Lucky

TOPIC: Saying Goodbye and Thank You

Allison has become nothing short of a tae kwon do master of creativity when it comes to thinking up inspired and meaningful projects for harnessing my songwriting powers!!!  This is the fifth song project she has initiated (see others below), and each time, she comes up with really unusual and incredible requests that call me up to a higher level and create an intense and feeling-based bonding moment for the recipients.

This time, it had to do with daughters, and horses, and good byes. Allison's daughter, and her two friends, have spent the past many years growing increasingly bonded to a horse farm here in our community. They thought they'd be there forever, being mentored by their two incredible teachers, Mary and Gin. But the winds changed, and the horse farm arrangement came to an end. All were so, so sad to say good bye. And Allison and her daughter came up with the idea of creating a good-bye message from all three girls, to the two teachers, designed to hit a deeper, truer note with their message of thanks. 

This rest of the story behind this month's song is SPOKEN rather than written! My son Ben and I created this video (another truly INSPIRED idea from Allison, actually!) to share with the recipients of this song last week before they actually heard the song for the first time, and....now...to share with YOU! OR

Here's the song in MP3 format, and also set to some pictures of the girls below:

Just in case you are wondering if the presentation of the song was a success - IT WAS!!!  Allison had this to say: "The video and song couldn't have played more perfectly. We did it outside after dark using a projector. All worked well and the adults appreciated being in the dark to watch it, because everyone was bawling. It was perfectly touching and meaningful and a way to actually say what was in everyone's hearts but rarely gets expressed in a way that can be heard. So thank you. It was a complete home run!" 

LUCKY
(c) 2014 Anna Huckabee Tull

To Gin and Mary: Our Feelings Run So Deep
With Love From Your Barn Girls

 How could we ever say
A thank you big enough
For every single way
That you showed up, for us

 You saw us as we were
And you saw something inside of us
And you pushed us on farther and farther
Iron fist and velvet glove

Guess we’re just lucky
To know all the things we do
Guess we’re just lucky
That the trail to knowing
And all this growing
Was made by you

And how could we three have guessed
All the moments we’d be called into
All the births and all the first times
And all the endings, too

Heart-breaking, heart-making
You will be a part of us wherever we go
Heart-breaking, heart-making
You were our home away from home
And we’ll be with you
Wherever you go

And we’re so lucky
To know all the things that we now do
Yeah we’re so lucky
That the trail to knowing
And all this growing
And all this love
That’s been flowing
Has come from you
Thank you
 
© 2014 Anna Huckabee Tull, CustomCraftedSongs.com

Special thanks to guitarist and harmony-creater Liz Rogers, 4-time Grammy winning cellist Eugene Friesen, studio pianist Jingjing Zhou, and studio mix-master Eric Kilburn! You guys are the best!

Here, for your listening (story-learning) pleasure, are the other songs Allison and I have created together - I love them ALL for entirely different reasons!
1. This Love - renewing vows
2. Once Upon a Dog - beloved pet
3. The Zip Line of Love - Having Fun with Mom (or at Mom's expense?! - ha)
4. Who You Are - a song from three kids to mom

As always, thanks for listening! Here's to LUCK showing up, at your invitation, in your life--rising up to make  all the goodbye's meaningful and the thank-you's heartfelt, clarifying, and deep!