Let it Fall by Over the Rhine
Why does crying get such a bad rap! Historically, it has been a sign of weakness and seen as a feminine attribute. There is a YouTube where the boy gets a shot and he starts to cry, but then holds it in and says, "I'ma man! I'ma man!" I love that little boy...he's holding it in, but the tears are flowing. It's okay..just cry those tears!
Let's flip the discourse. There is this beautiful strength in tears. Isn't it incredible that you can have a physical response to both joyous and challenging moments? We often apologize for tears, but we never apologize for laughter or all of our positive emotions. I guess it's because we want the laughter, humor and happiness to spread. But there are times, I just want the tears. I can think of the last few years where I have cried with loved ones and how much strength it gave us to get through the challenging times.
And it's funny, I never feel guilty about crying because when I do, I feel that I'm alive, that I can feel. It's the moments when I am numb that I become far more concerned about.
I remember this moment when I sang 'Come Sunday' at a jazz workshop...a famous Duke Ellington song that Mahalia Jackson sang at his funeral (thanks, Ev for the history lessons...they stick!) It was a song that we were working on in our weekly classes. And one musician who had just lost a friend watched as we performed the song and she cried. She cried these beautiful soulful tears in response to the song.
I love how music can make us cry. We may not be able to in conversation, we may want to be so strong for so many different kinds of reasons, but a song can help us to be just a little bit more vulnerable.
As Benedict Carey describes in his New York Times article, tears are "a release, a psychological tonic, and to many a glimpse of something deeper: the heart’s own sign language, emotional perspiration from the well of common humanity."
My friend, Beth, shared a song, Let it Fall, with me last week by the group Over the Rhine. They're this folk band from Ohio...with the husband (Linford Detweiler) and the wife (Karin Berquist) as the core.
At first hear, I cried. Such simple lyrics, but the chord progressions and the words were giving permission to something we should do more often...just let it fall:
Cause rain and leaves
And snow and tears and stars
And that's not all my friend
They all fall with confidence and grace
So let it fall, let it fall
We face so much in this life time. Here's my hope for all of you out there...that you're not afraid to breathe deeply and then just have one hell of a good cry.
Let it Fall
Let's flip the discourse. There is this beautiful strength in tears. Isn't it incredible that you can have a physical response to both joyous and challenging moments? We often apologize for tears, but we never apologize for laughter or all of our positive emotions. I guess it's because we want the laughter, humor and happiness to spread. But there are times, I just want the tears. I can think of the last few years where I have cried with loved ones and how much strength it gave us to get through the challenging times.
And it's funny, I never feel guilty about crying because when I do, I feel that I'm alive, that I can feel. It's the moments when I am numb that I become far more concerned about.
I remember this moment when I sang 'Come Sunday' at a jazz workshop...a famous Duke Ellington song that Mahalia Jackson sang at his funeral (thanks, Ev for the history lessons...they stick!) It was a song that we were working on in our weekly classes. And one musician who had just lost a friend watched as we performed the song and she cried. She cried these beautiful soulful tears in response to the song.
I love how music can make us cry. We may not be able to in conversation, we may want to be so strong for so many different kinds of reasons, but a song can help us to be just a little bit more vulnerable.
As Benedict Carey describes in his New York Times article, tears are "a release, a psychological tonic, and to many a glimpse of something deeper: the heart’s own sign language, emotional perspiration from the well of common humanity."
My friend, Beth, shared a song, Let it Fall, with me last week by the group Over the Rhine. They're this folk band from Ohio...with the husband (Linford Detweiler) and the wife (Karin Berquist) as the core.
At first hear, I cried. Such simple lyrics, but the chord progressions and the words were giving permission to something we should do more often...just let it fall:
Cause rain and leaves
And snow and tears and stars
And that's not all my friend
They all fall with confidence and grace
So let it fall, let it fall
We face so much in this life time. Here's my hope for all of you out there...that you're not afraid to breathe deeply and then just have one hell of a good cry.
Let it Fall
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