Happy Birthday, Donna

For a brief moment this afternoon I considered writing a lengthy tribute to Donna Summer for her 75th birthday. But the truth is that I can say what I need to say in very few words: her joy, her power, and her music saved my life when I was 12 years old.

I’m not sure what it was about her exactly that held my attention… except that in learning about her pain and the ways she tried to escape it, I found some sort of resonance even at such a young age.

What I know for certain is that without her I might not be here. And for every milestone in my life’s journey, I think of her and her music and what she has always meant to me.

2023 was not at all kind to me. I wish I could say that the kid in me remembered to turn to Donna when I needed her but I didn’t. I guess it’s fortuitous that Donna’s birthday falls on the last day of the year — a reminder of the joy that life still has to offer and what adventures await beyond the horizon.

Happy birthday, Donna. Thank you for everything.