CHAPTER :
A Magical Night
With entries from:
Mark Beatty   —   10 years ago

I loved Leonard from afar for many years. I was introduced to his and much other meaningful music while still a teeanager by my older cousin Chris. He presented Leonard to me as not only fine music, but also poetry and life lessons in song and I will be forever grateful to him for it.

I never went to concerts, because I have a deep uneasiness about crowds and he tended to attract them. Back in '09 though, some of our dearest friends invited my lady Dana and I to go with them to his appearance in Madison Square Garden in October of that year. I was nervous, but I wanted to go and share the moment.

There were challenges, of course. Money was tight, schedules had to be leveraged and it was *very* crowded. The steep stairs and narrow seats were quite uncomfotable for a gentleman of my...ahem...'stature', shall we say?

Still, it was amazing. We couldn't afford close up seats, but I still felt his presence and power. I was awed by his ability to fill a room that could easily have accomodated my entire high school, parking lot included. I have wished ever since that we could have met him. I'd imagine he is fascinating to converse with.

That night was so powerful an experiance, and significant in my life in so many ways, that I had the pendant shown here commisssioned to commemorate it. It was nessesary to obtain permission to use his Unified Heart symbol, which was graciously granted. I had five made, one for each of us and one to send to the man himself. I hope he saw and perhaps liked it. I have worn mine ever since.

I wear two now, as my beloved Dana passed from this world earlier this year. This is one more addition to the many reasons I wish she were still here. She would not only love this project but probably would have had a couple of better stories, as she was a fan long before I ever heard of Leonard.

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    Kim - 10 years ago
    What an awesome concert... that's the first time that I saw him perform as well.
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    Paula - 10 years ago
    Mark, your story touches my heart. You are so blessed to have had your lovely Dana and I'm so sorry for the loss in your life. As for Leonard Cohen, I've never had the opportunity to attend a live concert, but just reading through the experiences of others here, it's given me another whole sense of this truly gifted artist and man. All my best wishes to you!
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