My mom and dad were in town for a few weeks for my son's confirmation and a little spring time in Nebraska. We had beautiful weather. We spent lots of afternoons sitting in the backyard sun, taking walks "around the square" and waiting for the irises to bloom. And then the irises bloomed.
Houseguests are wonderful. We loved have Grandma and Grandpa here, but lately I've been real weird about not being able to play music while people are in the house, let alone try and write something new. I've been dying to find some time to write and pick up my guitar again, but I feel like a naughty schoolgirl afraid to be caught doodling in the back row by the teacher. In my mind I'm telling myself, "You don't get to write because you have real adult work that needs to get done first."
So it's been a while since I've written anything.
The boys are done with school tomorrow and so begins summer break. They're calling for rain today and perhaps tomorrow as well. I think the rain might be the perfect excuse for trying out the sound of an empty house that won't be empty for long, but something's still keeping me from doing it.
Last night Star Belle got together for practice and ended up recording a song in Lisa's kitchen. Emily wrote it, I brought the microphone and, after working it out on Lisa's porch we dared set up the rig and see what we could come up with. It was glorious. Emily put down the lead vocal and guitar, we went back and tracked harmony and 15 minutes later we remembered who we were and what kind of magnificent gift we've been given. To say I was in desperate need of that magic is an understatement.
So I know it exists. I know that if I pick up the guitar and listen, something will appear and remind me of who I am. I've been living in a world of busy with precious little time and I know we've all been there. We all get to a place where we don't know where to start. We've all looked at the list of jobs and weighed it more heavily than that thing our heart is begging us to do. We've all sat between the rock and the hard place looking for a way out until suddenly the respite appears out of nowhere. It's a card from a friend, it's a little boy coming to cuddle at the end of a busy day, it's a chance meeting with someone at the grocery store, it's that perfect song on the radio while you're driving with the windows down.
For me, it was singing with my friends on Tuesday as a storm rolled in.
I woke up with morning somewhere in between the joy of last night's band practice and the weight of this Wednesday before school gets out. I thought I'd take a moment to voice that feeling here before going to get my guitar out of my car and dare to make something up.
To you, I say, listen for the messages of joy and peace and freedom coming your way. They're out there, but the burden of work and life can make them hard to hear sometimes. Once you hear the message, then don't explain it away or make it small. Let it be the spark that ignites you again and then go pick up the guitar. Love, Hope