A Gift from the Heart

On March 20, Daphne and I had our first date night in months. Grandma had Charlotte while we went out to dinner at Irina's. While we were waiting for our food to arrive a young man about 25 years old approached our table and asked if I was Mr. Monson and also a teacher at UHS?

I said yes, and he replied, "My name is Graham, and although I didn't have you as a teacher I remember that my friends said you were always talking about music." He then handed me a CD case featuring this on the cover:

"Have you heard of The Head and the Heart?" I slowly shook my head, not sure what he was talking about. 

"They're a mix of folky pop, and I have this feeling that you might really their music," he then pointed to the case now in my hands, "Music makes the word go round, right?"

I had to agree, and once I was sure he was giving me the CD and not just showing it to me, I shook his hand and thanked him for his kindness. It was really nice of him, and I wish I could have caught his last name. But you have to admit getting a strange looking gift from a complete stranger is, well, also a bit strange. 

After dinner, our waiter spotted the CD case and asked, "Ohhh, is that the movie Halloween?" and I tried to explain that I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I couldn't even point to where Graham was sitting at the bar because he had left. Once we were home, I got as far as placing the CD on our kitchen's island. I didn't find it again until Thursday. 

Little did I know much I was going to like The Head and the Heart. I can't really put my finger on it, no one track stands out as a favorite, but as a whole the album delivers the goods.

And I'm not alone in my enthusiasm for this record. The first track, "Cats and Dogs", has often calmed down an upset Charlotte on the way to daycare. With lyrics about gardens, mice, and other animals, Char thinks it was written for her. Plus she can hear her grandma's violin in there too.

Thanks, Graham. I hope I get to tell you sometime how much we enjoy your gift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvZtVoItXxQ