Edwin's Tale

This is one of my favorite songs by local artist Peter Breinholt. I was introduced to "Pe-tah's" music by my sister when he was just a college kid starting out a band. I loved his folksy, happy-go-lucky style, and played my copied cassette of his first album over and over.  Now he's well known throughout the West, and his music is frequently featured on EFY and other LDS albums.

Over the years I've been to probably dozens of Peter concerts, everywhere from outdoor amphitheaters at Sundance and Thanksgiving Point, to cool Christmas venues like the Eccles Theater on the U of U campus.  Grant tolerates them, claiming "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." I don't care if he plays a lot of the old favorites, but I would argue that his music has only gotten better. More refined, more thoughtful, and he has started integrating beautiful media presentations like this one over the years.  This is by far my favorite, and makes me cry every single time.  It's all about the honor and struggle of a soldier.

Story goes, at least as far as I've been able to piece together from the bits Peter has shared over the years at his concert, that this song came to him on a plane ride, and once he had written it out, the feeling to came to him strongly that he should title it "Edwin's Tale, 1862." He jotted it down, not understanding why.  Some time later, he came across a photo while doing family history.  It was of an ancestor of his who fought as a young man (basically a boy) in the Civil War. Peter finally understood the meaning to this inspired song and its title when he learned the name of the boy in the picture (the one shown at the beginning and end of the slideshow) was Edwin, and the date the picture was taken, you guessed it, 1862.  It's an incredible story, and the song along with the slideshow give it full justice.

I was talking to Grant the other day and expressing why I feel it's so important to read stories about the Pioneers, the founding of our country, and of heroes old and modern. I feel like it gives me perspective. I feel like it makes my trials seem less difficult. I feel like it deepens my appreciation for the blessings I enjoy. I'm so grateful for talented writers and musicians who can put those feelings of appreciation into words when I feel inadequate to do so. This really is worth the watch.