Home is where you are, my friend

Well the past couple of days have given me pause...pause to reflect on life, on God and on the fragility of time. Time is such a strange thing. When you are young, you cannot wait for time to pass. Minutes seems like a lifetime. School years last forever...summer cannot come quick enough. Then you get a bit older, and time seems to fly...one minute you are 17, the next you are 30. Your babies are tiny, then it seems the next minute they are in 3rd grade and are pitching fast balls to Dad in the backyard.

then there is the time spent with friends. I am so blessed. I have had the same 3 best friends for over 10 years. I have other friends...they are also very nice to have. But my 3, THE 3 are the ones that are the most important. The time with them seems short, but so sweet.

I wrote a song for them, several years ago....it expresses everything that happens when we get together. We sing, true. but we also talk, laugh, eat, pray and our souls commune.

but there are yet things unsaid...and I read something yesterday that prompted me to write these things I like about my friends.

13 things I like about mermaid #2

1. She is the smartest person I know.

2. She has a disciplined heart, and spirit, fully committed to God

3. She loves her cat and sometimes talks baby talk to him (funny!)

4. She will spend every Tuesday lunch delivering meals to homebound people

5. She recognizes most of my music references, even the obscure ones.

6. She is practical and purposeful (and an ankle-biter!)

7. She still laughs at the squawking seagull (caw!)

8. She is one of the most talented writers of lyrics I know, they are beautiful, thoughtful and crafted with loving care.

9. She will take large amounts of time and invest it in students that really need help

10. She is a wonderful daughter

11. She doesn't mind when I sing any song from Monty python, even if I have sung the song in the last 10 minutes before.

12. She has great rhythm and likes guitar

13. She is a special loyal friend.



13 things I love about mermaid #3

1. She is a wonderful mom.

2. She loves animals, but no longer talks baby talk to the big dogs..actually I don't think she ever did. Still loves animals, but would probably love them better if they didn't tear up her carpet.

3. She is organized and always gets lots of stuff done. She is also a great writer.

4. She makes mermaid #2 laugh during performances.

5. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known, but she is also one of the most down to earth.

6. She has good hair, but a great heart. and a brilliant mind.

7. 13 years ago she said "why don't you write some songs for us to sing?"

8. She loves the Lord and her family in a fierce, momma bear way (touch the family..draw back a nub, buddy)

9. She is a talented musician and singer.

10. She has the gift of hospitality in spades. you go to her home, you never want to leave!

11. She never shirks from acquiring a new skill. She has a infinite ability to absorb new knowledge.

12. People that know her love her. She is a great friend and very fun. She is unwaveringly loyal

13. She was the first person that offered to be my friend in Abilene.

Things I love about Mermaid #4

1. She is a wonderful mom.

2. She never has a bad word to say about anyone.

3. She has many creative gifts

4. She is fun.

5. She doesn't mind when Hil and I poke fun at her driving.

6. She is dedicated to service and has the unique ability to make kids feel special.

7. She is incredibly talented and incredibly humble.

8. She is easy going and welcoming.

9. She remembers all the hair band music from the 80's.

10. She has loved my child from the moment he was born.

11. She is a talented swimmer, musician, arranger and singer.

12. She loves the Lord and is dedicated to His service.

13. She is grounded and loving, and a special friend.

I hope that we all remember to say how many things we love about the people in our lives. If there is no tomorrow, I want to make sure they know.

Home is where you are my friend

Come and sit by the fire
And we will sing a song
come and warm your hands and we'll stay long
We will laugh about our old times, we'll only mourn a few
the laughs come so easy with you ...

Like the ocean breeze, blowing on my face
Like a warm smile or a welcome embrace
Like a roaring fire, near the winter's end
Home is where you are my friend

I will listen, I will mend
I will talk and will attend
I will sing and I will laugh with you
For friends we find are few

Though the road may take us, farther than we know
and our destiny is for life to show
Though we travel wide, and far we roam
In our hearts we will have a home.

Like the ocean breeze, blowing on my face
Like a warm smile or a welcome embrace
Like a roaring fire, near the winter's end
Home is where you are my friend

Winter Has Fallen

What a funny title for a post when obviously, outside in Abilene Texas, it is 400 degrees with a nice western wind blowing all the dirt around. Winter is obviously not here.

As always, it is about the song...so here goes.

Today I am sad sad sad...more so than yesterday, as I have had a day and a half to process. My Sister in law lost her brother, Gary and his wife, Kim, in a tragic, terrible way. Normally I would say, "wow, I cannot imagine what they are going through!"

But right now, all I can think back to is January 2006 at 1 a.m., holding a 6 month old who no longer had a mom. Going to a funeral and weeping uncontrollably. Regrets of not writing, calling, visiting more often. Thinking of my other sister-in-law, Kari and what I did not do for her while she was alive. The aching sadness that goes with the loss, and with the regret

But the more I read about Kim and Gary, the more I smile. Lives that were given in service. Lives that meant something to not just their families but to friends and people they touched. A woman who truly knew what it meant to be a woman of Proverbs 31. Tributes on websites, and blogs and posts on newsreels. Lives lived with a purpose. Lives lived for the Lord.

And what is more, they had peace. They were happy in their marriage. They had good friends. They had hope for the future. They had God. They led simple lives of quiet service. They loved justice, loved mercy and walked humbly. They were going to celebrate the birth of their new nephew. They loved. They were loved.

I don't have the words to fix that terrible aching sadness. But thank God that He sent someone to break the bonds of death. I am so glad this is not all there is, and I will definitely be making up lost time when I see Kari again.
And, bonus...I will get to know Kim (and Gary) when I get there, too.

(this is possibly the saddest song I have ever written. But it expresses my feelings very well. )

Winter Has Fallen

Down by the river there's a willow tree
It weeps so gently love, for you and me
and its lay you down, my own sweet love
Winter has fallen and the night has come
And its lay down low, my love
Lay down low, my love.

Down on the river there's a swan in white
Gliding slowly through the fine twilight.
and its lay you down, my own sweet love
Winter has fallen and the night has come
And its lay down low, my love
Lay down low, my love.


Over the shadows and the lake so deep
The fair moon is rising from its lonely sleep
and its lay you down, my own sweet love
Winter has fallen and the night has come
And its lay down low, my love
Lay down low, my love.

Down in the valley in the nighttime sky
A stars a falling like a tear so bright
and its lay you down, my own sweet love
Winter has fallen and the night has come
And its lay down low, my love
Lay down low, my love.

Down by the oak tree, standing all alone
Two lovers are sleeping, in their beds of stone.

but its.... lay you down, my own sweet love
Winter has fallen and the night has come
Winter has fallen and the night has come
Winter has fallen and the night has come

Sing With The Wind

As we complete our recording, and now that the pageant is over, I have been asking myself.."OK..now what?" I always have things in the works, projects or goals. But the last few days have been a little unclear of what direction to take. With all the uncertainty, it is sort of exciting in a strange way.

Life has had a way of bringing really exciting things around, both good and bad, in my life. Incredible highs and dizzying descents. Crazy and wonderful, life really is like my song 'the book', a cliffhanger read we just cant put down.

But I would also liken life to the wind. Try to predict where it goes and it will surprise you every time. There are so many different directions it could take. Struggle against the wind and lose.
I am just going to bend and go where it takes me.
It really is a sweet ride.

Sing With The Wind
copyright 2008 LeighAnn Heil
Couldn’t say where I am going today
Just letting the wind take me away
I don’t know when and what to pray
I’ll just sing with the wind while it’s blowing away.

What the future holds It is hard to say
I will travel the road as it leads on my way
To sea or mountain, wherever I stray….
I will walk with the road where it’s winding today

Sing with the wind
Calling your name
The wind is ever changing the songs’ never the same
Wisdom and power are out of our hands…
There are just some things we can’t understand….

Maybe there is coming a time
Where I will know the reason and the rhyme
Where an ordered dance will set my stage
And I will follow its lead and I will be on my way….

I cant say who I will meet
All I know is that life’s song is so sweet
And Whether fate uses chance or choice
I’m going to sing that song at the top of my voice

The time is now.

As most of my friends know, my son, Ryan, suffers from something called sensory processing disorder. I went to my ARD meeting at his school yesterday, to see if he was eligible for special education and therapy. Unfortunately, SPD is not considered a disability, diagnosis or really anything in Texas or nationwide. In fact the people in the meeting (there were 5 there...all educators and diagnosticians) were very interested in SPD...since none of them knew anything about it. I was pretty excited, some educators that I can enlighten! ....5 down and around 250,000 to go in TEXAS! (ok that number is a LITTLE high...but maybe 25000 might be more like it!)

My Ryan is possibly the sweetest kid on the planet...and it breaks my heart to know that other kids are suffering and labeled as bored, lazy, ADHD, and bi-polar. Without therapy intervention early, they will fail, and fall through the cracks of society. Please support the SPD foundation, as they provide more research and signatures to the medical board. Make SPD a recognized diagnosis this year! www.kidfoundation.org

I am currently writing a song which will be dedicated to kids with SPD. the song is "what if the time is now?" Right now, all I have is the idea and the chorus. But it is powerful when you think that we must act on our convictions, on our cause and we must not wait....there is a goal sheet in my husbands office, the top of the list has these words.

'the fierce urgency of now'

There are no guarantees of tomorrow or even the next moment.
Help by signing the petition to make SPD a recognized diagnosis/disability.

http://www.kidfoundation.org/advocacy/petition.php

What if the Time is Now

chorus:
What if the time is now
what if the moment is right
what if all the answers are right before our eyes
what if we took the chance and let faith guide the way?
What if the time is now?
what if the day is today?