a.b. hearts j.t.

I was raised with James Taylor music like some kids are raised with Sesame Street, or Veggie Tales. My Dad has loved JT for a long time--I think the melancholy of the music resonates with him.

When I listen to it, I remember the scope of time. That is, it carries me across and through the years of my life, and I recall how big life is. How small we all are. How quickly these moments will pass into history.

I don't mean to be dramatic, really. I just like to be reminded of the hugeness of life.

My year here has been intense. Sometimes, that intensity fogs my memory for, and awareness of, the world outside of my own.

Then, JT. I know the music so well. I hear a song, and see myself where I was when that particular song helped me through. Next song, and it happens again. And after a few songs, I begin to remember all the places and people I've been.

It's good. Stops me from thinking too much of this person, this place. I begin to see possibilities again. I feel less tied to the options laid out before me. I start to dream of entirely new directions, and paths less traveled.

I like to think, though, that my dreams are inadequate. That whatever song I might have remembered these years by, my future with God requires no verse, no notes.