rise up singing...and blogging...

So, here I go with the whole blogging thing. As most folks who will likely read this will know, I recently moved far away from all of my family and friends. Now, I'm over 600 miles north with my wonderful and funny husband and our crazy dog and cat. I know that for a lot of folks this wouldn't be a big deal, would feel like an adventure. For, me it feels hard...being this far away from the only place I've ever really lived, being this far away from all of my people, and moving from the city to the country. Also, as most folks will know, I've had a chunk of grief the last few years and at times it has kind of snowballed and felt a bit overwhelming.

So, now, in this new place, a new phase in life, I'm making it a spiritual practice to find happiness where I am, to live in the moment. My rockin' brother in law (one of them...they are both super cool) who is very musically inclined gave me a cd for Christmas that introduced me to a fabulous singer/songwriter: Daisy May (I highly recommend her music if you like folk kind of stuff!) She has a great song, Rise Up Singing. And I just like that. I love music and it inspires me, shapes me, is a form of prayer for me, and I guess I often have a sort of soundtrack running in my head. So, this is the song that inspired this blog...

if you are weary and trying to find your way home,
don’t give up my friend, ‘cause you are not alone.
in a world full of trouble you know trouble may find you
but i got your medicine, baby, this is what you do:

you gotta rise up, rise up singing.
in time, this too shall pass.
you gotta rise up, rise up singing--
you know, trouble ain’t built to last.

and when you’re left standing with no hope in sight
‘cause at the end of the tunnel someone’s been dimming out the lights,
you can lose your way and end up far from home
but, until the day you lose your voice, you cannot lose your song.

you gotta rise up, rise up singing.
in time, this too shall pass.
you gotta rise up, rise up singing--
you know, trouble ain’t built to last.

you know life ain’t easy and life will make you cry,
but so long as you’re breathing, you know you are still alive.
and when you’re standing at the station waiting for your train,
don’t you think you’ll be singing that sweet refrain:

you gotta rise up, rise up singing.
in time, this too shall pass.
you gotta rise up, rise up singing--
you know, trouble ain’t built to last.

--rise up singing, by Daisy May

This is me, then, trying to rise up singing...and blogging, in this case. Staying connected. Focusing on things beyond sadness and loss, beyond just feeling lonely, and, for that matter, beyond grad school (another big focus of time and energy the last few years). Finding out what makes me happy with my life, what things are fun and energizing for me, figuring out what God is calling me to be in this world.

So, here we go...because trouble/transition/loneliness ain't built to last...