Growing up in Brooklyn, Sonia Pérez recalled how her father would drink beer, sit on the sofa and lose himself in records from Puerto Rico, where he grew up. One day, he stopped listening. Sonia and her siblings wondered why. On the other side of the world, in Ireland, Grainne Armstrong recalls the moment she experienced her daughter’s love for the first time, set to a soundtrack of opera and birdsong. Today, two stories about a parent and child longing for a deeper connection – and how music sparked their understanding of one another.
[MUSIC]
Anna Martin: From The New York Times,
I'm Anna Martin.
This is Modern Love.
Growing up, I went to church a lot,
and my life was filled with Christian worship music —
on the car radio,
sleepaway camp,
at the young adult services at church.
The lyrics were about the mystery of the universe,
all the grains of sand on the beach,
these unknowable infinite things made manageable and catchy.
Archived Recording (michael W. Smith): You are holy.
You are holy.
You are mighty.
You are mighty.
Anna Martin: I echoed the worship leader in a call and response,
swaying, eyes closed.
I knew all the lyrics by heart.
Even if I didn't have any answers,