We had the privilege of honoring Steve Simpson at our first meeting of 2010. Aside from being a world class writer, Steve is a wonderful person who so effectively served as coordinator for the Charlotte chapter for over 5-years. During the meeting, the group brainstormed on what Steve means to us, using snips from his songs, and personal perspective. While some had prepared short poems or limericks prior to the meeting, others crafted on the fly, and we shared these words of appreciation and admiration with Steve.

Then, Steve, who [ahem] knew nothing of our plan to honor him individually, closed the ceremony with his own poignant stanza:

We’re not hitting golf balls and talking ‘bout the weather,
We’re sharing secret pieces of our souls when we’re together,
We take a fear, a joy, a love and pass it ‘round the room,
And trust each other not to laugh or pass it on too soon,
We know each other very well, the deepest, darkest parts,
That’s how I know this room is filled with very special hearts,
You can have your bosom buddies, confidants and next of kin,
But they can’t hold a candle to my songwriter friends.

May these words carry us into 2010 and inspire our journeys as writers and artists, and may we say again, “thank you Steve Simpson!”