I have had the opportunity to do something this year I haven't done in such a long time. I have found a great place to sing and perform in Dallas, TX. Yes, I have returned to my Dallas following to perform Wednesday and Thursday evenings every week.
I took a break from regular night performances for a period of 7 years. My family as most of you who know me understand comes first. I have enjoyed putting my children to bed every night and watching them develop. I am a blessed daddy.
February of this bold new year brought me interest from a major recording company plus a whole new set of friends from all over the world. I did my showcase for the labels in December and found out this month that the label wants to escalate. I was also called to fill in for an entertainer who had an emergency and spent several weeks aboard the Norwegian Dawn, which travels the eastern Caribbean. I am actually still here on my third week upon their request that I extend. I will be here one more week and will return to the Mansion in Dallas on Wednesday February 20th. I have spent the days writing new music for two projects involving the United Way and a new children's animated movie and my evenings performing for SRO crowds. I am blessed to see some of the most beautiful beaches and natural sights in this part of our world.
Lesson Learned
We often hear that bargain hunting is one of the fun things to do on these kinds of trips. I spent one of these mornings with a wealthy woman of 85 who had lost her husband several years ago. She spent her mornings on excursions, her afternoons reading or napping, and her evenings at the various shows onboard. One morning she struck up a conversation with me while going ashore. We talked about her husband, children, and many other anecdotes born of a long rich life.
As we walked into the little town we encountered many people; young and old, selling everything from wooden flutes, jewelry, and every kind of little knick knacks you would expect to see at these little ramshackle flea markets. I saw a few things I thought my children my like and proceeded to negotiate with the salesman who could not have been more than 7 years old. It never crossed my mind to question why this child wasn't in school or why he was manning a booth by himself. I focused on getting the best price. Once I was done and satisfied with myself the little old lady, who was standing by me, observing patiently, said, "Don't ever do that again.
These children don't go to school because there isn't a school. All they have is this work they are doing. We who have should give generously out of our abundance to those who are at least trying to do something positive with their lives." I was immediately saddened but wiser. "When I come to places like this I have a set amount of money that I am planning to spend and then I purchase things I need and don't really need and spend every dime I bring. It is my thought that the money is not nearly as important as those people."
I am grateful for the lesson of benevolence I learned that morning and for the little old lady who was my wise sage and guide around town and proper social etiquette. This morning changed my perception of how blessed we truly are.
I hope you all get a chance to travel and to see the incredible people and places God has created.
4 comments:
We came across your singing our first night on the dawn. There were some loud people in the back but we remedied that situation by a quick move up front. From that point on we were hooked every night we could to your wonderful singing. Thank you for making our vacation on the Dawn such a memorable experience. We listened to your CD in our stateroom the very first night - its wonderful!
Thank you,
The young couple (one very tall man, & the cute red head)- Mike & Cassandra
I was also one of the fortunate people to be cruising with the norwegian dawn. On Monday night we passed the stairs of Gatzby's and heard you sing. We just had to stop and listen standing on top of the stairs (with a lot of people :-) The following nights we made sure we had seats in the bar for your performance. We loved it and
could not tear ourselves away until the last song. Some songs took my breath away and i had to remind myself to keep breathing.
I love musical performances and musicals. Usually the theater show are the highlights of my evening but this cruise i skipped most of the shows to watch you perform. Your performance touched my soul. You have an amazing voice and in combination with your personality i would say yours was the best live performance i ever had the privilege of attending. I did not know much about the man at that time but i sensed that the beautiful voice is a resonance of the beauty inside. And now that i have been reading about you and what you do on the internet i know my feeling was right.
I am happy i bought your cd and got it signed. I like this blog and will post some messages about what music means to me and some experiences from travelling around the world.
I travel a lot and am very gratefull for having the opportunity to meet and connect to all those beautiful people from around the world. Do you perform in Europe?
Dutch Kisses from Laura (Blond long hair, somewhat younger than the common cruising crowd)
laura.vanderklugt@planet.nl
We've just returned from a very relaxed trip from Athens to Alexandria to Istanbul, 12 days of new impressions, new people, new places and FANTASTIC MUSIC! You've moved on to NCL's Norwegian Jade and are spoiling people in Europe for the next few months. We thank you for spoiling us so thoroughly :)
Though my Sweetie can't speak English and therefore had to rely on my later translations of your stories and our conversations, we were both touched at your interest in your listeners and your obvious pleasure in your family, at the powers of observation that lead to your great storytelling... and... well... how can it be that someone so blessed with talent and good looks could also have loads of personality and intelligence and seem like a good person to boot?!? You are clearly a very hard worker and a lovely person, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for spoiling us on the Jade. We hope very much that our paths will cross again.
Good luck in all your future projects!
Daphne and Benno (from Germany)
We just returned from the Norwegian Jade where you entertained us for almost two weeks! We tried to be there for every performance. Thank you so much -- I have never experience such a passionate pianist and singer. You are a highlight of my blog on our trip... www.cattailcruisers.blogspot.com I hope to see you again!
Bubbles
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