I went on a date! With the hubby! It’s been ages since we
had a real date night. Health issues, timing issues, deadline issues, and
princess issues have been all up in our way. But I was reminded that adults
need to take adult time to appreciate each other, and adults in a relationship
need to take time with each other to remember why.
Big Daddy and I went to UNC-TV for an exclusive, intimate In
Studio concert by country music sensation, Rissi Palmer. Think MTV’s Unplugged.
The performance was being filmed as a local complement to the next Ken Burns
documentary, Country Music.
I can’t begin to tell you what a spectacular time we had. I’m
a huge Rissi Palmer fan so for me this was a dream come true. It was hard to
contain my excitement and not come across as a crazed stalker! But she was a
sheer delight with an incredibly welcoming spirit. Y’all know though, that in
my crazed fan mindset, she and I are now the best of friends!
Some of you may remember my POST about Rissi’s 2007 hit
Country Girl. Country Girl was my theme song and I wrote the first two Stallion Series books to her self-titled debut album. Everything about her music spoke to my
esthetic and brought me immense joy. She embodied the heroines that came to
life in John and Mark Stallion’s stories. Her music was everything I needed to
help me breathe life into that award-winning series.
Rissi Palmer has a keen sense of humor and is a true
storyteller. It was magical to hear the tales behind the songs she performed,
and a time or two I had to wipe away a tear. What struck a particular cord for
me tonight was the story behind her song Summerville, which was featured on her
album The Back Porch Sessions. She spoke about her grandmother and singing on
the back porch of the family home as a child. She shared memories of cooking
cornbread with her great-grandmother, the freshly washed laundry that hung
outside on a line, and many others that centered around the town where her
family matriarchs were born and raised. It was those memories that helped her
regain her balance when she needed it the most.
For many artists and writers, we often hit a crossroad where
we’re not quite sure what will come next. When we have doubts and question our
creative journey. I have recently been lost in that space, doubt and
frustration holding me hostage. The writing has been stagnant, no ghostly
characters haunting my spirit. After 50-plus books I wasn’t sure writing was what I wanted to do
anymore. I had decided to quit, changed my mind, and changed my mind again. But
tonight, Rissi’s creative energy rekindled my own. I was reminded of those
things that ignited my original desire to be a writer. It brought me front and
center with why I love to write.
As Rissi shared her own experiences I thought about my
grandmother and her admonishments for me to be the best version of myself that
I can possibly be. In Rissi’s music I heard the hopes of our ancestors. The
dreams of mothers who nurtured and raised us. The trials and tribulations
of fathers who struggled to be seen so that we might have a place that was
ours. I heard her voice and rediscovered my own.
Tonight, I’ll play every one of Rissi Palmer’s albums, each
song in constant rotation. I’ll start with Country Girl, and I’ll write.
