"I Would"

The Singing News Fan Awards are over for another year, and I'm not surprised at the results. The Booth Brothers (Ronnie Booth, Michael Booth, and Jim Brady) have done wonderfully well. Look at the awards they got!

Favorite Baritone Singer -- Jim Brady
Favorite Lead Singer -- Ronnie Booth
Favorite Tenor Singer -- Michael Booth
Favorite Male Singer -- Ronnie Booth
Album of the Year -- Room For More
Trio of the Year -- Booth Brothers
Song of the Year -- What Salvation's Done For Me
Favorite Artists of the Year -- Booth Brothers

For quite a while now, I've been watching YouTube hoping to find a good rendition of "I Would." It is one of my favorites, and I'm pretty sure you will agree!

Making ends meet...

I know you must be wondering. Has Jeanette disappeared from blog world? Is everything okay?

No, I haven't quite disappeared...not quite! Yes, everything is okay, but it would be my longest post ever if I were to explain why I feel like this rope! So I will give you the bare bones.

New Grace, the quartet Barry and I sing with, traveled to New Jersey in June to provide the special music at our church's annual convention. This required significant practice time prior to going, as we have not really been singing together for the last year, so for quite a while before we left, my stress level was high as I tried to cover work, Coral's normal care, extra practice, working out the details of Coral's supervision and care during our absence, and then actually packing and remembering everything to take with us. Aunt Paula took charge of all Coral's care for the 10 days we were gone, and Andrea arrived from California and was able to help for the last week or so.

The convention went well, and besides that, we were able to see Barry's mother and actually stayed at her house the whole time we were in New Jersey. This was great, as I have not seen her for quite a long time, and it was wonderful to catch up a little bit with extended family and friends. After the convention was over, we (Barry, my brother Gord, and I) drove north from New Jersey to Toronto, Canada, where we spent two days visiting my mother and Carol-Ann and her family (which, as you know, is one of my VERY FAVORITE things to do!)

All in all, the time away was a blessing and refresher for me. But, as with most of my little jaunts away from home, there is a price to pay when I get back, and this time was a doozey. We jumped right into work catch-up, arrangements and funeral services for our friend Warren who passed away just before we left home, and helping with Gord and Paula's departure for a 5-week trip to Liberia.

It seems like each day I get up at the usual time and hope I can get a good start on my work. But then the time gets eaten up by other very important things, and I arrive at the evening with most of my work still to be done. I have been working until 2 or 3 a.m. and getting up again at the usual time each morning with less and less "oomph" for what has to be done.

So I have been a little shadow in blogland, but I hope -- oh, how I hope! -- that things will soon be back to normal! I may never totally catch up, but as soon as I can, I will visit you!
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SATURDAY'S MUSIC!

I have saved the best for last! Carol-Ann herself!

Ever since she was a teenager, Carol-Ann has been writing wonderful songs. I have always loved to hear them, and so I was delighted to find that she has put a couple of them on the internet. Here is one of them for you to enjoy -- "No Miracle."

Here are two links...

The story behind the song

The song

(No, she does not play her guitar backwards! She told me that she inadvertently recorded this in "mirror image!" Of course, since I know her so well, she just doesn't look right backwards, but you might not have known that if I hadn't spilled the beans ...unless, of course, you noticed that guitar pointing the wrong way!)

SURPRISE!

Okay, this is a first for me! I'm just as surprised as you are that it seems to have turned out okay! Ha ha!

So here's the story...
Carol-Ann has been writing songs since she was a kid, and I have lost track of how many there even are, but some time ago I recorded one of them as part of a CD made by our prison ministry group. If I am remembering correctly, this song -- I Am Tempted Too -- was written way back when we were still living in Liberia, so Carol-Ann must have been a teenager.

The brain wave hit me that maybe -- just maybe -- I could actually put together some pictures of Carol-Ann with the song as background. So I went digging on my computer and, by trial and error, came up with this! Oh, how I love learning how to do new things!

Two things to note --
First, the music doesn't start until you get to the first photo, so don't be worried that the sound is not working.
Second, the song is not meant to be a commentary on the pictures! The words don't match the photos at all!

I hope you enjoy it! And I hope your birthday week has been great, C-A!

Wednesday's Music!

Sometimes a song comes along that makes you cry. I can think of a lot of people who fit into this song very well, so here's a link especially for you!

This group is one of the most musically talented families, The Isaacs. Lily is the mom and was born in Germany to parents who survived the Holocaust. Ben, Sonya, and Becky are her three children, and they sing and play a variety of musical instruments (very, very well, too!). This particular song was written by Sonya and Becky.




Heroes -- by The Isaacs
(The song actually ends at about 4:38 on the timer)





(Left to right: Lily, Ben, Sonya, and Becky)

Tuesday's Music!

I would have to say that this group is my current favorite. Not too long ago, Barry, Coral, Gord, and I drove to a concert in eastern Colorado, and it was worth every bit of the effort we put into getting there. They have the most beautiful harmony, great songs with life-changing lyrics, and a lot of humor, too! They are the only group I have ever heard say, "If you would like some of our music and are not able to pay tonight, pull one of us aside and let us know. You can send the money later when you are able."

The song I really wanted to link to is "I Would," which tells the story of a little boy in a candy store, but I could find only one online link to that, and it is not the best quality. So instead here is one that was recorded here in our Colorado Red Rocks amphitheater. In fact, you won't see us, but we were sitting there on that hillside during this concert! We saw lots of our favorite singers, including this group, The Booth Brothers.


Castles in the Sand -- by The Booth Brothers




(Left to right: Michael Booth, Ronnie Booth, Jim Brady)



PS: This link can in no way convey the beauty and clarity of their sound. Their website has sample mp3s that will show you what I mean!

Monday's Music!

One of my very favorite singers... Lynda Randle...




God on the Mountain -- by Lynda Randle

A week of music!

This week will be different... and here's why...

Today is Carol-Ann's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, C-A!

If you know much about her, you know that she is one musical gal! She sings, plays quite a few different instruments, and has written a lot of songs over the years. When Gord and Carol-Ann and I were growing up, we played our instruments and sang together, and in the years since then, music has been a big part of our lives. It has the power to lift us up, especially when the words are ones that turn our thoughts and our hearts to God.

So this week (every day if I can manage it!), I will post a link to a favorite song. Maybe these will be new to you, but I hope you will love them as much as I do!

Today's song is by the Hoppers, a family group made up of Claude and Connie (mom and dad), Dean and Mike (their sons), and Kim (Dean's wife). Dean sings, and Mike plays the drums. They have been to our city several times, and we have traveled to other places to hear them, too. They know Coral by name (which thrills her, let me tell you!)

Every time I hear this song, tears roll down my face as I long for heaven, the New Jerusalem!


JERUSALEM -- by The Hoppers


(Left to right: Mike, Kim, Dean, Connie, Claude)