Having A Place

Jimi

It's around 11:00 Monday morning. We're on our way home from our weekend of shows. We're expected to be back in Nashville around 6:00 tonight. Emma has been really interested in song writing and she is really good at it. Karen and I entered her in the singer songwriting competition in August a few weeks ago. As for the Sara situation, things are going okay. Emma has only seen her once since the whole issue at the mall with Sara's mom, but that's mostly because of our schedule. We're usually gone Wednesday night through sometime on Monday just about every week, so we're only home a couple of days out of the week.

We were all sitting in the front of the bus and the little kids were playing in the way back. Emma asked if she could borrow my guitar and has been hanging out by the bunks. She had a pretty determined look on her face so I'm curious to see what she has come up with. She's been back there for the past two hours and hasn't come out at all.

She finally emerged from the bunks around 11:30.

"I wrote a song" she said with a smile.

"Can we hear it?" Kimberly asked and she nodded.

She sat down on the chair across from us and started playing. She sang her song for us and it was very good. It was a song about pushing through a rough time and leaning on family to help you through because you're not alone. It was a slower song, but not super slow.

"I feel like it needs something, but I don't know what" she said.

"The lyrics were beautiful sweetie, I wouldn't change a thing" Karen said.

"Something just doesn't seem quite right though. Maybe the chords?" she said.

"Can I try something?" I asked and she handed me the guitar. I tried a few things and she like it.

"That's what it was missing" she said with a smile.

"Except I can't play like that" she said with a giggle.

"Is this the song you want to do for your competition?" Karen asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know how to play that and the song needs that" Emma said.

"Can he play with you?" Phillip asked.

"I think so" Emma said.

"I'll look up the rules" Karen said and pulled it up on her phone.

"It says that you can have up to three other people to play instruments on the stage with you." She

"Okay" Emma said.

"What if I play the rhythm part and you play the lead?" Emma asked me.

"Let's give it a try to see how it sounds" I said.

"You can use my guitar in the back" Phillip said and Emma went to go grab it. She came back and we played through it. I thought it sounded good in my opinion, but it is ultimately Emma's decision.

"What do you think?" I asked her.

"I thought it sounded good" Emma said with a smile.

"I second that" Kimberly said.

"That sounded great guys" Karen said.

"It really did. You have knack for songwriting" Phillip said.

"Thanks" Emma said with a smile.

We sat around talking for a few minutes about Emma's competition until the little kids came out demanding lunch.

"We're hungry for lunch" Daisy said.

"All we have left on the bus that you three like is peanut butter and jelly" Kimberly said.