My Story Through Songs

From the beginning of time, well, that may be an exaggeration, but for as long as I can remember, I have loved music. I had a fisher price record player when I was in 1st grade and wore the needle out playing who knows what. I remember having an album with Mary Lou Retton on it. I also remember my cousins introducing me to Loverboy. Every 8 year old is Working For The Weekend, right?

Around 2nd grade, I became a pianist. That sounds really lofty, but I started taking piano lessons and doing recitals so that qualifies as a pianist in my book! The blessing and curse of my piano playing career was, and is, my ability to sight-read. I’m quite rusty these days, but I used to be able to sit down and fake my way through just about anything, within reason, that was set in front of me. My piano teacher, appropriately named Mrs. Keys,  raved about my sight-reading skills. Unfortunately, once I figured out I could sight-read, I slowed my roll on actually practicing. Regrets, regrets, regrets!

I dropped piano lessons in middle school because I started playing school sports, but I’d sit in my room at the piano and play through the Baptist hymnal for hours on end. I’m sure I exhausted my brother and his gang of friends that practically lived at our house, who also ate my Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! I also picked up the clarinet for my middle school and high school elective. Squeak! I was pretty good, but there was that practice thing again…

When I was a teenager, I took a few piano lessons from our music minister and soon was given the opportunity to fill in for the pianist in “big church.” I thought I had hit the big time! That pianist stepped aside eventually and at 15 they printed my name in the bulletin. I was THE church pianist at Bellmead First Baptist Church. What?!? I definitely had my limitations, but I could get the job done well enough.

It became known to the music minister to whom I reported and eventually became a great friend and mentor, to that I didn’t do practice! Before big productions, she would meet me at the church on a Saturday and force me to practice. There was also that first Easter when the pages to one of the choir specials fell out of my notebook and ended up under the piano bench in the middle of the service. After spending a day marking up all my pages and crossing off notes, I had to swipe the music from a choir member and fumble my way through it. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross will always hold a fond place in my heart.

I spent my first year in college as a music education major with a vocal emphasis. One of the big reasons I switched majors, other than lack of jobs and opportunities for music education majors – PRACTICE! I didn’t want to spend all of my free time holed up in a practice room in the music building. I didn’t want to memorize classical piano pieces. The fact of the matter – I was lazy! I also had a piano gig that I enjoyed and it never required me to play classical music. Oh to have seen the bigger picture back then!

An opportunity came along after my sophomore year of college to travel with a group called Life Action Ministries. I prepped my audition tape, filled out some questionnaires, and did a brief phone interview with a recruiter. A few days later, I was in – leaving Waco, TX behind to travel and sing and play. It was dreamy – until I realized that I was going to be bound by a list of quite conservative rules. I remember asking one of the girls on the ride from the airport to our training location if we really had to wear shorts that went to the middle of our knees! I’m a rule follower – very black and white for the most part – but I sure hate to feel like I’m being constantly inspected or that I’m going to slip up and be reprimanded because my neckline is a centimeter too revealing!

I wouldn’t trade those 2 years for anything. I made some lifelong friends. We made beautiful music together and other memories, too. Those days traveling were also when I first discovered the deliciousness of coffee! I learned so much about myself and life and Jesus and people. I’d get a little more educated before I signed on the dotted line, though, if I ever did that sort of thing again. The dress code is much more relaxed now. That was 1996!

Obviously, music has been an integral part of my life!

As we began this nomadic, military lifestyle 12 years ago, music, and my role in the music scene, would really change. The church music world has transformed drastically in the past 10 years, but that’s a whole other post! Even though my role in making music has taken a backseat, or a less regularly assigned seat, music still influences my life greatly. It’s been a really interesting journey, to say the least. With each of our moves, it’s like God has given me a song for each of those locations that we would or will spend our lives.

There is one 6 month period where we wandered in the true wilderness of Lawton, OK where the only song titles that even come to mind are Highway to Hell and I Will Survive! No, really!!! (disclaimer: I am not sure that I’ve ever even heard the song Highway to Hell by AC/DC unless it played during a late-night bowling session back when I thought it was fun to stay out past 8 pm.)

What’s even more amazing is that one of my Pandora stations I listen to while I’m running has a few of these songs in their rotation, which is what reminded me of this list of songs one day this week while gasping for air during a run! Isn’t it amazing how God can use the lyrics to a song to take us back to a very specific time and place? How that song can remind us of his faithfulness? Remind us that we have come so far. Reassure us that He’s not left us to wander aimlessly through the challenges of life.

I hope you’ll stick around as I share a few of these songs that have given meaning and purpose to my journey as a military spouse, as a mother, and as a Jesus believing woman, longing for relationships and community.

Do you have songs that have ministered to you or been encouraging to you through different phases or circumstances of your life? Comment below and let’s learn a little about each other!

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