From Albion And Beyond

26/06/2024

Priorities… 😂

26/06/2024

25/06/2024

25/06/2024

Please remember to cut your plastic holders before discarding.

24/06/2024

There’s a little village outside of Birmingham called Frankley & someone has ‘enhanced’ the sign for it.. 😂😂

23/06/2024

7 mile tailback on the M62 today so the ice cream man started selling ice creams 😂 only in the UK

21/06/2024

Coming up this week on FAAB for your listening pleasure and enjoyment:

Fairport Convention - Medley: - Medley: The Lark in the Morning/Rakish Paddy/Fox Hunter's Jig/Toss The Feathers/Intro

James Vincent McMorrow - Look Up!! - Wide Open, Horses - Nettwerk Music Group www.jamesvmcmorrow.com
Keaton Henson - Try (feat. Daniel Herskedal) - Somnambulent Cycles - Mercury KX www.keatonhenson.com
Louise Rogan & Chris Rogan - The Scillonian Sailor - Things That Matter - Independent Release www.louiseandchrisrogan.com/

TRÚ- Lovely Molly - Live In Belfast - www.tru-music.com/
Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower - Space Between Stars - Even Days Dissolve - Golden Hum Recordings www.scotturquhart.bandcamp.com
Iron & Wine - Taken By Surprise - Light Verse - Sub Pop Records www.ironandwine.com

James Vincent McMorrow - Wide Open, Horses - Wide Open, Horses - video: www.youtube.com/
Keaton Henson - Us Together - Somnambulent Cycles - video: www.youtube.com/
Louise & Chris Rogan - The Twilight - Things That Matter - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg6cUWiXIO0

TRÚ - Rebel Song - Live In Belfast - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XeR_qeiYv0&pp=ygUEVFLDmg%3D%3D
Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower - Even Days Dissolve - Even Days Dissolve - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3al6rUjF8
Iron & Wine - Yellow Jacket - Light Verse - video: www.youtube.com/

James Vincent McMorrow: "Irish singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow made his name in the 2010s with a dreamy and soulful brand of indie folk centered around his supple vocals. While his albums Post Tropical (2013) and the chart-topping We Move (2015), firmly established him as both a critical and commercial success, he also gained renown for his delicate renditions of hits by Steve Winwood and Chris Isaak, which could be heard on high-profile advertising campaigns. Hints of lush pop and R&B infiltrated his sound in the latter part of the decade and he remained largely silent for two years until the 2020 release of the intimate "Headlights" single, which preceded his fifth LP, 2021's Grapefruit Season. The following year he issued two eight-track full-lengths. The Less I Knew appeared in June, while Heavyweight Champion of Dublin 8 was scheduled for a fall release.

McMorrow began his musical life when he was well into his teens. Initially a drummer, he was drawn to the harsh sounds of At the Drive-In, Refused, and Glassjaw. He mellowed some while at college, where he discovered the more acoustic-oriented sounds of Sufjan Stevens and Band of Horses. He picked up a guitar at 19 after hearing Donny Hathaway's "I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know," and began writing songs and digging into the music of the '70s singer/songwriter era, particularly from female artists (because of the pitch of his own voice).

Eventually developing a writing and performance style that suited him, McMorrow began playing shows in local pubs, where he was received warmly. He decided to record an album, moving into a small house on Ireland's coastline and holing up with his guitar, a keyboard, a microphone, a computer, and several other instruments. He wrote and cut what would eventually become his debut self-titled EP, and his first album, Early in the Morning. The full-length was released by Believe Recordings in Ireland in March of 2010, and was greeted with very favorable reviews, a top chart spot, a Choice Music nomination, platinum sales, and appearances at Royal Festival Hall and on Later…with Jools Holland while on tour. The album was released in the U.S. later that year on Vagrant." - excerpt from Thom Jurek's biography at www.allmusic.com/artist/james-vincent-mcmorrow-mn0002127419

Keaton Henson: "is a musician, artist and composer from England he doesn’t like to talk about himself." - www.keatonhenson.com

Louise & Chris Rogan: "A classy offering from the classy father and daughter duo. For those who don’t yet know, Rogan Senior has a rich, warm voice, providing the perfect base against which Louise is allowed to soar, her voice having been described as ‘unrivalled on the current folk scene’.

Such is the bond between them that it is both a surprise and ironic that so many songs on the album are based on separation. Separation by conscription (‘The White Cockade’ – one of the few non-original songs on the album, though two of the three feature additions by either Louise or Chris), naval service, emigration, conflict and death. That said, it all comes good in the end, as the final track brings us John Doyle’s ‘Exiles Return’.

In true folk tradition, there’s a strong sense of history throughout. Beyond the subjects referred to above, there are shipwrecks, escape from the Irish Famine aboard the ‘Jeanie Johnson’, which carries the hopes fears and indeed new born of Daniel and Margaret to the New World, and the same ship makes a reappearance in the final song, carrying the exiles on their return journey. Conversely, there is no escape for a highwayman and the duo celebrate the solidarity of the Lancashire textile workers with American slaves, telling how they refused to handle the cotton they picked.

The exception to all the above comes in the opening, title, track which is much more personal – though in a way that strikes a universal chord, as we are reminded of those aspects of life that bring us true meaning.

What truly makes the album memorable are the voices, individually and together, blending harmonies, taking turns or just following each other as the material suits. There are points where voices – particularly Louise - has been looped or multitracked, providing an almost ethereal feel. It should also be noted that while the voices provide the highlights, they are no slouches instrumentally and Chris’s guitar has a fine tone that compliments and accentuates without ever dominating proceedings.

Overall, a hugely enjoyable listen – if you have seen them live, then a great reminder of time well spent and just the album for the car journey from Wigan to Chester (and another listen on the way back) – trust me, you won’t regret it!

At the time of writing, Louise is out on a solo tour – our advice is to get there if you can!" - Damien Liptrot review at www.folknorthwest.co.uk/music-louise-chris-rogan-things-that-matter.html

TRÚ: "The band's name nods to their shared heritage. The trú was a mythological trio of poet-musicians in ancient Ulster. They were revered throughout the Celtic world, some believing their songs and stories came to them from the future. Others maintained that the trú were possessed by spirits during performance. As such, they were considered gatekeepers to the Otherworld.

It’s here where this Irish trio draws their inspiration. Michael Mormecha, Zachary Trouton and Dónal Kearney grew up with different musical palettes, but also came from distinct cultural identities as children of the Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland. The trio has mixed heritage (British-Ukrainian and Irish Nationalist) and together they have fostered an unusual and fruitful collaborative ethos based on respect and exploration. Leaning into their individuality, an eclectic repertoire of influences (from Clannad to Nine Inch Nails via Joni Mitchell and The Beatles) makes for an intriguing chemistry."- www.tru-music.com/

Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower: "Scott William Urquhart is an instrumental acoustic guitarist from Stirling. A profusely talented musician, his playing spans an expansive folk style that also incorporates elements of improvisation and blues. Constant Follower is the moniker of Stirling-based songwriter and producer Stephen McAll. His acclaimed debut 'Neither Is, Nor Ever Was' was released on legendary New York indie label Shimmy Disc in 2022; it was shortlisted for the 2022 SAY Award and found its way onto multiple ‘Best Albums of 2021’ lists, leading to a string of notable performances including Austin’s SXSW in 2022 and 2023.

Even Days Dissolve is an enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians. Urquhart’s masterful acoustic guitar playing provides a stunning framework for the album, imbuing the songs with a moving sense of atmosphere, and sounding both elegant and robust against the backdrop of McAll’s gently guiding electronics and soothing vocal. Central to the album is the duo’s nod of respect to ‘the grand old man of Scottish poetry’, Norman MacCaig. The great man’s unmistakable words and inimitable voice feature on two tracks, set over the backdrop of exquisitely crafted songs characterised by their shared gentle humour, precise observation and love for the natural world." - www.sayaward.com/album/11b55823-1a71-11ee-bc8f-125e1a8de885

Iron & Wine: "Sam Beam is a singer-songwriter who has been creating music as Iron & Wine for over a decade. Through the course of seven albums, numerous EPs and singles, and the initial volumes of an Archive Series - Iron & Wine has captured the emotion and imagination of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs." - www.ironandwine.com/about/
www.mixcloud.com/FromAlbionAndBeyond/from-albion-and-beyond-240622

Dublin, Ireland S/S James Vincent McMorrow opens each half from his 7th album "Wide Open, Horses" & continues to plumb the depths & test the edges ofhis music; London,UK composer Keaton Henson follows on from his soundscape of sub-conscious-floating soothing "Somnambulent Cycles"; & Manchester,UK fa...

15/06/2024

https://youtu.be/7f3tTOrX49k?si=Nsl1aDBdIw6ILEJ0
.. but not forgotten...

Isaac Guillory At The Albert Hole Bristol 26th April 95

14/06/2024

Coming up this week on FAAB for your listening pleasure and enjoyment... new releases and sadly remembering superb Scots S/S Rod Paterson RIP 5/30/2024
The Wilderness Yet – Black Eyed Susan - Westlin Winds - Scribe Records www.thewildernessyet.com
George Boomsma – Fallen - Promise Of Spring - Independent Release www.georgeboomsma.com/
Landless – The Wounded Hussar - Lúireach - Glitterbeat Records www.wearelandless.wordpress.com
Anna Tivel – Kindness Of A Liar - Living Thing - Fluff and Gravy Records www.annativel.com
Jeffrey Martin – Red Station Wagon - Thank God We Left The Garden - Fluff & Gravy Records www.jeffreymartinportland.bandcamp.com
Bring In The Spirit (Rod Paterson, Kirsten Easdale, Gregor Lowrey, Marc Duff, Pete Clark & Lionel McClelland) – India - Bring In The Spirit - Independent Release www.bringinthespirit.com video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbZI7_rBJGY

The Wilderness Yet – Chanticleer - Westlin Winds - video: www.youtube.com/
George Boomsma – Passing The Silence - Promise Of Spring - video: www.youtube.com/
Landless – Death and the Lady - Lúireach - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cbbq1GZ_gA

Anna Tivel - Disposable Camera - Living Thing - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApIpsCVi_I
Jeffrey Martin – There Is A Treasure - Thank God We Left The Garden - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYZEvVg7Bpw
Rod Paterson - My Nanie, O - Robert Burns Vol 2: The Complete Songs - Linn Records video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKqjbyjmJ8

www.mixcloud.com/FromAlbionAndBeyond/from-albion-and-beyond-240615

The always superb Anglo-Irish trio The Wilderness Yet open each half of this week's program from their "Westlin Winds" of 8 choice trad tracks & a blistering original gem; North Yorks S/S George Boosma follows on from his 6th! release "The Promise of Spring"- loss of a family member captured in in t...

14/06/2024

Coming up this week on FAAB for your listening pleasure and enjoyment:

The Wilderness Yet – Black Eyed Susan - Westlin Winds - Scribe Records www.thewildernessyet.com
George Boomsma – Fallen - Promise Of Spring - Independent Release www.georgeboomsma.com/
Landless – The Wounded Hussar - Lúireach - Glitterbeat www.wearelandless.wordpress.com

Anna Tivel – Kindness Of A Liar - Living Thing - Fluff & Gravy Records www.annativel.com
Jeffrey Martin – Red Station Wagon - Thank God We Left The Garden - Fluff & Gravy Records www.jeffreymartinportland.bandcamp.com
Bring In The Spirit (Rod Paterson, Kirsten Easdale, Gregor Lowrey, Marc Duff, Pete Clark & Lionel McClelland) – India - Bring In The Spirit - Independent Release www.bringinthespirit.com video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbZI7_rBJGY

The Wilderness Yet – Chanticleer - Westlin Winds - video: www.youtube.com/
George Boomsma – Passing The Silence - Promise Of Spring - video: www.youtube.com/
Landless – Death and the Lady - Lúireach - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cbbq1GZ_gA

Anna Tivel - Disposable Camera - Living Thing - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApIpsCVi_I
Jeffrey Martin – There Is A Treasure - Thank God We Left The Garden - video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYZEvVg7Bpw
Rod Paterson - My Nannie, O - Robert Burns Vol 1: The Complete Songs - Linn Records video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKqjbyjmJ8

The Wilderness Yet: "The Wilderness Yet combines the acclaimed talents of folksinger Rosie Hodgson, traditional fiddler Rowan Piggott, and guitarist-flautist Philippe Barnes. They have earned audiences’ esteem as consummate musicians & singers, weaving an eclectic tapestry of traditional and original songs; a ca****la three-part harmonies to luscious instrumental arrangements. From their eponymous debut The Wilderness Yet (2020), to their seasonal celebration Turn The Year Round (2021), to their last studio album, What Holds The World Together (2022), The Wilderness Yet have have consistently created genre-breaking music earning them hundreds of first class reviews from the global music press, airplay on the BBC & RTÉ, and performances at festivals from Cambridge to Folk by the Oak.

Rowan Piggott: A traditional musician who grew up in the foothills of the Burren on the west coast of Ireland, Rowan is a fine singer with a “deep understanding and feel for tradition” (FolkWords) and is known for his Songhive Project. A workshop leader, serial tunebook author, and the winner of the ‘Future of Young Folk Award’ at Bromyard Folk Festival, he was cover-boy for The Living Tradition after releasing his solo album Mountscribe.

Rosie Hodgson: With a voice that brings “a ruby-richness to lyrics new and old" (Folk Radio UK), it’s no surprise that Rosie has been a finalist for the BBC Young Folk Award. After a successful EP and the eponymous album from Crossharbour, she recorded her debut album Rise Aurora to critical acclaim, producing what fRoots called “audible magic”. Rosie’s own songs are heavily influenced by the English tradition and her love of literature and the environment.

Philippe Barnes: is well-known on the folk scene as a virtuosic flautist, but is an equally magnificent guitarist! Since completing an MA in Irish Music Performance at University of Limerick, Philippe has toured with the David Munnelly Band, All Jigged Out, Dizraeli and the Small Gods and Crossharbour (alongside Rosie!) As a session musician he appears regularly on film/tv soundtracks and has recently recorded an album with pianist Tom Phelan.

George Boomsma: "is singer songwriter from Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Having been honing his song-writing craft and live performances over the past decade, George has been gaining some well-earnt attention and acclaim. His pure voice and tumbling guitar make for a bewitching combination, with a maturity and poetic lyricism that have left audiences around the country entranced. His songs reflect on themes from navigating relationships, family, self-acceptance, grief and finding a path forward despite uncertainties.

He has been invited to support and perform alongside many established artists such as Richard Thompson, Scott Matthews, Katherine Priddy, Gaby Moreno, Kathryn Williams and The Travelling Band. On top of these live performances, his music been featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, RTE Radio 1 and BBC Radio Ulster." - www.georgeboomsma.com

Landless are: Lily Power, Méabh Meir, Ruth Clinton and Sinéad Lynch.
The Irish quartet sings centuries old ballads as well as more recently penned folk songs. Sometimes unaccompanied and at times with subtle instrumentation, their vocally rich music is dark and patient; spellbinding and gorgeous.

Lúireach is their second album and as with their acclaimed debut Bleaching Bones (2018), it is produced by John ‘Spud’ Murphy, known for his work with artists such as Lankum and ØXN.

Folk music emerging from Dublin seems to be everywhere at the moment – demonstrated most clearly by Lankum gaining a host of ‘Album of the Year’ nods at the end of 2023 – but it would be a mistake to call this a movement, much less any kind of revival. While Lankum, John Francis Flynn, Ye Vagabonds, Lisa O’Neill et al might be new to a lot of audiences, these artists have been exploring and expanding what folk music can be for years, decades even. And this is just as true of Landless, the quartet who’ve been singing together since 2013, finding each other through the traditional singing scene in the city and, crucially, the Sacred Harp singing community.

Working once again with John ‘Spud’ Murphy (the Lankum producer and ØXN member), Lúireach sees the quartet adding sparingly-used instrumentation – Ruth’s aching pump organ on Death & The Lady, Méabh’s shruti box on Ej Husari, Lankum’s Cormac MacDiarmada on fiddle, viola and banjo throughout, even some mournful trombone from Alex Borwick on The Newry Highwayman. As Lily explains, “A lot of the instrumentation happened organically as we were recording, while some elements we have used live for years, like the organ. We tend not to make these kinds of decisions in advance, but make suggestions as we go and see how everyone feels about it. Hopefully the album still has the impact of the unaccompanied singing, with a bit of variation this time around.”

The songs on Lúireach are from remarkably diverse sources and eras: the likes of Blackwaterside, Death & The Lady and My Lagan Love (learned from Traveller Paddy Doran, Norma Waterson and Méabh’s late father respectively) are probably known to even the casual fan of traditional music, while Lúireach Bhríde was commissioned for the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2018 and the closing song Ej Husari was learned from teacher and singer Eva Brunovská at the annual Rozhybkosti festival in Slovakia. Some of these songs are centuries old, some remarkably recent, yet when sung by Landless, they all sound timeless and eternal.

Lúireach is an album of quiet power, soaked in tradition but finding new and exciting ways to present these remarkable songs, songs that are full of melancholy, love, death and mystery. Lúireach rewards your close attention." - excerpt www.landless.bandcamp.com/album/l-ireach

Anna Tivel: " is a Portland, OR-based songwriter who grounds her work in quiet stories of everyday struggle. She’s a keen and detailed observer, and the characters in her songs come alive in small moments of beauty and despair.
With three full-length albums out on Portland’s well-loved Fluff & Gravy Records and a fourth due out this spring, Tivel spends her time writing and touring the US and overseas. Her most recent album, ‘Small Believer,’ was produced by guitar mastermind Austin Nevins (Josh Ritter, Anais Mitchell) and released in September of 2017. NPR praised the album, saying it “repeatedly achieves this exquisite balance of the quotidian and the sublime with imagery that's deeply poetic.” Her previous album, Heroes Waking Up was hailed by Folk Radio UK as "a superb and sublime album from a
voice that deserves to be shouted from the highest rooftops.”"- www.concertedefforts.com

Jeffrey Martin: "On a small corner lot in southeast Portland, Oregon, Jeffrey Martin holed up through the winter recording his quietly potent new album Thank God We Left The Garden. Long nights bled into mornings in the tiny shack he built in the backyard, eight feet by ten feet. What began as demos meant for a later visit to a proper studio became the album itself, spare and intimate and true. Recorded live and alone around two microphones, Jeffrey often held his breath to wait for the low diesel hum of a truck to pass one block over on the busy thoroughfare. During the coldest nights, he timed recording between the clicks of the oil coil heater cycling on and off.

Martin’s fourth full length album, Thank God We Left The Garden comes out on Portland’s beloved Fluff and Gravy Records Nov 3. He produced and engineered it himself, recalling, “There was a magic quality to the sounds I was getting in the shack with these two cheap microphones, some lucky recipe of time and place that allowed my voice and the way I play guitar and the shape of these new songs to come together with the kind of honesty I was craving.”

So much has happened in the world since the release of his previous album One Go Around, and Jeffrey has filled the time doggedly, but happily, touring the US and Europe, watching it all unfold in a stream of small town conversations and city sprawl. In a moment where depth is so often traded for the instantaneous, where tech billionaires are building rockets to escape the planet, where the dead-eyed stare of artificial intelligence is promising to existentially upend our world, and where divisiveness in our culture is breeding delusional levels of certainty, Jeffrey Martin’s new record feels like a hopeful and fully human antidote.

The sounds feel warm, close, and refreshingly real, all held up by the richness and rare candor of Jeffrey’s voice. Production is restrained mostly to his guitar and vocals, with flashes of classical guitar for a tumbling wash of melody and low end color. Martin’s voice sits high above everything, reaching into new melodic territory that goes beyond his earlier work. “I feel like I’ve only just learned how to sing,” Martin said. “Like I’ve been chasing this record since my very first recordings. I wanted to really see what I could do, just my guitar and my voice and little else. I don’t think it was conscious. I think maybe it was a reaction to the pace of life these days. The churning news and entertainment and politics and violence of it all. I needed to know that even in this day and age, just a few simple ingredients still hold up.”

This is an album that craves your full attention, best experienced as a whole. Each song further illuminates the scene until you find yourself resting in the strangely comforting tangle of aliveness and meaning (and full spectrum of being alive./what it means to be alive.). At its core Thank God We Left The Garden is an album made of questions, humble and nuanced, a reverent celebration of the asking.

Whether singing about his own internal landscape, telling a story of someone else’s, or reflecting on the elusive relationship between scarcity and contentment, Martin’s writing never pushes the listener away, never points a finger. He sings of things we can all pin a memory on, holding the rough shorn gem of human experience up to the light.

Thank God We Left the Garden will be released on Fluff and Gravy Records on NOV 3, 2023. Subsequent touring will carry Jeffrey Martin through all of the US, Canada, and Europe. " - www.jeffreymartinportland.bandcamp.com/

Rod Paterson: RIP May 30 2024. Sublime Dundee via Calcutta singer/songwriter, masterful guitarist and tutor of Scots song at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He played in a number of groups, including Chorda Ceolbeg, the immensely influential Jock Tamson’s Bairns and The Easy Club , who merged folk with more of a jazz/swing style, and latterly with Bring In the Spirit with whom he made his final recording earlier this year. He is widely regarded as the finest Scots singer of his generation, with an unforgettable voice, particularly renowned for his Burns interpretations .

Bring In The Spirit: "combines the incomparable, sophisticated vocals of Rod Paterson and Kirsten Easdale with the sublime, sensitive accordion playing of Gregor Lowrey.

Rod Paterson (Vocals/ Guitar) is widely regarded as the foremost male traditional singer in Scotland, he was a founder member of ‘Jock Tamson’s Bairns’ and ‘The Easy Club’.

Kirsten Easdale (Vocals/ Bodhran) a founder member of top Celtic band ‘Calasaig‘ is renowned for her beautiful and powerful voice, she has performed at major international events worldwide.

Gregor Lowrey (Accordion) is recognised as one of Scotland’s finest accordion players, he has performed and recorded with many bands, including ‘Black Eyed Biddy’, and most recently with Gavin Marwick’s ‘Journeyman Spectacular’.

Bring In The Spirit also perform as a 4 piece band, with the inclusion of either the unique multi- instumental talents of Marc Duff or the superb fiddle playing of Pete Clark.

Marc Duff (Whistles/ Bouzouki/ Bodhran) was a founder member of Scotland’s premier Gaelic band ‘Capercaillie’ with whom he recorded 7 albums.

Pete Clark (fiddle) has performed and recorded with many notable musicians over the years, he is the Director of the annual ‘Neil Gow Fiddle Festival’ in Dunkeld, Perthshire. " - www.bringinthespirit.com/Bringinthespirit

www.mixcloud.com/FromAlbionAndBeyond/from-albion-and-beyond-240615

The always superb Anglo-Irish trio The Wilderness Yet open each half of this week's program from their "Westlin Winds" of 8 choice trad tracks & a blistering original gem; North Yorks S/S George Boosma follows on from his 6th! release "The Promise of Spring"- loss of a family member captured in in t...

08/06/2024

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,
I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his books.
I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.
They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.
His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him...
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.'
They really should get lives.
' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.
As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.
I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
With my friends.
He said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.
I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!
' He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never
Be a problem.
He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
I teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school..
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous!
Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled....
' Thanks,' he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began...
'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.
Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends....
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.
I am going to tell you a story.'
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met.
He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
'Thankfully, I was saved.
My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.'
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions.
With one small gesture you can change a person's life.
For better or for worse.
God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.
Look for God in others.
You now have two choices, you can:
1) Pass this on to your friends or
2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart.
As you can see, I took choice number 1.
'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'
There is no beginning or end..Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
I hope you all have a blessed day and lots of gifts ahead of you a great great truth

Credit: Respective Owner ( DM for credit or removals )