so am i

I spent the entire day in bed holding my daughter, Olivia. She was deemed "incompatible with life," highly disabled. I held her skin-to-skin to stabilize her body temperature.

Hospice staff came in and out of the room as we laid there together, in that tiny, 12x12 bedroom in Central Illinois. Months before I had shut down my band--a venture in which I had invested everything for the past 15 years, now paused indefinitely due to our "new reality."

I felt as though I was disappearing. I felt incompatible with life, too. The words of this song came to my mind.

Olivia was helpless. I felt helpless, too. Yet, somehow, Olivia was also beautiful. Without any ability to accomplish any thing, her infinite, intrinsic value shined. And I realized, as I held my priceless and beautiful daughter in that tiny room in Central Illinois, if she was, so was I.

This was my song to sing to Olivia that day. Today it is my song to sing to you... and your song to sing to me.

You are messed up, "incompatible"... so am I. You are beautiful and priceless, regardless of anything you can or can't do... so am I.