3 Years Ago Tonight, We Had the Dance Party to Say Goodbye to Grace. Listen to the songs here.

Three years ago, we had a dance party to say goodbye to Grace Pearl.

I talked about this on The Moth (10:55 point). I asked Jim how he wanted to say goodbye to Grace and he said he wanted to make a playlist of songs he’d always wanted to teach her about and play them for us to dance to. We put on our pajamas, lit some candles, and danced to the songs in the dark, late at night.

Every year we listen to this on the anniversary. We get messages from friends all over saying they’ve joined us in this, and we appreciate it so much. It helps us feel less alone, and like Grace is not forgotten.

We will be listening with Hannah (who is named after Grace) and reflecting. Having Hannah this year has made this anniversary season both harder and easier. Obviously, it’s wonderful to finally have a child after 6 years of trying and loss, but just like having a child doesn’t cure infertility, it also doesn’t cure grief and loss. I told a friend that in some ways I feel like Hannah helps me understand even more what I lost with Grace, and makes the grief more acute. It’s a strange thing.

We’d love to have you join in listening to Grace’s playlist with us tonight, and a light a candle for her if you’d like. The playlist and list of songs is here, and you can read about why the songs were chosen here, in Jim’s words.

Grace's Dance Party Playlist

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

The Beatles - Twist And Shout

The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

Blondie - Atomic

Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell

Sam Cooke - Nothing Can Change This Love

The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes

Earth, Wind & Fire – September

Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)

Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up, Part 1(Single Version)

Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You

Al Green - Let's Stay Together 

The Hollies - Bus Stop

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Single Version)

The Jackson 5 - ABC

KC & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight (Single Version)

Kenny Loggins - Footloose

Little River Band - Lady

MFSB - T.S.O.P. (The Sound Of Philadelphia)

Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta - You're The One That I Want

The O'Jays - Love Train

Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

The Rolling Stones - Let's Spend The Night Together

The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run 

Warpaint - New Song

Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her

Stevie Wonder – Superstition

Neil Young – Harvest Moon