Happy Monday!

I have a feeling that this update will be a bit longer. First, I haven’t updated y’all in a while and second, i’ve had a few thoughts I’d been meaning to share.

It’s been almost a year since Plaid Dog Recording reached out to me and told me they wanted to partner with me in recording my debut album. As an artist and musician I’ve had a lot of organizations reach out to me and ask to “partner” with me which really just means “pay them for products or services we already offer'“. You know, a transaction. But after looking into Plaid Dog and watching other musicians I decided I had very little to lose and a LOT to learn from the experience.

It’s been almost a year since I launched my campaign to raise funds where, with your help, we blew away any of my goals/expectations for the project and we expanded my initial goal of an EP into a full-length album! A year later, a baby later, recording sessions, pre and post production, and I’m staring at the finish line.

What have I learned? I re-learned that creativity is a blessing. Writing songs is a gift, and the musicians and engineers, and social media coordinators , family, friends, loved-ones that lend their time and talent? They’re worth more than gold. I have some truly awesome people in my life, you dear reader included.

I have re-learned the precious value that is patience. With myself, my finances, my abilities. My limitations are not always obstacles to be overcome, but boundaries to work within to keep myself healthy, to have strength to protect the ones I love, to have the means to be good to myself, and to make sure to have extra of all of it to help a friend in need.

The final thing is the daily reminder to be PRESENT in THIS moment. That it sure would be nice to think about the moment the album is released and to have all of you hear the labor of love but that every facet in building and creating it is just as important as my end goal. If I cannot enjoy each of those moments, then I am robbing myself of the opportunity to learn to savor the accomplishment when it arrives. Luckily I have a little one that reminds me that time can be both a healer and a stealer and the difference between the two is my relationship to gratitude.

I truly believe that without gratitude it is nearly impossible to appreciate any accomplishment that comes my way. Without gratitude any success that I may have simply becomes empty: something that I’m owed rather than something that can cover me or lift me up.

I have more to share, and I will share soon. For now I hope the note on gratitude helps you focus a little bit clearer on how you would like to spend your time this week.

Yours,

Reverend Doctor