Donna’s Blog

I wasn’t the kind of teenager to go crazy over buying albums.  Go figure.  I loved music.  I listened to it all the time……but i don’t remember a heck of a lot of Christian radio stations in our town (or should i say “towns” since i lived in so many?) promoting new albums and artists.  I’m not sure what kind of track record Christian radio had in the 70’s.  Were there a ton of stations?  Did people tune in?  Was contemporary music even around?

Anyway, somehow i ended up with a Tim Sheppard album.  I listened to that thing over and over.  I even went and bought the piano book to the album so i could play along.  I don’t remember Tim having a lot of hits on the radio….but his songs were so amazing to me. 

He had a song called Fiddler…..i’ll have to hunt up and see if i can find the lyric to that and post it.   The song i was humming this morning was called “Would You Believe in Me”?  Another really amazing song.

I didn’t know that I was a “writer in training” back then…..but i knew that his lyrics stirred my heart.  It was honest writing, it was real, it said something.  Does that make sense?  So many songs you listen to are nice; they are pleasant to hear and fun to sing, but the kind of songs i really love are the songs that SAY something.  The kind of song that makes my heart beat a little faster because it resonates in my spirit.   As if it was written for me, about me.  As if someone was putting music to my life story.

I’ve never been to Oregon, but i have a feeling that the ladies there are a lot like the ladies of the Georgia district, or the Tennessee district, or the Oklahoma district.  We all lead busy lives, we all can’t really “afford” to take the time off to go to a weekend retreat, but we all know that we need it.  We all go through spiritually dry times in our lives, we all face temptations, we all endure trials and we all need to be reminded that we serve a great, big God.

We all need each other.  We all need a sister to hold our hand.  We all need someone to look us in the eye and ask us how we really are.  We all need to hear that someone else has been through the same fire we’ve been through and survived.

We all need fun.  We all need to laugh till we can’t breathe!  We all need to let our hair down and enjoy a pajama party!  We all need to be reminded not to take ourselves so seriously.  

We all need to experience corporate worship.  We all need to see Jesus high and lifted up.  We all need to hear the testimonies of our sisters.  We all need to kneel at an altar and feel that hand on our shoulder.

It’s always a cool part of the Oscars to watch the performances for Best Song.  I’m always amazed at the variety of songs that are nominated.  This year there were several songs from Enchanted this year.  And since it’s a Disney movie (i think), then the productions of the numbers were pretty impressive.  Then it was time for the nominated song from the film “Once.”  The lights come up and there’s a girl sitting at a piano and a guy with a guitar in front of a mic.  They aren’t much to look at (why is that always the first criteria?), and as the music started, it was rather simple.  And at first i was thinking, “this is an Oscar nominated song?” 

But as the song went on, it was just…..well…..real and heartfelt.  It was music performed from the hands of those who wrote it.  So i was thrilled when it was time for the Oscar to be given and they announced that the song from “Once” had won!

The writers come up to the stage.  They seem out of place in the spotlight.  The guy approaches the mic and you can tell he is overwhelmed and amazed.  He gives a short speech and it’s one of those moments when you believe that dreams really do come true!  The girl kind of just stands in the background and doesn’t say much.  So, the music starts and they are supposed to walk off…but the girl goes up to the mic to speak.  But it’s too late, Bill Conti is in the pit directing the orchestra and the show goes to commercial.  I was sick cause i wondered what she might have to say. 

When the commercial is over, the host of the show (John Stewart) says that they’ve decided to take a moment and let the girl come back to the mic!  I was shocked!  She comes out from the behind the curtain and walks past John to the mic.  She graciously thanks the Academy and begins to talk about how unreal all of this is.  That she is just an independent songwriter.  But, at the end of the day, hope is something that we all have in common. 

……is it just me, or does the sunshine seem so much brighter after a day of rain?

……i’ve discovered that it is easier for me to wake up at 4:30 A.M. than at 5:00 A.M.

……but i don’t like to wake up early on Saturday, and tomorrow i have too cause the youth are having a garage sale, and i have youth, and i have to go, and this is the first time they’ve scheduled a yard sale that i am actually in town to attend.

……Martha White blueberry mix makes the best muffins

……i honestly don’t know how anyone drinks their coffee black

……if you work with someone who isn’t a “morning person”, at what time do they like to talk?

……if i could own a different housecoat a slippers for every day, i’d consider that true luxury

……latest book i’m reading is “Let God be God” by Ray Stedman.  i highly recommend it!

……i picked up the phone this week and called a long distance friend……felt like we were at my kitchen table having coffee together again

But i’m thinking about a “big give” that i’ve been part of called “Write About Jesus”.  It’s where professional writers in the industry….people who are on the cutting edge of music….people who are getting cuts and making a living at writing…..agree to meet with fledgling writers:  people who are just dabbling in writing, people who have absolutely no connections to the industry, people who aren’t even sure they want to pursue a career in writing……..and those professional writers GIVE of themselves all weekend.

They meet in small groups and teach.  They offer one-on-one time and encourage.  They sit at lunch and dinner tables just to chat.  It’s really an amazing thing. 

It usually happens once a year in St. Louis, but now (in addition to that) they are offering a one day type-dealy in Nashville this March!  That means another chance to sit in on some great classes and sit at a lunch table and chat.  I absolutely can not wait!

But what makes it all even better is that the WAJ group is really more than about Clinicians (those professional people) and the students, it’s about family…..because that’s what we have become.  We don’t just meet once a year.  We keep in touch.  We email each other, we encourage each other in the small successes and we pray for each other in the struggles.

I wish that i had discovered those last night….i could have used a java bar!  I was on a three way conference call with some co-writers and we were working out the second verse of this song that is just begging to be finished.  For some reason, we can’t seem to find the right ingredients to make it the flavor we want it.  You know?  We’ve probably written three or four different verses, but nothing that we all agree is just IT! 

Now that i’m nibbling on this java bar though…..i might just stumble upon the perfect lyric!

This was writing day #3.  B. and i started our co-writing appointments in November, skipped December, had #2 in January and then our February meeting was today.  We are taking turns going to each other’s towns and this month it was B’s turn to come here.

We met at Atlanta Bread Company cause they have free wireless.  Although it was mighty slow this morning.  I was going to try to blog this morning but couldn’t get the website to come up.  In fact, every site i visited was slow…..and some wouldn’t come up at all, so ABC must have been having a slow internet access day.  B. had a breakfast sandwich and i got a pecan sticky bun and we chatted for a while about stuff.  I was trying to get Shaun Groves blog up and running to show him the great post.  Shaun is in Uganda with a lot of other bloggers raising awareness for Compassion International.  It’s pretty cool and you should check it out.  

http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/

We headed over to the church to start writing.  I couldn’t wait to hear the melody that B. put with the lyric i sent him last Sunday.  He played it for me and it was really cool.  Then we spent the next two hours tweaking it….fine tuning it…….adding a bridge…….stuff like that.  When we finally got it like we wanted it, i recorded it on my laptop so that i could have it ready to send in to my publisher.  

It was time for a lunch break so we drove over to Applebees for a salad.  When we drove up i thought they must be closed cause there were like two cars in the parking lot.  Of course i guess 3:30 is an odd time to eat lunch…..but it’s great when you want quick service!

Once we were adequately refreshed, we felt ready to tackle another song.  I had sent him some lyrics a few weeks ago and i thought we might tackle that.  But then B. started playing this melody on the piano.  he had actually played a little of it for me that morning and i loved it and we talked about needing to write lyrics to it sometime, but just left it at that.

Anyway, i can’t explain what happened next, but i just told B. to keep playing and i started writing.  It was like I just knew what the melody was trying to say.  Does that make sense?  So he played and played and i wrote and wrote.  When i finished the first verse and chorus, i sang it for him.  He loved it.  I was wondering what to do with the second verse…..i had a sort of direction in mind, but i asked B. what he would do and he suggested the same thing i was thinking about!  So the second verse was born and then the bridge.  It was just a great time of collaboration.  

I asked B. to record it to my keyboard at church so that i can sing the song tomorrow.  It just so happens the lady who is supposed to sing had to go out of town so that leaves me to fill the slot.  And now i know just what to sing.  

We started the song around 5:00 P.M. and we were recording the finished product at 6:30.  Pretty cool!

I drove past the guard gate house thingee where the guard is busy looking at passes of people who are exiting the parking lot.  I drove on up to the office to check Karlee out.
 Let me say here that i’ve driven onto the campus of Valdosta High School too many times too count over the last two years.  I’m usually there on band business….in the last week I’ve gone by the school every day.  Whenever i pass the gate house i usually get a “wave” from the guy and just roll on.

So as I’m standing at the receptionist window to check Karlee out, a gentlemen comes up to me and introduces himself as Mr. C, the assistant principal.  He wanted to know if i had a moment.  I said yes and that I was just there to check my daugher out of school.  He asked me to follow him back to his office.

I had no idea what was up.  I couldn’t figure out why the assistant principal would need to talk to me.  And i couldn’t help feeling a little like i was back in high school and i was in trouble.  Not that i ever had to visit the principal’s office in high school…….back in THE DAY, the teacher’s pretty much took care of classroom discipline right there in the classroom (or in the hallway where i’ve had a few lectures given to me)…..but i did feel like i was fixing to be in trouble over something.

When we get to his office he asks me to have a seat.  Okay….so does this mean we are about to have a long conversation?

I have this totally puzzled look on my face and then it turns to pure amazement as i hear what he has to say.

Turns out it has to do with the guard gate man.  

Mr. C. tells me that he was outside talking to the gate man about the instructions for Valentine’s day (which is basically NO deliveries are to be allowed at all) and when i drove by, the gate man mentioned that they had asked me to stop at the gate and i never have.

My face was just total, dumb, amazement.  The gate man has NEVER spoken to me.  He’s only smiled and waved when i’ve driven onto the campus.  Several times he hasn’t even been in the gate house.  Several times he is busy chatting with golf cart man who drives around the campus doing i have no idea what.  But NEVER, NOT ONCE has he ever acted like he wanted me to come to a complete stop.  I ALWAYS look and wave just in case he does hold the hand up and tell me to stop.

So basically that is what i told Mr. C.  I told him my husband has been a teacher for 22 years and i understand about rules, so i have no problem keeping them.  And that not once had the gate man tried to stop me as i entered the campus.

Mr. C told me i didn’t look like a trouble maker (thank you very much) and he would talk to mr. gate man.  Of course at this point, i was ready to get up and talk to gate man myself.  But i had a sick child to attend too.  About this time a lady came into his office to get his signature on something and i almost felt like i needed to explain that i wasn’t there because i was in trouble, or because i had a daughter that was in trouble….i was just there to clear up a discrepancy….but she just smiled at me and left.  It was a good time for me to leave too…..  

When i left the campus, we stopped by the gate house to show Karlee’s pass to leave the campus (which must be another new thing cause that’s the first time he’s tried to stop us as we left)…..i told Karlee i wanted to say something to him but she asked me not to do it while she was in the car cause that woud embarass her.  So i’ll save it for my next visit.