Secret of Life

At the intermission when the lights brightened and I could no longer hide the tear tracks on my cheeks I asked Cyndi, Why am I emotional? I don’t even care that much about going to Carolina? She said, When someone sings clear and pure it pushes straight through to your heart, no matter what they are singing.

The secret of love is in opening up your heart.

We were in Lubbock at the United Arena for a sold-out James Taylor concert, and it was amazing. He sang two hour-long sets with a twenty-minute intermission. His voice sounded like it did the first time I heard him sing on TV in 1970. How does he do it? (Maybe he was given the choice to give up his hair or give up his voice. If so, he chose wisely.)

 I've been wandering early and late from New York City to the Golden Gate, and it don't look like I'll ever stop my     wandering.

I’m always inspired then someone takes over a room simply by throwing themselves into their music. That usually occurs when the music is loud and confident and bold.

But James Taylor took control of the entire arena singing softly while playing his acoustic guitar. He came out with no introduction, sat on his stool, and started playing while the band slowly worked their way onto the stage. Amazing.

I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I'd see you again.

After he sang Fire and Rain the entire arena got out of their chairs and clapped for three minutes. It was a standing ovation for longevity as much as for that one particular song.

In the time we have here; This time we have it all

During the intermission, Taylor sat on the edge of the stage and signed autographs and posed for photos. He stayed at it until his backup singers pulled him away, and even then he kept grabbing one more poster to sign. The man is sixty-eight years old, he’s won five Grammy Awards and sold more than 100 million records worldwide, he’s been touring for more than forty-five years … and he’s still giving himself away to his fans, his people.

Isn't it amazing a man like me can feel this way,tell me how much longer, it could grow stronger every day.

James Taylor is a significant contributor to the soundtrack of my life and Cyndi’s life. We discussed this while lying in bed after the concert, after driving the two hours home to Midland, after watching the clock pass 1:00 am, about how blessed we are to share music. It’s one more strand that ties us together. A strong and resilient strand.

Every day, it's getting closer, going faster than a roller coaster. A love like yours would surely come my way

I don’t fear getting older (at least at this point, while I’m healthy, I’m looking forward to it) and I don’t fear dying (although I don’t look forward to that (I still have too much investment to make into grandchildren)), but what I fear is living a life that doesn’t matter. I fear getting to the end of it all with regrets for holding back when I should have stepped further up and further in. Listening to James Taylor communicate with clarity and joy after all his years on the road stirred hope in my heart that my own voice will be unambiguous and hopeful for the next twenty, thirty, or forty years.

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. Any fool can do it, there ain't nothing to it. Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill. But since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride.

“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

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