Fast-Forward...

Hours melted to days which then melted to weeks on the road. I cannot tell you how much FUN being on the Ten Out Of Tenn tour was. Each city had it's own flavor to take in, with it's own creative brand of people to enjoy, and we TOT'ers played each night like it was our last. As a bohemian family, we watched Fall dust over the South, Midwest and East Coast during this picturesque time of year. I have countless fond memories walking city sidewalks with the crew, in search of coffee or that shop all the locals said we had to go visit. Scarves. Chill in the air. Dinners out together. New friends made out on the road. Charlotte, Richmond, Chicago, Boston, New York City and more... memories that will last a lifetime.

And then, as if we all sat down to watch a movie in fast forward, it all suddenly came to a halting end. Finishing a run of nearly 20 gigs together, invisible credits rolled as we sang our last show in Nashville. We all savored the evening with as much non-teary bliss as we could muster, singing out a little stronger...looking at each other with fondness and the awareness that this was it for now. Hugs all around afterward. Promises to see each other soon over coffee dates, double dates and future gigs together.

We all have hit the ground running, it seems. For example, Andrew Belle is back up in NYC playing gigs, Madi Diaz is driving around town with a respected producer picking out the site for her amazing music to be recorded, KS Rhoads is back out on the road with Erin McCarley, and I have spent the last week writing 9-14 hours a day with David Archuleta...not to mention shoring up last minute tweaks for a studio EP plus a music video shoot for The Civil Wars. We have all been having fun, and we've also been hopping!

But today is one of those rare days where quiet called out over the chaos. The hum of the bus is no longer around, no vocal booths calling out today to be sung in. And so the non-noise begins to speak...reminding my mind that I need to be left to wander and soak in thoughts. To reflect...to pray. And in this peaceful moment, I am thinking intently today of my friends whose lives are in the midst of drastic change. One of my dear friends, Missy, was very recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She bravely went into surgery to have her thyroid and some related glands removed just yesterday. My other friend and kindred spirit, Brie, is being given pitocin as I type for her overdue baby boy inside. It is a wondrous, curious juxtaposition: one friend literally having death removed from her body, while another friend is pushing life out of hers.

I am sobered and hopeful today, reminded that life is so layered...so complex...so precious. I'm reminded to keep things in order of true importance even amidst all this busy-ness. To remember...to reflect...to listen...and to love. Because it can all go by in fast-forward if I we don't stop and look around. Hope this note finds you well wherever you are on this Fall Wednesday...