My turn this time

It has been awhile since I have just written on the blog...about things going on in the world of SR and my life...so decided it was time to do so.  There are some truly amazing things happening this year...we seem to be reaching out to a different group of kids who are joining SR for some truly wonderful reasons.  First of all, our exploding St. Louis site has made us all so excited there...they have nearly tripled their site in the weeks since mid-Jan...and there seems to be no stop to this growth.  We are currently in the process of adding a 2nd site near there...in Centralia, IL...and I do feel this will become a new site...from a great set of shows we did for a Lutheran school.  Then, we move onto all the new folks coming into Watertown, SD from the marathon of shows we did there...again, it is amazing to see kids of all ages come into the SR family.  I am excited to see them all again this coming Wed at practice...and all that they have done since I was last up there.  Our Inman, KS site has not grown in quite awhile, and suddenly, we have doubled it...with an influx of new high school members and 2 adults.  That has made everyone there SO happy...and excited.  One young lady and I had a sad, but yet wonderfully connecting, talk about her life.  She is a senior in high school and feels that her entire life has been filled with people who backstab her...who say they are her friend (or family member) but then, hurt her deeply when they feel they are not getting from her what they want.  She first saw a show in Marion, KS back in the fall, and the Believe in Herself step made her cry when she realized that she did NOT believe in herself.  In fact, she did not know how to do this...since she feels that her life has been one failure after another, especially in terms of connecting with other people.  We left that evening with her having a new light in her eyes as she realized that her new drumming SR friends were NOT going to do these things to her and that perhaps she had finally found a place that she could not only learn to drum...and have fun...and have friends, but she could also finally start to learn how to Believe in Herself.

Many of our other sites have added new folks this year already as well...and many of the new members are high school aged...which is awesome to see...especially because it rounds out the age groups...to have a site with elementary, junior high, high school, and adults all drumming together really does have a special strength and special power all to itself.  I hope hearing these things reminds you all once again of the amazing amount of lives we are touching each and every day in SR...and reminds you all again of the important of connecting with each other in EVERY way that we can.  

That does include HERE as well.  I know that reading the blog everyday is impossible...I cannot even write everyday (and will not be back online this week until FRIDAY since we are jam packed this week with shows, practices, and long drives)...so this gives everyone ALL week to do me one big favor...

TAKE A CHANCE!

So many of you are reading the blog...but still feeling shy/uncomfortable/unsure of how to comment, what to say...or whatever it is that might be holding you back.  I know you are reading it because you are telling me so at practice...everyday I hear this.  Then I hear things like "I don't know what to say...or someone already said it"...and I want to encourage you all to NOT WORRY ABOUT IT.  There is no right thing to say...there is no need to write as much as I do (or some of the daily bloggers do)...there is no need to worry about spelling (try not to text-speak in the blogs please!)...there is no need to worry about being deep in your comments...it is NOT about any of that...it is about finding a way to CONNECT that goes beyond drumming, practice, and even mission projects.  Even if you only make ONE comment a month, or ONE comment a quarter, or ONE comment a year on here...you have still done a very important thing...and that is connected with your fellow SR drummers all over the country...and you have stood up and said HERE I AM...and you have shared something from your heart...and I will tell you all one thing...right now, at this time and place in America's history, we need all voices to be heard...all people to be connected...and all of us to realize that we cannot continue to divide ourselves into ever-smaller groups...ever more bitter citizens, and ever-more lost kids who feel they have no place to belong, no friends in life, and no future to look forward to.

So, even if your blog comment reads something like "My favorite pizza is Godfather's taco pizza" (which mine is!)...COMMENT that...write it...let your voice be heard...and be part of our SR community in one more way.  We need to show unity to the world in all ways...and this is just one more...that you can all learn from and feel good about...at least I hope so!  I don't want you to feel pressured, or intimidated, or anything other than one feeling...that you can safely Take A Chance on here and do Whatever It Takes to reach out to others who you may not know...but share with them something...sometime...as much as you can, or as little as you have time for.

I hope this empowers some of you to say HEY on here.  We would love to see that :)

To all reading this...remember you are the greatest...and you make everyone in SR proud everyday simply because of what we stand for...unity through music, power through percussion, and strength through building lasting connections and friendships throughout America.

This will have to tide you all over until Friday...so until then...comment on :)

Blessings, 

Steve