I was out really late with my husband last night, which is why I missed my Day 4 post in my “21 Days of Gratitude” challenge.
The folks from the new band he’s touring with were all in town for a Christmas video recording thing and so we went to dinner and I got a chance to get to know them all better.
Which brings me to my Day 4 gratitude: I am thankful for the music industry
It has allowed my husband to support our family by doing what he loves, is passionate about, and is gifted in. I heard a statistic that stated that only 5% of people who pursue music as a carreer are able to support their family this way. He has worked so hard, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.
The Christian music industry has been very good to us. I know, I know, people love to poke fun at it, but, like mainstream music, there are terrible songs and amazing ones. There are jerks and hypocrites but there are also a ton of absolutely amazing people. I have experienced first hand the generosity and kindness from so many people in this industry that it absolutely overwhelms me.
The fact that Hank is able to play music for a living is so satisfying to both of us. We both sacrificed a lot to get him where he is, so it’s been a mutual effort worth protecting. He currently plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, mando-guitar, harmonium, dobro and sings background vocals…for a living! I mean, how fun is that?
After dinner last night, as we were walking back to our car I told him “I can’t believe you get paid to do this!” (in a good way.) Even though he works extremely hard, he is absolutely having the time of his life on the road and I wouldn’t want him doing anythihg else.
Sure, it’s hard when he’s gone for long stretches, and we are trying to time the {natural} birth of a baby, or a family visit, or just a date night, around his tour schedule. But there are some really amazing perks to an unconventional career. He will be home for days, sometimes weeks at a time, right in the middle of the year. The fact that most jobs only allow for this type of concentrated time together once or twice a year is not lost on me.
I took the kids up to the video shoot today and as different artists came and went, often stopping to pat Henry on the head, coo at Etta, or “fist-bump” Miles, I was reminded of how loving this community is. It really is a family, and one filled with people who truly care about each other. The other wives of musicians, and some of the artists are some of my very best friends, and those ridiculous “mommy wars” seems to be pretty nonexistent in this world. There is a warmth and support between these women like I’ve not experienced before. No one cares if you breast-feed or use formula, work outside the home or stay at home, homeschool or public school…it’s as though there is this unspoken understanding between us girls. That we realize how hard it can be to parent while your husband is away, so the love and support between us is really strong.
We are truly blessed to be a part of this family.
On a lighter note, here’s my Day 5: I am thankful for the loving {and necessary} intervention staged by my mother last week.
If you read THIS POST you know that I have a serious hoarding problem when it comes to glass jars. Well, even though it was painful, my mother loved me enough to swoop in and save me from myself. She informed me that it was a hazard trying to get anything out of the shelves and that it was time to get rid of some most of the jars. I couldn’t bring myself to choose any to throw out so I left the room and let her have full control. {People, I have a problem!} What resulted is nothing short of a miracle, considering the state that cabinet was in before.
She promised me that the rejected jars were sent off to this lovely glass jar farm where they have open cabinet space to run and perfectly matching lids…
So, thanks Mom, for loving me enough to save me from my hoard.
Oh, and also, thanks Mom for watching my kids so that I could finally clean up my desk. Here’s the after pic…click HERE to see/read my post about the before.
live well. be well.
