Two Sides

What I love most about songwriting is that it allows me to capture a moment, a thought or a feeling that I can keep with me forever.

About a year ago, I was involved in a business deal gone bad.  It was especially crushing to me because it involved someone that I knew personally.  Since I considered this person a friend, I assumed everything would go smoothly; but unfortunately, it didn't.  It went very wrong, very fast and I left the whole situation feeling very hurt and upset. 

Long after the business deal was over, I continued to be angry about it.  I just couldn't let it go.  One of my closest friends noticed this and asked me about it, and without holding back, I expressed how mad I still was about the situation.  In a gentle response, my friend shared with me the other side of the story, as she happened to know the other person involved, and she also told me that I had been holding on to anger for too long and that I needed to bring it before the Lord.

So that's exactly what I did.

That night, I went home and prayed.  I first asked God to forgive me for holding on to so much bitterness and anger, and I prayed that He would help me to forgive the person that hurt me.  In that moment, God revealed to me something I wasn't expecting...that person was hurt too.  He also showed me that there are two sides to every story, and the other person's story is just as important as mine.

That was a humbling, life changing experience for me, and I knew I needed to capture that lesson in a song so that I would never ever forget it.  Here are the lyrics to my song, Two Sides.  I haven't come up with the music yet, but I will one day soon.  (I'm imagining it as a country song ;))

Two Sides

I was driving in my car one day, blasting my radio
Smiling as the sun beamed down on me
When I stopped at the light, I looked up at my window
Just to see the same old man begging for money

But what I didn’t know is that man used to have it all
A house, a wife, two kids and a great job too
But when he lost that job, everyone abandoned him
And now the street was the only home that he knew

It’s in moments like these
That God gently reminds me

(Chorus)
There are two sides

Two sides to every story
And you can’t understand it all
You gotta show some compassion
And open up your heart to see
There are two sides to every story

Well, I had this friend; yes, she was my best friend
We did just about everything together
And at the biggest time in my life, when I needed her there
She wasn’t anywhere to be found

But what I didn’t know is that she used to have it all
A house, husband, two kids and great job too
But when her husband left her, she lost everything
And now loneliness was the only friend she knew

It's in moments like these

That God gently reminds me

(Chorus)

It's not always about me
Lord, help me to be humble so I can see

(Chorus)

Back on Track

I have a hate-love relationship with Mondays.  I hate Monday because it means that it's the end of great weekend, and I love Monday because it means that it's the beginning of a great week.  Every Monday comes with an opportunity to start fresh and anew, and that's what I'm doing with this day....and with this blog.

I created this blog so that I could share my original songs with the world, but over the past few months, I've gotten off track.  I spent so much time trying to figure out what I was going to blog about that I left no time for singing or songwriting.  And while I've enjoyed writing each and every post and sharing each and every story, I'm still faced with the fact that I've gotten away from my true purpose.

My desire for this blog is to share the music that I create and the music that inspires me to create.  So, every Monday, I will be sharing a song - whether it be one of my original songs or a song that inspires me.  I'm excited about getting back on track and getting back to my purpose, and I hope you will continue along with me on this journey.

See you next Monday!
Lori

Reason to Celebrate

Mondays have never been a favorite day of mine, but on this Monday, I have a reason to celebrate.  Today is my dad's 60th birthday!  Happy Birthday, Popi!  I wish you all of the best on this day and this year.  May you enjoy 60 more wonderful years!

And if you read my post from last Friday, then you know that my dad blessed me and my husband with tickets to the Houston Texans playoff game this past Saturday (YAY!  The Texans won!!).  It was the most intense football game I've ever attended.  The excitement in the air was so tangible that I just wanted to bottle it up and take it home with me!  It was a day that I will never forget.

It's Football Time in Houston!

Do y’all know what time it is?

That’s right, it’s football time!  The Houston Texans are playing in the playoffs tomorrow (for the first time ever!) and I couldn’t be more excited about it.  

When I first heard that the Texans were going to the playoffs, I told my husband that I had to be at that game.  My dad is a season ticket holder and he gives me his tickets for a few games throughout the regular season, but I knew for sure that he would never give away his playoff tickets, so I figured I was going to have to buy some.  

Well, when the tickets went on sale, they were sold out in a matter of seconds.  It was unbelievable.  Then I checked a few of the ticket websites, and the price that people wanted to sell their tickets for was even more unbelievable!  It looked like we were just going to be hanging out at home watching the game.

A couple of days ago, however, my dad asked me to meet him for lunch.  It turned out that something had come up and he wasn’t going to be able to make it to the playoff game.  And since he wasn't going to be able to go, he told me that he wanted me to have his tickets so that I could go and enjoy the game.  How awesome is that!  He could have sold his tickets for hundreds of dollars, but instead he chose to give them to me.  What a gift!  

So, want to know where I’ll be tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m?  I’ll be at Reliant Stadium with 70,000 people cheering on the Houston Texans.  GO TEXANS! 

Photo credit:  www.houstontexans.com

Encouraged to be an Encourager

As I was going through my emails last week, I noticed one from my high school that was titled, "Blessed to be a Blessing."  I don't usually read the emails that my high school sends out, but the subject of this particular email caught my eye.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  God blesses us, not just so that we can keep it for ourselves, but so that we can turn around and be a blessing to someone else.

This got me thinking about something else...I am encouraged to be an encourager.

Let me explain.

One morning last week, I stood in front of the mirror for about twenty minutes trying to fix my hair, but no matter what I did to it, I felt that it looked like a big, frizzy mess.  I left the house feeling really horrible about myself.  I was prepared to go about my day with that miserable feeling following me around, but all of that changed very quickly. 

When I arrived at work, I was greeted by a smiling young lady who said to me, "Your hair is so cute."  I smiled really big back at her and said, “Thank you so much!"  I walked away just as happy as could be.  Her words changed my day...for the better.

There have been many times in the past where I have wanted to compliment someone, but I ended up holding back my words because I felt like they really didn't matter.  On that day, however, I realized that words - especially positive words - really do matter!  God used that lady to encourage me and lift my spirits, and now it is my responsibility to go out and encourage someone else.  Not only I am blessed to be a blessing, but I am encouraged to be an encourager. 

John C. Maxwell said it best:  "Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up." 

12 Things in 2012

I've never been good at making New Year's resolutions, but what I am good at is making a To-Do List.  So, that's what I'm going to do this year.  Here are the top twelve things that I want to accomplish in 2012: 

1. Organize my closet.
2. Re-decorate our master bedroom.
3. Organize our hallway closet.
4. Buy some cool modern/vintage pictures to hang in our bathrooms.  
5. Hang some personal photos in our living room and front entry way.
6. Take William to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.
7. Follow through with my idea of a new blog name and look.
8. Post six original songs on my blog.
9. Go white water rafting and zip lining.
10. Go on a Disney Cruise.
11. Get a big boy bed for William.  No more toddler crib!
12. Build our emergency fund up to $20,000.

So tell me, what's on your list of things to do in 2012?