by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Oct 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
I think most of us, including children, have feelings about war. We are introduced to it in countless ways – seeing footage on the news, listening to an ancient fable at bedtime, hearing about relatives who served. War is something we each deal with in our own way....
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Sep 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
I love looking at these shots from our last retreat at the Carey Center in Rensselaerville, NY. They remind me of so many moments of beauty throughout the weekend… Starting with how, as the soldiers, songwriters, staff, and volunteers arrived, one by one, they paused...
by SWS | Jul 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
I’m a person. I’m an American, and damn proud of it. I’m a Texan, and glad I live here. I’m a Veteran, and thankful for all the amazing experiences I’ve had because of my service. I’ve been diagnosed with PTSI. No single one of...
by SWS | Jul 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
I’m speechless. As those who know me can attest, me speechless is a rare thing, indeed. SongwritingWith:Soldiers founder Darden Smith once said, “As A.J. would put it, ‘Why use four words when you can use four hundred?’” And yet… Here I sit, and I find myself unable...
by SWS | Jul 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
About four years ago I wrote a song with my friend Radney Foster called “Angel Flight.” The song changed my life. We wrote it for the Texas National Guard, to honor the pilots who fly the planes that bring fallen soldiers home. Radney put the song on his Revival CD,...
by SWS | Jul 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
The days and weeks after a SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat can be a difficult time for me. The stories I hear during the writing sessions stick around. They revisit me and alter my step in unseen but unmistakable ways. Sometimes it’s just a mood, a darkness that...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Jun 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
Here is Palermo Deschamps – participant in the April retreat. He’s holding one of two walking sticks he brought with him. He carved them himself. I know he is a sports fan so I texted him during the NBA finals, saying – “Can you believe this series?” I got this...
by Mary Judd, Co-founder and Board Member | Jun 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” Duke Ellington Few things are more powerful than turning a hurt into something that feels good. It’s something our souls yearn to do, but it isn’t always easy, and often we aren’t very good at it. In...
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