A lot has changed over the past few years, not only for me personally, but for the world as a whole. As I get older I find myself asking “why” more often and coming up with obvious rationale less. As someone who doesn’t believe in coincidences or luck, I’m continuously trying to make sense of my surroundings. I’m also someone who is constantly watching, observing, and taking mental notes in order to compare my initial thoughts with my final conclusions. I believe the only way you can learn in life, is to look beneath the surface and lessen the gap between the two.

I had a friend of mine tell me once that she thought the world has never been in worse shape. Perhaps she has a case as far as the environment, but the world has always had its fair share of evil, violence, and devastation; it just gets a lot more press now. On the other hand, I’m not sure if we’ve ever experienced as many examples of humanity as we’ve seen in recent years, especially during natural disasters. Unfortunately, the good in the world gets a lot less coverage, unless of course, it’s affiliated with a high profile celebrity. No, the world has always been both a beautiful and dangerous place to live, which makes me all the more grateful for where I live and the life I’ve been blessed with.

About ten years ago I started putting much of what I observed, experienced, and felt, down on paper in the way of song lyrics. I’ve written over one hundred and thirty songs about my life and the world around me, covering everything from my childhood to my recent battle with cancer. In many cases my lyrics are easy to relate to and I don’t consider myself unique. I think if most people stopped and looked at their lives, both past and present, they’d be amazed at just how many stories they could tell. Until now, my lyrics were mainly things I kept to myself. With the exception of a few friends and family members, they were just a way for me to document thoughts and events in my life.  After all, I only have a limited amount of mental capacity and I found it easier to put experiences down on paper, rather than carrying them around.

The thoughts behind my lyrics were something I generally kept to myself as well. However, I found the more I explained for my songs, the more I was encouraged to document the meanings behind them. So, about two years ago I decided to begin writing a book about my life doing just that; sharing my lyrics and explaining the thoughts and reasoning behind each one. My book is a work in progress and I’ve had a few hiccups along the way, so rather than wait until it’s completed, I’ve decided to share a few excerpts from some of my favorite songs. Hopefully I’ll be able gauge whether or not the material is interesting enough to finish what I started two years ago. So please, take the time to read them and provide your comments; any feedback will be greatly appreciated.