Andrew Peterson. I don’t know how I have missed him all these years but I am loving his music because he’s a storyteller.  And, when you put story and good music together… well, it’s nearly perfect for a girl like me.

You can get a little taste for him here. This song is particularly meaningful to me right now because my own kids are in the throws of figuring out who they are. I’m reminded lately that being a teenager is hard. Really hard. A lot is going on all up in those hearts and minds. Instead of being frustrated with them in this phase of life,  I’ve been trying to put myself in their shoes more and more. Peterson’s fatherly perspective helps me do that. It leads me to pray that I would love Caleb and Madison well through this season of life even though it’s hard on all of us some days. And so I am thankful yet again for the power of music…