Came home dragging. Tonight, I had practice. My back has been hurting the last few days from getting overtired and then lugging a full cooler with ice and sodas in it up a long stairway. It's an hour's drive down to Frankies, and it was raining. I had to stop to get a cup of coffee just to keep going. Frankie has serious alergies, and when he sings Crying In The Chapel, he could just as easily sing, Crying in the Kitchen, or Crying while getting something out of the refrigerator. I know it doesn't have the same ring to it, but Frankie's eyes are tearing up constantly, and he works outside all day on top of it. Joe had carpal tunnel syndrome on his left hand (and he's left handed) and has been dealing with an enormous amount of personal matters as well. I was kidding that we are downright laughable, the three of us.. half the time when we have practice, someone is dragging, or being dragged down by stress in their lives. But we all show up.. maybe short on energy and focus, but we we manage to make it. And once we start singing, all the weariness, aches and pains and worries are washed away.

On May 20th, we're doing a concert and I'm going to surprise them by having a birthday cake for them. They both have their birthdays in May. Frankie will be 80 and Joe 82, so it will just say, Happy Birthday Joe and Frankie: 162 years of serving the Lord.

Sometimes our best practices happen when we don't think we have anything else to give.

Jerry