I cried today during a Star Wars movie... and more sentimental ramblings

I went and saw "Star Wars, The Rise of Skywalker" today.  I'd been kinda putting it off for a couple days.   Lorri and I sat there until the end of the closing credits.  It was an attempt to hide the fact that I was crying.  Some of it was that this storyline that I've been following for 40 years came to an end.  That wasn't the real reason I was fighting off the tears though. 

If you've been following me for any amount of time, you're already familiar with the story of my heart surgery in March of 2017.  If not, there's a blog about it all on here somewhere, go find it, it's a good story.  For the past several years before that I'd lived life not caring if I lived or died.  That day though,  I was riding in an ambulance on my way to have open heart surgery that I was told I likely wouldn't survive.  As I laid there, I came up with two reasons that I wanted to live.  I thought the Georgia Bulldogs would have a decent football team, and I'd like to see it. (They went on to play for the National Championship.)  The other reason was that I'd like to see the end of the Star Wars movies.  Today as I sat there in the dark watching those rolling credits, I thought of that ambulance ride.  I thought about how thankful I was that God let me stay here on this Earth. I thought about how one of the only two reasons I could come up with for wanting to live for, was to see this movie. 

Then my mind shifted to this decade ending in a few days.  Seeing this movie today, in a sense, was kind of like the end of that era of my life.  I've accomplished the things that I wanted to live for.  The 2010's were a decade full of emotions and ups and downs.  I think of the loved ones that passed away over the past 10 years.  I really miss my Pop a lot.  Friends like Wayne Storey, Craig Hicks, Brandon Rogers, and many others, I still think of often.  I left Pike County after living there my whole life and moved 2 1/2 hours away on my own to chase a crazy dream. So many wonderful people have entered my life in the past 10 years.  Some are still friends, while others were only meant to pass through.

That's enough about the past. That era has now ended.  It is time to start anew.  I can think of a lot more reasons to live for now. There are some beautiful, amazing people, in my life right now.  This crazy dream of mine is starting to come true. I still have Perfect Hair for Television, (so if anybody is needing someone to be a movie star or host a gameshow or something... just holler!)  I could go on and on about all the reasons, but I am definitely happy to be living. 

Goals for the coming decade: 

1.  Show love and encouragement to as many people as I can. 
2.  Right the wrongs I've done, and forgive those who wrong me.
3.  Have fun every single day.
4.  Keep doing things the way I want to do them.

2019 was a great year to be SamG.  I'm lucky that I get to be that full-time.  Thanks to all of you that have purchased my work, visited SamG Land, been a friend, prayed for me, or said a kind word.  I love you all.  May the coming decade be full of love, creativity, friendships, experiences and even more love!!!

Always remember, if you ever need a friend... you have one right here!!!
I mean that.

SamG

Finding something lost

I'm not real sure if it's the pressure of getting ready for my solo show this coming Saturday or not, but I feel like I've gotten back a part of me that's been gone for a while.  Ever since my heart surgery, I feel like I've struggled to be creative.  I like the art that I've been doing for the yard, but honestly haven't done much art for sale that I've liked a whole lot.  Most of it was a redo of previous ideas.  Lately though something has changed. 

I feel like my mind has awakened a bit.  I was at a Santana concert a couple weeks ago.  They performed "Imagine" by John Lennon.  His wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, who is an amazing drummer, sang it.  During the song, I got an idea for a painting.  That hasn't happened in a long time. 
I've had several new ideas that I look forward to showing this coming weekend.  New ideas, I've been struggling to get those back for a while now.  I hope they keep coming. 

I've been kinda missing doing shows lately.  I miss seeing a lot of my friends out there.  There just aren't any good local shows that I know of that are still around.  I refuse to apply to a show where I have to pay a jury fee.  If they want me they can invite me.  I approached shows differently than a lot of people.  My goal was for people to view me as the art, the stuff I made was souvenirs.  You come meet me, take home something if you want and I tried to NEVER, no matter how broke I was, act like I needed the money.  I miss being around people.  I get my energy from people. 

Today while I was switching out summer/winter clothes in my closet, I came across the Glow in the Dark jacket that I used to wear, but haven't in a couple of years.  The other day I came across one of my original "Free Hugs" shirts and a couple pair of gold painted shoes.  I put them back a while back for when I open the "SamG Land Museum of all things SamG."  I kinda miss that guy that used to wear them.  I've thought a lot about how he was probably the part of me that died when I had my heart incident.  Maybe part of him needed to. 

Anyways, who knows maybe I'll pull that Glow in the Dark  jacket out and wear it sometime.  And I'd have to wear the matching Glow in the Dark Gold Shoes.   The world could always use more hugs too.  Just wondering if maybe the future shouldn't start with where the past left off.  Just have to wait and see.

SamG 

Funerals are good for bringing back memories...

I went to a funeral today.  It was for my mom's brother, Marion, but everybody knew him as "Speedy."  I always liked Uncle Speedy.  I would consider him and his brother, my Uncle Billy, as two of the best storytellers that I've ever heard.  I stopped by my Grandfather's grave too while I was over there.  He's buried beside GA 20 across from Philadelphia Baptist Church near Canton, GA in what was known as Buffington Community.  The Air Force Thunderbirds flew over a couple of times while I was there, which I thought was pretty cool. 

My grandfather had 19 kids.  Only 3 of them are left now, Uncle Billy, Aunt Faye, and Aunt Donnie, but we all know her as Dunk.  It was fun visiting everyone and hearing stories.  Even got Uncle Billy on a roll and he told a couple.  Here is one of my favorites...  Papa Weaver (my grandpa) had made him a big batch of homebrew and had it bottled up and hid it all up under the front porch.  Back then the preacher would come around and hold "Prayer Meeting" at different people's houses.  All the neighboring folks would gather around the house where the preacher was meeting and they'd have a service.  This one particular day, it was really hot.  About the time the preacher got going good, they started hearing a POP POP POP noise.  It was the homebrew blowing the corks out the bottle.  

I'll tell you one more.  Papa Weaver loved to pull a joke on somebody.  I've heard countless tales about him doing that.  Uncle Billy told the story about Papa teaching him how to ride a bull.  The first time the bull threw him straight over his horn and down right in front of him.  Papa told him to grab the bull by the tail and hold it over his shoulder.  Billy said that time the bull just run slap through the fence with him.  You would have to hear him tell it though.  Nobody tells a story like Uncle Billy.  

I used to love going to Uncle Speedy and Aunt Mary Ann's.  She made the best Chicken and Dumplings ever.  We were talking about that as I was eating some at Cracker Barrel this afternoon.  I spent many holidays there with them.  I loved to hear Uncle Speedy tell stories about when he was racing.  I can still see that one toothed grin that he had.  As a matter of fact, it was the subject of my first painting.  

In November 2007, I painted my first painting.  SamG #1.  I've put a picture of it below.  I'd taken an online career quiz that said that I should be an artist.  Having never painted before, I bought some paints, brushes and a palette and dug through my shop and found a piece of plywood.  Using the bed of my truck as my easel, I painted a picture of Uncle Speedy and his one tooth to give to my aunt Mary Ann for Christmas.  When I went to sign it, I realized Sam G. was all I was gonna be able to fit there... and it just stuck.  It got merged into one word a little bit later and became SamG.  That's how this whole journey began.

Thanks for all the memories Uncle Speedy.  You fought a good fight for the past 11 months, but now you are home.