Autism comes with a lot of accompanying traits, but for my daughter, repetition is a prominent one.

Toys have to be lined up in repetitive patterns; schedules must be followed to a tee. And because of her rigidity, music must be safe and predictable. We’ve listened to the same Pandora station, Old MacDonald Radio, on repeat for many years. Safe to say, the songs are burned into my brain and I no longer like cows, or ducks, or little boy blues.

So today when I plugged in my iPhone, and the Pink album I had previously been listening to started to play, I was shocked to hear her tell me not to change it.

For three minutes and eight seconds, my normally non-secular loving child allowed the most beautiful ballad, “Love Me Anyway,” to flow out of our speakers. About halfway through she picked up on the chorus, and in perfect pitch, started singing along. I joined in—our voices blending together in a way I’ve never heard before.

When the song concluded, my daughter said, “I really liked that, Mom. It felt good for my body.”

Me too, baby girl. In fact, it’s your Momma’s favorite song on the album. I’ve just always had to sing it alone—until today.

They say music is good for the soul, but apparently it’s good for autism too.

So thank you, Pink. Thank you for your art. Thank you for your voice, which entered into a little girl with a lot of anxiety and brought her equilibrium. Thank you for allowing me to sing with my daughter.

Today, music connected me to my child.

That feels good for my body too.