In an essay for the NPR series This I Believe, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter describes how she came to appreciate life in an unexpected way. The essay will air on NPR News Weekend Edition Sunday on Sunday, June 24. Inspired by newsman Edward R. Murrow’s 1950’s radio program of the same name, This I Believe features Americans from all walks of life expressing their core beliefs and values in short, personal essays.
Just back from a concert tour, Carpenter was hospitalized in May after suffering a pulmonary embolism. “Everyone told me how lucky I was,” she says in her essay for This I Believe. “A pulmonary embolism can take your life in an instant.” Yet, Carpenter could not shake the feelings of disappointment and depression she experienced in the weeks following her hospitalization, until a chance encounter at the grocery store: “One morning, the young man who rang up my groceries…told me to enjoy the rest of my day. I looked at him and I knew he meant it. …What I want, more than ever, is to appreciate that I have this day, and tomorrow and hopefully days beyond that. I am experiencing the learning curve of gratitude.”
Carpenter has recorded a blend of country, folk and rock music on 11 albums during her 20-year career. Her greatest commercial success came with 1992’s Come On Come On. She recently performed songs from her latest album, The Calling, on NPR’s World Café: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9310666.
Carpenter joins an impressive list of well-known essayists who have contributed to the series since its premiere on April 4, 2005, including fellow musicians Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, banjo player Béla Fleck, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, and jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck.
More than 30,000 NPR listeners have also submitted essays to This I Believe. Essays chosen for broadcast have ranged from revelations about parents, personal struggles, race and identity to the importance of feeding monkeys. This I Believe essay writing has been incorporated into the activities of schools, community groups, places of worship as well as birthday celebrations. Essays have also been read or played at weddings and funerals. The series is a collaboration between NPR and This I Believe, Inc., Dan Gediman and Jay Allison, producers.
Visit www.NPR.org for stations and times of NPR News Weekend Edition Sunday. To date, This I Believe essays have consistently ranked among the top e-mailed stories on NPR.org. To listen or to read past essays, please visit www.NPR.org/thisibelieve.
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