We’re riding through Yellowstone Park.  We’ve never been here before.  We’ve imagined its grandeur, anticipating breathtaking beauty everywhere we turned.  We drive through the old stone gate.  We’re in the park. And now we see what it really looks like.

A bunch of charred trees.

We learn later that the evergreen forests of the west actually count on fires to keep them healthy.  Because the only way the pine cones will open and spread their seeds is from extreme heat generated by something like a fire.  Life coming from death.

We see whole hillsides covered in nothing but the black trees that stand like toothpicks.  A stark contrast to the sunlit sky. And then we see the new growth. Still small.  Partly hidden.  But definitely life.  Springing up out of the charred sentries that grace the forest.

My life has done that too.

A new one forged from the charred remains of my heart after Jerry died.  As sudden as a forest fire, his death left turned my heart and my life into cinders.

And yet.

The fire caused other seeds to release.  Sprout.  Even flourish.

So today, on the anniversary of Jerry’s death, I want to remember and celebrate the life we had together.  The memories we made.  And the life I have now.

Just as vibrant.  Just as beautiful. With some tears mixed in for the life that died that day.

My new life doesn’t forget the old.  And it doesn’t live in the shadow of it either.  I’ve incorporated what was into what is. Letting the ashes of my old life fertilize the new.

So I wrote a song.  With my friend Drew Lawrence.  It’s called “Making Memories”.  Because the memory of the joy Jerry and I shared on a motorcycle trip to Montana has been a beacon to remind me of the joy I can experience right here an now.  That you can experience too.  Even if you’re riding through a burned-out forest with the lingering smell of ash.

If you want a taste of the joy and freedom of the open road under the big Montana sky, then check out this video I created to accompany the song.  A little slice of heaven from the back of a motorcycle.  A life that’s ending was sudden and final.  A life that contained the seeds of the one I have now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLAi7v43AKE

So let’s dance.  Sing.  Rejoice in the life we have right here.  Right now.  Let’s make today a memory we cherish as much as the memory I have of our trip to Montana.  What do you want to remember today?  Leave a comment and share.

P.S., At some point I'm going to make this song available as a single.  I'll let you know as soon as it happens.  (But first I have to figure out how to do that.)  In the meantime, you're the first to be able to hear this song.  Feel free to share with your friends.  And don't forget to dance!