All summer he had been informing me that he would not go to first grade and that he would stay in kindergarten indefinitely. When it came down to the do or die moment, however, he showed his bravery. I'm sure the Darth Vader backpack and Justice League lunchbox didn't hurt either.
Baby Girl's big news is that she is officially on the move. Gone are the days of lying on her back unable to escape the mobile monkeys circling her head. I lay her down under the monkeys and she is ten feet away before I make it back to my office chair.
Daddy's big news is that he is ours once more. For the past few weeks he has been working, sometimes twenty hours a day (he did that five days in a row) on his new projects - a CD of hymns and a CD of worship songs. Tonight is the last night he will not be at home. We have missed him, but we knew our sacrifices wouldn't be in vain. The finished product is incredible.
Sometimes I forget I'm married to such a talented man. I forget that he blows through this shiny piece of metal with all these complicated looking keys and music comes out the other end, music so beautiful anyone lucky enough to hear it is deeply moved from the first note. He can make people laugh and cry and feel real emotions. And the most wonderful effect of all is that it puts babies to sleep. Don't believe me? Give it a try. I've never seen a baby or toddler not enthralled by it. And the peace and calm of it soothes them right to sleep. His music is soothing in a way no words can describe, you have to experience it to understand. And somehow I forget all of this if I go too long without watching him create new music. The best thing about forgetting is that when I do remember, it's a brand new experience every time. I'm star struck all over again.
He has put together two CD's in a few short weeks. From the laid back sounds, you would never guess how quickly they were put together. That just shows how talented Jamie is and how naturally this comes to him. And I need to also mention the other half of the Jamie Reid team, George Hairr, producer extraordinaire. His creativity combined with Jamie's raw talent makes for a musical experience that can't be replicated.
Here is the lineup for the CD of hymns
1. As the Deer
2. Because He Lives
3. Give Me Jesus
4. Blessed Assurance
5. I Surrender All
6. Were You There/At the Cross
7. Jesus Paid It All
8. The Solid Rock
9. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
10. I Need Thee Every Hour
And here is the CD of worship songs
1. I Need You
2. How He Loves Us
3. How Beautiful
4. Blessed Be the Name
5. At the Cross
6. All Who Are Thirsty
7. Here I Am to Worship
8. God of Wonders
9. I Can Only Imagine
10. Made Me Glad
My favorites? All of them. A few stand out among the others for me though.
Blessed Assurance. His previous albums Instrumental: A Collection of Hymns and Instrumental: Songs of Worship had what I call the Jamie Reid sound. Both of his new CDs have the same sound, but he took it in a little different direction this time. Blessed Assurance is jazzy sounding. It features a Hammond B3 that gives you a warm, old time churchy feeling. Not my old time church since I grew up Church of Christ, but like the classic church services you see in movies. It's a little more up tempo than his usual relaxing pace, but he still captured his signature laid back sound.
How He Loves Us. I wasn't familiar with this song before he let me listen to his interpretation of it, but the from the first note, I was hooked. I can't get it out of my head. I don't know the words, but I can hear the emotion in his playing and I get what the song's about. I'm a words person, so for him to achieve this is a great feat.
How Beautiful. I have to mention this one because I requested it. Okay, I demanded it. He played this song at our friend's wedding a few years ago and it was so beautifully done it had to be recorded.
I can't wait until this one is available to sell so that people can start hearing the fruits of his labor. I'll be sure to announce it as soon as it is. Until then, you can hear Jamie's past (and equally as special) projects at www.jamiereidmusic.com
