Take My Hand

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Judy

Every day, worries grow

it’s a challenge, when I’m feeling so low

Emptiness, my despair

all this sorrow is more than I can bear

Lift me up, give me hope

I’m reaching for you

Take my hand, hold me close

Help me make it through

Overwhelmed, feeling stressed

Even though, I know that I am blessed

You’re my light, to lead the way

I close my eyes; softly I pray

I really miss you, though I grieve

Despite your absence, I still believe

You’re in my heart – you’re always there

I hear your voice, answering my prayer

I’ll lift you up – I am your hope, I’m here for you

Take my hand, hold me close

You’ll make it through; you’ll make it through

You’ll make it through

My injured pinky is the one on the right. The laceration is hardly noticeable, but it will probably always be a plumper pinky.

It has been almost six months since I fell and dislocated my right pinky. My finger may never feel “normal” again, however I see my healing as remarkable. My pinky does not limit me in any way. The first hand surgeon told me I would be “forever limited.”

I was elated that I could play my guitar a few days after my fall (off an electric scooter). Even with a splint on, I was able to use my other fingers to play. I called my pinky “my hero,” because it took the fall and spared my other fingers. My injuries could have been devastating.

Currently, I am back on the tennis court and playing well. I have completed several new mazes and paintings.

My two newest paintings.

I began composing “Take My Hand” during the pandemic. It didn’t move me, and I put it aside.

But during the time I was recovering from my fall, I found myself fiddling with that unfinished song. I hadn’t looked at the chords for at least two years.

On that day, I was in a lot of pain. I had hurt a lot of other body parts besides my pinky and hoped I could somehow get through this ordeal quickly. I clutched my guitar and prayed.

And then something miraculous happened.

It was as if someone took my hands – I began to play a new part for my song. The new chords were incredibly beautiful and I played them over and over.

I realized that my song had expanded in a wonderful new direction. The new lyric line that grabbed me the most was “I hear your voice answering my prayer!”

Songwriting has always been incredibly spiritual for me. My prayers were answered!

These lyrics were written over two years ago.

I had many title ideas for my newest song. But the lyrics “take my hand” really called out to me. This title was a perfect way to honor the comfort my song gave me when my hand was throbbing in pain. Maybe what I meant to say was, “Don’t grab my hand too tightly – just heal it for me!”

“Take My Hand” was my first new song in seven years. I contacted my piano arranger, Devin, and he added instrumentation to my guitar tracks. Devin also recorded a solo piano version.

The arrangement for “Take My Hand” had me swooning. I would never tire of listening to it.

A medley of those versions can be heard on Insight Timer by clicking the image below.

“Take My Hand” is definitely a song of healing and hope. I believe that reaching out is courageous. It represents a willingness to trust the person we connect with.

What is truly profound is the contrast. We can reach out to seek comfort and we can reach out to offer comfort. We can reach out to follow (show me the way) and we can reach out to lead (follow me).

Now I’d like to share the many ways I relate to my song:

Take my hand embodies reaching out for a physical connection.

During the Pandemic, I missed hugs and longed to be held.

Take my hand represents reaching out to comfort anyone suffering with grief.

Lyrics related to “taking my hand” are in several of my songs. In my song “Hang On” I say these words:

“You have no hope, is this the end? Just take my hand – I’ll be your friend.”

My life’s mission has been to comfort and give hope to anyone grieving. I’ve kept my son’s memory alive this way. Jason lives on through my words and music.

In my song “Angel in the Sky” I express how I will see him again with these words:

“And when I die, you’ll take my hand. My lovely light, just not in sight.”

Take my hand symbolizes being open.

I am open to helping people I’ve never met and when I am able to comfort them, I feel blessed. I love making new connections and have recently developed some beautiful new friendships because of this.

The flip side is that I am willing to be pulled in new directions. Next month, I am taking an ocean swim with a former classmate I haven’t seen in over 40 years. I am excited about my bravery. The water will be very cold!

Take my hand epitomizes friendship.

When I was 19, I wrote my song “Never Gone Away” for a dear friend leaving on an extended trip. I expressed my appreciation for her with the lyrics:

“Whenever I was down, your hand was the one holding mine.”

Recently, this same friend told me how grateful she was that I was able to metaphorically take her hand during the difficult period when her mother was dying.

We both continue to support each other, by reaching out and being there during our 40+year friendship.

Take my hand guided me spiritually.

I allowed myself to express vulnerability by praying. I am so grateful that I made it through the Pandemic. Recovering from my nasty fall became the catalyst for me to finish my song. I am completely in awe of the comfort it has brought me. It was truly a gift from God.

I Hear Your Voice

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Judy

I am excited to share a recent performance of my song “My Shining Star.”

Since my fall in early April, I have continued to follow a creative path. Despite terrible pain in my pinky, I drew several new mazes. I worked with a wonderful hand therapist, and watched the miracle of healing unfold for my “pinky hero.”

I cried with joy when less than two months later I was able to play tennis again. My game was as good, or even better than it was before my fall!

I wasn’t sure if I could hold the racquet well, so I first went out to hit against a backboard.

My post title is a lyric line from my newest song named “Take My Hand.” I spent a lot of time recording the guitar tracks and a vocal. I’m especially excited that a good friend has been exploring harmony for it with me.

Recording the guitar arrangement was definitely an artistic exploration. It took me three separate sessions to capture the lower guitar. I was completely inspired as I layered that track with nylon lead melodies, harmonics, strums and high finger picking.

Below are performances of “Take My Hand.” Collaborating with Bill Doty was such a joy!

I hear your voice” is also a lyric line in my song “My Shining Star.”

It’s a little crowded in my bedroom when I’m recording!

I continue to perform live on Insight Timer every week. Having such a loving community of listeners is truly a blessing for me. At this time, I am planning to share more about new song once I’ve explored working on it with a new arranger. Stay tuned!

Spring Thawed My Pain

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Judy

Last spring, I illustrated several varieties of fruit blossoms. Many of those same trees have already begun blooming again.

In January, I completed a complicated painting that I named “Pomegranate Tree.” Technically, pomegranate blossoms are long gone by the time the fruit appears. However, I used artistic license to add them back in.

On the topic of seasonal change, my newest meditation track “Autumn Hope” is now live.

The various guitar parts for this instrumental really spoke to me. Each one was composed during the course of a year. The sections that were created months apart had different rhythms, but I was amazed how everything flowed together once it was finished.

Clicking on this image plays my track on the meditation app, Insight Timer.

Utilizing my Autumn Hope painting as my instrumental’s song cover was especially satisfying.

This past fall held many challenges for me; I honestly felt like my last blog post was a downer. But my instrumental “Autumn Hope” perfectly embodies my beautiful catharsis back to positivity. On the Insight Timer description, I wrote “I found a way to conquer my sadness,” and that line alone was very empowering.

I recorded the solo guitar part over a period of two days. Editing those guitar recordings took weeks. When I finished, I wasn’t satisfied with simply one guitar. My song felt like a recipe – there were many flavors within the passages that called for another guitar part.

So I went back to recording again and transposed all the chords into another key. That way, I could play a higher version using a capo. I created many choices of sounds – light finger-picking, strums, and oodles of delicate harmonics. Just learning the harmonic part alone required a lot of notation and practice.

The actual composition of Autumn Hope is about 16 minutes. I repeated it and added more guitar additions to the second half. I especially loved the ending.

My recent painting of passion fruit shows that passion is definitely part of my life!

I continue to work on piano songs for a new medley. In keeping with the theme of seasonal change, last week I completed a new solo piano clip for my song “Every Season.” The title of this post is taken from a line of lyrics for that song.

When my son Jason died in 1992, grief was exquisite torture that ebbed and flowed with the seasons. I remember the pain, but do not experience it anymore the way I used to.

Because Jason died in the fall, “Autumn Hope” has even more significance. Hope is a driving force in my life and my energy is devoted to uplifting anyone struggling with grief. Never let go of your hope!

As the smell of blossoms surround me this spring, I’m grateful for so much in my life.

More about my song can be found with this link: EVERY SEASON

Every Season Magical Piano

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Judy

Even though it was gray outside when I took the picture above, I still marveled at the beautiful shapes of leaves holding on. I walked while listening to my latest instrumental “Autumn Hope.” Music continues to inspire me!

Every week, I perform 8-10 songs live on Insight TImer. Although I am not feeling confident about singing much these days, opening my heart to such a warm and loving audience has been a blessing to my life. It’s also wonderful that I am playing my songs regularly so that I don’t forget them.

I am still in the process of finishing my latest guitar instrumental to release soon. It consists of almost 30 minutes of solo guitar, which I gleaned from over 4 hours of recording. My last post has been updated to share a better recording of this new song. I’ve decided to name it “Autumn Hope.”

Although I finished solo piano renditions for all 50 of my songs, I’ve decided to redo 10 of them. My first 20 songs were created working with another pianist. They were much simpler and I am eager to hear them fleshed out with my current piano arranger, Devin Farney.

I will have 10 songs with creative and faithful versions. I plan to name the entire medley “Every Season Magical Piano.”

I really enjoy the process of creating piano songs for this new medley. The songs I’ve chosen are very special ones. Two are already finished and I am sharing them here: So Real Magical Piano and Set You Free Magical Piano. Please enjoy them!

My Hopeful Heart

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Judy

My newest painting above is named “Autumn Hope.” I have included close ups of it with a slide show at the end of this post.

I am excited to share that last month I heard a new song forming! Exquisite guitar passages enveloped me and my heart swelled with joy. Just when I needed something to uplift me, this new music appeared!

It has been at least three years since I last composed anything new. I plan to record my new song, but am still exploring the multitude of passages and combinations.

I played my new guitar instrumental live on Insight Timer and tentatively named it “My Hopeful Heart.” It felt like a perfect title to describe my optimism about the New Year.

I share a solo guitar recording excerpt of the meditation that will soon be released on Insight Timer. My final decision for the song’s title was “Autumn Hope.” It seems that title for my painting was lurking in my subconscious. I share also an introduction for my song during a live session when I was composing it.

This is another version that I’m sharing, which was recorded a week before my Insight Timer performance. It’s much faster and I haven’t decided the speed for my new composition yet.