Taking Time for Being Thankful

The leaves are turning magnificent colors, the air is getting that nose nipping chill, the pumpkins are plump and the shops are decorating for the holidays. Our last holiday of the fall season is next week, a day of bounty, family, friends, memories, parades and ballgames. A day to reflect on what we have to be thankful for. For some, it may not be a good day, for others, it will be a day to be as stuffed as the turkey, and for others, perhaps just another day.

As I sit here right now, I have a lot to be personally thankful for. I have a good job that covers the bills and allows me to travel some, especially when I need to hear some good music and see that ‘handsome brown-eyed man’ named Taylor Hicks! I have a healthy family, two beautiful granddaughters who light up my day and two gorgeous cats that have to be with me constantly when I’m home. My home is warm and dry and the pantry is well-stocked. My SUV runs well and the tank is nearly full. Yes, I know I am blessed, and equally as bless as others. We are alive and we are free.

Perhaps as we sit around the family table this holiday, there are other things we can do to help others have a better holiday season. Taylor Hicks has brought a lot of us together through his music, and we are so much better for it. Our circle of friends has widened and made our lives more full.

This year, two fan boards have gotten together to help spread that joy to several less fortunate children in Taylor Hicks’ Birmingham hometown. The Official Soul Patrol (TOSP) and The Taylor Hicks Community (TTHC) have teamed up together to bring Christmas cheer to several Birmingham Salvation Army Angels this year. No donation is too small and any donation will be appreciated. If you’d like to help, go to one of the following site to sign up or donate – just remember – Taylor Hicks brought us together, and together we can Tay-it-Forward!

TOSP: http://www.theofficialsoulpatrol.com/Angel_Tree
THHC: http://thetaylorhickscommunity.com/angeltree

And one more thing that will also cost very little and will mean so much – saying thank you to a soldier healing at Walter Reed Medical Center this holiday season. To participate, send your cards and greeting to:

Recovering American Soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Finally, from the RagsQueen and the Traveling Circus -

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, RagsQueen, Traveling Circus, Taylor Hicks Community

Taylor Hicks and Supporting Our Troops

November 11 is the official day to remember our veterans, those men and women who have given their time and lives to serve and protect our country. As member of the Soul Patrol it’s also a time to remember how Taylor Hicks has supported our troops.

Shortly after winning American Idol Season 5’s contest, Taylor Hicks performed at the “Stadium of Fire” in Provo, UT in celebration of our armed forces. On the stage that night Taylor performed “Takin’ It to the Streets”, his original “The Deal” and his first single, “Do I Make You Proud”.

For those that attended a show during the Season 5 American Idol Summer Tour, you will recall that Taylor Hicks always dedicated his hit single, “Do I Make You Proud”, to the our troops. The first time I actually heard Taylor perform the song live and made the dedication I was deeply moved by his simple gesture of honoring those men and women of our armed forces.

Just before the winter holidays, Taylor Hicks performed at a USO show aboard the USS Ronald Reagan while it was docked in San Diego, CA. I’m sure those men and women along with their families enjoyed their time listening to Taylor’s music as he sang for their entertainment.

Taylor Hicks has continued to lend his support in honoring our troops by allowing his name to be used for the ‘Taylor Hicks, Proud of our Troops Drives’ where fans have sent books and CDs to our troops overseas and at Walter Reed Medical Center. The troop drive, started by Purplebutterflies, or Jean to those who know here, is a great way for Taylor’s fan to help share Taylor’s music and story with others.

When “Do I Make You Proud” was first released in the summer of 2006, the first CD drive took place. Later, when “Taylor Hicks”, Taylor’s first post-Idol CD was released, another drive occurred to send our troops copies of the music. Then in the summer of 2007 when Taylor’s memoir, “Heart Full of Soul” came out, a third drive was set up for books to be sent to our troops and a later drive helped send books to Walter Reed Medical Center for troops who were there for treatment from military injuries.

Solders’ Angels, a nonprofit organization located in Newbury Park, CA helps distribute those books and CDs to the troops. Amazon will actually ship books and CDs ordered directly from them to Solders’ Angels so that postage only has to be paid once, saving the sender additional money and hopefully allowing them to send even more CDs!

With the upcoming release of Taylor Hicks’ sophomore album in February 2009, I feel certain another drive will take place to continue spreading the music of Taylor as well as a way for us to support our troops.

So as Veterans’ Day approaches, may we remember those military personnel who have gone before and those who continue to support our country, to defend our freedoms and protect our safety.

And keep in mind that if you want to do something special for our troops, send copies of Taylor Hicks’ music or books to our troops to honor them and give them music to enjoy.

For additional information, please visit the following websites:
Taylor Hicks – Proud of Our Troops Drive
www.jewelrysprout.com/taylor-hicks-cd-drive.html

Soldiers’ Angels
http://www.soldiersangels.org/

Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, RagsQueen, Traveling Circus, Taylor Hicks Community

Our Own Taylor Hicks Journey

Taylor Hicks has been on his own personal journey, but so have his faithful followers known as the Soul Patrol. And man, what a wonderful journey we, those fans, have had……

Have you ever read something that left you with that ‘wishing you had written that’ feeling? Well, just the other day I was reading a new blog and that day’s entry at http://thetaylorhickscommunity.blogspot.com/ and that’s just how I felt after I had finished reading it. I immediately contacted the writer and requested permission to repost it here because I felt her words were exactly what I was thinking and she had said it the most eloquently!

"We've come so far....."

“Taylor has come from a young, hopeful musician recording his first album at 19, to the svelte, hand-jivin’ star of Grease! He has gone abroad, gone jamming, and gone to Broadway. He has parked the old van and has ridden beside the driver on his own luxury tour bus. He’s been in a bubble, a golf cart, and an ice cream cone. He’s been on the 5-story billboard on the corner of 47th Street and Broadway.”

“We have come from routines that sometimes bordered on boring to dealing with “general admission” and standing in one place much longer than God ever intended. We have boarded planes and trains, driven back roads, gotten lost, found our way and, in the end, always made it to wherever Taylor was. We know whomp, swamp rock, and blue-eyed soul. We read Rolling Stone—don’t tell the kids!”

“We’ve learned to live in cyberspace. We can upload, download, and overload. We blog, post, and embed. We write html, create videos, store pictures in a bucket, and respond to 253 emails while eating dinner.”

“What’s next? We went to Broadway to see Taylor as he invited us to do. Now, he is bringing Broadway to many of our hometowns! Spring will bring us new Taylor music. We see exciting prospects for the journey ahead. We’ve said it before…we will be there.”

“We know one thing for sure…our way will be inspired by Taylor Hicks. His quest for something more in his life has made our lives richer. Someone has said that it is not the destination but the journey that matters.”

“We’ve come so far. We still have far to go. Taylor recently wrote with the release of Early Works, “Thanks for coming on the ride.”

“Thanks, Taylor, for taking us!”


Ah, yes, thanks Taylor Hicks for showing us, particularly us older fans, that we aren’t dried up old prunes, that we still have lots of get up and get, and that we stand ready to take up any challenge you present us. Thanks for coming into our homes, our hearts, our minds, and our lives. You have enriched us with new music, new friends, new opportunities, and new prospects. You’ve shown us that gray hair can be an asset, that dreams can come true, that hard work pays off, and that “the road can be your friend” and ours.


If you are looking for more information on what Taylor Hicks is up, make some new friends, or just hang out, there’s a great place on the web that will fill that need. Please stop by thetaylorhickscommunity where you are always welcome!

Tags: Taylor Hicks, American Idol, Soul Patrol, RagsQueen, Traveling Circus, Taylor Hicks Community