Dear Mr. Mumford (and Sons),

I first discovered your music quite by accident and long after you had already been making albums and touring the world. While I am sure others have been fans since the beginning, I am a new fan, yes, but I am a fan for life. I stumbled upon I Will Wait on the radio one day while running errands and was captivated by the joyous lyrics, stunning vocals and soulful sound, not to mention diverse instrumentation and enchanting harmonies; but, much to my dismay, I missed who was behind the music I heard. By coincidence (or not since I don’t believe in such things) my brother-in-law came over that same evening and brought your music with him. I was elated and downloaded all of your songs within minutes.

There’s not a song I skipped and no repeat was one too many. I was captivated by Babel and Sigh No More; haunted by Ghosts that We Knew and Timshel; enthralled with Broken Crown and Little Lion Man; invigorated by Lover of the Light and Awake My Soul; and consumed by Lover’s Eyes and Dust Bowl Dance. I listened to these songs and more as if I was discovering music for the first time and no, I am hardly exaggerating. Be it in my house, in my car or in the grocery store, when I hear you Mr. Mumford, I can’t help but dance and sing at the top of my lungs. It’s uncontrollable, immersed, unfathomable joy that you bring out from somewhere deep inside of me.

So, when I read that you would be performing at a stopover on your Gentleman of the Road Tour in Troy, Ohio – a mere hour or so away from where I live – I had to be there. When I found out it was the weekend of my 31^st birthday, I was convinced I would be there. And, after two rounds of ticket sales and a few tears on my end, I will be there. So, given how I feel, you can only imagine my exhilaration at holding this in my hands:

To be honest, I can’t stop talking about it and it was only natural that people – mainly my husband who has requested that I write this letter to you after seeing my passion for your songs – wanted to know why I feel so strongly about your music. Can I even describe it, let alone to you?

Your music rouses something in my soul, something I have only felt a time or two before and not from anything consistent. It is like hearing a familiar voice call my name – when I have spent a lifetime among strangers who don’t even know it. It is as if an intense longing is transformed into belonging and my heart and mind finally have a place to rest in your lyrics.

Your music drives me back to a time and place that is long past, and even longer forgotten. Your profound lyrics and endearing melodies are symbolic of something old and something deep and while I can’t yet exactly put a name to it, it calls me back to my previously unrecognized roots. Whether your influences are British, Irish, American Folk or even Tribal, I hear them all and am called to a heritage previously unknown to me. I am united by your music because it has become a part of my inner being. A being that is unrestrained amidst your songs.

The events over the last two years of my life have been immeasurable. Unexpectedly losing my mother, my career and nearly my own life have left me wondering why I am still here if only to consumed by sorrow, self-doubt and fear. Constantly crying out “Why did this happen to me?” was not providing any answers and I nearly resigned to what I was sure to be a life of pain, sadness, regrets and worry. I withdrew so far within myself that not even those who cared the most about me or knew me the best could at times, get me out. It was never going to get any better and it was never going to change. I resigned to believing I should have died with the blood clot that nearly destroyed my body last summer.

They say we never can never fully understand how what we say, feel or act truly impacts another individual and that’s exactly where you come in. Your music has reached down into the deepest, darkest, scariest places within my heart, mind and soul and pulled me back from the path I was heading down. As an artist myself, I started reading again, writing again and taking time to spend in nature and with my own, much relieved thoughts. If I have a bad day or start to stray down the path of no return again, I put your albums in and the light comes bounding back. I carry it with me, in my purse or pocket, and it has lent more grace than any other one, single thing ever has. Call it dramatic, call it crazy or call it what you will, but your music has saved me.

So, I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Mumford. I can hardly contain my excitement or the insurmountable feeling that Troy is exactly where I am meant to be.

Very sincerely yours,