Last summer, I was listening to our rabbi’s sermon on Zoom and she mentioned something about a Jubilee year – a special anniversary marking 25 or 50 years. At the time, I was nearing the end of my 50th year, and I realized that I was in the middle of my jubilee year!
That gave me the idea to write a reflective song about my life. At the time I wrote it, my commute to both my work and my sons’ school had ended due to the pandemic and after I stopped making the drive, I realized how much driving had consumed my life.
I spent so much time in my car
Though I never seemed to get very far
I was dreaming about where I wanted to go
Should I have kept driving down that road?
The choices we make in life lead us to where we go. We can’t go back and try again, we can only keep moving forward and have faith that we are headed in the direction we are meant to go in. Even if things seem to be holding us back or leading us away from where we want to go, we need to trust that those detours are part of the process of becoming who we’re supposed to be.
Life is a one-way street, nowhere to turn around
My faith is guiding me now, won’t let a detour get me down
Enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey, don’t look back, keep moving ahead.
Roll down the windows, feel the breeze in my hair
Turn up the music ’til my worries disappear
No looking back in that rearview mirror
I’m keeping my eyes on the road ahead
Yes, we’re going to make mistakes along the way. It’s all part of the process.
I’ve lost my way now and then
Though when I think about where I’ve been
I see each step led me to where I needed to be
This journey to my jubilee.
This song is one that is meaningful to me and represents a turning point in my life. I’d like to go back and re-record it, but I haven’t done that yet. This recording was done live with a tape recorder and guitar and, like all my others, without any auto-tune, which will be abundantly clear, especially in certain parts. But don’t worry, it’s all part of the process…
I thought it was fitting to share this week as it’s my birthday week. Grateful to be here. (In case you missed it, this was a big birthday for me because this was the age my mom was when she died.)
My Songwriting Journey 