Welcome to this weeks Flow Feature! We hope you’ve all had a wonderful week. Thank you all for joining us yet again to read about Sarah Wilson from the USA.
For Sarah, Florence + The Machine will always be the centre of her world. She first discovered the band through her best friend Stephanie. Sarah and Stephanie met in their first years of school. They were polar
opposites in their appearance, Sarah was always slightly tanned with long flowing blonde hair, and Stephanie was pale as the moon with short bright red hair. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing different about them. They loved the same music, food, art, films, TV series, has the same idols, the list
goes on. Sarah was always slightly self-conscious, afraid to show her real self, but not when she was with Stephanie. Stephanie brought out the best in Sarah, and vice versa. Not once did they fight in the years after they met. It was the kind of friendship that we all read about in books and see in movies, the kind many go their whole lives wishing they could experience.
On a night in 2010, at around 2.30 in the morning, Stephanie burst into her bedroom (how she got into the house is still unknown) ranting and raving about this incredible new band she had just discovered, Florence + The Machine. If it had been anyone else Sarah would have screamed and started hurling large objects in their direction, but knowing Stephanie, it had to be something good. They stayed up all night listening to this incredible album, watching every music video on YouTube, tracking down every song out there. Neither of them had ever heard anything like this band before, and they knew they were already addicted.
For the next year they spent every waking moment thinking about this band, singing their songs, and channelling Florence as their fashion muse. It was the best year of Sarah’s life. They had already been best friends since they were children, but this brought them both even closer together. The emotional connection that we all feel when we listen to Florence + The Machine, the raw power that the music and lyrics hold, it was all shared with her best friend as well.
The Ceremonials Era began, and finally Sarah and Stephanie had the opportunity to see the band live. They were only a few rows from the front, only a few feet away from their idol. It was the most powerful experience of her life up until that point. She felt strange for the whole night. Her emotions as high as they had ever been, swept up in the moment. Time felt as if it was going in slow motion and double speed at the same time. Though neither of them had any talent they both screamed ever word along with Florence. Stephanie tried (badly) to air guitar along with Rob, while Sarah tried with Toms harp. It was an awe-inspiring concert, Florence and the band played perfectly. It was the best experience that they had ever shared. For weeks after it was all they could talk about. They drove everyone else crazy, their parents, their friends, complete strangers. Already they began planning how to earn the money to see as many more concerts of the tour as they could.
But those plans never came about. A month after the concert Sarah received a phone call, and heard the words she never wanted to hear…
Stephanie, her best friend, the one person that Sarah had always been able to rely on, the one person that she loved with all her heart, had been killed in a car accident on her way home from the movies.
Sarah was crushed, she had no idea what to do next, where to go. She spent the days until the funeral locked in her room in shock. She didn’t even realise it was the day until she saw her parents leave without her, she had never even heard them knocking on her door. Sarah finally built up the courage and made her way to the church. For the second time Sarah experienced time as if it was in slow motion and double speed at the same time. It wasn’t part of the plan but halfway through the funeral Sarah interrupted and went up to the podium. She had no words to say, couldn’t think of any words that could convey her love for Stephanie, and capture her memory. So Sarah didn’t speak words. She stood in front of their family and friends and sang the only song she could think of. ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence + The Machine.
That was the last time that Sarah heard one of the bands songs for months. Sarah couldn’t bear to hear the music that she had shared with Stephanie, the albums that had brought them so close together. Sarah thought that by not listening to the band it would make it easier, make it hurt less.
A few months after the funeral Stephanie’s mum called and asked Sarah to come and see what she wanted to keep out of Stephanie’s bedroom. Sarah stopped by the next day, and for the first time saw Stephanie’s room without Stephanie in it, dancing to ‘Dog Days Are Over’ or singing her heart out to ‘Rabbit Heart’. Sarah spent hours in the room, going through her best friends belongings, through the memories they had shared. She found Stephanie’s vinyl collection, both Lungs and Ceremonials. Though she knew it was going to be hard to hear the songs again, the room would never feel right without playing one of them.
Sarah sat on the floor of the room listening to ‘Lungs’. At first it was hard, the songs brought back every memory of the past 2 years, the loss was too much for her to comprehend. But after a few runs through the album, Sarah started feeling something else, something she wasn’t expecting. The music, along with Florence’s beautiful voice started to comfort her. It felt as if she was coming home. The lyrics were like arms wrapped around her, holding her close, telling her that everything would be okay, that she would find a way through this.
After that day Sarah started listening to Florence + The Machine again. Though it still hurt every time she was reminded of Stephanie, the next note was the bands way of looking after her. It was as if there was someone holding her hand the whole way through. Sarah doesn’t know if the hand belongs to Stephanie, who is staying with her, or to Florence, who is looking after her, but she knows she will make it through, somehow. All she has to do is keep listening and they will come to her.
We would like to send a massive thank you to Sarah Wilson for
sharing your story with us. We hope that whoever is there holding your hand will
never let it go, and don’t forget that the Flows will always be there too
whenever you need us.
We hope this weeks Flow Feature will stay with you all. If you
have a story you want to share please email us today! Until next
time…
Inspiring Flows Xxx
For Sarah, Florence + The Machine will always be the centre of her world. She first discovered the band through her best friend Stephanie. Sarah and Stephanie met in their first years of school. They were polar
opposites in their appearance, Sarah was always slightly tanned with long flowing blonde hair, and Stephanie was pale as the moon with short bright red hair. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing different about them. They loved the same music, food, art, films, TV series, has the same idols, the list
goes on. Sarah was always slightly self-conscious, afraid to show her real self, but not when she was with Stephanie. Stephanie brought out the best in Sarah, and vice versa. Not once did they fight in the years after they met. It was the kind of friendship that we all read about in books and see in movies, the kind many go their whole lives wishing they could experience.
On a night in 2010, at around 2.30 in the morning, Stephanie burst into her bedroom (how she got into the house is still unknown) ranting and raving about this incredible new band she had just discovered, Florence + The Machine. If it had been anyone else Sarah would have screamed and started hurling large objects in their direction, but knowing Stephanie, it had to be something good. They stayed up all night listening to this incredible album, watching every music video on YouTube, tracking down every song out there. Neither of them had ever heard anything like this band before, and they knew they were already addicted.
For the next year they spent every waking moment thinking about this band, singing their songs, and channelling Florence as their fashion muse. It was the best year of Sarah’s life. They had already been best friends since they were children, but this brought them both even closer together. The emotional connection that we all feel when we listen to Florence + The Machine, the raw power that the music and lyrics hold, it was all shared with her best friend as well.
The Ceremonials Era began, and finally Sarah and Stephanie had the opportunity to see the band live. They were only a few rows from the front, only a few feet away from their idol. It was the most powerful experience of her life up until that point. She felt strange for the whole night. Her emotions as high as they had ever been, swept up in the moment. Time felt as if it was going in slow motion and double speed at the same time. Though neither of them had any talent they both screamed ever word along with Florence. Stephanie tried (badly) to air guitar along with Rob, while Sarah tried with Toms harp. It was an awe-inspiring concert, Florence and the band played perfectly. It was the best experience that they had ever shared. For weeks after it was all they could talk about. They drove everyone else crazy, their parents, their friends, complete strangers. Already they began planning how to earn the money to see as many more concerts of the tour as they could.
But those plans never came about. A month after the concert Sarah received a phone call, and heard the words she never wanted to hear…
Stephanie, her best friend, the one person that Sarah had always been able to rely on, the one person that she loved with all her heart, had been killed in a car accident on her way home from the movies.
Sarah was crushed, she had no idea what to do next, where to go. She spent the days until the funeral locked in her room in shock. She didn’t even realise it was the day until she saw her parents leave without her, she had never even heard them knocking on her door. Sarah finally built up the courage and made her way to the church. For the second time Sarah experienced time as if it was in slow motion and double speed at the same time. It wasn’t part of the plan but halfway through the funeral Sarah interrupted and went up to the podium. She had no words to say, couldn’t think of any words that could convey her love for Stephanie, and capture her memory. So Sarah didn’t speak words. She stood in front of their family and friends and sang the only song she could think of. ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Florence + The Machine.
That was the last time that Sarah heard one of the bands songs for months. Sarah couldn’t bear to hear the music that she had shared with Stephanie, the albums that had brought them so close together. Sarah thought that by not listening to the band it would make it easier, make it hurt less.
A few months after the funeral Stephanie’s mum called and asked Sarah to come and see what she wanted to keep out of Stephanie’s bedroom. Sarah stopped by the next day, and for the first time saw Stephanie’s room without Stephanie in it, dancing to ‘Dog Days Are Over’ or singing her heart out to ‘Rabbit Heart’. Sarah spent hours in the room, going through her best friends belongings, through the memories they had shared. She found Stephanie’s vinyl collection, both Lungs and Ceremonials. Though she knew it was going to be hard to hear the songs again, the room would never feel right without playing one of them.
Sarah sat on the floor of the room listening to ‘Lungs’. At first it was hard, the songs brought back every memory of the past 2 years, the loss was too much for her to comprehend. But after a few runs through the album, Sarah started feeling something else, something she wasn’t expecting. The music, along with Florence’s beautiful voice started to comfort her. It felt as if she was coming home. The lyrics were like arms wrapped around her, holding her close, telling her that everything would be okay, that she would find a way through this.
After that day Sarah started listening to Florence + The Machine again. Though it still hurt every time she was reminded of Stephanie, the next note was the bands way of looking after her. It was as if there was someone holding her hand the whole way through. Sarah doesn’t know if the hand belongs to Stephanie, who is staying with her, or to Florence, who is looking after her, but she knows she will make it through, somehow. All she has to do is keep listening and they will come to her.
We would like to send a massive thank you to Sarah Wilson for
sharing your story with us. We hope that whoever is there holding your hand will
never let it go, and don’t forget that the Flows will always be there too
whenever you need us.
We hope this weeks Flow Feature will stay with you all. If you
have a story you want to share please email us today! Until next
time…
Inspiring Flows Xxx
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