Saturday evening the air was a mix of cool Spring and the promising mist of shadowy uncertainy. Billowing dark clouds sat in the distance like bouncers waiting at the door of a nightclub, ominous in stature but silent, stoic and not really threatening. The ground at Risien Park was damp, squishy from the recent rains and received our feet like marshmallows as we stepped across the grass to find a suitable area to put our chairs. The Gordon Collier Band was up on stage practicing, preparing for their performance and it was already evident the music for the evening was going to fill the air with the joy of being alive. My son, Shawn, had driven six hours from Houston, to come spend the weekend, listen to good music, get some parental and Patches’ hugs, and spend a little away time from ‘big’ city life. We all settled in and Shawn and I began to do what it is writers do…observe the world around them as if seeing it for the very first time.Children live without thought of being what others want them to be…they dance because their feet want to move. When something strikes them as funny, their giggle starts at their toes and works all the way up to the tops of their heads. A cement floor to them is meant for cartwheels, running, jumping, twirling around like a spinning top, or for bouncing a ball and then chasing it through a crowd of people dancing. To a child, life is meant for living, every moment, regardless, always. It is a beautiful thing to watch and I cannot get enough of seeing them interact with each other, by themselves and think it is magic.One little boy left the dance floor from the wrong direction. I would say he was around two years old and I instantly knew he was lost. His adorable little face scanned the faces sitting in the lawn chairs for a familiar outline but it was dark and none of the noses, cowboy hats or colors looked like ones he knew. I watched as he threw his arms up and I could see his lips start to tremble and knew that tears would be coming next. I leaned in and said to Shawn, “ He is looking for his parents.” Just as I was about to get up to go to him, I saw a man with a huge smile on his face walking toward the wandering lamb. The young man came up to him, held out his arms and scooped him up and the look of relief on that little boy’s face was priceless. . .he was ‘home’. I so love the music of Gordon Collier and I am not a huge country music fan. Furthermore, I am a fan of the person Gordon Collier because he is a kind, caring, humble, personable, sincere and all around very nice guy. His music filled the night air, rode the wind and found its way into the hearts and toes of every person listening. His voice has a quality to it that is soothing, infectious and makes a person think singing along is not only allowed but a prerequisite to being a GCB fan. It is all part of Gordon’s inviting personality, easy laid back way and genuine love of what he does. Of course it helps, Gordon is an amazingly talented singer and song writer and the only thing I wished Saturday night was that more people had been there to hear his band.These concerts are wonderful and they truly are family events. The vendors who sell before and during the concert are all locally owned and are wonderful, responsible, caring people. I have never seen anyone act in a disrespectful, out of control or even slightly off color way. I always leave thinking how lucky I am to live in a town that offers an evening to commune with not only the natural beauty that surrounds me but the magic that lives inside the hearts of the people that surround me too. How lucky am I they invite children to dance under the moon, twirl around with a basketball while perfecting their cartwheels and then I get to watch the magic of the beautiful child left inside some adults like Barbara, our wonderful grocery checker at Lowe’s who is so touched by the music…it is the only partner she needs. I truly love you all with all my heart and want to invite you to come look out my window with me, you needn’t dance just fall in love with your town and its wonderful people all over again, it won’t hurt a bit!