Some snap shots of the band. Joey and I decided to audition for the Youth Charity Jam here in Rockford. That means we have to get busy and with the wedding closing in, I’m swamped. We’re getting it all done, though. Interestingly, the hardest part about doing music so far is deciding on a name for our group. Nothing sounds right or even good. Whatever. We’ll think of something; and even if we don’t, it doesn’t really matter.
~Rediscovered this song I wrote a few months back. I think it’s pretty sappy, but it passed the family test with flying colors. What do you think?
I made a plan years ago
I would have a solo show
I made decisions for times ahead
I didn’t think I was misled
[chorus]
And you came like rain on my parade
And I wouldn’t have it any other way
I made assumptions about the future
None of which involved a suitor
But, God this I will pray
Rain, rain don’t go away
I thought I knew what my life would be
But it’s just now that I’m starting to see
Can’t you tell I’m caught up in your storm
Who knew life would take this form?
[chorus]
You came like rain on my parade
And I wouldn’t have it any other way
[Bridge]
Please, please don’t pass through
I’m completely blown away by you
Go on, grow higher
Go on, grow wider
It’ll scare me half to death
And take away my breath
But I’ll wait out the fear
And stay with you, dear
Cuz you came like rain on my parade
And I wouldn’t want it any other way
A bit overdue, but here’s the video to Joey’s and my cover of Safe and Sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfGv6HTUhH4
My life has been crazy these past two weeks. Literally insane. It’s not that I’m doing too much, though I have been doing a lot. It’s just that so much has happened in the past two weeks that I’ve had to process. So many new ideas and events that I’ve had to think about. I feel as though my life has completely tuned upside down and now I’m left to sort through the mess and decide what’s worth keeping and what’s best getting rid of. I actually had to think about what was worth my time thinking about.
It’s probably just because so much has happened so fast. Bam, bam, bam. There you have it. A whole new side of things. A whole new set of circumstances. Some concerns me directly; some are just things that have happened to my friends. They aren’t even bad things, just things that I had to form an opinion on.
You see, I had a plan. A great plan for my life and what I thought it should be and what I thought God wanted for me. And things aren’t turning out the way I’d planned. At all. So I’m left here in a mess and I look up and ask God what is going on. Did I do something wrong? Did I stray away? Did I miss some opportunity, or take a wrong one? Or was my plan wrong in the first place?
I’m not sure. But I think God is humbling me. I think He’s turning the tables on my life to make me rely on Him and not some plan I made when I was eight. Because the truth is, I do need to rely on Him. Completely. He is the only thing constant through the trial and the change. My world can spin around all it wants, but as long as my faith is in God I will stand on firm ground.
I don’t think planning is wrong by any means; it’s a good thing in fact. I just need to remember not to be so surprised when things don’t work out the way I thought they would. Accept things with grace, refuse to worry so much, find beauty in the chaos; that’s what I need to do.
Maybe life is just like a record: breakable, scratched, dusty. All awkward and flimsy and something different on each side. But it’s the crackle and pop that bring each vinyl its character. I need to see, hear, feel, live in the beauty of each surprising crackle and each spontaneous pop. Because that’s what makes life worth living, even if it takes awhile to process. In fact, I need to learn how to enjoy the crackle and pops.
Because the tables will always turn.
My sister is officially settling in St. Louie. She’s currently juggling living on her own, a job, an internship, and most currently an engagement! She’s getting married! I’m kind of freaking out. Just a little bit.
My mom and I visited her to help her out and start thinking about wedding plans, but we also walked around the downtown and Mr. D (or Daniel as most people call him), Alison’s fiance — okay that sounds weird — had a ukulele he wasn’t using so he let me borrow it! Me and my uke are quite a pair. I finally got it in tune and smile every time I see it. The only sad part is that I can’t learn chords fast enough to play all the songs I want to on it. And most of the songs I do want to learn are so far removed from mainstream music that I can’t find the chords online. #hipsterproblems
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