I have Rev. Linda Vance of Trinity United Methodist Church in Racine to thank for recommending a while back that I catch 'This American Life' on National Public Radio. Ira Glass is the uniquely talented host of the program which usually includes three or four stories, or 'acts.' They are generally very good--touching, human, humorous, and insightful--although I thought the offerings of recent weeks below the usual high standard. This past weekend's theme for the show was 'Break-ups.' One of the regular contributors told the story of her own break-up with a boyfriend, told it while her emotions were still pretty raw. Songs of the singer Phil Collins played a role in the relationship, so she calls Collins for this story and interviews him about his own break-ups and their influence on his songs. She writes a song of her own, calls him back to sing it, and...well, you'll have to listen for the rest of the story yourself.

I mention this because this is one of the best stories I've ever caught on 'This American Life,' and, as I said, they're usually very well done. But this one was so well-told and so psychologically and emotionally insightful about dealing with the pain of break-ups, so witty and funny (I laughed out loud several times), so self-revealing (both the narrator and, surprisingly, Collins) and touching, I'm embarrassed to say it nearly brought me to eye leakage. The piece was really that well done. I even toyed with the idea of emailing NPR to thank them. It was that good. In fact, I called my sister-in-law Sharon in Baltimore immediately after hearing it, even before finishing the weekly program, to commisserate because she also listens religiously (she's quick to point out that the host Ira Glass is from Baltimore).

So a long-overdue thank you to Rev. Linda Vance for recommending the show in the first place. It airs sometime on the weekend (consult your local NPR listing online). I'm not sure when because I download it to listen digitally on my mp3 player during the drive to work. One of the small weekly pleasures of my life.