so some of you that are close to me know that my uncle willie just recently past away. coincidentally, i had been having a pretty f'd up day already, so to get that news as i was driving...well let's say, i had to pull over and take a few moments. soon after, i took a trip to my birth state of Alabama for the service. driving down the long, windy, two-lane highway, i found myself deeply reflecting on my childhood. The closer i traveled to my grandparents farmland, the more vivid my memories became. shit it had been 9 years since i'd gone home (nine years).  my family was really excited to see me. we're the type to put food on the grill and pull out some adult beverages for any celebration, so as you realize, this occassion was mAjor. but i kept asking myself, "why so long since you've visited the land?" hey we all know how life gets, right? for me, i'd left college, traveled playing music, moved to a new state, made music with some amazing people, and had a family. so i'd been too busy developing a career to just take a moment to go back to where i came from. damn!! but no more, i vowed to just take a moment, if even a stolen moment, to really get grounded. unfortunately for me, it took my uncle willie passing away to bring me back home, but in doing so, i'm focused again! focused on what that land had taught me and what my family had instilled, BE STRONG, WORK HARD, LIVE ON!

thanks uncle willie.