For You to See the Stars

Real Life Resilience

“How did you get into my living room?” That’s what people ask country music singer/songwriter Radney Foster. His songs get to the heart of heartbreak, and life in general. But are his songs borne from experience? You bet!

Radney Foster, Iconic Country Music Singer/Songwriter

Highlights from the interview:

• Radney has written a book of short stories that match with songs on his album. Both are entitled: For You to See the Stars. Autographed copies can be ordered at radneyfoster.com
• Radney believes you have to get in there and dig around in your soul when you write. That’s when you know you’re doing it right.
• His book writing got a jump start when he fell ill with laryngitis and couldn’t speak for six weeks.
• Robert Frost quote: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”
• When his ex-wife took their 5-year-old son and moved to France

Radney’s song, Godspeed, written and played for his son:
More Radney Foster music and videos here.

Listen to the episode for the full story.

Bonus material:

Stacy’s Journal

Welcome to Stacy’s Journal! In this segment, I let you peek into my journal as I share my thoughts on a topic or resilience resource. Everyone gets angry sometimes. Often, it’s from events that are out of your control, like Radney’s ex-wife taking their son to France. Radney knew that anger and hatred would destroy him and he had to dig deep to figure out how to forgive the wrong. We’ve all experienced injustices – both large and small. In addition to therapy, which is incredibly helpful, prayer and meditation provided Radney with the means to get through his emotions. This is similar to last week’s guest, Ed Cyzewski, who has written about contemplative prayer. Doing the inner and outer work necessary to bring peace will help you overcome anger. Science backs the benefits of meditation too. Studies have shown that brain signaling during meditation increases in the left side of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for positive emotions, while activity decreases in the right side, responsible for negative emotions. My favorite meditation app is called Headspace. If you don’t know how to meditate and want an easy way to get started, check out the headspace app to build your serenity.

That’s all we have for today. Hey, remember you can go to RadneyFoster.com and get an autographed book and CD. Radney told me he autographs these while he’s watching ball games on TV. Last episode, Ed Cyzewski shared his thoughts on contemplative prayer and contemplative writing – so if you need a great way to stop distracting yourself from real life and become more present in the moment, you might want to go back and have a listen. Next week, we’ll interview Dr. Dan Allender who talks about the trauma of shame and the agreements we make with ourselves to hide that shame, so if you know anyone who may have been silenced by shame, be sure to stay tuned.

I love interacting with our listeners on social media. We’re on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and just about anywhere you can hold a great virtual conversation. Plus, I answer all my emails personally, so feel free to email me: stacy{at}stacybrookman{dot}com.

100 Most Important Memoirs of the Past 200 Years

This week’s memoir is: West With The Night by Meryl Markham, written in 1942

When Markham flew across the Atlantic, no pilot had yet flown non-stop from Europe to New York, and no woman had made the westward flight solo. After a 20-hour flight she crash-landed in Nova Scotia. Despite falling short of her goal, she had become the first woman to cross the Atlantic east-to-west solo, and the first person to make it from England to North America non-stop.

Click on the graphic to learn about this memoir and all of the most important memoirs of the past 200 years…

About: Radney Foster

As a young musician straight out of Texas, Radney Foster spent the lengthy drives in between tour stops reading the likes of John Steinbeck, Larry McMurtry, and Harper Lee. Over 30 years of artist cuts later, there is no question that he himself is an established storyteller. Whether it’s navigating the ever-changing music industry or battling a sudden, terrifying illness – Foster definitely has a story to tell.

Links:

Website: http://radneyfoster.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RadneyFoster

Instagram: http://instagram.com/radneyfoster