tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37484501120591870942024-03-13T09:26:59.795-07:00Daron Henson - Freelance WriterShort fiction, philosophical essays, "inspired by ... country music" short stories, "top 10 country songs" lists ... , "country music artists of the month," and everything country music.
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-63747454570309119492022-06-01T11:30:00.001-07:002022-10-21T23:42:53.380-07:00Mortal Fear
She and her friends had just seen a particularly graphic horror movie. Walking out of the theater she felt an ominous feeling come over her. From the depths of hell a demonic monster had ravaged a small town in Northern Main. From her perspective as a young professional in her mid-twenties the concept was fascinating which caused the actuality of fear to come over her.
The movie centered on a group on young people, about her age, who fought against an evil incarnation. Unlike in most horror films the heroes did not win the battle. Rather, one by one, the demon slaughtered every last one. The movie ended with the grotesque monster laughing with a snarling gargle.
The development of the plot highlighted engaging characters and the sense of familiarity to them was created. From the perspective of the movie viewer heroic qualities of the characters were attained. The demon first appeared after a relationship with two of the main characters was formed. On the edge of her seat throughout the movie, Tammy was shocked when characters that she had grown to care about perished in horrible deaths.
A husband and wife, newly-weds, were the first victims of the monster. The movie began at the wedding of the two. A honeymoon occurred among the majestic scenery of northern Main in the cool summer. The monster then appeared. It creped it’s way into view and was forefront on the screen.
It was a hideous beast with clammy green skin, horns, and fangs. Late in the first night of their honeymoon while enjoying the summer air of northern Main the couple was slain. The monster slashed their skin and devoured their dying corpses. This was the start of the movie. Throughout the movie the monster became more realized and more horrid.
Walking to their cars after the movie Susan and her friends said their good-byes and promised to meet each other sometime next week. Usually on the weekends the friends would see a movie and, if not, they would find something else to do together. After the good-byes the ominous feeling that had come over Tammy at the end of the movie became more distinct. It was a 20 minute drive back to her small, one bedroom house. As she drove home the horror film, which was heavy on plot and character development, plagued her mind.
She arrived back at her house. It was about 9 p.m. and the sun had just set. The ominous feeling that had consumed her since the end of the movie was now even more pronounced. She decided to turn on the television to see if she could get her mind off of it.
“Let me see,” she spoke aloud to herself. “What’s on television? Chanel 2. No. Chanel 7. No.”
“Here it is,” she thought. “Channel 11. A comedy is what I need,” she said to herself.
She heard a loud blast of thunder, so loud that it shook the house. She looked out the door and realized there had been a quickly approaching storm and that it was beginning to rain. She could see the porch light of one of her neighbors was on a couple hundred yards away.
Once again it thundered. She looked out of the window and could see an explosion of lightening light up the entire sky. She stopped looking out the window and decided to pour a glass of scotch.
She heard a deafening blow of thunder and the electricity in the house went out. Her heart started beating fast. Amidst the bleak silence she could not understand why such a feeling of fear had come over her.
She noticed the rain start pouring down on the ground and the sound of the rain pattering down on the roof was for some reason not soothing. She opened the door and looked to view the entire neighborhood. There was nothing but darkness. She closed the door in a hurry.
“Why did I do that?” She asked herself out loud.
She put ice into a glass and filled it full with a couple extra drops of scotch. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder into the mirror and thought she saw a hideous, monstrous face behind her. She dropped her scotch and the glass shattered on the floor.
“It’s nothing,” she thought to herself. “It’s just my imagination.” She tried to come to grips with herself.
“It was nothing. What am I afraid of, a movie? Am I supposed to be afraid of monsters? There are no monsters.”
Yet her heart pounded with pronounced fear for no reason that she could understand.
Maybe she should call one of her friends up. She thought. Of course she didn’t see anything, it was just my imagination. What could it have been? It was nothing. Of course it was nothing.
When she moved into this one bedroom house more than a year ago she never thought that she would have to be worried about crime in such a nice neighborhood much less a hideous monster from the pit of hell. She consciously laughed to herself and grabbed the broom to clean up the broken glass on the floor.
A loud blast thunder again irrupted. She turned around and as a bolt of lightning flashed she saw the menacing figure in front of her. She did not stop to think that there are no monsters or that all it had been earlier that night had been a movie. Rather than to try to rationalize she was simply petrified with fear. The beast laughed with joy at the fear incited by his appearance.
She did not know what to do so she quickly grabbed a knife and plunged it into the cold, clammy skin of the monster. Once again the ogre laughed completely immune to such an attack. His excitement grew with her fear. The menacing figure patiently looked upon his victim more overjoyed with the terror invoked in his victim than in the actual carnage itself which was about to occur. He lifted the small woman by her neck and threw her across the room. She crashed against wall knocking down a painting that hung on the wall.
She screamed in terror but nobody could hear her. Her small house was on a large parcel of land and her neighbors were completely unaware of the massacre which was about to take place. She got up from against the wall where she had just been thrown. She knew that the monstrosity could not be defeated and she prayed in vain for an exodus. There was no time for rational thought. All she could do was try to think of how to get out of there as her heart pounded faster. She had regressed to prey trying to escape the butchery of a predator.
The hissing sound of the demonic figures laughing echoed through her mind. It was a sound of unrestrained evil. “I will devour your flesh,” the monster taunted. “Scream! You won’t be heard.” The malevolent sound of its voice echoed with saturation of the filth of its dank, sticky skin and putrid smell.
She ran out of her apartment and the demon simply stood and watched. She thought maybe if she could make it to one of her neighbor’s houses she would be o.k. In vain she ran in terror.
The power supply in the neighborhood was still off. The rain poured and an occasional outburst of lightening was the only thing illuminating the neighborhood. She ran to her nearest neighbors. Maybe she had lost the beast, she could not be sure. She couldn’t see it right now. She slammed on the door of her neighbor’s house banging and screaming. Nobody answered. She turned around and it was there once again. “I can smell your blood,” it said with it slimy voice of all-consuming revulsion.
She stood still, unable to move. It walked closer to her, picked her up by her neck, and breathed into her face with the most repellent smell she could ever remember. A bolt of lightning struck, followed by the sound of crashing thunder. Suddenly all the lights in the neighborhood went back on. The street lights illuminated the surrounding area and she could see a small gathering of people in the distance. She screamed and yelled but she could not capture their attention. She ran up to them begging for help but they simply ignored her. It was as if they could not even see her. They were enjoying a conversation of laughter and frivolity and no matter what she did she could not get them to notice her. She grabbed an arm of one of them but he simply acted as if she were a nagging child begging for unwanted attention. As she screamed and yelled they enjoyed the festivities of their elated conversation as if she were not even there. From their perspective carnage was not taking place, it was simply a cool summer night. It was not an occasion for fear or concern to the grouping they simply stood there enjoying each other’s company as if relishing the night as it should be.
The monster continued walking her way. She could not escape it. It laughed and snarled. The grotesque monster continued terrorizing her for its own amusement. It caught up to her and the small crowd of people that she hoped would be her salvation. They did not notice the creature. It was as if they did not even know what was happening. She turned to face the monster. The ravenous beast was ready to complete its kill.
As she ran and screamed the monster snarled, “Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
A member of the small gathering casually lit a cigarette for one of his companions.
Crying and screaming in complete fear that was now bordering on seizures she watched the monster walk purposefully towards her.
She screamed but the small group of people standing there completely ignored her, completely unaware of her presence.
With its sharp claws ready to rip a whole in her flesh its mouth watered. In one backhanded slash it tore a gash into her mid-section. The blood and guts spilled out of her lifeless body and the monster enjoyed the consummation of its nightly kill. It devoured her dying flesh. The small group of friends did not notice or react in any way to the carnage.
The following day was busy in which all the morning commuters were engaging in their regular activities. The sun was shining down on the ground this cool, breezy morning. The smell of bread baking from the nearby bakery permeated the immediate area. The smell of breakfast cooking could be smelled from the next house.
The police showed up a few days later after Tammy had not shown up or even contacted her work. After calling and knocking on the door, the police had been able to obtain a search warrant. It was strange that the woman who one of the neighbors had seen arrive home slightly before 9:00 p.m. the night before did not answer the door. Her car was in the driveway and there were no indications that somebody had broken into the house. The fact that she did not answer the door was a cause of a mild amount of concern.
The neighbors were somewhat concerned that there may be a problem with one of their friends and neighbors. Maybe something had happened. Maybe some kind of terrible accident had happened.
A locksmith unlocked the door for them and they entered. They shouted to see if anybody was home.
They toured the small, one-bedroom apartment and came to the alarming sight in the kitchen. Next to a broken glass of scotch she was lying on the floor. There was no blood and there were no signs of struggle, however, a lifeless body of a young woman in her mid-twenties laid on the floor.
The coroner later that week released a report. “Inexplicable death,” was how it was recorded. There were no bruises, there was no blood, and there were no signs of struggle. She was not a victim of a heart-attack or any sort of foul play. “Inexplicable death,” was all that could be said.
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-29624685884787331212014-03-30T12:08:00.000-07:002014-03-30T12:08:09.073-07:00"A Meaningless Life"<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired by … “Desperado” by The Eagles</span></li>
</ul>
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The barroom lights were low. He came in here early after work, as he did
every night. The faces were familiar,
yet daunting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What will it be tonight?” the
barmaid asked him with a smile on her face.
She had seen him here very often lately.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I finished up college around
here, a couple years ago,” he told her once.
“I’ve been trying to settle myself here since I graduated.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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She thought he was an especially
good looking guy, but very quiet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ll start out with a
<a href="http://anheuser-busch.com/">Budweiser</a>,” he politely asked the barmaid.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It will be right up,” she told
him. She reached under the counter and
handed him a bottle of beer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Do you want me to put it on your
tab like I always do?” she asked him automatically. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He came here often and he didn’t
say much, but he was always a good tipper and she always appreciated that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As she handed him his bottle of
beer, he put a dollar on the table as a tip.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The music was playing in the
background. It was a song he knew and
sometimes enjoyed, but as he typically would, after he ordered his first beer
he went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox">jukebox</a> and put five dollars in to play an assortment of his
favorite music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He listened intently to the music
as he vaguely paid attention to the conversation the guy on the next stool
started.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The conversation was dull and
routine as it always was at the bar. He
didn’t come to meet any women, or to meet up with any friends, he came to the
bar simply so he wouldn’t have to spend the evening alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The music continued to play in
the background.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As he sat at the bar, he would often
contemplate his life. He was still very
young, shortly out of college, but it seemed that he had missed out on a lot in
his life. Not that he could think of
what to call it, but he had a vague impression that his life lacked passion. Even in college, he showed up to class and did
his homework, but he never put any actual effort into it. His social life seemed to be lacking and he
was unable to make close friends or have any sort of special relationship with
a woman. The monotony consumed him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The music continued to play in
the background.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What do you think? Will <a href="http://www.seahawks.com/community/index.html">Seattle</a> win <a href="http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history">The Superbowl</a> again next
year?” one of the patrons asked the group of friends. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It was not football season yet,
but much of the barroom conversation existed of talking about football and
talking about women.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin, eager to discuss football
because it was one of the topics he actually knew something about,
rebutted. He said, “I think the team
that has the best shot of going all the way this year is <a href="http://www.packers.com/">Green Bay</a>. If <a href="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/3118/aaron-rodgers">Aaron Rodgers</a> stays healthy and the
running game continues from where it left off last year, I think they can beat
any team in the league.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was mundane conversation, yet
it seemed to break the nothingness in his life.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Every weekend, more often than
not, he would come to this same bar; he didn’t have any friends, but it was
better than time spent alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The barmaid listened intently to
the three men discussing football. Not a
football fan, Rebecca, enjoyed the conversation that served as mild amusement
while she worked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Could I have another beer?”
Justin asked the barmaid.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You just ordered that first beer
five minutes ago,” she told him as she handed him another Budweiser. “If you keep it up, you aren’t going to find
your way home tonight.” The modest
flirtation lifted Justin’s mood for a brief moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He, once again, put another
dollar on the counter as a tip for the beer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The music continued in the
background.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The conversation in the barroom
continued as the three patrons’ inebriation grew. They discussed football and baseball.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I would like to see <a href="http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=la">The Dodgers</a>
do something this year, but I just don’t think it is going to come together.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I am interested in what <a href="http://www.dallascowboys.com/">The Cowboys</a>
will do in the offseason,” another of the patrons said. “There offense was excellent last year and I
think it is only going to get better.
I’m interested to see if they make some key moves on their defensive
team.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The barmaid cut into the
conversation, “Any of you want another beer?” she asked the three men.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All of them vigorously nodded and
she laid a beer down for each of them. Justin
put another dollar on the table and thanked the barmaid.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The music continued in the
background. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Justin thought of the chances of
something meaningful that could happen in his life. He thought of the void in which his life was
now engulfed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of Justin’s fellow patrons,
absorbed with his own typical drunkenness said to him, “What’s wrong buddy,
something wrong with that beer? Let me
buy you another one.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin gave a painful grimace
which was all that was needed to disguise the solitude of his soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“One more beer for my friend,” he
asked the barmaid. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin looked into the mirror and
kept drinking his beer as his two compatriots continued their own conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His morbidity was well hidden,
all of Justin’s compatriots thought Justin was having a good time. Oblivious, the people who Justin considered
to be strangers all considered Justin to be a friend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The hours passed and the three
friends got drunker and drunker. The
music continued to play in the background and Justin listened more intently to
the music than his two friends. His
stone-cold drunkenness covered the blur in his mind. Shortly after 1:00 in the morning, it was
time for Justin to go home now. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Could you call me a cab? He
politely slurred to the barmaid.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She grabbed the phone under the
counter and dialed up a cab.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It will be here in about fifteen
minutes,” she said to him. “Are you
o.k.?” she asked slightly concerned with his level of drunkenness that was a
little bit more than typical today. “Do
you want another beer while you are waiting for your cab?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In a drunken stupor he thanked
her. He paid his tab leaving an extra
five dollars for a tip.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he walked out the door he the
patrons wished him a good night and said, “See you tomorrow night, buddy.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The barmaid, not inflicted by the
same drunkenness, looked upon Justin as he left. She, although not<o:p></o:p></div>
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interested in the man, felt
some level of empathy in a quiet understanding of the real reasons he was
drinking. She brushed it off along with
a tear which almost welled up in her eye.<br />
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During the ride home in the cab,
Justin, too drunk to sit up, nearly passed out in the back of the cab.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He arrived home, paying the cab
driver his fair and a tip. He went into
his one room apartment and fell asleep immediately. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another day would end as it did
before. Another morning would start in a
similar fashion.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-84953240414613658432014-03-24T16:23:00.000-07:002014-03-24T16:23:09.719-07:00"A Blessed Day"<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">inspired
by … “Lord have mercy on the working man” by Travis Tritt</i></li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“5:30 in the morning; time to get
out of bed.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Miserably tired, Steven must face
another day. It was Thursday, with only
two work days left until he could enjoy the weekend and get some sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Working with the <a href="http://www.uaw.org/page/uaw-union-america%E2%80%99s-auto-workers">union</a> at the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry">automobile factory</a>, the work was hard, but the pay was good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwlGyoJFTwI/UzC0nPqiFUI/AAAAAAAAAzI/9uoHJKwO0JI/s1600/download+(60).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwlGyoJFTwI/UzC0nPqiFUI/AAAAAAAAAzI/9uoHJKwO0JI/s1600/download+(60).jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
First thing that he did after he
awoke was to walk into the kitchen and make a pot of <a href="http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68">coffee</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Savoring every sip, he looked out
into the yard and noticed the sun coming up through the leaves on the trees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“No breakfast this morning, there
wouldn’t be time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He finished his second cup of
coffee to go upstairs and shower before work.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
His wife and children were still
sleeping. His wife, Penelope, would be
awake very soon to make the kids breakfast before they went to school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Penelope was sleeping and Steven
felt the familiar warmth of love in his heart as he looked upon her. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He went into the bathroom and
shaved and brushed his teeth before showering.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was still very early. He had to be to work no later than 8:00
o’clock and traffic was always bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Steven finished shaving. In the mirror, he noticed the dark circles
under his eyes. Brushing his teeth, he
contemplated the new day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The monotonous nature of his work
created a mundane routine in his life.
He had co-workers and some friends at the factory, but every day at work
he kept an eye on the clock waiting for the bell to ring and for it to reach
the time to clock out and go home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He was good at his job and had
received a number of promotions over the years which now placed him as a
stationary foreman in his sector. He was
in charge of over twenty men and enjoyed the latitude his placement allowed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he drove to work this morning,
traffic was heavy on the freeway. He
stopped at a <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/the-history-of-the-doughnut-150405177/">donut</a> shop on the way, as he often did, to grab a glazed donut and
a cup of coffee. The familiar faces were
welcoming.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He picked out his donut and asked
for a large coffee as the clerk wished him a good morning and sent him on his
way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he continued his journey to
work, he listened to the news station on the radio. The newsman discussed the situation in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine">TheUkraine</a> in a daunting manner. It seemed
that many were worried about the ramifications that might result from the
crisis. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As for Steven, he didn’t let it
bother him much. He figured that the
situation would take care of itself and that everything would turn out right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/home">Baseball</a> season was going to
start soon. “I’m betting on the <a href="http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy">Yankees</a>,”
he thought to himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Steven changed the station. In another fifteen or twenty minutes he would
arrive at work. Right now he felt like
listening to some music on the radio.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One of his favorite songs started
playing on the radio. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“How come you never call me sugar, baby? How come you never call me sweetie, honey?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He almost began singing along to
the catchy lyrics, but chose not to because of his insecurities about his own
singing abilities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yet, the song playing on the
radio immediately lightened his spirits and made the impending day seem less intimidating. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Arriving to work, he had a
parking space reserved. It seemed like a
minor convenience, but it made his trivial day more accommodating. On salary, he still needed to clock in every
morning. They said it was a matter of
bookkeeping or something. But, it was no
matter to him. He got paid the same regardless
of showing up ten minutes early or fifteen minutes late.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Good morning, Steven,” one of
the workers greeted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Good morning, Bob,” Steven
retorted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As the crew arrived each of them
would meet in the lobby to enjoy one more cup of coffee before they got ready
for the new work day to begin. Welcoming
each other with smiles, it brought camaraderie to the floor of the factory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Most of the employees arrived
around 8:00 in the morning, but their work didn’t begin until about 9:00. They were all very familiar with their jobs
and were quite good at it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They all shared similar routines,
in which Steven was the boss. If there
was some sort of problem with the equipment, Steven was in charge of getting it
fixed. If it were time for a break or
anything else of that nature, it was Steven’s call. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The only change to the routine
was when there was a new worker and Steven was in charge of training the new
employee to do their job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The repetitive nature of the work
allowed a break for lunch in which they all would gather in the cafeteria to
share a meal with one another. The food
was surprisingly good for an automobile factory’s cafeteria and it kept the
workers in good morale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/V3XJY3rVAy4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The day would continue after
lunch. Between 1:00 and until 5:00 they would
continue with their work. The work day
would slow down after lunch, with many of the workers letting their lethargy
get the better of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The hours past and it was time to
conclude the work day. Steven, as
foreman, alerted the crew around 4:30 that it was near time to clock out and go
home. The workers, skilled in their
routine, would shut down the equipment and return excess supplies to the
storage area.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today, like every other day, 5:00
finally arrived. The work bell rang as
the workers were finishing their work. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was time for Steven to go home
to his wife and children to spend precious time with them which was all-too
rare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Driving up that Thursday evening,
traffic was bad as it always was. He
listened to the news on the radio. It
looked like they had finally tracked that missing plane. However, it didn’t seem like much of a
success since there probably would be no survivors. For some reason, the newscaster seemed more
optimistic about it then Steven did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_baseball_in_the_United_States">Baseball</a> season was starting
soon. “<a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos">Boston</a> could give the Yankees a
run for it this year,” he thought to himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He changed the station on the
radio to listen to some more music. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“<a href="http://www.georgejones.com/home/">George Jones</a>, <a href="http://www.georgestrait.com/">George Strait</a>, and <a href="http://www.jasonaldean.com/">Jason Alean</a>; Jukebox heroes, that’s
all that they are. But, when they play
those sad-drinking songs, my heart can’t help but sing along.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“When <a href="http://www.alanjackson.com/">Alan Jackson</a> sings, ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjegQY28W04">Midnight in Montgomery</a>’ and <a href="http://timmcgraw.com/">Tim McGraw</a> sings
‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbRQwRX0ntk">The Ride</a>’, the songs of <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/hank-williams-9532414">Hank Williams</a> take hold of my memory.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He continued his drive home. Penelope would surely by ready to serve
dinner when he arrived home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a hard day’s work, he could
not help but have a smile on his face.
The work was physical and monotonous, but it allowed him to share the
grace of living with his wife and a happy family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RugXaoKlRQY/UzC1oNRdreI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/3cr2ck7DGlQ/s1600/download+(61).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RugXaoKlRQY/UzC1oNRdreI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/3cr2ck7DGlQ/s1600/download+(61).jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>As he parked in his driveway, a
brighter smile appeared on his face. He
opened the door, only to be greeted by his wife. Once again he realized how much he loved her
and how much he always would.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
His family sat down to share
dinner. It was him, his wife, and his
two daughters. They shared an expertly
crafted dinner prepared with care by his wife.
It was <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-fettuccine-alfredo/">fettuccini alfredo</a> with <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-lemon-herb-chicken/">lemon-herb chicken</a> and <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/garlic_bread/">garlic bread</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As they sat down together to
enjoy their dinner, he realized how much happiness the monotonous routine of
family life meant to him. He had a good
job, he had a beautiful wife that loved him and that he loved, and he had two
children who he adored.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He blessed the day only to wait
for another.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-13070616477173934232014-03-07T14:20:00.001-08:002014-06-19T12:50:21.733-07:00"Country Music Artist of the Month ... Dwight Yoakam"<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;"> “Country
Music Artist of the Month … Dwight Yoakam”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.dwightyoakam.com/">Dwight Yoakam’s Official Homepage</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dwight Yoakam was born October
23, 1956. As a singer who emerged onto
the country music scene in the mid-1980’s, he has a hillbilly sound quite
unique to himself. Dwight Yoakam’s
pining vocals define the purest of country music. His first major label recording debut was for
his album, <i><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/guitars-cadillacs-etc-etc-mw0000651008">Guitars, Cadillac’s, Etc.,Etc</a>. </i>It included the title track as well as two other hit country songs. The album was very commercially successful as
well as critically acclaimed, serving as an introduction to the singer’s distinguished
career.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dwight Yoakam’s music, in the
tradition of “<a href="http://countrymusic.about.com/od/history/a/Bakersfield-Country.htm">The Bakersfield Sound</a>,” has established him a large niche of
loyal fans. The song, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wARlTxkubbI">The Streets of Bakersfield</a>,</i> became a
number 1 hit on country radio in 1988.
It was a duet with <a href="http://www.buckowens.com/index2.html">Buck Owens</a>, who is one of the originators of the
sound. This song, more than any other, marks
the sound of Dwight Yoakam.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dwight Yoakam’s biggest album, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Time_(Dwight_Yoakam_album)">This Time</a>,</i> was released in 1993. It sold more than 3 million copies and
contained the single, <i>Ain’t that lonely
yet</i>, which received the <a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy</a> that year for <i>Best Male Country Vocal Performance</i>. The song’s lasting eminence as brought it
popularity to this day. Other songs on
the album, such as <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpQ4c3b_RJ8">A Thousand Miles fromNowhere</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-zrUdMTZ_A">Fast as You</a></i> were also
successful on country music radio.
However, the song, <i>Ain’t That
Lonely Yet’s </i>critical praise is matched by few other contemporary country
songs by any artist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As well as being a singer, Dwight
Yoakam has achieved success as an actor.
Most noticeably were his roles in the movies <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_Blade">Sling Blade</a>,</i> and in <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEoz9mpxBVg">Bandidas</a>,</i>
in which he starred with <a href="http://www.people.com/people/salma_hayek/">Selma Hayek</a> and <a href="http://www.people.com/people/penelope_cruz/">Penelope Cruz</a>. In addition to these two films in which Dwight
Yoakam starred, he also appeared or starred in a total of 33 film and
television roles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dwight Yoakam <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discography">discography</a>
contains 24 albums. From these albums, I
have chosen 5 songs that are among my personal favorites and are most definitive
of the artist. Along with the testimonial
to each song, the music video is also included.
I hope that you enjoy these five songs and I hope you enjoy the rest of
the collection from this artist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1-c9PkDHe8">LittleSister Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This cover of
<a href="https://www.elvis.com/">Elvis Presley’s</a> hit song has a quite different sound than the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabilly">rockabilly</a> original. The original version’s epoch longing remains,
however, the distinctive style of Dwight Yoakam has changed its connotation. Dwight Yoakam interprets the song as a lament
of an adult rather than an inconsequential crush of a child; bringing a
mourning feel to the song. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdoSLeYgkAI">Fast asYou Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This track
off his 1993 Album, <i>This Time,</i>
supplemented the hit song, <i>Ain’t that
lonely yet,</i> as if it were scripted.
The song, with an upbeat, reverberating sound, discusses a lost love in
a distinctive and novel way. This song
tends to grow more poignant as the emotion that is conveyed becomes fully
understood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LuUYzdAgXg">Turn itOn, Turn it Up, Turn Me Loose Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Barroom antics
fit nicely with this song attributing the protagonist’s drunkenness on a
girlfriend who, <i><a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dwightyoakam/turnitonturnitupturnmeloose.html">“Taught him brand newways to be blue”</a> </i>The song tells the
story of a man attempting to get over the recent breakup by hitting the bars.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwTVy-nhi1E">HonkeytonkMan Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song has
the distinction of being the first country song to be played on MTV. The song, once again, has a traditional,
bluegrass sound which matches the singers “Bakersfield Sound” roots. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4APfLNbdao4">Ain’t thatlonely yet Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song, arguably
one of the best heart-broken country songs in all of country music, imbues the
feelings of loneliness upon its listeners.
Instead of preaching a longing to return to a failed relationship, it discusses
the man’s belief that what has transpired has reached an end, although a bitter
end. The lyrical interpretations of
Dwight Yoakam, as well as the masterful orchestration, etch this song as a song
for generations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I hope you enjoyed this <i>“Country Music Artist of the Month … Dwight Yoakam” post.</i> Keep an eye open for other country music
features.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-34077935891696034372014-03-03T16:10:00.003-08:002014-03-03T16:10:57.012-08:00"On the Cusp of Manhood"<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“Inspired
by … The house that built me” by Miranda Lambert</i></li>
</ul>
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Trepidation filled Alex’s arrival
to college. A recent high school
graduate, he felt ill-prepared for the challenge for which he was about to
confront. All his life, as far back as
he could remember, he had lived in the same town with his family and friends
there beside him.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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He arrived at the college for
freshmen orientation. His father and his
mother came with him on the seven hour trip up the coast. There to celebrate this new beginning, they
supplied to him parental assurances that all would be well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alex had many friends in high
school, but all of them had chosen other colleges to attend. He had yearned to go far away to college,
away from everybody that he ever knew, and to make friends while building a
life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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During the drive up from his
hometown, he was silent. He listened to
music on the radio while looking out the window as his father surveyed the road
on the long journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was now time. It was now time for his parents to leave and
for him to begin his new life. He was
alone in a venue to which he was unfamiliar, but was meeting the challenge with
bravery. He noticed the multitude of
college freshmen sharing the same adventure.
However, he felt very alone. He
was completely unaware that many of other in-coming college students were feeling
the same nervousness. The foreboding
faces surrounding him numbed his senses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Family by family got into their
cars, leaving the new college freshmen alone in the college dorms to somehow
make friends with people they had just met.
They were confronted with the task of living with strangers who, in
years to come, would be considered some of their best friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With carefree gusto, the
roommates gathered in their apartments.
It was nearly sundown and all the parents were in their cars on the
drive back to wherever they had come.
The freshmen, three by three and five by five, sat down together. Newly introduced strangers, they ate dinner
with each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The time had approached for the
ageless ritual of high school graduates freshly attending college. The introductions were made and the strangers
spent the rest of the night familiarizing with each other with cheap beer that
they had purchased at the liquor store down the street. The festivities included the five roommates
as well as other college co-eds in the nearby apartments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/DQYNM6SjD_o/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/DQYNM6SjD_o&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/DQYNM6SjD_o&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Alex had spent his first night at
the college dorms. It was not nearly as
threatening as he feared. He had talked
with friends and neighbors and he felt the ominous haze lift from them
all. Young college girls had attended
the party along with his roommates and other college freshmen at the
dorms. He woke up early in the morning energetic. The Sun shined upon the dorms and he went to
the dining commons to have breakfast. A
neighbor girl met up with him and they shared breakfast with one another. College life did not seem nearly as daunting
as he thought it would.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alex spent the rest of his
freshmen year at the dorms with his roommates and neighbors. The strangers became acquaintances and then
became friends. The girls that he met he
began to know better and he found a girlfriend.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The parties became less frequent
as the college students found their own routines. Many of the college freshmen found part-time
work and most of them began to bury themselves in their school-work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The relationship that Alex had
formed with his the neighbor girl stayed trivial, without much meaning. Although she was beautiful and he enjoyed the
time spent with her, he knew it was transitory.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a college freshman, newly out
of high school, Alex’s arrival to college had been intimidating. However, he had been quick to make
friends. The scholastic burden of
college, which he had thought would be a far more difficult mission, had been
less chilling than he thought it would.
His acclimation to the new environment, far away from home, had been easily
facilitated with worries that quickly vanished.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As an adult, 20 years later, Alex
often looked back to his time in college.
His time in college had been a growth experience and, more so, were his
times in the freshmen dorms. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to the college degree
that he earned which virtually assured him a prosperous life, he also grew to
manhood. The college scenario
facilitated the journey as he was able to choose his own terms by which to
live. As an 18 year old man fresh out
of high school, Alex had been nervous and unsure of himself; fraught with all
of the trifles that face young people. However,
upon graduation he had become free from these insecurities and now had
direction in his life as well as in confidence in everything that he did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After his freshmen year he lived
with a few of his friends that he had made in the dorms. With high school behind him, these were now his
best friends. He lived with his dorm
friends for two years and finally was able to get a small-studio apartment to
live alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All of college was a time for
fun, a time for camaraderie, and a time for growing up. However, upon reflecting on his time in
college, Alex would think most of his time at the dorms. He would recollect his arrival and meeting up
with strangers he had never before seen.
He would also recollect the time that these people became his
friends. Most of all he would remember
the maturity he gained and the confidence that was found that later would bring
him success in every aspect of his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-74929236702922329672014-02-22T11:04:00.000-08:002014-02-22T11:04:40.884-08:00"A Closer Look at a Life"<br />
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<ul>
<li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Inspired
by … “Only here for a little while” by Billy Dean</i></li>
</ul>
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The tragic event left no room for
anything but remorse. Not a close friend
or family member, the death still crept close to home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan read in the paper
yesterday morning, “Local 35 year old man dies of a heart attack.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The article, which was the top
story in this small town, portrayed a life that many would envy that drew to an
abrupt end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The man, Steven, had been living
a full life. He had a wife and three
small children. He was the principle at
the local high school; which enabled him to influence many young lives in a
positive and powerful way. The newspaper
article included declarations of just how warm a man he was. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His wife, in a state of grief
from this sudden tragedy, spoke words of deepest adoration for a man she knew
and loved. The man’s friends also spoke
glowing testimonials to this man to whom they were all endeared.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Steven had led a very meaningful
life. Although Jonathan only knew the
man in passing, the story in the newspaper this morning brought a tear to his
eyes. Thoughts were triggered into
Jonathan’s consciousness about his life and how much more he could be living
his.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan was nearly as old as the
departed. Although, he had a wife and
daughter, his life seemed insignificant.
His work, which was encompassed by a forty-hour a week union job at the
factory in the nearby town, seemed without merit. The drudgery which he confronted from a
vocation which was repetitious and monotonous did not permit room for pride or
any creative impulse by which to bring meaning.
The pay he received from a union job was ample; however, the doldrums of
his work defined his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His married life also was
pleasant, but lacked excitement. He
loved his wife and child, yet the routine of life had turned tiresome.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As Jonathan read the story of the
death of a young man barely older than he, it caused reflection concerning his
own life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“’<a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/popular-phrases-origin-meaning-stop-smell-468395.html?cat=37">Take time to smell the roses</a>,
was the saying I guess,'” Jonathan muttered under his breath. But, what did the trite saying mean? “I guess it means to enjoy life’s simple
pleasures.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Such thought would point him in
the right direction, but where would these transient thoughts lead him? “I guess it’s a mindset,” Jonathan thought
to himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He finished reading the newspaper
article and poured himself another cup of <a href="http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68">coffee</a>. His wife and daughter were still sleeping; he
had to awake from bed early every morning to make it in time for the early
shift at the factory. He looked outside
his kitchen window and noticed the Sun slowly rising and permeating the
shrubbery and the green of the leaves of the trees. A crooked smile appeared on his face as he
folded the newspaper and put it on the table.
He took another sip of coffee and realized it was time to make his way
to the work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The drudgery of his life, briefly
contemplated this morning, could not immediately be eradicated; however, as he
drove his car to work he felt a tinge of hope in his heart. It was not hope for a better life or wealth
and riches; it was simply hope for the simple splendors that might transpire today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As he drove to work he put on his
favorite radio station. He listened
intently as the music of the background inundated his senses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon his arrival to work he
noticed all the familiar faces. He had
friends, but not close friends. He had
fellow craft workers that worked beside him at the factory. The conversation never got beyond casual
cordiality, but there was a certain amount of camaraderie incorporated into the
ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What was it about? Was it about
the perspective by which we lead our lives?”
He didn’t know and the thought escaped his consciousness as quickly as
it had entered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He loved his wife and daughter,
but the feelings had become stale. His
love had not faded, but lacked enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He had to bring something new
into his life, but he didn’t know what it could be. “A person’s perspective on life, that’s what
it is,” Jonathan thought to himself.
“The only thing that turns a mostly mundane existence to a meaningful
existence is perspective.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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As he drove back to work early
this evening, these thoughts captured his senses once more. He <o:p></o:p></div>
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listened to the music. The newspaper article, still fresh in his
mind, caused more thoughts to arise in his mind. <br />
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<br /></div>
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The man who recently had died had
lived a full life. His life had been
similar to Jonathan’s own. What made the
life of the deceased seem more precious than Jonathan’s? It was the love. It was the love that he felt in his heart, it
was the love he felt for his family, it was the love that he felt for his
friends. It was the love in his heart
that had endeared him to so many people and had brought meaning to his
life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan arrived home from work. He turned on the television before eating
dinner for his family. He hugged his
daughter and kissed his wife. They had
their dinner together while they enjoyed a trivial sit-com on TV. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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It was the love that had endeared
so many to Steven. It was love that
Jonathan hoped he could give to his family and love by which to live his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-72631835611311264672014-02-12T18:07:00.000-08:002014-06-18T18:44:27.441-07:00"Top 10 Country Songs ... 2013"<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: red;">“Top 10 Country Songs … 2013”</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
2013 was a great year for country
music. It was both a year for new songs
from some favorite artists and a year for break-through artists to establish
their presence in the world of country music.
Some of the songs on this list did not generate much air play; however,
I chose them along with the others for their innate brilliance. Others of these songs are new songs from
established artists that radiantly reflect their reputable career. However, they all exemplify the greatness of
country music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I, through the past year, have
been taking note on songs that have bid particularly well on the country music
charts, as well as songs that have caught my personal attention for their
intrinsic merit. There were other songs
in this past year that have been excluded from this list. Some of these songs have lasting quality to
be shared with generations to come.
Moreover, within the entire catalogue of country music this past year,
many others reflect the talent of both their performers and of their
writers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am very happy to welcome
artists such as Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw to this list for their wonderful
contributions to country music this year.
I also welcome artists such as Kacey Musgrave and Locash to this list
for their emergence into country music this year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However, among the many great
songs and performances this past year, I chose to compile this Top 10 list on
the preceding criteria. Hopefully some
of your favorite songs will be on this list and hopefully you will enjoy others
that did not catch your attention over the past year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 10: The
best seat in the house by Lo Cash<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="http://locashcowboysmusic.com/#home">Locash Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcl_F8AlzFs">Thebest seat in the house Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This heart-wrenching song captures the familiar love that a father
feels for his son and that a son feels for his father. This love transgresses time from the boy’s
youth to the father’s time in heaven. From
little league games to the son’s marriage, the strong vocals and moving lyrics accentuate
the sentiment of a father’s bond with his son.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 9: I don’t want this night to end by Luke Bryan<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="https://www.lukebryan.com/welcome.html">LukeBryan Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jEDdFm3Nx0">I don't want this night to end Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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This song, featuring the exceptional vocals of Luke Bryan, captures,
with integrity, the heart of country music.
It fuses contemporary country with a strong back-beat, appealing
feelings of youth with those of mature enthusiasm. The song represents another entry to the
broad base of music by Luke Bryan in the country music library.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 8: Everybody’s got somebody but me by Hunter Hayes<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="http://www.hunterhayes.com/invisible">HunterHayes Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSYtC5W-m28">Everybody’sgot somebody but me Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song reflects the influence of a traditional country sound
infused with a melodic muse reflecting the nearly forgotten standards of the
first half of the twentieth century.
Hunter Haze’s voice and lyrical styling, however, creates a sound that
is pure country. The song highlights a
casual wander through an evening or day, whichever you prefer, reflecting the
loneliness felt in the song in a trifling manner.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 7: The
boys around here by Blake Shelton (with the Pistol Annie’s)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i> <a href="http://www.blakeshelton.com/">BlakeShelton Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXAgv665J14">Theboys around here Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song couples the sensual
background vocals of the <a href="http://www.pistolannies.com/">Pistol Annie’s</a> with the classic country singing of
Blake Shelton. The song, released early
last year, was Blake Shelton’s ninth number one in a row followed by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JkdBnT7j2I">“<i>Mine would be you</i>”</a> which was to become
his tenth straight number one hit on country music radio. This song has lasting quality with the purist
sounds of country that is its essence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Number 6: Blowin’
smoke by Kacey Musgrave<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.kaceymusgraves.com/">KaceyMusgrave Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEsEUpk5rU8">Blowin’Smoke Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Although Kacey Musgraves has been recording country music for over ten
years, she first emerged as a force in country music this past year. The song,”<i>Blowin’
Smoke</i>,” did not fare well on the charts; however, it received critical
acclaim by critics. The album from which it was released, “<i><a href="http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1721950/kacey-musgraves-reclaims-top-album-crown-with-same-trailer-different-park.jhtml?rsspartner=rssFeedBurner">Same trailer different park</a></i>” received the <i><a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy</a></i> for 2014 Country Music Album of the Year Award. Hopefully, there will be more music from this
talented artist brought our way.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 5: I
drive your truck by Lee Brice<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.leebrice.com/">Lee Brice Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSMCgqlc-0">I drive your truck Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Lee Brice has been an artist that has been persistently on the country
music charts for the past few years. He
has brought us all a great deal of exceptional music. However, once in a while an artist such as
this will bring us a particularly memorable song. This song is an example of just that. This song masterfully captures the loss of a
family member poignantly with powerful lyrics and the powerful vocals of Lee
Brice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 4: One
of those nights by Tim McGraw<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://timmcgraw.com/">TimMcGraw Official Fanpage</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJrI8Eqm82E&feature=kp">Oneof those nights Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Tim McGraw has been a superstar on the country music scene for more
than two decades. His debut, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_McGraw_(album)" style="text-align: justify;">self-titled album “Tim McGraw”</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, although not
commercially successful, was warmly received by critics. His second album, “</span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_a_Moment_Too_Soon">Not a moment too soon</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;">” brought to the artist both fame and critical
acclaim. Songs such as “</span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TXBniRz1g">Don’t take the girl</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;">,” which reached
number one on the country charts, and the title track, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrz9ecN9ZCA" style="text-align: justify;">“<i>Not a moment too soon</i>”</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> established Tim McGraw as one of the most
endeared performers in country music.
Throughout the years Tim McGraw, has released dozens of chart-topping
singles including “</span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiOcW_YR1G8">Live like you weredying</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;">” and “</span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU2ntUdbhxc">Red, rag top</a></i><span style="text-align: justify;">.” The song, “</span><i style="text-align: justify;">One of those nights</i><span style="text-align: justify;">,” was yet another one of the monumental songs
in this singer’s acclaimed and illustrious career.</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 3: Not
my mama’s broken heart by Miranada Lambert<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.mirandalambert.com/automatic/">MirandaLambert Official Fanpage</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yg05svXp98">Notmy mama’s broken heart Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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From the first time that I heard this song, it became one of my
favorite country songs; not only of this year, but of the many songs released
in the many years that I have been listening to country music. The song brought to me a new level of
appreciation to this singer whose music I have always enjoyed. The song is true to the folk-rock nature of
most of her songs. Take a listen to this
song to see if you agree. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 2: Downtown
by Lady Antebellum<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://ladyantebellum.com/">LadyAntebellum Official Fanpage</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WeSItykFyY">DowntownVideo</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Lady Antebellum is best known for her cross-over hit, “<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM213aMKTHg">Need you now</a>,</i>” which helped her earn
<a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy’s</a> in 2011 for Best Country Album, Record of the Year, and Best Country
Song. Lady Antebellum’s earlier
signature song was “<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNZIJ059hKQ">Looking for a goodtime</a></i>.” In early 2013 Lady Antebellum
released the song, “<i>Downtown</i>” as a
return to their country roots. Although
the song did not have cross-over appeal, it was warmly received by country
music listeners reaching number one on the country charts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number 1: Begin
again by Taylor Swift<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://taylorswift.com/">TaylorSwift Official Fanpage</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The video to this song is almost as compelling as the song. The understated beauty of Taylor Swift
accents the song which discusses new love after a difficult relationship. In the video, the artist is adorned in
classical attire with the background of classical Paris. The song, perfectly captured in this video, entreats
its listeners to these images every time the song plays.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 2006, Taylor Swift released her first single, “<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkD20ajVxnY">Tim McGraw</a></i>.” The song,
although not reaching number one on the country charts, instantly brought fame
to this young singer with the listening public eagerly awaiting her follow up
song. The listening public was graced
not only by her immediate follow up releases, but also to the rest of her music
catalogue to this point in her career.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Taylor Swift has also become a pop icon with her music as successful
on pop radio as it has been on country radio.
However, she has stayed true to her country heritage with songs such as
“<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Uolsugclo">You should have said no</a></i>,” and her
release at the beginning of this past year, “<i>Begin Again</i>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In her career, which has spanned eight years, she has received
overwhelming commercial success as well as critical acclaim from critics and
award giving bodies. She has sold over
twenty million albums nationally with three number one albums on the billboard
album chart. In addition, she has won
seven <i><a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy Awards</a></i>, six <i><a href="http://www.acmcountry.com/">Academy of Country Music Awards</a></i>, as well
as dozens upon dozens of other awards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The song, “<i>Begin again</i>”,
with its emotive lyrics and passionate allure, struck a chord with fans as deep
as any of her previous releases. The
sentimental love story is pronounced with the lyrics, “<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPD9_3GUXWk">I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does isbreak, and burn, and end. But on aWednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again.</a></i>” The sentimental nature of these lyrics, as
well as the brilliant vocal interpretation of Taylor Swift, establishes this
song as a country classic for all time.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you have enjoyed this <i>“Top
10 Country Music … 2013” </i>list of songs.
Hopefully I have listed a few of your favorites as well as uncovered
additional songs you may enjoy. The vast
library of country music is a treasure for us all. I look forward to another great year in
country music. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You are most welcome to leave comments and to share
this list with friends. Keep an eye open
for new “<i>Top 10 Country Music Songs …”</i>
in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-40073719646192839752014-02-10T17:01:00.001-08:002014-02-10T18:12:07.180-08:00"Waiting to Return Once More"<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song … The Highwayman by “The Highwaymen”</i></li>
</ul>
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</i><br />
<div>
Days flew by very quickly.
Home, here, with my relatives and family, life was magical. With not much to do but to relish the
tranquility and pristine beauty that surrounded me, the drudgeries of my last
life were far gone.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I had been a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonry">mason worker</a>. Life had been challenging, but it had been
good. The pain and emotional toil that
accompanies everybody’s life had been sometimes present and sometimes
persistent, but it had vanished with the bright light that had brought me here where
I am today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I first came across my
parents and my grandparents and all of my old friends, I was overcome with
emotion. The joy I felt instantly
lightened my heavy heart and brought me happiness that I had never known
before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The many lives which had
culminated to this last, had lead me closer to becoming the idealistic version of
the person that I would someday be. It
was very comforting to be home with all of my friends and family, but I knew I
had pressing business on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Faint recollections of my many
lifetimes inundated my mind, but they only reflected a puzzle of the missing pieces
of what I was meant to become. With
every life, I became closer to the realization of just that flawless person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
That was the meaning of existence;
life was about the culmination of many lifetimes into the perfect individuals
that we would all someday be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Friends and family were near and
the immaculate surroundings filled my heart with the joy to which I had now
become accustomed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
God had managed to make this
existence as meaningful as possible. In
addition to the bliss experienced by all in this place, the physical base of
being was maintained. With a clean and
unspoiled heart, we were all able to pursue goals of our own and maintain a
lifestyle that contained meaning within itself.
It was not empty joy that we all practiced; rather, our time was spent
both pursuing our most ambitious goals and preparing our psyche for our next
life on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After a few decades, I witnessed
my close friends and family choose to return to the Earth to begin a new
life. It was with complete understanding that they would
not have any memory of this past time that they had experienced. We could look down now and witness the
struggles and toil that accompany life on Earth. However, they all were willing to choose this
venue for the actuality of taking their part in creating perfection on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As I looked down, I could see my
children and grandchildren living their lives’.
I did not weep for them when they were struck with hard times; I simply
sent all my love to them to help them through troubles that may have, to them, seemed
insurmountable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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With love and hope, I missed my children. Although I wished them long flourishing
lives, I hoped to see them here one day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My wife, who had died before I
did, was the first person that welcomed me upon my arrival. She had died of natural causes at a very old
age as I did. When she greeted me we
were both as young as when we first met.
My love for her had never vanished.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The two of us spent our time
together as we did on Earth. As physical
beings, what was recognizably different was the feeling of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana">nirvana</a> that was
experienced by all on this plane. We all
worked, not for money, but for the pride of accomplishment that it gave
us. We played and enjoyed entertainment,
much as we would on Earth. Every night
we went to sleep and every morning we woke up; just as we did on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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However, the time had come for
me. My wife was not ready, but I
was. I would return to Earth. There was not much opportunity for decision
or free will in this matter. We could
not choose who our parents would be and we could not choose any other
particular sort of life when we arrived to the Earth. I was fully aware that I would not remember
any of the bliss that had become second-nature here. However, I also was aware, although I would
forget, that someday I would return to this place only to leave again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I discussed my decision with my wife. I discussed with my many friends and
relatives, with whom I had been reunited with here. I discussed with them all my decision had
now been made. As we all do, I would
return to Earth and do my bidding.<o:p></o:p></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I was cold. Strange people who I had never seen before
surrounded me and my mother. I was very
cold. The strange people cleaned me in
warm water and handed me to my mother.
My mother held me in her arms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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My new life was to begin.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-4196223966567234252014-02-04T14:09:00.000-08:002014-02-04T14:09:04.049-08:00“In Memory”<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Mommy died last year. I cried and cried, but I couldn’t bring her
back.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Daddy said she went to
Heaven. I hope she did. I loved my Mommy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year had been very
cold. Me and my brother played in the
snow, but mommy wasn’t here to watch us.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was going to be my first
Christmas without her. I had played in
the snow, but I was still sad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last year’s Christmas had been
good. Mommy was very sick, but she still
wanted to make it a good Christmas for me and my brother. She put up decorations and cooked us
Christmas cookies. On Christmas morning
the cookies we left for Santa were gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Daddy said Mommy would always
love us and that we would always love her, she just wouldn’t be with us
anymore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I had asked Daddy, “Where is
Mommy going?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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He told me that she was going to
Heaven. Still, I was very sad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mommy died a little while after
Christmas last year. Every year we cut
down a Christmas tree and decorated it.
This year was going to be no different except that Mommy wouldn’t be
with us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This morning during breakfast
Daddy said to me and my brother that we were going to get a Christmas tree just
like we did last year. I love getting
Christmas trees almost as much as I like the presents that Daddy and Mommy
always put under the tree.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still, I was sad. Mommy wasn’t with us anymore. Sometimes I still cried.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We searched the Christmas tree
farm. As we looked, Daddy had said that
Mommy had gone to Heaven to be with the angels and that she would want us to go
on with our lives.’ I missed Mommy, but
Daddy kept telling me that she was now in a better place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was very cold tonight. Daddy had us put on mittens. When
we got to the Christmas tree farm, the snow was falling; not a lot, just enough
to help me feel like it really was Christmas without Mommy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last year Mommy had been with
us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of the trees had icicles falling
from them. We looked through the
trees. We wanted a big tree, but not too
big because it had to fit in the house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I loved
Christmas time. I loved cutting down and
decorating the tree. We looked through
the Christmas tree farm and found one that we wanted. Both me and my brother were much too little
to cut down the tree, but Daddy was able to for us. The cold air felt good to me and I smiled as
the tree fell down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas
trees to me were almost as fun as the rest of the holiday. After Daddy cut down the tree, we tied it
down to the back of the truck and drove it home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The decorations
and the smell of the tree made me feel like it was Christmas time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We had special
decorations for everybody. We wrapped
the tree in garland and lights. We put
the decorations on the tree. Daddy had
bought each of us a special decoration this year; he did that every year. I almost cried again when we put up one for
Mommy. I missed her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We sprinkled
tinsel on the tree and we were done. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Daddy said to
the two of us,” This is our first Christmas without your Mother. I know it is hard for you as it is for
me. It is still time to grieve on move
on, but to never forget.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Daddy opened
up a box and said to us, “This is ornament is to top the tree. Every year when we celebrate Christmas we
will also be celebrating your Mother’s life.”
He pulled out the ornament. It
was an angel draped in white. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He said,
“Every year we will place this on top of our Christmas tree to remember all the
love she gave to us.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mommy was now an angel in heaven.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-22348522208097068312014-02-01T14:46:00.001-08:002014-03-02T17:50:44.313-08:00"Country Music Artist of the Month ... Blake Shelton"<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">"Country Music Artist
of the Month … Blake Shelton"</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.blakeshelton.com/">Blake Shelton’s Official Homepage</a></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtrmVkr7Kts/Uu1vl7r-yhI/AAAAAAAAAtI/I4Br7uQtKNQ/s1600/download+%252833%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OtrmVkr7Kts/Uu1vl7r-yhI/AAAAAAAAAtI/I4Br7uQtKNQ/s1600/download+%252833%2529.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a>Blake Shelton was born June 18,
1976. At the age of 17 he moved to
<a href="http://www.visitmusiccity.com/">Nashville </a>to pursue a music career. His
first release, <i>Austin </i>reached number
1 and stayed there for 5 straight weeks.
The follow up songs on the album did not fare as well, but the album introduced
Blake Shelton into the hearts’ of country music fans across the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since his career began in late
2001 he has had fifteen number one hits and counting; including 10 straight
number one hits to date, tying <a href="https://www.bradpaisley.com/home">Brad Paisley’s</a> mark set in 2007. Other hit songs include <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asxrMSVrJ08">Ol’ Red</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnf82BCQV68">The Baby</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki-n6DsDG40">She wouldn’t be gone</a>, </i>and<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkoT1nZOexY">Home</a>. </i>He is now at the
peak of his career and stands as one of the most popular contemporary country
singers. His latest album release <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Based_on_a_True_Story...">Based on a True Story</a></i>, debuted in March
of 2013 number 1 on the country charts and number 3 on the pop charts. His latest single, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JkdBnT7j2I">Mine Would be You</a>,</i> reached number 1 on the country charts in
November of 2013. At this point in his
career he has sold over 7 million albums.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to being a favorite
among fans of country music, Blake Shelton has received much critical
acclaim. He has received more than 50
nominations in a variety of music awards of which he was the winner of 18. These include <a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy Nominations</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Music_Award">Academy ofMusic Awards</a>, <a href="http://www.cmaworld.com/">Country Music Association Awards</a>, and nearly other award giving
body associated with country music. He
has received acknowledgement for categories such as Top Male Vocalist,
Entertainer of the Year, and Vocal Event of the Year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Blake Shelton has received
crossover recognition as a judge on the singing competition <i><a href="http://www.nbcthevoice.com/">The Voice</a></i>. His team, as they designate, has been the
winner on 3 separate occasions. In
addition, 2 contestants on his team, <a href="http://www.cassadeepope.com/home">Cassidee Pope</a> and <a href="https://www.daniellebradbery.com/home">Danielle Bradbery</a>, have
gone on to begin their own country music career. The songs by Cassidee Pope, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpJz06Jzoh8">Wasting all these Years</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjfWYKe3baU">Over You</a></i> have made it high onto the
country charts. Danielle Bradbery has
recently released her 1<sup>st</sup> song onto country music radio, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YH2P8Gex3s">The Heart of Dixie</a></i>, which is quickly
climbing the charts. The television show
remains popular and stands to be a venue to launch the careers of other country
singers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blake Shelton is one of the
country singers noted for not only their own singing career, but also for that
of their spouse. Other country singers
such as <a href="http://tasteofcountry.com/garth-brooks-and-trisha-yearwood-the-call/">Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LqhYMj5nM">Tim McGraw and Faith Hill</a>, and, in
the past, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KniULwvjE">George Jones and Tammy Wynette</a> share in this distinction. In 2005, Blake Shelton and <a href="http://www.mirandalambert.com/">Miranda Lambert</a>
met at a <a href="http://www.cmt.com/">Country Music Television</a> event.
Four years later, Blake Shelton proposed and on May 11. 2011 the two
were married. Similarly to the other
couples in country music, the songs of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have
been both popular and critically acclaimed.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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These are some of my favorite
songs from Blake Shelton. He is very
versatile in his singing ability, with a strong voice both in his renditions of
ballads and in more upbeat party songs.
In the last few years he has become one of the top stars in country
music and this list of songs demonstrates the reason for this fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30_R0yagxeo">Austin Video Link</a></i></li>
</ul>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This debut song by Blake Shelton
reached number 1 on the country music singles chart and remained there for 5
weeks. It is a profession of a man’s
undying love for a woman who thought that the relationship was over. The song brought recognition to Blake Shelton
on the country music scene.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVND_BnZ0UM">I’ll just hold on Video Link</a></i></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is perhaps my favorite Blake
Shelton song. The masterful lyrical
styling and melodic structure serve to sooth the senses of its listeners. The heart-wrenching mood of the song invokes
the feelings of a man holding on to a relationship which he knows is not ever
going to work. Many country songs appeal
to this message; this is one of the best in the genre.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGoiiwxTWeE">Hillbilly Bone Video Link</a></i></li>
</ul>
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This song, featuring <a href="http://traceadkins.com/">TraceAdkins</a>, hit number 1 on the country music charts in 2009. It exemplifies an upbeat, party song
atmosphere. This song professes the cross-over
appeal of many country songs in an up-beat, party-orientated performance by
these two country singers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3MGfJ3eMGA">The More I Drink Video Link</a></i></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As Alcoholics Anonymous preaches,
“the more I drink, the more I drink.”
Although not a number 1 hit, or even a top 10 hit, the song expresses
the vitality and the liberation that the barroom atmosphere can bring. It’s strong back-beat serves as a similar
expression to fit the message.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znyAB7WOvkA">It’s all about tonight Video Link</a></i></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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This song reached number 1 on the
US country charts for 2 weeks between August and September of 2010. The song helped Blake Shelton cross the
border from a country music singer to a perpetual country music hit maker. The song depicts the fun, frivolity, and
party atmosphere of the barroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: red;">I hope you enjoy this post of
“Country Music Artist of the Month … Blake Shelton.” Keep an eye open for other country music
features.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-57984150495295641882014-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:002014-01-29T17:19:47.082-08:00Forgetting About You<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “Down to my last teardrop” by Tanya Tucker</i></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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The trees were beautiful this
morning. The sky was blue. My coffee, coupled with the cool morning air,
invigorated my senses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last night I went to the bar to
hang out with my buddies, a couple of beers, not too much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The women were plentiful and
beautiful at the bar last night. I was
playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sports">billiards</a> most of the night as they looked at me and smiled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Work has been good. I just got a promotion. I bought a new car last month. It has all the modern gadgets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Life’s been good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I admit Michelle was very
beautiful, but the ordeals that she put me through made for a miserable
existence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“How’s she doing?” I don’t really care.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Driving to work this morning, I
began listening to the radio. My
favorite song came on and I started singing along. Well, right now it’s my favorite song. Last week I had a different favorite song and
next week I’ll probably have a new favorite song.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Christmastime is coming. It will be in a little more than a
month. I don’t have a wife or any kids.
Yet, I’m not crying. I have friends and
I have family. Every weekend at the bar
I see my friends and there are always beautiful girls. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I’ll be spending the holidays
with my family. My brother has one son
and my sister is married with no children.
Every year the family gathers at my parent’s house. My mom cooks a Christmas dinner and my father
watches whichever sports games that are on the television. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I was playing a game of billiards
with a buddy of mine the other night. It
was at the bar that has become our hang out.
I had a couple of beers; not more than that. The two of us must have played for three
hours as we watched the game on the television.
The women were beautiful and plentiful.
A particularly beautiful brunette kept smiling at me. Perhaps it would be the beginning of something
new? I had no idea. I was simply enjoying the atmosphere and
resting my eyes upon her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Two weeks later, I took her on a
date to <a href="https://www.knotts.com/">Knott’s Berry Farm</a>. The
triviality and frivolity of the venue facilitated for a light-hearted
introduction. As we walked through the
park, I noticed families; fathers and mothers with their children mostly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the past, it had been a
complete waste of time with Michelle.
She made my life miserable. She
always started fights and arguments. She
cheated on me; one time I even caught her at a bar with another guy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I always tried to make it
work. Yet, it was a waste of my time and
whatever I did to make it work the more misery she would give me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hopefully this new relationship
would work out better for me. Tammy,
like Michelle, was very beautiful. Yet,
she, in the short time that I had known her, didn’t seem the same. She seemed to have a warm heart; not one to
willfully make a man miserable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Christmastime was always my
favorite time of year. Ever since my
childhood the love of the season filled my heart with affection. This year, as we would every year, my family
gathered at my parents’ house. My
brother brought his wife and kid, my sister brought her husband, and I brought
my new girlfriend, Tammy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Tammy was beautiful with an
innocent demeanor. Hopefully things
would turn out better with her than they did with my previous
relationship. So far it was going well,
however, I had only been seeing her for a couple of months.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Christmas party began at my
parents’ house. My brother, my father,
and I sat down to watch the game on television.
My mother, my sister, and my new girlfriend socialized while the three
of them completed the Christmas dinner.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When I had met Tammy, earlier
this year, I had hoped for something more significant than what I had
before. I had been playing billiards
with a buddy that night. I noticed her
look upon my direction and smile. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She
was very beautiful, but I didn’t rush over there. Instead, I played a few more games of
billiards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mLmfiAhFhnE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She walked up to me and asked me
to dance. I could manage myself on the
dance floor, but still was happily surprised that she was the one to ask me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We danced and it served as the
beginning of our relationship which was still in its infancy. We danced to the upbeat music and I marveled
at the joy she invoked with light-hearted personality. She, in a cute and demure manor, made it so
I could not help but smile.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Life had been good for me the
last year. I was happy that I had broken
up with Michelle and I no longer had to live with the misery that she had
always given me. No more arguments, no
more fights, and no more of her vindictive cheating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNqIXK_w7eI/Uumnf9u78ZI/AAAAAAAAAss/w7k0z1waHPg/s1600/download+(32).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNqIXK_w7eI/Uumnf9u78ZI/AAAAAAAAAss/w7k0z1waHPg/s1600/download+(32).jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Work was good. I got to work this morning around 8:00. I went about my work. It was a trial, or even a chore. It was a nice way to spend the day and to
keep myself busy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After work I went to the bar to
meet up with my buddies. Typical for a
Friday, I ordered a beer. I got in line
for the billiards table and sipped my beer.
As I enjoyed the relaxing environment I noticed the blondes, brunettes,
and redheads file in. One by one my
friends started to show up and the party had begun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I woke up this morning. The sky was blue and the cool air felt brisk
against my skin. My warm cup of coffee
invigorated my senses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Life was good.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-9483241859489504872013-12-09T14:06:00.000-08:002013-12-09T14:06:07.952-08:00Vodka and Vermouth<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “I might hate myself in the morning” by Lee Ann Womack</i></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“<a href="http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink6569.html">Vodka, vermouth</a>.” This would be his third.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The music played in the
background. “To set the mood?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He had spent the evening sorting through
his old country records; choosing songs to fit his sour disposition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lgs0rvEqU0/UqY7PgcjJ-I/AAAAAAAAAqs/IdcxZJUldmQ/s1600/stock-photo-man-with-bottle-of-alcohol-on-black-background-127905149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lgs0rvEqU0/UqY7PgcjJ-I/AAAAAAAAAqs/IdcxZJUldmQ/s1600/stock-photo-man-with-bottle-of-alcohol-on-black-background-127905149.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Let’s see, <a href="http://www.georgestrait.com/index.asp">George Strait</a>; <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiVogsTR3dM">You look so good in love</a>.</i>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He lit a cigarette. He had already gone through more<u> </u>than
half a pack tonight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“You look so good in love. I
wish you still wanted me.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Outside it was a stormy
evening. No lightening, no thunder; but
the haze had turned into a gloomy downpour.
Sitting on his couch in his one bedroom apartment, the steady sound of
the raindrops matched his despondence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He instinctively mixed himself
another martini.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He looked out the window; the
soft inundation of the storm upon the ground engrossed his senses. His light-headiness from the alcohol mixed
with the mise-en-scene to compound the desolate solitude.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
More sad country records; he spent
many nights such as this. Alone, he
would drink martinis to the background of heart-wrenching sounds; magnifying
his self-pity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gS35hISn7x0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lighting another cigarette he
once again searched through his collection of music. Choosing only the most tragic of them all
while his inebriation compounded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“<a href="http://www.dougstone.com/">Doug Stone</a>, hopefully this
wouldn’t be too trite.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xjr3toKVQE">“</a><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xjr3toKVQE">I’d be better off in a pine box on a slow train back to Georgia. Or in the cold walls of a prison doing time.</a>”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Typical to his own senses, he
spent many nights such as this, relishing his misery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lighting another cigarette, he
thought back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He had taken her to <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g782292-d1571899-Reviews-Santa_Barbara-Collado_Villalba.html">SantaBarbara</a>. The ocean that time of year was
breath-taking. It had been stormy that winter,
but with the chillness of spring, the scenery was only enhanced. Driving up the coast the crystal blue water of
the coast could be savored. Her
beautiful smile and cheerful demeanor had brought hope with it in his
life. Maybe this had been what was
missing? Work had always been steady, as
did every facet of his social life. He
had been living in a sky-rise apartment in the city after promotion and
promotion at work that he enjoyed.
Friendship was not hard to find, but a meaningful relationship had been lacking. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As they were driving up alongside
the ocean the conversation had been inconsequential, but the companionship
somehow meaningful. Her smile and her
happiness infectiously warmed his heart.
He had learned to find joy in his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He poured another drink. The slight inebriation had crossed to mild intoxication. He felt comfortable in this setting, as he
spent much time alone. Lighting another
cigarette, he continued listening to the rain and to the music on the stereo. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There were no tears, only a
melancholy poise.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They had driven to a spot on the
ocean and decided to take a stroll up and down the peer. Her eyes enticed while all he could give in
return was an honest smile. This love
was real.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They walked down the peer eyeing
the ocean-side shops and boutiques. They
walked into a spot that held an art gallery. Ocean scenes were expressed
magnificently on the canvases.
Monetarily as well-off as he was, it was not a burden to buy her
one. The ocean waves against the rocks
magistrated a feeling of ah.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
They came to a popular local
eatery where they took part in an excellent seafood meal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Life had never been better. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As the music played in the
background and he finished another of many drinks and thought, “How could I
lose her?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8K6exvNxCg">“</a><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8K6exvNxCg">The wheels just turn, down the road ahead. If it hurts at all, you haven’t showed ityet. I’m not asking you to turn that cararound, but I’d settle for a slowdown.</a>”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Matching every word to what he
felt in his soul, his senses became numb.
Cigarette after cigarette he smoked, thinking of her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HYd-z3gMcVQ/UqY8UGIp7NI/AAAAAAAAAq0/JX_HCdnuoVY/s1600/download+(25).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HYd-z3gMcVQ/UqY8UGIp7NI/AAAAAAAAAq0/JX_HCdnuoVY/s1600/download+(25).jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He could call her on the
phone? Sometimes he did. She was probably busy, but sometimes she
still had time for him. He would call
and start by saying hello. Although it
was over, they were still friendly with each other. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Can I see you tonight?” he would
ask. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes she said yes, while
other times the phone would just ring. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One more night? Would that be enough? It would have to be. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He picked up the phone. With no self-respect, he would call her
praying for one more taste of what used to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The phone rang. The phone rang again. One more time, it rang. She probably knew it was him. Would she answer or let it ring?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Hello,” she said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“This is Martin.
Are you busy tonight?”</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-36797223735848224872013-12-03T17:10:00.002-08:002013-12-03T19:02:28.501-08:00Top 10 Country Songs ... Christmas Songs<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">“Top 10 Country Songs
… Christmas Songs”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Christmastime comes once a year, the
saying goes. With Christmas comes
merriment, sentiment, and spirituality.
Of the rich tradition of Christmas music, much of it is in the country
genre. Moreover, this extensive songbook
contains many covers of Christmas standards as well as an extensive amount
original material.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e51TjLYJpY0/Up5yvEnd5jI/AAAAAAAAAok/3zgAXARSAWc/s1600/download+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e51TjLYJpY0/Up5yvEnd5jI/AAAAAAAAAok/3zgAXARSAWc/s200/download+(11).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Much loved Christmas songs such
as <i>Have yourself a merry little Christmas</i>,
as made famous by <a href="http://www.judygarlandmuseum.com/">Judy Garland</a>, and <i>The
Christmas Song</i>, which is a signature song of <a href="http://natkingcole.50webs.com/">Nat King Cole</a>, have been rejuvenated
by modern day country singers. These
singers’ renditions have sometimes remained loyal to the tradition of these
Christmas standards, while others have received a new life with styles of a
particularly country flair. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This list of Christmas songs
includes Christmas songs which are among my favorite in all genres. Some capture the religious nature of
Christmas, some the warmth, and some celebrate the joviality of the
season. However, all have significance
of their own as songs with particularly strong lyrics sung with the wonderful renditions
of music from great entertainers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
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Number 10: <i>White Christmas by Keith Urban<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.keithurban.net/home">KeithUrban Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iCZWV-EA2U">WhiteChristmas Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song is one of
the most well-known and well-loved Christmas songs in any genre. The song has been recorded by a plethora of
artists bringing love into the hearts of all those celebrating the season. The song, not particularly religious in
nature, however, captures the sentiment and warmth of the season to those
touched by the song.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 9: <i>All I want for Christmas is a real good tan
by Kenny Chesney<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.kennychesney.com/home.php">KennyChesney Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqmwA7rd9EE">AllI want for Christmas is a real good tan Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Christmas music
sometimes captures the sentiment of the season and sometimes captures the mood of
the season. This song does so expressing
the love for a woman in the context of the song. This song serves this purpose juxtaposing the
chill of winter for summertime good spiritedness. The light-hearted lyrical styling of this
song serves as a unique addition to many of the more traditional Christmas
songs.</div>
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Number 8: <i>I’ll be home for Christmas by Vince Gill</i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.vincegill.com/wired/">VinceGill Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isZ8MBQQNxk">I’llbe Home for Christmas Video</a></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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This song is one of
the most sentimental of all Christmas songs.
This country cover stays true to the original recording made most famous
by <a href="http://www.sinatra.com/">Frank Sinatra</a>. The smooth and
soothing voice of Vince Gill invokes the loneliness that can sometimes be
immersed within the Christmas season. This
longing for togetherness impresses the love that sometimes can only be known by
loneliness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 7: <i>Santa looked a lot like Daddy by Garth
Brooks<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://garthbrooks.com/">GarthBrooks Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzB8G38WObk">Santalooked a lot like Daddy Video (Brad Paisley Version</a>)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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This country
original, first recorded by <a href="http://www.buckowens.com/index2.html">Buck Owens</a>, is an all but re-write of the traditional
children’s Christmas carol, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PITCmngiMfA">I saw Mommykissing Santa Clause</a></i>. It has a particularly
country feel and it is full of the merriment of the holiday. Sung by Garth Brooks in his <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Season-Garth-Brooks/dp/B000002V13">Beyond the Season</a></i> CD, his voice and
style match the song to perfection.</div>
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Number 6: <i>Christmas Cookies by George Strait</i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.georgestrait.com/index.asp">George Strait Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDCmeKs8Zpk">Christmas Cookies Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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In this song,
George Strait’s enjoyment in singing this Christmas song is easily recognized. The song simply is about enjoying the season. Rather than Christmas being the theme to the
song, it is the setting. As originally
recorded on George Strait’s <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Christmas-Strait-You-George/dp/B000006L5J">A Merry Christmas Strait to You</a></i> Christmas Album, it is a treasure to be found among the many Christmas standards.<br />
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Number 5: <i>Nuttin’ for Christmas by Sugarland<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.sugarlandmusic.com/">SugarlandOfficial Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lecz6aeP-A">Nuttin’for Christmas Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song certainly
does not attempt to proclaim the love of the season. It does not proclaim the sentimentality of
the season. However, the song’s originality
warrants its inclusion on this list. The
comedic nature and suburb lyrical interpretation of Jennifer Nettles set this
song apart from most other Christmas songs and the song should remain a
perennial favorite for years to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 4: <i>Santa
Baby by Kellie Pickler<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.kelliepickler.com/">KellyPickllie Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tT0ln7oRdA">SantaBaby Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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After hearing Kelly
Pickler’s sing this Christmas song all I have to say is “All I want for
Christmas is Kelly Pickler.” This song
which was made famous by <a href="http://www.earthakittfanclub.com/">Ertha Kitt</a>, has been re-recorded in many styles. Some
singers have covered this song in upbeat versions, others in slower, bluesy
versions. However, this cover by Kelly
Pickler is the strongest of all and her voice and sensuous styling make it a song to
relish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 3: <i>The Christmas Song by Alan Jackson<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.alanjackson.com/">AlanJackson Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CieHiRbAhf0">TheChristmas Song Video</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This well-known
Christmas standard was originally recorded by the singer <a href="http://natkingcole.50webs.com/">Nat King Cole</a>. It is enjoyed in its original rendition as a
Christmas tradition by many. Moreover,
it has been re-recorded many times by a number of musical artists of all
genres. However, this version of the
song rivals the smooth performance of the original recording. The emotive interpretation of Alan Jackson is
the captures the essence is the season and fills the hearts of its listeners
with warmth and love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 2: <i>Have yourself a merry little Christmas by
Martina McBride<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://martinamcbride.com/">MartinaMcBride Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrNbA61uPmc">Haveyourself a merry little Christmas Video </a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Martina McBride’s
voice transcends all genres in its excellence.
Its strength and tenderness invoke pining in the hearts in all of its
listeners. Her voice, which is
highlighted by the melody, powerfully appeals to the best in the sentiments of
the season. Although the song is not religious in nature,
the love expressed in it reflects the best of the Christmas tradition.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 1: <i>Do you hear what I hear? By Carry Underwood<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/us">CarryUnderwood Official Fan Page</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad7KU9bCTAM">Doyou hear what I hear? Video</a></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Carry Underwood is
comparably new on the country music scene.
She has not released a holiday album which is traditional to those
achieving success in the country music genre.
Her<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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voice and songbook is strong, with songs crossing the emotive fields
of female barroom antics to that of a religious awakening. However, her strong voice in this song marks
it as one of her own.<br />
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This song expressly
captures the religious nature of the holiday season in a most traditional
essence. The song realizes the love a
loving Jesus and transcends to the love which is felt in all of us in the
celebration of the holiday. The song
deals not only with this love, but the love with one and other. It also celebrates the promise of salvation
which has been promised with the celebration of Christmas which is the
celebration of Jesus and a loving God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Carry Underwood has
recorded other Christmas songs on different occasions, however, none as notable
as this. As a well-known and renowned
talent, her career is still in its infancy.
Based on this song and the strength of the rest of her songbook, we can
all look forward to more music, more albums, and hopefully a Christmas album with
which we can all more fully enjoy and celebrate the holiday season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you enjoy this list of “Top 10 Country Songs …. Christmas
Songs.” and that you listen to them often during this most celebrated of
season. These songs represent the best
of Christmas songs, including: songs <o:p></o:p><br />
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of frivolity, songs of love, and songs of
spirituality. During this season I hope
this music will help us tap into the love in all of our heart’s which
represents the best in all of us. Keep
on open for future “Top 10 Country Song … Collections.”</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-83860157499863167332013-11-27T17:22:00.001-08:002013-11-29T18:15:41.932-08:00Death is Transitory, Love is forever<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I walked to school
that morning, the frost coated every windshield. Icicles dripped from each branch of each
bush. As an honor’s student in my third
year of high school, the weight from the books in my backpack mercilessly
assaulted me as I made my way through the streets for an early arrival to class.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The sky was threatening
rain, but not snow. The weather of this
suburban town was temperate, with the extreme chill concentrated in the nights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cummulous clouds in the
distance beckoned my senses with exquisite splendor promising the miracle of a
new day. The clouds arose from along the
horizon, mushrooming higher into the sky in a portrait which resembled a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia">Utopian</a> dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Early in the morning as
it was, I saw only a slow trickle of high school students making their way to school. The proximity from my house to the school was
not burdensome and the walk along the way allowed me to taste the scent of a
new day and gave me an opportunity to enjoy the morning alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Preoccupied in my own
thoughts, I did not notice when I began to sing. I did not consciously initiate it, rather, it
manifested from its own volition. The
song, which appealed to my optimistic and somewhat spiritual sense of life, was
a rather older song that I had come across surveying the channels on the radio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“From
this moment on, everything is going to be alright. She is gone, and you are
here with me tonight.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I continued to make my
way to my school. The song had been in
my mind for quite some time. The lyric
meant, to me, that once you take control of your life, the most important
things transgress from their own creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I noticed the Sun coming
up over the horizon; the light appeared underneath the clouds, exhibiting vivid
shades of blue and green. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I approached the
campus, other students from my school began to materialize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From the standpoint of a
young high school student, the customary bliss which I experienced was less
fantastic because I had nothing else to associate from life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But my experience of
bliss would end. Enjoying my life of
obligatory happiness, a horrible accident would take place. From out of nowhere, the news hit me. I was called into the office mid-day while in
school. I was informed, blatantly and bitterly, that my parents had died in a
horrible car accident that morning. The
shock struck me without notice. Tears
did not fall, but they welled up in my eyes over the painstaking loss that had
just occurred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Walking through the
streets; only one year later, I began to sing a song. The bliss of life had forsaken me and had
been replaced by an encompassing misery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My only outlet for
freedom was to get out in the cold night’s fresh air and make a mockery of my
own suffering. I had nowhere to live, so
my younger brother, Robert, and I, moved in with our uncle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The poverty associated
from being an orphan was tangible. The
crowded house where I now lived left no room for comfort. As I continued to walk, I began to sing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Without
hope, I awoke this morning. Without
hope, I’ll slumber to sleep all night.
Living in chains, left me alone.
Nowhere to go</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, <i>I’ll
make my way through tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I continued my
journey, much too proud to cry, tears brimmed in my eyes and then ended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Making my way to school
one morning, the bitter cold scathed against my skin. The purposeless endeavor of education left one
hope in my mind; freedom. This freedom
would be the opportunity to get passed the horrible accident that took my
father and mother away from me. The
freedom would be the opportunity to make a life for myself in a new place where
these memories would cease. The freedom
would be to once again live with the optimistic outlook that had defined my life
before the tragic accident which had taken place over a year ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My brother, Robert,
three years younger, will have the same opportunities that I have. The pain of loss, inflicting him as much as it
is inflicting me, would not hinder his life.
If he knows, once the pain is forgotten, how wonderful and exciting life
can be, he will be able to capture the essence that is the magic of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was able to graduate
from high school with no more hindrances. My freedom welcomed me to an exciting new life
where I would have the opportunity to live the way I so chose. The bitterness of the painful memories would
be forgotten with my admittance and journey to college. All would be right again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">This morning, I awoke
in the dorms. It was a chill, brisk
morning and I savored it with the freedom I had always hoped would someday
return to me. The sky was blue, but with
soft, white clouds sporadically positioned throughout the skyline. Love and life had returned to me and I could
not help but smile at the beauty that life has to offer. After a warm coffee and a warm shower this
morning, I welcomed a new day. With the
disenchantment for life but a remembrance, I opened my eyes once again
appreciating the wonder of life. Beckoning
a new day, I stood outside on my balcony, took another sip from my steaming
coffee, and watched the Sun make its way through the horizon.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-1613237037753663212013-04-22T17:03:00.001-07:002014-03-02T18:13:16.553-08:00Country Music Artist of the Month ... Alan Jackson<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">"Country Music Artist of the Month ... Alan Jackson"</span></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.alanjackson.com/">Alan Jackson’s Official HomePage Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Jackson</td></tr>
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Alan Jackson was born on October
17, 1958. His first release to country
music came in 1989 with the song, <i>Blue
Blooded Women</i> which did not enter the top 40. However, after that initial disappointment,
his career took off; making him one of the most popular artists in the history
of country music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In his successful career, Alan
Jackson has become a fan favorite, with over 60 million albums sold and 35
number 1 hits. He has also been richly
adorned with critical recognition with 35 major awards for his music including
2 <a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammys Awards</a>. In addition to these
accolades, he was also named a member of the <a href="http://www.opry.com/">Grand Ole Opry</a> in 1991. This array of popular and critical
recognitions are shared by few other country music singers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1990 Alan Jackson became a
force on the country music scene and has remained so since. He received his first number one hit; <i>I’d love you all over again,</i> off his
first album, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_in_the_Real_World">Here in the real world</a>. </i>The album also carried with it three
other top five country hits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most momentous in the career of
Alan Jackson was his hit song, <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk">Where were you when the world stopped turning</a></i>.
It was his response to the horrific tragedy of the bombing upon the Twin
Towers in New York City. The song discusses
the emotions invoked in all of us from this horrific event. The song brought the country singer into the
mainstream spotlight for a short time in which the mourning of the catastrophe
was shared by all of America.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alan Jackson’s collection of music
is part of the soundtrack of a generation of country fans over the previous 25
years. Songs such as <i>Here in the real world</i> and <i>Someday</i> tug at our hearts while songs
such as <i>Don’t rock the jukebox</i> and <i>Gone Country </i>help us to enjoy the magic
of life. In recent years Alan Jackson
has strayed away from country, releasing two gospel albums with little commercial
success. However, his career, left
standing as it is, marks him as one of the all-time greats in genre of country
music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These are some of my favorite
songs by Alan Jackson. The versatility
of the singer is epitomized in this selection.
The singer’s powerful voice and sincerity in lyrical styling are matched
with the impassioned lyrics and the musical compilations. These factors, together, mark the greatness
of Alan Jackson as a singer as well as his greatness as a songwriter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCPpOba2O4g">Chasin’that neon rainbow Video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song,
released from Alan Jackson debut album, celebrates joy felt from a life of
performing, with dreams of someday achieving fame. The song is inspiring, whatever your dreams
in life might be.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.vevo.com/tv?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=watch&utm_campaign=wp_bradpaisley_vevotv">Drive Video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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With the wind
through his hair, he drove an old car through an old dirt road. They cleaned up that old boat and enjoyed
the exuberance of a moment of freedom on a lake. This is another of Alan Jackson’s songs which
creates a feeling of vitality for its listeners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mKkTm38w3E">Here inthe real world Video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Much of country
music discusses the hardships and broken-heartedness that oftentimes comes with
life. This song emphatically portrays
such an emotion with a descriptive extended metaphor about the trials of life
that, in the movies turn out for the best, but in life, do not always.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[endif]--><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW5UEW2kYvc">Chattahoochee Video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Being young and
enjoying a free existence only happens once in a lifetime. This song celebrates such love for life in
this upbeat song. The singer, shares
such coming of age with a creative flare that stays true to country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCjC543llU">Five o’clock somewhere <i>(With Jimmy Buffet) Video link</i></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Life is always
a party for some people, especially Jimmy Buffet. This song, in which Alan Jackson shares the
vocals with Jimmy Buffet, is a light-hearted song about enjoying trivial
aspects of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">I hope you have enjoyed this "Country Music Artist of the Month ... Alan Jackson." Keep an eye open for future country music features.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;">Thank you.</span></div>
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Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-55534673545778036332013-04-19T10:45:00.002-07:002013-04-22T10:25:05.666-07:00A Smile Returning to his Face<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “One of these days” by Tim McGraw</i></li>
</ul>
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Lynden awoke this morning. While brewing his coffee, which would take
only about five minutes; he was quick to light up a cigarette to commemorate a
new day which lacked hope. The impending
stormy weather that greeted him highlighted the foreboding nature of a new day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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His life was now a trial which passed
his capacity to endure. Is familiar
responsibilities drained all his energy and defined the nothingness that he now
knew.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Bitterly, he took a sip from his
steaming hot cup of <a href="http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=68">coffee</a> and took a drag off his cigarette. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Horrendously coughing, he sensed
the chillness in the air that surrounded him.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He took another sip of his coffee
and another hit off of his cigarette. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He looked outside and noticed the
impending storm was drawing nearer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
His family awoke. He and his wife had been married for ten
years now. Nothing was wrong with the
relationship; it was not the cause of his angst. Emily was beautiful and he loved her;
however, his life remained empty. He had
a young son, Sean, who was just seven years old. Similarly, he loved his son. However, his joy of life had long
disappeared.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
His family awoke. He
had his morning routine and they had theirs.
They managed to share breakfast together every morning. Emily didn’t work and his young son, Sean,
was an excellent young student at his elementary school. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While Lynden was shaving and showering,
Emily made breakfast.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sitting down for breakfast, Emily
greeted Lynden for a new morning with a smile upon her face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Looks like rain,” Emily said in
a blissful manner; the rain brought to her invigoration with the innocence of a
child.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Their son sat eating his eggs,
bacon, and toast. The two adults partook
in their own conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Things at the factory have been
tough lately,” he shared with Emily. “We
are expecting layoffs again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lynden had been working at the
factory for ten years and was not at risk of losing his job. A member of the union, he was sure of that
point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“It said on the news last night
that we can expect a raise in taxes again.
I don’t know how that’s going to turn around the recession.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Watching <a href="http://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a> grew tiring, with
news which always seemed to mirror the trials in his own life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tdWB4IU1InI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
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As the two adults discussed the
routines of their lives and current events, their young son stared blissfully
at the morning cartoons which were visible from the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Emily’s day was set. After breakfast, she would take Sean to
school. She, for the past two years, had
been studying to receive her degree in human relations at the local university.
The idol time she had available taking
care of household responsibilities, left much time to follow her education.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Emily was unaware of Lynden’s
depression and her life was filled with unabashed joy and bliss. She loved her husband and she loved her
son. She had nothing in life that would
interfere with her contentment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Traffic was slow. No rain yet, the sun was beginning to part
the clouds. The slippery road coupled
with the sun in his eyes made for difficult driving. Hardened heart, he lit a cigarette and took
another sip from his coffee.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The work-day was similarly
uneventful. It was a union job and it
paid well. However, it was agonizing
work that left him feeling sore and very tired at the end of every day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Assembling <a href="http://www.pedalinghistory.com/PHhistory.html">bicycles</a> from their
component pieces, the monotony uneventfully created an atmosphere of
servitude. Although he had been working
there for some time, he had no close friends.
The familiar faces seemed distant.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There must be a route to
happiness, he just couldn’t find it. He
was left amiss of emotions. When he was
young, he had enjoyed the typical frivolities of youth. He had many friends and all he needed for a
complete life. He had fallen
passionately in love with his wife and had been married since he was
twenty-five. But now, all joy had
disappeared.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He must find a way to reignite
the spark in his heart. Consciously one
morning, awaking early, tired as he was, he found a way to put a smile on his
face. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Take hold of the reins,” someone
had once told him, “and point your life in the direction you want it to go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It seemed like an unlikely
scenerio, but with this thought in mind, he began to do just that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He awoke in the morning. Consciously attempting to regain his vitality,
he gazed upon the morning sun. He,
typically, lit a cigarette and poured himself a cup of coffee; however, it was not
to in angst, but in celebration of what God may have in store for him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a couple of weeks, the ride
to work, although slow and filled with heavy traffic, did not seem like a trial. He simply smiled and listened to the radio as
he realized the beauty of all that was around him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He was able to consciously change
his outlook on life. As surely as he
awoke to misery every morning six months ago, he now awoke to joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was spring and his son had a
<a href="http://www.littleleague.org/Little_League_Online.htm">Little League Baseball</a> game today. The
mundane routine of watching his son play ball out of parental responsibility
now brought with it the joy of the love a father can feel for his son. He sat in the stands. No more cigarettes or coffee, he enjoyed a
soda and a hot dog.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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His son stood up to bat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Strike one” the umpire said as
Sean swung and missed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Frantically cheering for Sean in
the stands behind home plate, the joy for life that Lynden had known in the
past returned to him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The pitcher threw the ball cleanly
over the plate. Sean swung the bat and
the ball went flying over the third basemen’s head. It was a crisp line drive and all the parents
watching their children play Little League cheered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
Lynden’s had rediscovered the miracle of life
and with it all that it has to offer.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-89122777485295087512013-04-12T12:38:00.005-07:002013-04-22T10:29:40.385-07:00An Inconspicuously Worn Glove<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>An Inconspicuously Worn Glove<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The gathering in Grandpa
Michael’s house was masked as one of remembrance. His family despised the old man and his death
was marked with unpronounced celebration.
To add upon the occasion of Michael’s death, the cabinet, which held a
large portion of his wealth in the form of rare <a href="http://bullion.nwtmint.com/gold_history.php">gold coins</a>, had been robbed the
night before. No culprit could be found.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Grandpa Michael had an industrious
nature that brought him great success in life.
He had studied diligently in high school and had received a scholarship
to Harvard. It was not theirs to take,
yet his family regarded his wealth as their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When Grandpa Michael was in his
early thirties he married. His son came
a year after and his daughter followed two years later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Grandpa Michael’s two brothers
did not bother going to college and also held him in disdain for his
success. The jealousy among all his
family members evolved into hatred as their own slothfulness became second nature. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Grandpa Michael shared his wealth
graciously with his family. He offered
them work, yet they all refused. His
family spent money lavishly from Grandpa’s Michael’s income only to demand
more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Grandpa Michael had extended work
for his younger brother, Jamison; it would be enough to support a very
comfortable living. At this young age,
Michael was eager to share his success with his family. He offered Jamison a free-ride to college. Michael stated to Jamison one day, “I can
send you to any college around the country that you may like. I want you to come work for me after you
graduate.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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As generous as Grandpa Michael
was with this proposal, Jamison, like the rest of the family, chose not to work
and to, instead, live off the money open-handedly shared by Michael.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As the years passed and Grandpa
Michael’s wealth grew the disdain and jealousy his family felt for Michael
turned to hatred. They all felt that
they were entitled to Michael’s wealth and at the same time hated his
industrious nature.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sitting in his business office
one week after his death, Grandpa Michael’s family’s greed for his wealth was
to meet its consummation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The night before the reading of
Grandpa Michael’s will, the cabinet in which he stored much of wealth had been
robbed. His family irritably accepted this development knowing that the riches
betrothed upon them from Grandpa Michael’s death would still be extravagant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The mystery of the theft remained
unsolved, yet they all wished it had been them who had committed the
burglary. They sat in his office; the
entirety of Grandpa Michael’s family along with his wife. She also held him in contempt, but always had
intended to spend every last cent of the old man’s fortune. It was only she who knew the extent of the
fortune contained in the collection of <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-18/u-s-mint-s-sales-of-gold-coins-soar-after-futures-slump.html">gold coins</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The will was to be read. Grandpa’s Michael’s attorney opened the
sealed envelope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The glass of the cabinet was
broken and a few drops of blood lay on the floor. As the will was being read, his family sat
staring at the drops of blood on the floor next to the cabinet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The attorney began reading his
will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It began, “I leave to my brother
Tom - nothing, to my brother, Jamison - nothing, to my son and daughter -
<o:p></o:p></div>
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nothing, to my grandchild - nothing.
Finally, I will bequeath the rest of my wealth to predetermined
charities of my choice. My wife,
Kathryn, will also receive - nothing.”<br />
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His family walked away from the
room. The broken cabinet with the stolen
coins had not been left unnoticed and every last one wished they had been the
one with the initiative to steal them.
Their hatred for Grandpa Michael, who they always referred to as, “that
greedy old man,” grew with their exclusion from the will. Their longing for the old man’s wealth was
thought to be realized with the celebration of his death.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kathryn, his young wife of recent
years, walked away from the office concealing a smile. She wore an inconspicuously fashioned glove
on her right hand covering up the scrapes and cuts from the robbery the night
before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
“What’s next,” Kathryn thought to herself. “<a href="http://www.bahamas.com/">The Bahamas</a>? No, <a href="http://www.caymanislands.ky/default.aspx?homeredirect=true">The Cayman Islands</a>.”</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-29606260127326022102013-04-09T10:51:00.000-07:002013-04-09T12:28:54.510-07:00"Top 10 Country Songs ... Spiritual"<br />
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<i> <span style="color: red;">“Top 10 Country Songs …
Spiritual”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Country music traverses through
many themes. From honky-tonk drinking
songs to heartfelt love songs, it is <o:p></o:p></div>
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often cited as the soundtrack to the
lives’ of its listeners. However, from
time to time, a country music act will release a song which crosses into the
genre of spirituality. Not similar to
<a href="http://www.gospelmusic.org/">gospel music</a> or <a href="http://www.christianmusic.com/">Christian music</a>, many of these songs still reaffirm our beliefs
in God.<br />
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The message in these songs is
often about Jesus, sometimes about God, and sometimes about re-asserting our
faith in mankind. The poignant lyrics in
many of these songs coupled with the brilliance of country songwriters and
singers, warm our hearts and our souls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you
enjoy this compilation of country songs and I hope that they can serve as a new
path to finding faith and inner-piece. Although there are many songs I have not
listed, these serve as a sample of the best in the niche that can be
found. I hope these songs leave you with
love, warmth, and inspiration in your hearts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number
10: Go rest high on that mountain by Vince Gill<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.vincegill.com/wired/">Vince Gill Official Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jXrmAKBBTU">Go rest high on that mountain video link</a> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song by
Vince Gill brings hope and love to its listeners. This song celebrates the journey to Heaven</div>
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after a difficult life and it won the 1995 <a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy Award</a> for Best Male Country
Vocal Performance as well as the 1995 Grammy for the Best Country Song. Vince Gill’s seamless voice and lyrical
styling luminously<o:p></o:p><br />
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highlight the strong sentiment in this song. This song is spiritually focused and serves
equally as a religious hymn and a country music ballad.<br />
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<i>Number
9: Jesus take the wheel by Carry
Underwood</i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/us/home">Carry Underwood Official Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU">Jesus take the wheelvideo link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Carry Underwood arrived on the country music scene
via the hit television show<i> <a href="http://www.americanidol.com/">American Idol</a></i>. She has since received many awards honoring
her talent and album sales marking her as a cross-over country act of
distinction. This song was a release
from her first album and reached number one on the country music charts. It also won the <a href="http://www.acmcountry.com/">Academy of Country Music</a>
single record of the year in 2006. The
song is an especially spiritual and emotional song affirming faith in Jesus
when all else is lost. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number
8: My list by Toby Keith<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.tobykeithsbar.com/toby-keith-official-website">Toby Keith OfficialFan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uDxF5q0V9s">My list video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song which was released in the year 2002 is
one of many number one songs by Toby Keith.
In his career, which is still driving strong, it marks a hiatus from the
many rowdy cowboy songs that have made him <i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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a success. The song is about a father and a husband who
realizes that life’s duties must be given latitude for his responsibilities to
his family. The message is delivered with
a slow-paced, traditional country style which demonstrates the love that can be
found and conveyed in family life.<br />
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<i>Number 7: Love without end, amen by George Strait<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.georgestrait.com/">George Strait OfficialFan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2af10YlLoc">Love without end, amen video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song is one of the most widely known country
songs dealing with spirituality. The
lyrics of the song and the strong singing voice of George Strait create images
of a loving God. The song’s states that
with God’s love in our hearts, we will all make it into Heaven. It was released in 1990 off of his <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livin'_It_Up_(album)">Livin’ it Up CD</a> </i>and spent five weeks on
top of the country music charts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number
6: Silver and gold by Dolly Parton<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.dollyparton.com/">Dolly Parton OfficialFan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz-caCz4DD4">Silver and gold video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PqH-4S89JBc/UWRLJQwgqvI/AAAAAAAAAks/PxACNHQffus/s1600/images+%252828%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PqH-4S89JBc/UWRLJQwgqvI/AAAAAAAAAks/PxACNHQffus/s200/images+%252828%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a>Her career includes the all-time classic hit, <i>I w</i><i>ill always love you. </i>In the 1970s and 1980s she was a force on country music radio as well as a pop icon. The greatest extent of her success came as a cross-over artist with hits such as <i>9 to 5</i> and <i>Islands in the stream. </i>In the 1990s she made her way back to
more traditional, bluegrass country. The
song, <i>Silver and gold</i>, remains true to
this design. As a song of inspiration
and of God’s love, it states that greater gifts remain for us in Heaven.</div>
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<i style="text-align: justify;">Number
5: Mama don’t forget to pray for me
by Diamond Rio</i><br />
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<i> <a href="http://www.diamondrio.com/">Diamond Rio OfficialFanpage Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz8ToHFYZTI">Mama don’t forget topray for me video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The group, <i>Diamond
Rio</i>, has been on the country music scene for over two decades. Their greatest success was achieved in the
early 1990s where they received five <i>Academy
of Country Music Awards</i> for <i>Top Vocal
Group</i>. The group holds fast to their
own style of traditional country with a blue-grass edge that has brought them
much popularity among its fans. This
song, <i>Mama, don’t forget to pray for me</i>,
with its stellar vocals and inspirational message of familiar love, is one of
the group’s best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number
4: Three wooden crosses by Randy
Travis<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.randytravis.com/">Randy TravisOfficial Fanpage Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HPl9Dlox00">Three wooden crosses video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song, off of <i>Randy Travis’s</i> 2002 release <i>Rise
and Shine</i>, reached number one on the charts and was named <i>Song of the Year</i> in 2003 by the <i>Country Music Association</i>. The unapologetic religious message in the
song also won <i>Randy Travis a <a href="http://www.doveawards.com/">Dove Award</a></i>
in 2004 from the <i>Gospel Music Association</i>. The story told by the song is one of
redemption and the lyrics illuminate the love behind such redemption. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Number
3: Testify to love by Wynonna <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.wynonna.com/">Wynonna Official Fanpage Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWYn2k4IaPY">Testify to lovevideo link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song by <i>Wynonna
Judd </i>was featured in an episode of the television show, <i><a href="http://www.touched.com/touched05/index.php">Touched by an Angel</a> </i>in which she starred. Although it was never released as a single,
it represents some of her best work. The
song passionately invokes feelings of love; not only for God, not only for
mankind, but also a love for all things on God’s Earth. With profound lyrics, this lesson is
reiterated throughout the song with an upbeat, joyous tone and the strong
vocalization which is typified by this singer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> Number 2:
The dance by Garth Brooks<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://garthbrooks.com/">Garth BrooksOfficial Fanpage Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7FRbeaXjvk">The Dance video link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Garth Brooks </i>legendary
career has marked him as one of the top selling musical artists of all-time,
second only to <i><a href="http://www.thebeatles.com/">The Beatles</a></i>. This song, <i>The dance,</i> is one of the quintessential favorites of his most loyal
fans. The song’s traditional meaning is
a story of the memory of a love long lost.
However, rather than following this theme, the singer chose to choose a
theme of love-lost in many other contexts.
The meaning that is preferred is that we might want to throw away the
best moments in our lives if we had known the pain that was to follow. <i><o:p></o:p></i><br />
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<i>Number
1: Live like you were dying by Tim
McGraw<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <a href="http://www.timmcgraw.com/">Tim McGraw Official Fanpage Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Tim McGraw</i>
arrived strong onto the country music scene in 1994. With his second album, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_a_Moment_Too_Soon">Not a Moment Too Soon</a></i>, the song, <i>Don’t take the girl</i>, drove him to stardom. In his illustrious career, he has sold more
than 40 million albums with his latest releases still reaching success on
country music radio today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Tim McGraw </i>has
reached number one on the country music charts with twenty-three different
songs. His multitude of hit songs are
far too many to mention, however, songs such as <i>I like it, I love it, Just to make you smile</i>, and <i>Real good man</i> are some of his best. To mark the on-going strength of this artist,
he recently had a huge hit on the country music charts with <i>One of those nights</i> and the song which
he duets with <i><a href="http://taylorswift.com/">Taylor Swift</a></i>, <i>Highway don’t care,</i> is currently rising
the charts quickly.<i> </i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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The song that tops this list remains one of the
most inspirational, life-affirming songs that can be found in any genre or
style of music. <i>Live like you were dying,</i> reached number one on the country charts
for seven weeks. Moreover, it won nearly every major award in the year 2004 for
best country song. This song celebrates how precious life becomes with the revelation
that it is transitory. The song’s lyrics
represent a man who discovers the joyous journey to becoming a better man.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this <i>“Top 10 Country Songs … Spiritual” </i>list.<i> </i> Take a look at these songs
once in a while. If you are depressed,
they may bring to you hope. If you would
simply like to listen to something that will lift your spirits, sit down in
front of your computer and let the music bring you to a better place. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You are most welcome to leave comments and to share
this list with friends. Keep an eye open
for new “<i>Top 10 Country Music Songs …”</i>
in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-23015757796995272212013-03-29T09:41:00.002-07:002013-03-29T09:41:11.682-07:00If I Could Take it All Back<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “River of Time” by The Judds</i></li>
</ul>
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“It’s over, he said.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Taylor had loved him. He had been the only man that she had ever
loved. If she had known, she would have
taken a different path.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It seemed like an innocuous
meeting at a near-empty bar. She had not
planned on anything happening, yet things tossed and turned and spun in such a
way that she spent the night in the apartment of a strange man.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alfredo would not know. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“It was an accident,” she said to
herself. She wasn’t going to let it
happen again. Yet one harmless affair
led to the next. It was not a lifestyle
that she chose; it just manifested itself from events that she kept insisting
were beyond her control.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She loved Alfredo, she really
did. He was not just some transient
affair like the rest of them. He was
more important to her than she cared to imagine; the last thing that she wanted
in life was to hurt him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet time passed and her excuses
wore thin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“How did he find out?” was her
first thought when he discovered her cheating.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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She thought that she had been
careful. Yet, here he stood before her
as she professed her undying love. He
didn’t seem to care. She thought that
she had been careful. Yet, he stood
before her without hesitation for the mitigating circumstances which she
insisted were many. He didn’t seem to
care. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“It’s over,” he said. A philanderous wife was more than he could
accept. “It wasn’t one man … how many
were there?” He asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You’re the only one I have ever
loved,” she pleaded.<o:p></o:p></div>
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However, the hurt she had caused
him left no recourse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It’s over,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Five years is a long time, but
the memories still plagued her consciousness.
Funny, now that she was divorced, the endless stream of men that she had
been involved with while she was married now dwindled to none. A solitary life is what she now chose.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alone in a small diner, she lit
up a cigarette to enjoy with her coffee.
It was a bad habit she had begun after the divorce. Alone in the diner, she drank her coffee
while she read a book. Not very many
patrons were there and her solitude seemed quite natural.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time had not buried the memories
and it had taken time for her to realize that the break-up had been her fault.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I am the only one to blame,” she
said to herself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This recognition, however, did
not alleviate her pain. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Music played in the
background. It was soft-rock typical for
such a setting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Not quite sure?” she
thought. “Probably <i><a href="http://www.speedwagon.com/">REO Speed Wagon</a></i>?” She knew
it was an older song, but she could not place it. The poignant lyrics brought a thinly
disguised tear to her eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another year passed. She again sat in that same diner. She had become a regular and the workers as
well as the other patrons had become accustomed to her presence, alone, smoking
her cigarettes, drinking her coffee, and reading her book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She had carefully chosen a book
by <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi">Saint Francis of Assisi</a></i>. She was not after a religious awakening;
however, the philosophy in the book espoused personal recovery and enrichment. The years had passed, but not the pain. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the past few months, she had
begun rebuilding her life. After the
recognition that she was to blame, came the realization that she could mend her
life and start again. From nowhere in particular,
she began to feel love in her heart. She
was not in a place in her life where she was ready for a relationship, but she
knew now the path to follow when she was ready.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The slight twinge of warmth that
she felt in her heart manifested for an appreciation for life. The mundane and sometimes painful path of
life had caused hardships. Every morning,
waking before work, she dreaded the routine of office life. However, after some time, she began to enjoy
the simple tasks as the path to individual freedom. Although monotonous, she arrived each morning
with a smile on her face. She was
learning that love encompasses all things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She sat alone in a restaurant;
not the same diner where she had sat a year before. A friend of Taylor’s from work had set her up
on a blind date. It was much too soon to
consider where it might lead; however, it was prominent in the occasion of resurrecting
her life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His name was Mark and her friend
had assured her that they would have much in common. It was hardly a basis for a relationship, but
they were both avid readers with an encyclopedia of knowledge available from
both of them concerning the subject. As
it turned out, this simply offered a basis for mild conversation on a somewhat
awkward first date.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The conversation began tritely
after Mark arrived at the restaurant.
Old fashioned as he was, he insisted that he pay the bill rather than
splitting it; which would have been expected from such a casual meeting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The conversation began. They continued discussing the work of classic
authors such as <a href="http://shakespeare.mit.edu/">Shakespeare</a>, <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html">Hemingway</a>, and <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html">Steinbeck</a>. Taylor was pleased that the man that
represented a new prospective relationship was obviously educated. Rather than a mundane conversation about the
many books by <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">Steven King</a>, it allowed for a much more substantive conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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They shared a few cigarettes and
few more cups of coffee after the dinner ended.
She walked out of the restaurant
with no hopes for a budding relationship.
Alfredo had truly been the best life had to offer; she was to blame for
the relationship’s demise. Reckless and
haphazard behaviors were trifles of youth.
She had hurt the man she had loved and promised herself not to repeat
that mistake in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-70454650724806586182013-03-26T08:41:00.000-07:002014-03-02T17:54:56.029-08:00Country Music Artist of the Month ... Mary Chapin-Carpenter<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">“Country Music Artist of the Month … Mary Chapin-Carpenter”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.marychapincarpenter.com/">Mary Chapin-Carpenter’s OfficialHome Page Link</a></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8lZRT03puLM/UU5rofnrvBI/AAAAAAAAAio/hoRPy0sx2h0/s1600/images+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8lZRT03puLM/UU5rofnrvBI/AAAAAAAAAio/hoRPy0sx2h0/s1600/images+(4).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mary Chapin-Carpenter</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> </o:p>Mary Chapin-Carpenter was born
February 21, 1958. She released her
first album, <i><a href="http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1086390/a/Hometown+Girl.htm">Hometown Girl</a></i>, in
1987. Although it wasn’t commercially
successful, it was praised by critics. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In her hay-day Mary Chapin-Carpenter was a very successful country singer, both critically acclaimed and
commercially successful. She received five
<a href="http://www.grammy.com/">Grammy Awards</a>, including four straight Grammy Awards for Best Female Country
Performance between 1992 and 1995. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With her country-folk style which
was rarely mirrored, Mary Chapin-Carpenter has sold over twelve million albums
in her career. Her 1992 album <i><a href="http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1087216/a/Come+On+Come+On.htm">Come on, Come On</a> </i>was her biggest selling
album going quadruple platinum.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Songs such as the Grammy Award
winning <i>“Down at the Twist and Shout”</i>
made her an icon in the country-folk genre carving a niche as a standout artist
in the style. Other songs, such as <i>“I take my chances”</i> and <i>“I feel lucky”</i> fared well on the country music charts with a unique
mix of humor and irreverence. Later in
her career, Mary Chapin-Carpenter switched to a less popular focus that
bordered on political activism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mary Chapin-Carpenter success
followed the path of more traditional country music. Her music in the latter part of her career, although not as commercially successful, echoes the style of the music that made her a successful singer-songwriter on the country stage. Many of her contemporaries chose a route that
included a more pop orientated style.
However, Mary-Chapin Carpenter stayed true to her country roots. As a country music artist, she will always remain
a cult favorite with her many fans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I chose to highlight five of her songs. Take a look at these videos which
epitomize the best work she has to offer.
Although she has more music which may have been overlooked, these five
songs are a sample of the artist’s bests.</div>
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·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_jItFHLu3o">He thinks he’ll keep her Video Link</a></span></i></li>
</ul>
This song epitomizes the feminist perspective that
accented much of her career. The lyrics poignantly
propose the end of a marriage of suffrage.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uym3XbNhIqI">Let me into your heart Video Link</a></span></i></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-align: center;">One of her later hits, this joyful song of aspiring
love brings smiles to its audience’s hearts.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <span style="color: red;">
</span></span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaRrVqBhfYg">Down at the twist and shout Video Link</a></span></i></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-align: center;">This song reflects life in a small town and is a
favorite among her contemporaries.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaRrVqBhfYg"> <span style="color: red;">
</span></a></span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kyGik7LVf8">I take my chances Video Link</a></span></i></li>
</ul>
<span style="text-align: center;">Close your eyes and dream, the message of this energy-filled
upbeat melody.</span><!--[if !supportLists]--></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> <span style="color: red;">
</span></span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oisj8AMSyU">Shut up and kiss me Video Link</a></span></i></li>
</ul>
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Humorous, edgy, and celebrating the joy of love, this
song remains </div>
<span style="text-align: center;">an all-time classic.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRpNbYvuYRE/UU53MZnjhOI/AAAAAAAAAi8/wSetXoHHeK8/s1600/images+%252822%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRpNbYvuYRE/UU53MZnjhOI/AAAAAAAAAi8/wSetXoHHeK8/s1600/images+%252822%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><i><span style="color: red;">Keep an eye open for next month's "Country Music Artist of the Month ..."</span></i></span></i><br />
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<br />Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-62914637911201363862013-03-22T10:34:00.002-07:002013-03-22T12:12:33.281-07:00The Inspiration of a New Life<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “Come from the Heart” by Kathy Mattea</i></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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It was a new
job; it was a new life. After a
devastating loss that had been inflicted upon his family, he would start from
the beginning. Jonathan’s wife and two
small children had been killed in a car accident over three years ago. As Penelope and their two children were on a
short road-trip, they were stuck by a bus.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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His life and
his love had been taken with his family.
He now immersed himself into a great depression that embodied his life. Morning upon morning, he awoke past noon to
an endless cup of coffee and a barrage of cigarettes. The process of awaking was tortuous and
plagued with fear. Showing up late to
work time after time, he lost his job.
Soon after he lost his job, he lost his house and was left living in a
halfway house wallowing in his own self-pity with no solace to be found. The depression left him cold and aloof of
senses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the halfway
house, he did not have to worry about work or food being put on the table. His welfare check supplied the money he would
need for coffee and cigarettes. His
complete lack of ambition was pronounced by the pain that had turned to
numbness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Awakening
every afternoon, he would shave, brush his teeth, shower, and eat
breakfast. Although the routine marked
the bare minimum of existence, he painstakingly managed it not to succumb
completely to self-degeneration. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Each afternoon
he slowly arose to his breakfast, he could manage little more than an endless
stream of coffee and cigarettes. He
would oftentimes go back to sleep after a few hours to escape from the terrible
pain the accident had inflicted. In the shadow
of a life, he was now living completely bereft of hope. The normal chores of life represented to him
an insurmountable burden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After three years, he decided it was time to leave his misery behind him. He had graduated from college and had been
working in the professional world for many years before the death of his family
and the onslaught of his inescapable depression. A spark of ambition remained in his consciousness;
now it was time to return to the world of the living.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One morning he
awoke before noon. He looked outside and
noticed the blue sky decorated with a collection of puffy white clouds. The grass was green and the music on the
radio created in him a glimmer of courage.
The next morning he awoke and enjoyed the miracle of the world around
him. A third morning he awoke in hopeful
ambition for what the new day would bring.
There was something within the depths of his soul that demanded that he find
something that would bring substance once again to his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan was
able to rediscover the miracle of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It became
habitual. He awoke every morning with a cup
coffee which he enjoyed with a few cigarettes.
It was the early spring; still two cool for the embattlement of the
summer heat, but warm enough to bask in the warm chill. The sun came over the horizon very
slowly. The clouds sporadically placed
about the sky echoed the love he felt in his heart. He looked upon the grass and the trees
admiring the distinct dark shades of green shared by both. The sky which lay above him was a pristine
shade of blue. The love in his heart
brought with it the zest for a miracle of a new day. It was his cheerful labor to discover what he
may, and to re-create for himself, his life of yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A year had past;
he now sat in an office at an accounting firm awaiting an interview where he
would offer himself as an intern. He
knew his three years of absence from work would not be looked upon favorably;
however, he would not to be overwhelmed by the prospect. Closing his eyes with a silent prayer, he
beckoned the beauty of life to embrace him as he faced this new venture with
confidence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The interview
was short. Although he had been out of
work for more than three years, his résumé would allow him for a trial run as
an intern before he would become completely submerged into the professional
world.</div>
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“This
interview is basically a formality,” his employer began. “However, it was a decorum I chose not to
overlook. First of all, I can see by
your résumé that you graduated from San Diego State University with
honors. As an intern, you are more than
qualified. However, may I ask why you
have been out of work for the past three years?”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan did
not indicate the tragedy that had been inflicted upon his family in the recent
past to his prospective employer. It was
not the kind of information that he would put on his résumé. However, it was now the time and place to
share the news in an attempt to explain his hiatus.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan began “I hate to bring this up. I am not looking to share with you my misery
and I am not trying to appeal to your sympathy, but a horrible accident
occurred in my family. Over three years ago,
my wife and two children were killed in a car accident. After that, I faced a terrible depression
that took control of my life. I was slow
to recover, but I decided it was now time to continue living my life.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan’s new
employer, Michael, chose not to comment any further about the absence from
work. He did feel sympathy for Jonathan,
but decided not to rehash the painful memories.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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After a few
more questions, the interview ended. His
employer was very much impressed with Jonathan, his résumé, and his credentials. He stated to Jonathan, “Considering your
qualifications and the horrible ordeal you faced with the accident that
happened to your family, I would be glad to have you come work for us. I know you only applied for a volunteer position;
however, I can guarantee you now that you will be a full-time, fully-paid
employee after a short two week trial period.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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His new
employer reached across the table to shake Jonathan’s hand. “Can you start next Monday?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jonathan left
the building with the happy knowledge of a successful job interview. He returned back to the halfway house before
starting work the following Monday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The cool
spring breeze invigorated his senses. He
drove home in his <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Cressida">Toyota Cressida</a></i>;
the only possession remaining after his plague of depression stole from him
everything else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The smile on
his face reflected his sheer enjoyment and love for life as he faced the excitement
that tomorrow might bring. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“I will close
my eyes and let life bring to me what it does,” he said to himself in a
self-affirming manner.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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That following
Monday he showed up at work. The warmth
in his heart was reflected upon everyone that he met. A blonde woman, one not typically considered
beautiful, flashed a smile in his direction.
Without fear or trepidation he smiled back. They introduced each other and he, in a
manner of shear contentment, had no further concern about where or where it may
not lead. After the brief encounter he
was introduced to the rest of office. He
would tackle a pile of balance sheets, income statements, and other documents of
company record. With the education he
had received in college and his years of work history, it was an endeavor
beneath his level of expertise. Yet, he
underwent the hard day of labor with the love of life that brought joy to
everything. He returned back to his
halfway house at the end of the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As the sun set
the moon crept over the horizon. The
disillusionment and disenchantment for life had led him, now, to marvel for all
that life could bring.</div>
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Life is a
thing of wonder. It is not a barrage of obstacles
that we must repeatedly face hindering our senses. Challenges are mere adventures. The excitement for each new day brings with
it hope. The miracles of life should not
be overlooked, rather they should be embraced.
A smile upon living brings with it happiness. Love encompasses itself into joy and brings passion
for all that life brings.</div>
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With this
knowledge, Jonathan smiled as the sun rose over the horizon the next morning. The pain was a thing of the past and love,
peace, and joy were all that that could now be found.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-13422545050951773252013-03-12T10:55:00.000-07:002013-03-25T16:11:23.902-07:00Top 10 Country Songs ... You Might Not Know<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">“Top 10 Country Songs … You Might Not Know”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Take a look at this list of songs
from country singers. They are all among
my personal favorites and they all have one thing in common: they are quite
older and they do not receive much air-play.<br />
I have been a fan of country music for more than twenty years and I would like
to share these songs with you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With the plethora of music of
excellence on country music radio today, many of us may have overlooked or
forgotten many of these songs. Songs
from older artists such as <i>Randy Travis</i>
and <i>The Charlie Daniels Band</i> may have
slipped from our memory or have passed our attention with the rich tradition of
country music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Artists, such as <i>Confederate Railroad</i> and <i>Travis Tritt</i> may have been eclipsed from
country music by more mainstream artists.
Although their time on country music radio may be behind us, their music
lives on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The vastness of quality country
music cannot be captured with any one list of greats; however, it will
hopefully open all of your ears to music which you may have neglected. As your music library expands, it should
include older music as well as music from contemporary artists.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 10: <i>Change of Heart by The Judds </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.wynonna.com/news.html?tag=The+Judds">Wynonna Official Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOEcfANgqBA"><span id="goog_1943064343"></span>Change of Heart Video<span id="goog_1943064344"></span> Link</a><o:p></o:p></i><br />
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Wynonna Judd’s
powerful voice captures the essence of the emotional lyrics in this song. This country classic represents one of the
best of song selections from the duet from the 80s with Wynonna singing at
lead. She also had a very successful
solo career. The emotive strength of
her voice accentuates all of the music she recorded.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 9: <i>Jesus and Mama by Confederate Railroad<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.confederaterailroad.com/">Confederate Railroad Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arKQYbvfitc">Jesus and Mama Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This song from
the early 90s is written and performed in a very traditional style. The group reached its brief hay-day on
country radio around this time, but they released and made the charts with many
memorable songs including this one. With
many contemporary singers opting for country that crosses over onto the pop
spectrum, the music by this group holds up with impressive distinction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 8: <i>The Legend of Wooly Swamp by The Charlie
Daniels Band</i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://www.charliedaniels.com/">The Charlie Daniel’s Band Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCZGNnaWcaY">The Legend of Wooley Swamp Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When the group
“The Charlie Daniels Band” is mentioned the song “The Devil Went Down to
Georgia” automatically comes to mind to both country fans and pop fans
alike. However, they also released many
other songs of substance. This song by
“The Charlie Daniels Band” is indicative of the outlaw movement of the 70s and
represents some of their best work with a masterful musical orchestration.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 7: <i>In a Different Light by Doug Stone<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://www.dougstone.com/">Doug Stone Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sh0qj8WVV4">In a Different Light Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Doug Stone was
a country music singer who surfaced around the same time as Garth Brooks and
Alan Jackson. Although, his career was
not nearly as momentous, he released many songs which fans of the time
considered to be among their favorites.
He is among the most under-rated country singers with vocal talents
which cross from ballads to honky-tonk. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 6: <i>If I Know Me by George Strait</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.georgestrait.com/">George Strait Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeRgsGBenw">If I Know Me Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When compiling
any list of top country lists, George Strait should never be neglected. His has released a string of hits from the
early 80s to today. His strong voice and
emotive style coupled with a prime selection of material is what has made him the
everlasting icon to country music that he will always be. The selected song highlights his strong voice
and is a strong lyrical ballad which strikes passions in the hearts of his
listeners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 5: <i>It’s Just a Matter of Time by Randy Travis<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://www.randytravis.com/">Randy Travis Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNKrBQCzQOI">It’s Just a Matter of Time Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Long before
there was a Garth Brooks, Randy Travis was the singer who dominated the country
music scene. Beginning In the early 80s
before the emergence of country music as a force on the American music stage,
Randy Travis was releasing material that brought pop listeners to country music
radio. His career includes a number of
ballads which feature his strong vocal talents.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 4: <i>Hotel Whiskey by Hank Williams Jr.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.hankjr.com/fans">Hank Williams Jr. Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edcCHO-PTXE">Hotel Whiskey Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Hank Williams
Jr. dominated the country music scene with a nearly endless collection of honky-tonk
classics. He exemplified the outlaw movement
in country shared by Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. His time on the country music stage may have
been cut short by the rise of stars such as Garth Brooks and Clint Black, however,
his legacy lives on. This song was
briefly released in the early 90s without significant air-play on country music
radio. However, it epitomizes his honkytonk;
whiskey-drinking, blues inspired sense of country music and remains a
little-known great.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 3: <i>The
Highwayman by The Highwaymen<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-highwaymen">The Highwaymen Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyyTO-vU6i0">The Highwayman Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Jonny Cash,
Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson collaborated to form the
group “The Highwaymen.” All of them had
well-established careers and a rich history of music on country music radio. This song is mentioned frequently, by those
who know it, to be one of their favorite country music songs. The song stands as a creation of iconic
excellence from these legends of the genre.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Number 2: <i>Dixie Chicken by Garth Brooks<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://garthbrooks.com/">Garth Brooks Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><a href="http://dainutekstai.info/36005/garth-brooks-dixie-chicken.htm">Dixie Chicken Video Link</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQ8vHrSc1PE/UT9rKMnX1hI/AAAAAAAAAh4/_mAkCy0P-6I/s1600/images+(19).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQ8vHrSc1PE/UT9rKMnX1hI/AAAAAAAAAh4/_mAkCy0P-6I/s200/images+(19).jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
The stature of
Garth Brooks in American music is almost unsurpassed by his contemporaries in
country as well as pop music. With
nearly all of his albums listed among the best sellers of all-time in any genre
of music, he is renowned in the music world like few others. Most of the songs that he released reached
number one on the country music charts.
However, one song in particular which was never released as a single is
among my favorites from Garth Brooks or by any other country music artist. The song captures the best of the bar-room
greatness that made him a star with originality of lyrics which has made it a
classic among its listeners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Number 1: <i>Anymore by Travis Tritt<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> </i><a href="http://www.travistritt.com/">Travis Tritt Fan Page Link</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Travis Tritt
had a very successful career in the early 90s with a brief resurrection at the
beginning of the millennium. H<i>e </i>has a strong collection of hits that
not only fared well on the charts, but remain epic classics unequalled by most
other artists. He mixes a sound of
southern rock and country with blues and bluegrass which help to make him standout
as a genius in the world of country music.
While many other artists have many commercially successful hits on the
radio, much of his work is also epic in scope and brilliance. His ballads are lyrically brilliant as well
as strongly orchestrated and his honkytonk inspired songs are a shining example
of country mixed with blues and southern rock.
His strong, powerful vocals also enhance his music to make his music
stand the test of time.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0K4-Ala-lk/UT9rue39SJI/AAAAAAAAAiA/R5W0vEu-uKk/s1600/images+(20).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H0K4-Ala-lk/UT9rue39SJI/AAAAAAAAAiA/R5W0vEu-uKk/s320/images+(20).jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
Travis Tritt
emerged onto the country scene in the early nineties where he left a legacy of
hits of classic stature. His powerful
voice with its impassioned appeal has earned popular success, respect from
peers, and critical acclaim.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PcJaE7frI8o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
The song I have
chosen to head up this list of country music classics represents the best of
ballads by the singer. Its appeal rings
true emotionally in a way that all of us can identify. It is sung with the singer’s vocal strength
and integrity that makes it a favorite of those of us who enjoy the
artist. The feeling with which it is
sung is highlighted with blues guitar riffs and drum beats enhancing the
emotional appeal of the song.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I hope you have enjoyed this list
of my personal favorite <i>“Top 10 Country
Songs … You May Not Know.</i>” Feel
free to leave comments and to share songs which are favorites in your
collection. Keep an eye open for future
“<i>Top 10 Country Song …” </i>collections.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="color: red;">
Thank you.</span></span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-60976797872527459272013-03-08T10:28:00.000-08:002013-03-09T12:04:57.230-08:00A Night of Respite<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As I gazed out the window, I
noticed the cold days of winter were here.
I could see snowdrifts more than
five feet high.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I sipped my hot cocoa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan was checking in on me right
about now. “What is it?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“I don’t want to trouble you,”
she responded, “But, it is my job to make sure you are taken care of.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I responded all was well and
asked, “Could you please hand me my picture?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Graciously, she handed it to
me. “Why do you look at this picture
every night?” she asked with honest curiosity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She had never asked before, so I
had never told her. I simply stated, “I
don’t want to bother you about a boring story from an old man.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yet she pleaded, “No, it’s no
bother. I would like to know.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I took another sip of hot cocoa
and began sharing the story with her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“I was barely in my twenties,” I
began. It seemed like a trite exercise,
yet I continued. “It was during the war. My battalion was stationed in Italy to keep
the peace.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan listened attentively as I
continued to share with her the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“It must have been in early
1943. I had met a girl; a girl from the
<a href="http://action.uso.org/onemillion?sc=yb_branding-s&utm_source=yb&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=branding-s&donate=WF13YHPS01">USO</a>. It was a gathering meant to boost
the morale of the soldiers.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The story continued. I mentioned to her the music of the day and
the party. “Me and my friends enjoyed the
peace that could be found at such an event.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“The USO girl that I met at the
dance was named Harmony,” I continued. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan listened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“It was the first night I had met
her, but the warmth that I felt as we danced touched me deep. Our battalion, after a brief respite from heavy
combat, would be back on the front lines in less than two weeks. I danced with her slowly while we listened to
a selection of the most moving lyrical ballads of my day.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The story and the memories also
caused my own affectations to surface.
“My friends and I were going to be sent to the German front in less than
two weeks. Harmony promised to write me
letters so I would have somebody to talk to.
At least, it would help me overcome the emptiness of heart also
accompanied by the war.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“We held each other closely as we
danced. The pain and the loneliness of
the war almost vanished as I was struck by a feeling close to love. She was a beautiful blonde in her early
twenties. At the time, I had no wife or
kids. Her letters would be all I had to
accompany me on the long, lonely nights.
Before the evening was over, as was customary, the photographer took a
picture of her and I standing close.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan continued to listen to the
story, captivated by the sentimentality.
“Here it is. It was almost
seventy years ago.” I showed her the
picture. She, with sympathy, gave it
back to me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Me and my battalion moved to the
front lines of battle in Germany. I
never saw her again,” I told Susan, awkward about sharing such a personal
memory. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“I got one letter from her. I was in Germany fighting during the bloody
last days of the war in Europe. In the
letter she said that she had to go home to America. I sent her letter after letter, but never got
a response.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7_7PT0Z0bM/UTos-Fz4ltI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Pmi6OJLJbyA/s1600/images+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7_7PT0Z0bM/UTos-Fz4ltI/AAAAAAAAAgY/Pmi6OJLJbyA/s1600/images+(9).jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan looked upon the photo with
new-found interest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“When the war ended and I got
back to the states I got married. I had
kept that memory hidden for more than fifty years. If I were to be asked ‘What is the one thing
you could change in your life?’ My answer would be to wish the night would not
have ended. Now, that memory is the only
thing, looking back, that makes my life feel incomplete.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I handed the photo back to Susan and she placed
it on my night table. I took another sip
of hot cocoa as I prepared myself for a night of sleep. The snowdrifts were over five feet high and I
faced the prospect of a cold night. I
once again, buried the memory along with the picture deep within my soul.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-19406880544590451142013-03-01T10:41:00.000-08:002013-03-01T10:41:16.780-08:00A Desolate End by Hairbrush<br />
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Aspiring
Writer’s January 2013 Short Story Contest 2<sup>nd</sup> Place Winner</i></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Walking through the suburbs on
this New Year’s Eve, there were no celebrations to be had for Joseph. Single, and without any close family, he
spent the occasion alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he walked, he felt the freedom
unexpected for a man in his situation. He
looked up into the sky and began to sing a song which had recently caught his
attention.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hG7-T3S_8_4/UTD1XWe869I/AAAAAAAAAf4/DVt_EvBrBUQ/s1600/images+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hG7-T3S_8_4/UTD1XWe869I/AAAAAAAAAf4/DVt_EvBrBUQ/s1600/images+(4).jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>“Merriments are over, for this is the end. The time on Earth is finished, once you find
what is around the bend.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With no knowledge of the band who
sang it, it appealed to his optimistic morbidity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he walked through the
neighborhood, completely untouched by his position of solitude, he took the
long way home to savor his journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he walked, he came across a
homeless man; an event extremely out of place in his city of relative luxury. To compound the perplexity, he noticed the
man brushing his long locks of blonde hair with what appeared to be a dog’s
hairbrush.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The obscurity turned into
irrelevance until the homeless man asked Joseph, “Top pins for the poor, for I
need a new hairbrush.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Joseph looked at the man, dug into
his pocket, and pulled out pocket change and went on his way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He continued his journey through
the small suburban town until he made his way back to his apartment. As he walked he began to sing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“Without remorse, it comes your time to go. Without a word, it reaches a bitter close.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He got back to his apartment,
unlocked the door, and went in. It was
late, but there would be a few more hours before it was time to usher in the
New Year. He planned to stay awake for
the festivities; where all he could do was watch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was 9:00 p.m. and he would
spend the last hours of the New Year as it had begun, alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A few minutes after he got back
to his apartment, he heard rustling around the door. Without the thought of caution, he opened the
door to see who it might be. No one was
there. He didn’t see any reason to be
preoccupied with the thought. He went
out the door, looking around to see who it might be. Still, nobody was apparent. He looked deep into the night to see who he
might see. A shadowy figure loomed far
off into the darkness. He noticed, on
the ground, what appeared to be a dog’s hairbrush accompanied by long locks of
blond hair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He closed the door and thought
nothing of it. He left the hairbrush where
it lay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he turned on the television he
viewed the merriment the world was enjoying. He made himself a ham and cheese
sandwich. As he enjoyed the sandwich
complete with lettuce and tomato, the song that had been rolling around his
mind earlier came on the television and he sat to enjoy it as he ate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“The working, the playing will all be gone. Nothing left but slumber for all.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Trivial as it was, the song had been
prominent in his thoughts for weeks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He finished his sandwich;
excellent with the tomatoes. He even put
avocado slices on it and garnished it with gourmet potato chips.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He heard rustling near the door
again. He opened the door, but it was
over. To no avail, the same homeless man
that he had seen brushing his long, blonde hair with what appeared to be a
dog’s brush hit him once with the hairbrush with such velocity that Joseph fell
to the ground. He kept hitting him with
that same brush until, it truly was, over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6draUeFGELI/UTD1_aETJyI/AAAAAAAAAgA/4ooPVlBe5lI/s1600/images+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6draUeFGELI/UTD1_aETJyI/AAAAAAAAAgA/4ooPVlBe5lI/s200/images+(8).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The next morning, the police
arrived. Bludgeoned to death, Joseph’s
body lay on the floor next to what appeared to be a dog’s hairbrush.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The police searched his apartment
to find only one anomaly. There appeared
to be no hairbrush in Joseph’s bathroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Late the next night, the homeless
man sat in a park and brushed his long, blonde hair.<o:p></o:p></div>
Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3748450112059187094.post-68933250717443059182013-02-15T07:15:00.002-08:002013-03-04T17:28:20.184-08:00Awaking before Dawn<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Inspired
by the song “The Secret of Life” by Faith Hill</i></li>
</ul>
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Awakening this morning before
dawn, life brought with it hope. In it,
he had newborn ambition to create a life that would replace the broken one that
had recently ended.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No more booze, no more
cigarettes; he awoke this morning to a freshly brewed cup of coffee with cream
and sugar. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The morning light began to rise
over the horizon. The clouds in the distance
showed colors of red and purple. Joseph
poured himself a cup of coffee. The
morning air that he enjoyed with his coffee shivered his skin, but with
feelings of life and vitality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The sun was still below the
horizon. It was in the early morning
hours and his family would not be up for another two. He had to go to work; he would have to be
there at 7:00. He sipped his coffee
while the chill rejuvenated his senses.
He enjoyed the tranquility in the morning hours which he spent alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As was typical, he would make
breakfast for himself this morning. He
did not want to go to work with an empty stomach, so, with the ease of a
masterful chef, he fried and egg. He
made a sandwich with the egg and a slice of cheese. A glass of orange juice and a bowl of cereal
completed the meal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After breakfast, he went about
his morning routine. He cleaned the
dishes, shaved, brushed his teeth, showered, and put on clean work clothes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not too typical of an exciting
life, but it brought with it the joy he cherished every day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph got into his car and drove
to work. He had been out of work for
five years as a recovering alcoholic, but he had managed to keep this job at
the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2008/11/a_short_history_of_the_bagel.html">bagel</a> shop as an assistant manager for the last seven months. Things in Joseph’s life were finally going in
the right direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Traffic was not bad this morning
in a small suburban town on the outskirts of <a href="http://www.sandiego.gov/">San Diego</a>. As he drove, a song came on the radio.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>“The sun shines on the ground and the grass is oh so green. My heart is filled, and I got the will, and I
really don’t feel so mean.”</i></div>
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It was a rather older song by <a href="http://www.vanmorrison.com/index.html">VanMorison</a>, but it inspired his soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph arrived at work. There to greet him were his manager and
three of the early shift workers. The
smell of fresh bagels permeated the air.
Shelly, Emily, and Tom, as well as George, the manager, wished him “good
mornings.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The monotony of life did not
bother Joseph. The routine in which
Shelly and Emily eagerly awaited him with a smile brought to him simple
joy. Moreover, his friendships with Tom
and with George were not as superficial as had been the friendships at the bar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the work entailed at
such a job did not challenge him in any way, the social outlets that it enabled
caused him to smile in his soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Greeting him this morning, Shelly
smiled and talked about a television show she had seen last night. He had a few years on most everybody there,
but the friendships he made were, in some way, very real.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<a href="http://www.blakeshelton.com/">Blake Shelton</a> was great on ‘<a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/">TheVoice</a>’ last night,” she said, thinly disguising the crush the 18-year old girl
had on the singer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I thought the <a href="http://www.49ers.com/">49ers</a> were going
to take the <a href="http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history">Super Bowl</a> this year,” Tom offered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While they all went about the
opening duties involved in working at a small bakery, Tom and Joseph continued
to discuss football and the Super Bowl. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“I was for <a href="http://www.packers.com/">Green Bay</a> all year,” I
thought they were going to win it all,” Joseph told Tom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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George broke in as the two young
girls meandered into their own conversation, “My team is the <a href="http://www.steelers.com/">Steeler’s</a>,” he
shared. “They always have been, but they
haven’t done much for a few years.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“They always have a good team
though,” Joseph said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although the conversation was
trite, it served to build profound friendships.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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When he arrived at work this
morning, Joseph was met by smiles from Shelly and Emily. Although they were both younger than he, the
smiles on their faces and the joy in their hearts invoked similar emotions in
Joseph. Both, despite their youth, were
very beautiful. He was not looking for
any kind of a relationship any time soon in his life, but the palpable emotions
of joy that he felt warmed his heart. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While they worked, the
conversation evolved on its own volition.
An hour after he got to work, the customers started to file in. The simple tasks of pouring coffee and
toasting bagels were repetitive, but he embraced his duties from a precious
outlook that somehow brought meaning.
With a friendly demeanor, he welcomed each customer. With courtesy, he prepared every order.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Working on his feet for an 8 hour
shift, it brought with it the appreciation simply to be alive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was his lunch break now. A couple of the other workers had come in for
the morning rush. Joseph enjoyed a
garlic bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese and a tomato. With it, he had a cup of coffee. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sitting in the back of the store,
Shelly and Joseph shared their lunch break.
Her pretty smile and liberated manner allowed Joseph to enjoy the
conversation with no prospect of anything growing from it. Her usual smile was all he needed to bring
the love in to his life that had been missing through his many years of
alcoholism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph finished his eight hour
shift. On his way home, he would visit a
coffee shop. Sitting and reading the
book by <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">Steven King</a>, <i><a href="http://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/_salem_s_lot.html">Salem’s Lot</a></i>,' he
enjoyed a cup of coffee. Although the
coffee shop was full of patrons, he sat in solitude enjoying his coffee and his
book. The gothic nature of the story,
not reflecting his own newfound optimism in life, allowed him to delve deep
into another world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
Joseph finished his coffee and drove home. Tomorrow would be a new day bringing with it freedom
and enchantment.</span>Daron Hensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10705561475185397346noreply@blogger.com4