About the Music

You may not even be interested in this but I thought I would share a little bit with you....

I made some changes to my playlist. Originally, I thought I would play Christmas music through the first of the year. However, I like to have the background music go along with the subject of the post, too....

Now both the boys are very musically inclined...Richard plays the drums and the saxaphone, and both sing at church...Richard in the choir, Jake on the praise team. Jake sang in choir at school from the time he was in the fifth grade...he plays the tuba, the drums, and taught himself to play the guitar...both boys sing specials at church, individually and with a quartet and trio.

As I write this post...it is 6 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes, and 30 seconds until we pull into the parking spot at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri to pick Jake up for the holidays. What I have missed most about not having him around is the fact that he sings beautifully....and he sings all the time. I can hardly wait to hear him sing again! He sang Carol of the Bells over the telephone for me the weekend after Thanksgiving. He usually sang it during a Christmas Concert at school...and he knew I had to put the tree up by myself for the first time this year. He is such a good kid...good man, now, really.

Jake his senior year in high school. The top nine on my playlist are a tribute to Jake and his beautiful voice. I hope he sings the entire way back to Arkansas!

1) Home - The first time I ever heard this song...Jake was strolling across the stage in 10th grade during the spring concert. When he would call home the first month of basic so homesick...this song would play in the background of my mind...it is a beautiful song...and I will probably never hear it the same again.

2 & 3) Carol of the Bells and Good King Wenceslas - No Christmas season is complete without these two songs...they were always a part of the Christmas concert selections...especially as the concert choir would go carolling to various local businesses.

4) In The Garden - This is the first song Jake ever sang as a solo at church. He was in the fourth grade and his voice was so high and pretty...now he has a rich baritone voice and can reach deep bass lows...the people at our previous church refer to this as Jake's song. He sang it on a regular basis the entire time he was growing up.

5) Seasons of Love - This was the final song he sang his senior year in choir.

6) Trading My Sorrows - While he was a part of the praise and worship team...this was his favorite...you could see it written all over his face as he raised his hands, smiled, and praised the Lord.

7)Long Black Train - One of his favorites...he sang it when he was in the junior high youth...and I hope he plans to sing it while on leave...

8) Old Rugged Cross - This was the only song I knew when he was a newborn so it was the song I would sing as I rocked him...sometimes he would be almost asleep and he would start humming...as well as a baby could hum...problem was, I would get the giggles and wake him up.

9) I'll Be Home For Christmas - I just put that one there because he will be home for Christmas and we are all excited!

It amazes me how music can bring back so many memories.

I've never considered myself the clingie kind of mom. You know the live vicariously through your children, my kid can do no wrong kind of mom...Please don't take offense if you were. But this has been more difficult than I imagined. It could be that he is the baby and that he is in the Army.... I am just thankful that the Lord sure eases the worry and missing him. I can not begin to explain how much I am looking forward to seeing him and wrapping my arms around him again.

I know some of you have kids who live out of state...tell me this, does it get easier?