From Here
(Tina's Song)
From Here…I can see forever
From Here…All my dreams come true
From Here…Whatever the weather
The Sun comes shining through…its true.
From Here…the night turns into morning
From Here…the darkness disappears
From Here…the light is shining brighter
And the son is warm and near…its clear
From Here
(Chorus)
Here is not a distant place, not an uphill race, not a far and distant shore
Here…Here is in your heart and that’s the place to start to find what love is for
From Here
From Here…I hear the children singing
From Here…a song of hope and love
From Here…the world joins in the chorus
And we all can sing as One…as One
Here Flowers never die... seeds just multiply
And Fields of Gold prevail
Here...the world can live in peace...war and killing cease
Cause Love will never fail
From Here....I can see Forever
From Here...all my dreams come true.
Written by Danny Nicholson in honor of Tina Kauffman
CASE District III – Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
2006
The Story
It' hard to really capture the meaning and story behind a song. Most songwriters don't try to interpret their songs because they can mean different things to different people. But I like telling the story behind the song. It makes the song more human...and in some cases...gives the song a face and a reason for being."From Here" is a song of friendship and connecting on the deepest human level. I met Tina Kauffmann in CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) in the 1990's. She was on the fund-raising staff of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, and participated as a member of the Conference Committee and Board of Directors for CASE District 3. Tina is one of those human beings that is rare in every sense of the word. She makes the room light up when she comes in and has an enthusiasm for life that is contagious. She is also a kidney transplant recipient. Because of my father's heart transplant, I always felt like I understood Tina better than others. She was always talking about Jerry(her husband) and Ryan (her son who is featured in the picture with Tina above) and I knew they worried about her when she traveled. All of our CASE friends were attentive to Tina's needs and watched after her like family.After several years, one night at a reception in Atlanta, Tina and I embarked upon a discussion about her kidney transplant like we had never talked before. We talked openly about the reality of her situation and that of my dads. We connected on a new level and realized that my understanding and her experience made us more aware of the brevity of life and to live with all your heart each and every day. From that point on, we were family and it added an unexplainable dimension to our friendship.At a dinner for the CASE District 3 Board of Directors in New Orleans, Tina and I were sitting at the same table and began to talk about the deeper meaning of life. We were embracing a thought about how we wish everyone could love with open hearts and live like it was their very last day on earth. It was like we were talking about another world.....a world we ended up labeling "From Here". That's one of the things that makes Tina and my dad special. They realize that everyday is a gift. I remember telling her I had just heard a great song, "Live like You are Dying" by Tim McGraw. She had not heard it yet...and I began to tell her the words. Then I began to sing.....when I did that....the other friends at the table heard me and began to sing along.....at that point....the whole table was singing...."I went sky diving....rocky mountain climbing"....the whole room was listening to our table sing and it was a holy moment for Tina and me.A few years later, Tina was approaching her 10th tansplant anniversary. I wanted to do something to honor her and celebrate her life. I wrote the song "From Here" and sang it for her at a CASE program. Of course we cried......everybody cried.....because everyone knew that Tina's life is a blessing and gift from God."From Here....I can see Forever....From Here....all my Dreams come true.".
Selections from the new album
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“"One More”
Kevin Jones
It was just after midnight, and the dark alley had become electric with people. Where did they all come from? Only moments ago, it was completely empty. And I was beginning to wish that it still was.
I could feel my fingers begin to tighten around the white plastic handle of our red, igloo cooler. Danny Nicholson was holding one side, I was holding the other. What were we thinking, coming down to one of the most economically challenged parts of downtown Charleston? There were no historic registries here. Only the light of one solitary streetlight illuminated our way as we proceeded to enter the darkened alley.
It was really Danny's idea. Why did I always find myself in some uncomfortable situation when we were together? Like the time that we decided to rappel off of the balcony at our college auditorium with only an extension cord for a rope! But, that is another story for another time.
As with most small nonprofit organizations, "Heart of Love" (a wonderful youth outreach program, founded by Danny Nicholson) relied on community fund raisers to supply the necessary funds for operation. Heart of Love's big event was a "Barbecue Chicken Dinner." Now, I don't mean some scrawny thigh or wing. We are talking one half of a chicken, marinated and grilled over an open pit. This also included all of the "fixens." For those of you who have never had a true southern dinner, "fixens" are the items one prepares to go along with the main course. This is not to be confused with "fixen", as in "I'm fixen to go to the grocery store." Each plate's "fixens" included homemade potato salad, sweet pickles, slaw, and a roll. All of this for only $5.00 DELIVERED! Needless to say, we sold thousands of barbecue chicken plates during our time together at "Heart of Love."
However, that day was unique. Maybe we had just calculated wrong. Or maybe it was the "loaves and fishes thing" happening all over again, right there in Charleston, SC. Who knows? All I know is that at the end of the day we discovered a cooler full of tangy, spicy, sloppy, delicious barbecue chicken. "Hey Kev, I've got an idea!" I should have known better, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to ask. "Yea? What is it?" "Why don't we..." And that is how we found ourselves, delivering barbecue chicken to the homeless people living in that lonely alley.
We opened the cooler lid. There was no need for words, as the aroma of barbecue chicken filled the empty alley. Within seconds, one, then two and three people were right in front of us. Within minutes, we were completely surrounded. Before long, everyone had made a neat and orderly line that wound its way to the "end of the rainbow" one ruby red igloo cooler. There were no rules that night. "Just take what you would like" were the only responses that seemed appropriate. We found ourselves in a sea of "Thank you" and "God bless you."
Faces came and went. Hands reached in, grabbing as much chicken as they could carry. Some politely reaching in with true appreciation for the "one" piece in their hands. "Do you mind if I get some extra for my friend over there?" I remember one elderly gentleman asking. I couldn't understand why some people remained skeptical and alone, hungry and indifferent, watching their friends being so trusting of these two strangers that night. By now, the night was getting later, the line was getting shorter and the cooler was becoming lighter. The lone streetlight began to wash the shadows from the alley walls.
Looking up, we saw his face. A young man, blond, in his mid twenties. He carried a pleasant smile, one that had not become hardened with the harshness of life on the streets. His eyes were as blue as sapphires. There was no one beside him. No one left behind him. "Do you have any more?" came the voice of humility and meekness. Any more? With everyone taking their share that night, we didn't know. We angled the cooler to the light. With hope and uncertainty, we searched the cooler's interior. To our amazement, there was "one more." "Yes" Danny said with the reverence in which that moment deserved, "There is one more." A pause. "May I have it?" Time seemed frozen that night. "Of course... it's yours." He reached in and slowly picked up the one remaining piece of chicken. Holding it close to his face, he breathed in the rich fragrance of hickory, seasoning, and sauce. "You don't know how long it has been since I have eaten."
I will never forget that blessed moment. After long nights of listening to the needs of young people all over the southeast, Danny and I began to wave "good bye" with our index finger pointing to the sky, symbolizing "one more."I do believe there are times that we are given exactly what we need, no more, no less. I also believe that if there was someone behind that man in the alley, there would have been "one more" piece of chicken in that cooler.
Since that evening, history has repeated itself in a nursing home in Greer, SC. I will leave that story for another time. I only hope that this true story has sparked you to remember some time in your life that you may not have made it through the night. Perhaps it was a time when someone called at just the right time. When there was just enough to "keep the wolf from your door" for one more month. We all share in this triumph of the human spirit. It is my hope that we begin to search for ways to make heroic acts of kindness and compassion to those around us. You never know when you might find "one more'. Until our next time together, wishing you all of life's greatest treasures!
One more,
Kevin
For years, people have been asking me why I end my notes and letters with "One more." Well, as Paul Harvey said, "This is the rest of the story." I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed rekindling the memories from that warm Spring evening in Charleston, SC.
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