I love having a music archeologist like Carly helping me suggest musicians or groups to check out, as she spend a lot more time than I do seeking out new and different finds.
But I went to see one of my favorite live performers last night, and I thought I’d make my own "Pick of the Week" today. (Those of you on Facebook or Twitter already got my recommendation to go see the concert on Saturday... sign up friends!)
I first saw Susan Werner in this little bar called the "M-Shop" on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. She was a friend of a friend, so I went to check her out.
At the time, I was in a state of mourning because I had been offered a pretty cool job somewhere far, far away from Iowa. But the station I was working for wouldn’t let me out of my contract to take it. I was feeling stuck, and a bit bitter that bigger and better things were calling and I couldn’t answer. I wanted more back then. More money, more challenge, more opportunity for, well, more.
Well as I stood in the back of the M-Shop with a group of friends, I was moved to tears by this one song Susan wrote and performed. It’s called "May I Suggest To You." You can see what appears to be home video of her performing it here:
It’s basically a song about stepping back and seeing how good your life is, just where it is. I realized that first time I heard it I was focusing on all the wrong things at the time, instead of the amazing life I was living right where I was.
So when she played it last night, I got to thinking how things have changed since then. And how I never would have predicted I’d be living in an ever colder climate than Iowa, even farther away from home years later. And yet, I was so thankful for how things played out ... how truly blessed I have been.
In a time when we all have friends and relatives losing jobs, homes and any sense of financial security, it’s easy to focus on the tragedies of "these troubled times." The way it works in life is that things rarely go as we had planned. And whether you believe in God, or universal forces or choose not to believe in higher powers of any kind, the truth is there is good to be found even in the worst of times.
I’m not trying to say losing your job or home is something to celebrate. But who knows the blessings that may be hidden in this moment in time. The strength of character we might find when we have to adjust our sense of identity, change our priorities some, let go of the old plan. There can be a sense of adventure in making new plans.
So may I suggest Susan Werner as JT’s Pick of the Week. Check out some of her other music in the video section of susanwerner.com.
And while your at it "just turn your head, and you’ll begin to see, a thousand reasons that were just beyond your sight. The reasons why, why I suggest to you, why I suggest this is the best part of your life."
Thanks for the reminder, Susan.
"Don’t miss out on what you have, by wishing for what you have not." - Author unknown
