A Soundtrack to Our Life, in Concert.

They knew who he was before they knew who he was. They heard his lyrics before they could understand lyrics.

My lullaby set usually included ‘A Pirate Looks At 40’, ‘He Went To Paris’, and ‘Cowboy In The Jungle’.

As they grew, the songs became a soundtrack to their life.

On the sailboat, on the beach, in the house, in the car. 

It was consistent. 

It was comfort, I like to think,

I had envisioned taking them to a Jimmy Buffett concert so they could experience it in real life - all of it.  The tailgating, the costumes, the Hawaiian shirts, the dancing and the signing.

However, he sailed on before I made that happen.

This past weekend, though, we all had the opportunity to experience the next best thing — his Coral Reefer Band in concert, celebrating and playing Jimmy’s songs.  

The ones they’ve heard since they were laying on my chest late at night.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was excited. The kind of excitement that can let you down.

Let down, I was not.

Emotional…more than I thought.

Standing next to Savannah as we both belted out “Yes I am a pirate…” filled my heart with joy and my eyes with tears.

I was overwhelmed.

A short while later there we were dancing and singing “Wasting away again in Margaritaville…” without a care in the world.

I was happy.

I am happy.

We experienced his music…performed by his band…together.

These times being together seem to have a much louder voice lately. A good voice that I’m listening to more often. 

A voice that is reminding me to slow down and take it all in. 

A voice that is fully aware that summers are precious with these 2 girls.

A voice that is singing:

“I stopped searching for perfection many waves ago

What really matters is the here and now and that's about all I know”