Sometimes the words of a song just hit you and move you to tears. Garth’s new song “Mom” from his latest album “Man Against Machine” is one of those songs. It tells the story of an unborn baby, being scared to be born and asking God if he can stay with him. Then God explains to the baby what a Mom is and is so sweetly written it’s just stunning. The words eloquently speak to what my dear Mom is to me. She’s my best friend and she’s always got my back, no matter what. She’s also taught me so very much and she even gave me one of my greatest musical gifts—she introduced me to Garth Brooks’ music.
At the time, I was a young 10-year-old girl obsessed with the New Kids on the Block. We had just lost my Great Grandma, and she told me “I really like this song, it’s called ‘The Dance’, and it’s sung by some new guy named Garth.” I’ll admit, I was a young preteen, so it took me awhile to get the meaning of the song and I even turned down going to a concert of his at this small venue in Hinckley, MN.(I seriously regret that to this day). But soon I discovered why my Mom liked this new guy name Garth…and my musical world has never been the same. She was with me at my first Garth concert at the Target Center in 1998, and tomorrow night we’ll be attending our second Garth show together. My Mom was fortunate to get us floor seats—it should be a night we’ll always remember!

When I think about celebrating our nation’s freedom, and honoring those that have fought to protect our rights on Veteran’s Day—this is the song that comes to mind. This powerful anthem that speaks to our freedoms and the things we need to do so that all of us are truly “free” is as powerful now as it was when it was released back in the nineties. So on the day we celebrate and say “Thank You” to all of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces, this song says it all.

The words of this song really speak to being thankful for the prayers that don’t get answered, because they end up becoming blessings in our life. It has a beautiful melody and it really showcases Garth’s vocals—it’s also a fun song to sing along with in the car or in concert. But most of all, I find myself going to this song when life gets me down. When there’s things that I want so bad, that don’t seem to be working out, I try to remind myself that someday life will reveal that God has a reason for this, and someday I’ll see it as a blessing (yes, somedays I seem to accept that better than others).

I love the message of this song—it’s especially powerful during a live show. The song speaks to the unrest in today’s society and promotes the idea that the answer is simple, it’s just “People Loving People”. Such a simple idea that is so powerful, yet so often overlooked. Watching the news, driving in traffic, it just seems like there is so much hate and anger in our world today. For me personally, I know I’ve personally had to deal with some of the ugliest behaviors from people recently, so this message really speaks to me. If we’d all just try to have some love and compassion for one another, we’d have the power to change the world.

If there’s one song that sums up my love of music and Garth Brooks…it’s “Shameless”. This is the song that turned me into a crazy fan of Garth. I can still remember the first time I watched his TV special, “This Is Garth Brooks”. He was standing on the edge of the stage, holding a yellow rose, and he gave the most passionate performance of a song I’d ever seen. The words of the song speak to an independent person being swept off their feet, losing all self-control and well…for me I am totally “Shameless” when it comes to Garth and country music.

I had really planned to save this song for the last night of Garth’s run in Minneapolis—but then this happened…
The Target Center Filled With Tears
The right words can carry a lot of meaning. Put them with a melody and they have the power to change lives. Something happened on the night of November 7th during Garth Brooks’ late show inside the Target Center—something that will forever change the meaning of a song—and just maybe restore some faith in humanity. As Brooks sang “The Dance,” on the jumbotron above him appeared a sign that read “Chemo This Morning. Garth Tonight. Enjoying The Dance.” The crowd went from singing along to a roar of cheers for the woman holding the sign. As the crowd watched, it became obvious that Garth himself had seen the sign. The cameras followed the lady as she made her way closer to the stage. Suddenly, Garth sat down on the stage, took the sign, and gave his guitar to the woman. The music was still playing, the crowd still fully engaged, but instead of everyone singing, we all watched this moment as it unfolded. This moment of seeing the song that has meant so much for so many, and now seeing the artist with a person who was living out the very meaning of the song…it was mesmerizing. Then Garth got up with the sign and told the crowd that sometimes he wishes God would stick out his hand and say “I exist,” then in a tearing voice Garth said “Tonight God just stuck his hand out and wrote ‘I exist,” then looking at the woman, he said “You have all my strength, you have everybody’s strength in here and you go kick cancer’s ass!” What a moment! Tears were streaming, I had goosebumps and I felt so blessed to see this happen–I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t even fully notice how others around me were reacting. It was a real reminder to me of how fragile life is and that all the things we complain about—the traffic, the line to get into the stadium, the cold weather—do they really matter? Life is what matters. Living out your dreams, holding your family close, having your health and the strength to get up and do what you want each day—that’s what matters. I left the stadium that night with tear-stained cheeks, but a renewed sense of appreciating that very moment and cherishing the good moments in life—because it can all change in an instant.
The next morning on Facebook, I’d find out this special lady in the crowd is Teresa Shaw of Osage, Iowa. She’s a co-worker of one of my dearest college friends. My friend had shared Ms. Shaw’s daughter’s video of the whole thing happening. What a beautiful scene to capture, and what a memory for all of the 18,000 fans in attendance that night. Teresa is in my prayers and I wish her all the strength she needs to kick the cancer and live a long and beautiful life.
I’m truly thankful for Teresa’s sign and Garth’s reaction. It gave me a reality check about the fragility of life and Garth gave me yet another reason to love him and his music. He’s real, and the songs he sings…they mean as much to him as they do to the fans.

Going into that show on Friday night, “The Dance” was the song I’d played on repeat at least 30 times the day I lost my Grandpa. It was a go-to song for me that it’s better to have loved and lost than to have missed “The Dance”…but now, thanks to Teresa Shaw and her sign, the song means even more.

This is one of my all-time favorite Garth songs—I often sing it in my head for inspiration, and I’ve considered it a kind of personal mantra. When the intro started playing during the first show in 16 years at the Target Center, I was so excited. You see, the last time I’d heard the song played live in my home town was in 1998. I’d lost my Grandpa earlier in the year, graduated from High School, and was trying to find my place in life. Back then, I had tickets in section 206, in the last row, as far away from the stage as you can get.
But Thursday night, I was about 10 rows behind the stage. The lights were dim, it was just Garth on stage with his guitar, and many people had their phone flashlights in the air. As Garth (and I) started singing “Trying to learn from what’s behind you,” I looked up, and in this dark arena, there was one spotlight, shining right on section 206, lighting up the exact row where I’d sat with my parents, Grandma, cousin and uncle all those years ago. Tears came into my eyes as I thought about the 18 year old girl that I was, all the dreams I had back then, the pain I was suffering from the loss of my dear Grandpa, and all the uncertainty I was feeling about my future.
I thought about how I was so excited to get those tickets. My Mom and I had waited in the grocery store parking lot for 8 hours to get two sets of tickets for our family and several of my friends. Getting those tickets was the first time I’d felt true happiness in a long time. The night of the show, we got to the stadium to meet up with my friends and it all changed—Garth’s people had come around and upgraded my friends’ seats—but they’d only gotten four tickets—so I would be sitting in 206, and my friends would be in the second row! I went from elated to devasted in seconds.
So on Thursday night, as we all sang “And never knowing what’s in store,” I thought about getting great seats to my favorite artist’s show, seeing that section where I’d sat before, thinking to myself how far I’ve come in the last 16 years (literally and figuratively) and how today’s woes too shall pass. It brought the song full circle.

Welcome, thanks for stopping by. This blog is a place to honor the words chosen by songwriters, that blend with the right melodies to create powerful masterpieces that become the soundtracks to our lives.
I’ll confess—I’m an over-the-top country music lover. Each and every day, I seem to have a song stuck in my head, one that really sums up the theme for the day. I have a sincere appreciation for great songwriting, and love the way that certain melodies can mix with the right words to create a powerful force. For quite some time, I’ve thought it would be fun to write a blog about the words of a particular song—new or old, well-known or obscure, but I just needed a push to get it started…
Inspiration struck the first night of Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood’s record-breaking 11-show run in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I decided to start this blog by choosing a Garth song for each day, starting with Thursday, November 6—which was proclaimed “Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Day” by the mayor of Minneapolis—through Saturday, November 15, the last night of shows in Minnesota. Each day, I’ll post about a different Garth (or Trisha song) that has touched me in a special way.
Why Garth Brooks? Because he’s my musical hero. Garth’s music is the soundtrack to my life. Music means a lot to me, but no songs mean more to me than his. I’ve listened to his music on the happiest days and it’s been there to pick me up at times when it seemed like all hope was lost. His music helped me through one of the most trying times in my life. In October of 1997 I was a senior in high school, focused on where I was going to go to college. I was taking two classes for college credit and I was getting ready for big things. But one morning I woke up and found out that my Grandfather had an aneurysm. He was in surgery, and we didn’t know if he would make it. The three-and-a-half months that followed were filled with sadness, as I watched my biggest hero die slowly. Never wanting to be far away from him while he was hospitalized, I’d go there right after school and stay until late in the evening. So I had to do my studying in the family area at the end of the hall in the hospital…with Garth’s music to help me focus. “Fresh Horses” came out that fall and it carried me through one of the saddest and most challenging times in my life. The strength that Garth’s music gave me then is one of the big reasons I’ve traveled so much to see Garth live, it’s the reason he’s my favorite artist, it’s the reason I understand the power of music, and it’s the reason why if I could meet anyone in the world, I’d choose Garth Brooks, because I’d love to tell him “Thank You.”