I've had this Seattle Storm Cloud over my head for the past week or so.  One of the things that always lifts me up in those times is music.  It's been awhile since I've heard a record that affected me deeply, one of those that you'll always remember what you were doing and who you were with when you heard it for the first time.  Well, it finally happened when I heard Ryan Adams' "Gold" recently - absolutely awe-inspiring.  It's been on repeat in my car for over a week now, and the record plays in my head constantly.  The songs are so passionate, deep, and rich; plus his musicianship is absolutely amazing.

I had my son this weekend, which is always cause for celebration.  Even so, I just couldn't shake that cloud.  We're driving in the car on Saturday morning, running errands.  Traffic is a mess, and I'm getting progressively more irritated as the day wears on.  I hate it when I'm pissy around Bennett, because my time with him is so precious and it feels like a waste if I'm all huffy.  We're on our way home, and "The Stars Go Blue" comes on.  It's one of my favorite songs on the record, so I turn it up and start singing along with it.  One of the lines in the chorus is "The Stars Go Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeee" sang at a high pitch.  I'm singing it (as best I can since I can't carry a tune) and all of the sudden I hear Bennett singing along with it too.  I look back at him and he has this HUGE smile on his face, like there was no place he'd rather be than singing along with his daddy in the car.  Well I immediately started smiling and laughing along with him.  We started the song over again, cranked it up, and absolutely BELTED it out together.  We listened to that song over and over again, probably 20 times in the last two days, singing it together every single time.

Needless to say, that Seattle Storm Cloud has burned off, and it's been replaced by my son's laughter and the image of his smile burned indelibly onto my brain.  The laughter of a child is such a simple thing, but it is the most powerful antidote to sadness in the whole world...