No. 15 | I woke up this morning thinking about aligning stars. I went to bed thinking about sharing songs. I spent yesterday evening with a few old friends listening to some wonderfully gifted unknown-to-me songwriters here in town. It was an evening lit with magic and sincere sharing of hearts and stories and the songs that intertwine them.
The experience stirred up within me tremendous gratefulness for life, for the life I have been given, the story in which I have been cast as player, and all that has unfolded thus far. Were I to let you peek inside, you would see that as a songwriter I have known a fair amount of disappointment. In the very next moment, were you to ask me what in my life I would go back and change, I would answer “not a thing”.
There is more story to be told here for certain. There is more story for me here to work out. The summary is simply that for whatever reason, for much of my life, the songs have been mostly just for me. That sounds to me selfish as I put it down, but up until very recently, I could not imagine how they might emerge from the everyday business and demands of my life as I have known it. Even today, I have to doubt my doubts concerning these things.
In our culture, we personify the universe and attribute to it God-like motivations and actions. I understand and appreciate why we do that. It is very poetic, and I dig poetry. I believe up and above the universe is a personality with a name, an eternal purpose, and divine intent beyond my ability to comprehend. At least for this morning, that is a topic far too big for this little blog post. In light of that though, I will confess that I find myself more encouraged and even pushed to share the songs and stories that are nothing but gifts to me with whomever they are intended more than ever and with less virtually-unknown-artist-baggage than ever. May I keep pressing into that or better yet, may it keep pressing into me. May I seek to do good work, but may I not worry all too greatly about the results.
What is the path to doing that well today, in this day and time? In truth, I do not know. As I think about the question, I think that I have never known. A week from today, I will share some of the songs and stories with a gathering of friends, some old and some new, in the living room of a dear brother of mine. Beyond that, I do have a few things in mind that make sense to do. Perhaps that is enough light on my little path for now.
May God bless you wherever you and your heart find yourself today. I am off. My guitar is calling.
If you are in or will someday be in Nashville, the music room we visited is The Listening Room. I recommend it to you highly.