The Story Behind A New Beginning
In Summer Nights on Church and Main, I mention Bobby. When I started going to Open Mic at FBC, he was in charge. He opened the night, he managed the list, and he was the guy to ask if I wanted to squeeze between two performers so I could get home in time to put my son to bed.
In August of 2019, Bobby got a job out of town, and thus was moving away. It was to be his last night at Open Mic, and I wanted to do something special. My first instinct was to sing (a rare occurrence from me), but I couldn’t sing any of the songs I wanted to perform.
There was one in particular, Never Too Far From Home, from Pokemon of all things, that I thought expressed how I felt about him leaving. He was going off to a new place, leaving his family, and I wanted to express that he’d always have a home with us. Something I’m sure he knew, given his parents, but I wanted to say it anyway.
That idea became A New Beginning.
Bobby comes back every so often to visit his parents, and stops by when he can. I love getting to hear him play, as I do with everyone at Open Mic. What amazed me at the time was how much my words meant to not only him, but everyone else. Now, a year later, he’s still doing alright. And as with everyone else, I look forward to seeing him again, and wish him the best.
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