Have you ever heard the song by Steven Kellogg & the Sixers called Roots & Wings?  I had not either until we were given an epic playlist for our road trip out east.  We had spent out final morning in Minnesota eating my dad’s pancakes with our parents, siblings, nieces, nephew and my grandmother.  It had been a little over 5 years since our families were all in one place at the same time (for our wedding) and it was very special.

I had honestly been dreading that moment because it was going to be a “goodbye for now” and I was worried I would just cry the whole time and not take it in.  But it wasn’t like that at all.  It was a calm and peaceful few hours and I was able to sit there and soak it all in.

When we actually hugged my parents, I was wondering if they were feeling sad or holding back tears.  I guess I will never know, because all they showed me was love and support and excitement for our new adventures.  (It helps that they already had their first trip planned.)  So as we drove through Wisconsin waiting for some emotional wave to hit us, this song played for the first time.  I was drifting in and out of nap land when Justin told me to listen to the lyrics.  You can find the lyrics here.

I can’t explain in full why this song meant so much to me, but it made me so extremely grateful for my parents in that moment.  They had given me the courage to do something crazy like this and they were genuinely excited for us.  What an amazing gift – the idea of getting roots and wings.

I say all this as I prepare for my parents to fly in this evening.  I am beyond excited to spend a few days enjoying NYC Christmas.  For those of you that have moved away, I’m curious, does this song make you grateful for your upbringing or am I the only sap?

Also, in honor of my dad’s favorite post on this blog ever – My Dad calls it “rap crap” – here is a little song to get you ready for this weekend.