I have been listening to Denison Witmer since I discovered his Safe Away album in 2001, which was a very lonely year for me. I was in graduate school, girlfriendless, and vocationally clueless. I soothed myself by listening to Safe Away and a few other albums I mention here in my essay, “The Flowering Dark,“ which is Part I of II I wrote about The Innocence Mission’s Birds of My Neighborhood album in conjunction with Lent in 2012.
I met Denison briefly prior to a concert at a coffeehouse in Springfield, Missouri in 2005 when he was on his Are You a Sleeper? tour. My friend Jennifer Harris Dault and I gave him a copy of my Christmas album, All is Calm, All is Bright, and a bottle of wine. He was very kind to us, and his set was intimate and warm, just as his records are.
Fast forward to this week on Twitter:
Last night I played @denisonwitmer‘s #SafeAway album for Evie before she went to bed. “What this, Daddy?” she said (Part 1).
— Chad Thomas Johnston (@Saint_Upid) September 29, 2013
“It’s @denisonwitmer,” I said. “Denson Wimmer?” she said in two-year-old speak while I danced with her in my arms. “Yep.”
— Chad Thomas Johnston (@Saint_Upid) September 29, 2013
“Like it,” Evie said. “You like @denisonwitmer?” I said. “Him . . . him . . . him sing me, in there.” (Points to boombox.) (Part 3)
— Chad Thomas Johnston (@Saint_Upid) September 29, 2013
So I think Evie thinks @denisonwitmer was actually singing to her personally last night. Thanks “Dennson Wimmer!” #YOUROCK (Part 4)
— Chad Thomas Johnston (@Saint_Upid) September 29, 2013
@Saint_Upid DM me your address. I have a gift for you
— DENISON WITMER (@DENISONWITMER) September 30, 2013
@DENISONWITMER Done! And how appropriate, as it’s her b-day on Wednesday! 🙂
— Chad Thomas Johnston (@Saint_Upid) September 30, 2013
Today, waiting for me—or rather, Evie—in the mailbox was a mailer containing the onesie and two handwritten postcards in the photo below. A truly kind gesture from a singer-songwriter I have come to admire.
Thank you for being a blessing to us, Denison Witmer! You will continue to sing Evie to sleep.
As for you, my dear readers, if you would like a onesie like the one below, look no further than Mr. Witmer’s store here.
