Brad Paisley - Letter To Me

I am not responsible for this video or its contents nor am I trying to make a profit from it. I wrote a letter to myself 15 years a go. Wishing I could really send words of wisdom back to a smaller me!

Publish Post

One Pure And Holy Passion

This song was meant to go with my previous post called letter to me. Disclaimer at bottom of that post. I am not responsible for the contents of this video nor am I trying to make a profit from it!

If I could write a Letter To Me

To: Kathryn on your 28^th Birthday

From: 13 year old Kathryn

Dear much older and mature Kathryn,

Did you become the writer you wanted to be, did you fulfill your lifetime dream of being a biologist or teacher, biology teacher? Are you married and have three children or did you not get married as you said? If not, are you living with a friend or by yourself and did you ever go to Europe like you wanted to? Well, anyway, what I am trying to say is did you fulfill your ambitions?

My Esteemed Self,

Newly-Teenaged Kathryn

Dear much younger and silly Kathryn,

You would probably find this letter quite disappointing, especially since you were so full of yourself as a teenager. Many of your dreams have died or come to a broken end. No, I did not yet fulfill my dream of becoming a published writer, but I am still hopeful! I no longer desire to make fame or fortune off my writing though. If I end up trying to publish my work again, it will be because of my desire to spread goodness and truth to the world. In regards to your second question, I lost my passion for marine biology about half-way through high school. Somewhere along the way my brain stopped working as well as it did for you. and science became very difficult for me. I do still take my microscope out now and then to admire the tiny facets of the smallest of creatures. Don’t worry my dear, little me, I am still fascinated by science and have even led seminars on creation science. I will always enjoy science.

As to your question about marriage, I stayed single just as I thought I would. I was surprised that at your age, you assumed I would stay single. You seemed very afraid that having a family would ruin your ambitions, but this is not why I am still single at all! I have had a few men who wanted to marry me over the years; however, the leaders in your life as you got a little older taught me never to compromise when it came to God’s best. It is very hard to find someone who shares the same passion and vigor for the truth. Honestly, little one, I have stopped searching for a husband, but its because I believe if it is God’s desire for me to marry, I will meet him while pursuing Christ and heading toward the ministry field. I know you secretly wanted to have lots of children, but it will happen in God’s perfect timing. I have also learned the hard way that it is best to always let the man approach and pursue. I am still almost as shy as I was when you wrote this letter so it will certainly take some clear divine intervention before I end up with a spouse anyway! I honestly think the shyness God gave you was partly God’s way of protecting me from many types of evil, especially that which comes from the male species. It scared many of your suitors away as you got older, especially in high school, but now looking back I thank God for my shyness. As regards to who I live with, I am living with two of my closest friends and you will be very surprised to find out who they are. Well, most likely you will be disappointed but I find that I am not. I am currently living with our dear mum and daddy. It was not an easy decision, but it was the best thing to do after I foolishly built up medical bills and college loan debt during the early 20s. If I could send a letter back to 1996 there is a lot more I would tell you about your future decision-making skills, but everything happens for a reason so I will not scold you! So, I am living with my parents again and that’s ok. I hate that you did not realize what awesome people they were back then, but you will truly come to appreciate them and their good opinion in your older age. You will be happy to hear that I did make it to Europe. Only 2 years after you wrote me this letter, I moved to Europe with my bro and the parentals (sis would come later). Actually, I kicked and fussed about moving at the time. During the fun of my first two years of high school (you were surprisingly a bit popular during your days in Mississippi) you must have forgot about your dreams to go to Europe. Anyhow you went to Europe, living in Germany, and were able to visit all the cool places you couldn’t even imagine. You visited 14 countries in Europe on various trips and even went to Morocco during your senior year. Your passion for mission trips and humanitarian work started there on youth trips in high school. When you were almost 21 your parents had to transfer back to Germany, but you liked it so much that you decided to get a job so you could stay a couple more years. You got a part- time job as a gymnastics coach! Can you believe it! The awkward, bumbling Kathryn that you were became a gymnast! Since you only worked part time you were able to help a lot with youth ministry with Cadence International/Malachi and work with young military women through an organization called the Navigators. It was an awesome time! Then you spent a semester up in Northern Germany with Calvary Chapel Bible College. A lot of the students spoke little or no English so you got to use your foreign language skills as you had hoped, little Kathryn. I know you never intended to live in Europe for so long so you won’t be surprised to hear, you came home to America in 2006 at age 23 and decided to stop playing and finish school. I am finally in my last semester. Are you disappointed it took me so long? Well, hopefully you won’t begrudge me the fun I had during all my adventures. Finally, curious girl, you asked me if I fulfilled my ambitions. My ambitions have surely changed. I dream of living in Asia now someday and doing full time mission and humanitarian work. Are you surprised. I am sure you might even laugh, silly Kathryn! My greatest ambition now is just to spread love and peace around the World, and just to know Christ and make HIM known! I look back and I think your ambitions are somewhat silly, but I know they are genuine so I thank you so much for sharing them with me. I just may have to write a letter to me in another 10 years. Will she be just as thankful as I am to you for sharing yourself with me. Goodbye, 13 year old Kathryn. To me you are just a fading memory. Everything good and bad that happened between the me, then and the me , now, was used by God to shape me into the person He wanted me to be. No regrets my child. No regrets!

Humbled by your Regards,

Kat

P.S. – The reason 13 year old Kathryn wrote to 28 year old Kathryn is because for some reason she thought everything was all going to come together and life would be perfect at 27. 27 is my favorite number and Psalm 27 was my favorite chapter of the Bible as a teenager!

Name: Kathryn E. Jackson

Age: 13

Gender: Girl but 98% tomboyish, prefers to hang out with the boys

Temperament: Very Shy

Hobbies: Spending hours with her microscope, playing in the puddles after a rainy day , playing video games with my bro, Writing poetry and stories, Journaling, Reading, Talking 3-5 hours on the phone a day while talking to her best friend as she watches TV: mostly VH-1, BET, MTV. In 1996 its all about music videos.

Favorite Books: Little Women, Chronicles of Narnia, Pilgrim’s Progress, The Adventures of Winnie Pooh, anything by Grace Livingstone Hill, Christy

Favorite Songs: Don’t go Chasing Waterfalls (TLC), The Boy is Mine (Brandy and Monica), Unchained Melody (Elvis), Hallelujah Chorus

Favorite Movies: Greece!!! Never ending Story, Dirty Dancing, and anything with Elvis

Favorite Tv shows: Boy Meets World, Home Improvement, Fresh Prince, Blossom, Mystery Science Theater, Twilight Zone, Gumby, New Adventures of Superman, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Celebrity Crushes: Joey Lawrence (admit I have his biography), Johnathan Taylor Thomas, Johnathon Brandis (R.I.P.), Bruce Lee, and Rider Strong

Real Crushes: J.B. (same crush since age 9. Don’t worry girl you will soon realize he is not all that!)

Favorite Sports: Running, Cross Country, Biking, and Climbing Trees

Most O.M.G. embarrassing moment: When my towel fell off at Summer Camp this past summer when I was walking back to my cabin. Luckily, it was quickly recovered.

Dreams/Ambitions: To be a Marine Biologist and an author of books while being a free-lance journalist on the side for the New York Times

Name: Kathryn Jackson (mostly goes by Kat – can’t really tell you when that started or where it came from except that it was during my senior year of high school that it began)

Age: 28

Gender: Girl. Very feminine (although I’m sure some of the tom-boyishness is still in there somewhere.)

Still prefers to hang out with the boys although its not such a good idea anymore cause they now have cooties!

Temperament: Still very shy although I have moments of excessive hyperness and babbling

Hobbies: Asian dramas and animes, Writing poetry and stories (though very rarely inspired), Blogging, Texting (can’t believe I ever loved to talk on the phone. I hate it now!), Cooking, Shopping, Reading, Traveling, going for a walk in the rain, watching thunderstorms, going to the beach, singing

Favorite Books: Little Women,Lord of the Rings trilogy, Narnia books, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, anything by Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, or Elisabeth Elliot, Christy, does manga count!!!

Favorite Music: the Hallelujah Chorus, Jeremy Camp, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, John Mayer, Enya, Lecrae, well, really I like a bit of everything now. I love music

Favorite Movies: Lord of the Rings, Fireproof, Moulin Rouge, Return to Me, Fireproof, Mohabattein, anything Bollywood!!!, Jane Eyre (1970), anything Jane Austen!!

Favorite Tv: Glee (only American show I currently watch), live birth shows, Anime, Asian dramas (Korea (favorite), Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, India, Thailand) – obsessed with Asian culture

Celebrity Crushes: Joey Lawrence (some things don’t change), Vaness Wu (pretty Taiwanese musician/actor – he’s Christian too!), Lee Min Ho, Jang Geun Seuk

Real Crushes: None currently. Sorry guys I am picky now and I am boring

Favorite sports: Gymnastics, Soccer, Swimming

Most O.M.G. embarrassing moment: Every day. I am embarrassed so easily nowadays that its embarrassing. I hate that I blush so easily.

Dreams/Ambitions : To someday write children’s books, to pay off my loans and someday work in Asia with humanitarian/mission work; To have a spouse who shares the same passion for the truth and wants to have lots of babies. Overall: To do the will of God, my Father, and be an encouragement to mankind.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the contents of the music videos above this post. Thanks to those other fans who first uploaded these videos. If you have any problems with sharing let me know and I will remove them immediately.

Just "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" Today

This is to be the first of many music posts. I had planned today to talk about one of the songs from my music appreciation class but i was inspired otherwise. One of the stores I work is a small neighborhood gas station that is part of the Piggly Wiggly located right before the bridge toward Folly Beach. Although I hated working there at first because it is a 45 minute drive from work I quickly fell in love with the small community and the people. You see the store isn't just a convenience store it is also a place of social connection for those who live in the neighborhood. Everybody knows everybody and looks out for everyone else. I see the same people everyday (some of them three times a day). You can often see a group of people standing outside the store talking about everything and nothing and just shooting the breeze. Unlike my other stores it tends to be a very relaxed atmosphere just as any beach store should be. A couple weeks ago, I was standing in this store when suddenly Otis Redding's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" comes over the Store radio. Unconsciously I start moving my body to the music even though at the time I didn’t know the song by heart or the artist. The cashier laughs at me and I say that "I didn’t even realize i was moving. Some songs just have a rhythm that your mind cant really ignore!" Three people who were just kinda hanging out said "That is Otis Redding for you!". I said I didnt really know who he was but his music had a nice sound and I knew I had heard some of his music in movies or on the radio. One lady said, you really don’t know he is! He died in a plane crash years a go. I promised to look him up when I got home. She then said, “There is a reason why this song means so much to me!” As she said this, she suddenly seemed very emotional. She said that Otis wrote the song when she was in college. It was a time when the fight for civil rights was in full swing. There were bars and stores that banned "colored people", as they called them then, from entrance. Riots could break out at any time in the streets. There was a night when she was just hanging out with some of her buddies. One of her close friends got a little buzzed and he started singing the recently released song, Otis Redding's “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” to the top of his lungs. The next day he was killed in a riot. This song will forever be edged into her memory because of this last memory with him and when she hears it, She “will be reminded of her friend and the pain of those years so long a go.” I could really feel her pain as told me this story and I will never look at this song the same way again. After doing some research, I found that there are a lot of people who had similar stories about this song. It was actually released a month after Otis Redding died from a sudden car crash at the age of 26. It was recorded a few days before his death and some sources say it was unfinished – that he meant to write lyrics later to the one verse that was whistled instead of sung. Regardless, it was in January 1968 and became the one song of his that became the top hit on the Billboard 100. Otis wrote this song about himself and it quite interesting that he wrote a biographical song months before his death. It is a part of the legacy he left behind. Below are the lyrics and the video. Feel free to leave any comments or stories about the song or the man, Otis Redding himself!

(SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY
- written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper
- lyrics as recorded by Otis Redding December 7, 1967, just three
days before his death in a plane crash outside Madison, Wisconsin
- #1 for 4 weeks in 1968

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothin's gonna come my way

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

(whistle)

Sources:http://www.lyricsdepot.com/otis-redding%25/sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%28Sittin%27_On%29_The_Dock_of_the_Bay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_redding

http://www.otisredding.com