Perspective

I was introduced by cell phone to a lovely woman close to my age back in September. Her name was Lorie Johnson and she was in the fight for her life with metastatic breast cancer. She was 6 months pregnant with her second son when she was diagnosed. She had 3 rounds of chemo while she was pregnant.

My pastor preached a particularly interesting message one Sunday morning and I was in what I call "positive song mode." I was less interested in writing eloquently than I was in writing positively. I took the idea and pieces I had for a song to my writing session with Sue Smith, someone who has a beautiful ability to write both eloquently and positively at the same time (haha), and we finished "I'll Walk On." Gold City had recorded the song on their newest record months before I even found out about it in September. The record was out, even.

Lorie and her husband Daryl were good friends with the lead singer in Gold City, Bruce, so she had listened to the song on the CD. For whatever Divine reason, she heard, "I'll Walk On," and it became her anthem. She posted the lyric on her blog and said that she wanted to be able to say those words honestly. When I met Bruce back in September, he called Lorie and Daryl on his cell phone and put me on with them. Lovely people. She told me on the phone that night that she listened to that song every day.

I followed Lorie's story as closely as I could after that through her blog. She fought so hard. She was buried Wednesday.

She had Gold City sing, "I'll Walk On," at her funeral.

Gang, I'm just a songwriter. I just sit in little rooms with mismatched furniture and out of tune pianos with people I like and try to be honest while taking into consideration that it has to come out in a 3 minute package with rhymes. I always hope that what I come out with does something for somebody besides me and my co-writer. To have come out with something that so inspired this woman on such a real level, however, is pretty humbling. I know Sue well enough to speak for her on that, too.

My heart goes out to Lorie's husband, her two little boys, and her entire family. I am honored to have had some small part in making a few of her moments a little better.

Humbly-
-b