reaching up

beauty from ashes.

kristen wright — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:12:30 +0000

You, O God, will bring beauty from ashes.

“A traffic signal will be installed at 15th and Wedgewood this summer, and roundabouts are planned for the 15th/Acklen intersection and between the garages (North Garage, Baskin Garage, New building garage) to ease traffic flow.”

the beginning.

kristen wright — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:58:31 +0000

This past week has been pretty overwhelming. On the 29th I had the honor of performing two of my originals at Belmont’s Fall Follies (A comedy show very similar to SNL with featured musical guests.) I’ve dreamt of playing Follies for the past four years when I first saw the Delta Saints play the event. I auditioned last year but didn’t make it through the large sea of qualified musicians. This year I upped my game with a new song, “Quitter.”

This post isn’t really about playing Follies. And although it was an absolute dream come true, it really represents something else: the beginning. The night before Follies, I prayed to God that this would be the day I dare to hope for my musical career. I had no idea how much He would respond with that prayer.

I’ve been working on my guitar and reinventing myself as an artists like crazy lately. I don’t think I was ready before. I needed a season to be at war with the changes of the wreck and decide if this is what I really wanted. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me a few times, one specific instance inspired “Quitter,” but I’ve been in a season of trying to obey God. I’m not sure how well I’ve been doing, but I know that for every inch I’m willing to give, He’s ready with miles.

“Quitter” has gone over really well with my peers. I must say, I love singing it. God is so mysterious, because I wrote the song in a lot of pride and anger over someone who hurt me, and God has taken that song and has used it to move others and draw them to Him (including me). I think people relate to recovery stories. They want to recover. They want to grow. They resonate with the truth that in the mess, there is one resounding truth, we’re all human beings created by the Savior and Creator of the universe.

I’m still learning what it means to be a forgiver, and I think the greatest lesson I have to learn is fully giving my life to God. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by how quickly God is moving my career forward. I almost forgot. God is the Author of Time. He will give me more songs to write in His timing. He will open up the opportunities and help me meet them in His timing. And my greatest priority should not be my music but making Him Lord over my life, which is no small task for a control freak.

So stick around. Things are really moving forward, fast. And I can’t think you enough for sticking it out with me this far. Lord knows it’s been a journey. Here’s to the beginning.

two years ago today.

kristen wright — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:53:42 +0000

there are so many things i want to tell you.

first, is that i intentionally did not want to anticipate this day with dread.
there are so many people who are chained to a day. or a season. or a feeling.
and so i had options. i could dread the anniversary of my wreck. i could put it out of my mind. or i could try to live a life of joy and come upon the day hoping not to find shackles on my heart.
i chose the latter.

so i came upon the week leading up to the anniversary without any consequence. aware of how much had changed this year and how much i remember from the past two years when fall comes. fall had always been my favorite of the seasons, and now, it is easy to let my mood change with the weather. it’s easier to occupy oneself with other thoughts when it is warm outside.

but i’ve been determined to bring about a new season with the fall, to redefine a time. and please don’t misunderstand, i’ve been doing really well. in fact, i’m very happy. i’ve been really working on my guitar, even left handed; and i’m getting so much better. i’m coming to realize how much God has in mind for me by relearning guitar. (more on this in the next post.) but God has taught me joy and i live and breathe in the challenge of it.

so i came upon the anniversary this week busy with my life. two days before i went on a walk with a good friend and we crossed the street to where the wreck took place. i’ve been back once before, but never by crossing the street. i could stand there and remember and i was fine. i’ve moved on. but yesterday was hard for a few hours.

i’m doing well today. and i am trying to understand why i was upset yesterday. it wasn’t the memories. it was remembering the journey and being on the journey.

i sometimes get overwhelmed by how much i want to do. how much i want to write, read, think, sing, dance, laugh. i want to learn, grow, work for my achievements, know people, explore new things, and love. i think one of the most important things that i’ve learned and i am still learning is to rejoice in sufferings.

how do we know joy on days like these?

if you find yourself dreading a day, i pray that you come to find joy. joy doesn’t always look like happiness, but i think the best way to describe it is trust. trust that there is something bigger than you. a God who is bigger than the moment you are in. trust requires letting go. i think it looks like acceptance. i think it feels like breathing. i think it moves in freedom. i pray for joy.

and i rejoice knowing that God knows my tomorrows.

love letter.

kristen wright — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:19:35 +0000

Love Letter, Written by Kristen Wright
Copyright 2011
Live at the Listening Room in Nashville TN
March 21, 2011

A sort of new song.

another story like mine.

kristen wright — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:20:28 +0000

occasionally wordpress gives me insight as to who is finding my blog. search engine results prove that there are some other finger amputees out there looking for a story like mine. i decided to do more digging today and found dj digs. a fellow “creativity-in-suffering” guitarist. check out his story.

loss unifies.

kristen wright — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 03:52:23 +0000

i met a fellow finger-amputee today in the bakery. i handed him his cookies and he said, “hey! you’re like me.” he showed me his missing ring finger and we talked for a moment like it was the most casual thing in the world. i wish there hadn’t been a line. we only had the opportunity to exchange a few words. i wanted to talk to him for hours, as if he were my long lost uncle.

i think a lot of amputees would agree. we’re all bonded together even as strangers. loss unifies.

i pray for joy.

kristen wright — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:25:15 +0000

great news.

i passed my piano proficiency exam at belmont! I can graduate…eventually! haha! but really, i am so happy to have accomplished this. turns out, it wasn’t as hard as i thought it would be. admittedly, they did edit parts of the exam to accommodate my impairment, but i also brought more to the table than they expected. so it turned out great! everest surmounted!

so update overall: i’m doing well. i’ve played three different shows around town this semester and i’ve written some really great songs that i love to play. i’ve made it through final exams and i’m home free for the summer!

i’ve made some recent decisions about my music. i’ve played “brave” a couple of times in public recently and i’ve decided that it may be time to move on. i don’t want to dwell on the accident anymore. i don’t want my music to always take me back to that time of suffering. i love “brave” and the songs i wrote after the accident, but i think there’s a difference between cherishing them and running them into the ground (along with my soul). i still intend to write songs from my heart, but i want to start writing with joy.

i pray for joy.

i want to bring peace and happiness into the lives of others…instead of displaying my past sufferings for the world every time i “open my face up and sing.” i will likely still write some sad songs (come on, it’s me), but i want to move forward instead of dwelling on the past.

so there, i said it. you probably wont hear “brave” again for a while. i’m in the throws of my magnificent summer and i intend to start bringing joy your way soon! stay tuned, and i love you all!

tumblr

kristen wright — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:32:43 +0000

i’ve started a tumblr account for an additional creative outlet! i will update it frequently, but i will still use this blog for my text-post purposes. the tumblr account will be a place to share brief thoughts, photos, videos, etc.

we could follow one another around:
kristenwright.tumblr. com

peace is well.

kristen wright — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:11:56 +0000

i am usually a pretty restless soul. i seek control in a world in which…well, i have no control. i cling to my pride. i hold onto my hurt. i fall into seasons of numbness. i am usually a mess most of the time.

i wrote “peace is well” at the start of this year. my new year’s resolution for 2011 is to let go. i found a lot of comfort in this verse:

matthew 13:44

“the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. when a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

i love Jesus’ parables. there is so much in this verse…and honestly, it is a little confusing. i am no theologian, nor have i attended seminary, but i read it as the peace of God’s kingdom is hidden within all of us. God has given it to us, but we have to seek it within. i think this treasure, this peace of God’s kingdom, is invaluable AND available.

so this song, is a song about letting go and seeking that peace–something i should wake up to learn every morning.

peace is well

weary wanderer, where’s your heart?
you’ve made getting by a fine art
you see your path but you travel slow
could it be the weight of your sleeping soul?
peace is waiting for you just let go

peace is well hidden in a field
we could run to it and teach it how to yield
and when we seek our harvest when our spirits fall
we will understand its beauty most of all

prodigal child feeling so alone
feeling so lost and far from home
maybe you just cannot see how the Father has been beckoning
peace is waiting for you just let go

peace is well hidden in a field
we could run to it and teach it how to yield
and when we seek our harvest when our spirits fall
we will understand its beauty most of all

peace is waiting for you just let go
peace is waiting for you just let go
peace is well
peace is well
peace is well

peace is well hidden in a field
we could run to it and teach it how to yield
and when we seek our harvest when our spirits fall
we will understand its beauty most of all

peace is waiting for you just let go
peace is waiting for you just let go

special thanks to the band! aaron smith (piano), kevin buchanan (cajon), leslie eiler (bgvs)

the chicken or the egg.

kristen wright — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:21:43 +0000

as promised, my video project is now available online! and for now, embedded exclusively here, on my wreck account blog! thank you to all of you who have kept up with my story. some of you come to me, ashamedly admitting that you have been reading, as if it is some sort of invasion of my privacy. don’t worry, i keep a private journal. this blog is for the purpose of the public eye. it means a great deal to me that you have been reading. so thank you.

the following video is something i put together with my awesome and generous friend, justin wylie, for a scholarship application. for those of you who have been following the blog from the beginning, you will understand why this is a really big deal for me. admittedly, i am playing right-handed guitar for this song. it is a little glimpse at the past and an open view of my current situation. this is the first song i wrote on my right-handed guitar following the accident. my guitar had been in his case for a very long time prior to this song…here’s how i felt about that:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/18247919

Kristen Wright | “The Chicken & The Egg” from Justin Wylie on Vimeo.

the chicken or the egg

does it really matter
what came first?
the chicken or the egg?
i don’t care
i don’t care

what am i supposed to do with this
new kind of loneliness?
a heart cut down
in the top of her pride

when i saw him today
i thought i would cry
and all i can ask is, “God,
why, why, why?”

i’ve learned that in loss
we’ve gotta love
even when no one understands
love with all we’ve got
cause that’s what the heart demands

You smile as i admit it
“i am weak”
and i cling to the feeling of Your lips
on my cheek

I’ve learned that in loss
we’ve gotta love
and he feels familiar in my hands
i’m gonna love with all i’ve got
cause that’s what my heart demands

happy new year everyone. here’s to more in 2011!