They're all home

Woke up early this morning and realized all 3 kids are home and asleep upstairs. By midnight, tonight, one will be gone again.

My oldest is home again after graduating college, until next spring when she gets married. My second oldest, an area director at Spring Hill Camps and she came home for a wedding. She’ll be gone for that by 1:00PM and will drive back to camp either late tonight or first thing in the morning. My son, the youngest, a senior in high school, has been gone on a Teen Service Team working at a summer camp for the last 2 weeks.

But right now, at this very moment, they are upstairs sleeping in their beds, just like they always used to, early on a Saturday morning.

In a year, two of them will be graduated from college, the third getting ready to go off to college. A year.

Now. Right now, I’m sitting downstairs, realizing how precious it is to have them all here at one time.

Truly Missed

I met Jimmy Lee Smith 2 years ago at a Songramp gathering three years ago in Nashville. Well, I met him in person that is. Long before that he was an online encourager of many writer’s music, as well as a gifted lyricist himself.

His love for Jesus Christ and for his wife of 60 years hung on every word of his lyrical love songs. I had no idea he was sick last week when I sat down to write. I had thought of a hook while flying to Nashville, and actually tried to write the hook in a couple of cowrite sessions. (I ended up writing other ideas)

When I finally got the inspiration to use the hook (Between the Light and Her Shadow) I drew on my own relationship with Cyndi, and reflected on the nurtured love of those I’ve known and loved. Jimmy Lee was one of those influences. His love for Martha Sue was entrancing, and seemed to float him through life. His graceful and kind spirit preceded and followed him out of every conversation.

Last year, Jimmy Lee lost the love of his life, and all of us who knew him grieved. Some of the group on Songramp knew her personally. I didn’t, but I really felt like I did. When I saw him again this spring, everytime she came up in the conversation you could feel his love for her.

Jimmy passed away two nights ago and he leaves behind a large group of friends and cowriters who will truly miss him. I cannot perform this song without thinking of his fervent love for Martha Sue. Hope you enjoy it.

In Between

Tim

Great Week

Had a great week in Tennessee. Cyndi and I drove out to Chattanooga, stayed at the Chattanoogan and Went up to Lookout Mountain, and enjoyed the sites. Ruby Falls was awesome, some 1200 feet under the mountain, a half mile walk through the cavern and wow. What a spectacular thing.

The latter part of the week I spent writing in Nashville. I’ve got a couple of great tunes that will be demo’d in a short time. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. Great to be back in town. I’m actually heading north in Michigan for a few days, but will be back to the grind soon enough.

Can You Name That Song?

I was online and someone was playing guess that lyric. You know, someone puts up a partial lyric and everyone tries to guess it.

When it was my turn, I put up this one:

There he sits with a pen and a yellow pad
What a handsome lad
That's my boy
BRLFQ spells mom and dad
But that ain't too bad
That's my boy
You can have your TV and you nightclubs
And you can have your drive in picture show
I'll stay here with my little man near
We'll listen to the radio
Biding my time and
Watching Scotty grow

Anyone remember that? Mac Davis wrote it, Bobby Goldburo sang it.

I was 10 years old and home from school for some reason. It was raining.. a cool Michigan fall rain. I had heard the song before, but this particular day, I did something for the first time. My grandparents lived down the road from us, and each afternoon, they would walk down and sit a spell. (This day I suppose they drove down because of the rain.)

Anyways, my grandfather was in the living room and we were playing chess. He preferred checkers, but played chess to humor me. I snuck into the kitchen and did something for the first time. I called a radio station and requested a song to be dedicated to my Grandfather.. Watching Scotty Grow. I remember waiting around for an hour before they played it... and I don’t remember my grandfathers’ reaction. At 10 years old, I guess I was more concerned with mine.

Not long after that, it was my first single purchase.. (wish I still had it.) It was the first lyric I learned.. or remembered learning. It was a song that moved me. It spoke to me. It was my musical awakening. At 9 years old, Mac Davis had awakened my emotions.

I had forgotten it.. and it all came back with a lyric challenge. So much I had forgotten. I could still quote a good portion of the lyric.

Anyways, a shout out to Mac Davis! Bobby too..

I’m sure you have a song that awakened your emotions. It might be hard to remember, but think about it. What was the song? Where were you when you heard it? What were your doing?

Nashville Trip

I’m heading to Nashville again at the end of the month. I’ve got some writing appointments, and Cyndi and I are going to spend some time vacationing for our anniversary.

We’re flying into Nashville and driving out to Chattanooga for a day or two. Then we’ll head back to Nashville and Cyndi will enjoy the hotel pool in the mornings while I write and we’ll do the show thing in the evenings.

I’m writing with a couple of great writers, and have a few slots open that I hope to fill before then. I love the challenge of preparing for a write session. I“m pretty much a solo writer, and although I’ve done cowrites in the past, most have been long distance.

No matter how many times I do it, though, I’m always a little nervous going in. I’m meeting with some new writers this time, though, and I’m excited about the prospects. Nervous, but excited.

A Lifetime of Temporary Relief!

I was watching the highlights of the greatest catch this year in major league baseball when I saw a Craftmatic III Adjustable Bed advertisement.

It advertised, “Call now to find out how you can get A Lifetime of Temporary Relief with the new Craftmatic III Adjustable Bed.

It struck me that a lifetime is certainly temporary..

What struck me funnier was that I was watching ESPN.. and apparently its a pretty geriatric crowd demographic who watches with me.

Maybe they should offer a cable box and plasma to go along with the Craftmatic III? Plasma .. I crack myself up.

Write hard. Write often

T

Accountable? Who Me?

I have this habit of hanging out on theology boards and acting like the cantankerous kid in the back who shoots spit-wads at unsuspecting souls. I’m sure its a sign of my destitute old-self lurking in the dark places of my heart, waiting to show his head when I least expect it... like my spit-wads.

I like to play the underdog position whenever I smell a wolf-pack. I’m not always right in doing so, and many times I should just let the herd feed. But sometime I get sucked in and volley a chunk of impala back and forth.

I make it a practice to always sign into these boards with my real name. It tends to keep me honest and upright, and cautiously reserved. But it doesn’t always work. Beyond my integrity, I find that I naturally prefer to be right at all costs, and make a total fool of myself in doing so.

A couple of days ago, in my haste I mis-read part of a post and completely skipped the rest as I couldn’t hit ‘reply’ fast enough. As a result I managed to insult the poster, and generally come off as an idiot.. and was accused, rightly of being one by means of a synonym. I reacted with my usual grace and shot back... only to realize, after re-reading the post and conversing with the writer, that I am, in fact, an idiot. Guilty as charged.

Humble pie is nasty stuff. I can only pray it puts hair on the chest.

Tim

I Need You