This song just says it all. I haven’t heard the old hymn in years, but today as I was channel surfing while driving, I heard the lively melody and started tapping my toes. As I began to do as the song says, count my blessings, I suddenly found it very difficult to think of one thing that I was not thankful for. Yes, the check engine light is on in my car, but at least it runs. Yes, I wish I had a washer and dryer, but I live right across the street from a laundry mat. Husband, health, job, family, friends. The list goes on and on. So while some recommend as a cure for feeling down, a nap, a bubble bath, or a vacation (all nice things), the real solution is to listen to this song and do as it says. Count your blessings! "Count Your Blessings"  by Johnson Oatman Jr, 1897 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Refrain:...

It was a grim day in August of 2010. The birds stopped chirping, the sun sank behind the clouds, and there was wailing in the streets. My laptop computer, which safely housed my music library of nearly 10,000 songs, crashed. It was an indescribable feeling of loss when I recalled the hundreds of CDs that I meticulously transferred onto the computer, one by one, organizing by genre and artist, and now they were all gone. Not to mentioned the hundreds of dollars worth of downloaded music. To make matters worse, I had recently given all my hard copies of CDs away. Who needs to lug those old-fashioned things around when everything fits so nicely onto the computer? And so every CD I had ever purchased since my very first one in junior high (the Evita soundtrack), was gone forever. We rushed the machine to the emergency room – the Apple store in the mall – but it was no use. Nothing could be recovered. Months went by and I tucked my grief away, not letting myself contemplate the enormous lo...

If I've learned anything from writing this blog every day since February 4th , it's that moments of joy are in the most unlikely places, and to see and notice them, all we have to do is make an effort to look. I've found these moments on a bus, at work, stuck in traffic, on my couch, or in my yard. I've found them on the most cranky, exhausting, and boring of days. And I've found them in unremarkable situations that a few months ago, may have passed right by me.  Today as I practiced the piano, just like a million times before, it finally struck me just how sweet it is that my dog, Joy , lays right next to my feet as I plunk away at the keys for hours. Luckily, the camera was in arms reach and I snapped a quick shot. She's a good and loyal dog and really has brought me a great deal of happiness since I got her for Christmas last year. Today is just another reminder that joy lies in the most unexpected places, and how thankful I am to see it. 

I decided to post another video from last week's performance at People Kitchen and Lounge because I realized that that was the first time that I've ever performed my song, " I Still Think About You ." I wrote this song in 2004 and never gave much thought until I decided to plow through all of my songs a couple years ago and record them whether I like it or not. This one turned out better than I thought and may even be on the upcoming EP with Modern Vintage Recordings . Funny when I remember how I nearly wrote this one off as no good and condemned it to a life in the" trunk of lost and unfinished songs." So enjoy the video, even though the lighting and sound are horrible.

I heard a remarkable radio interview of a woman who experienced a brain hemorrhage. As a result, she went completely paralyzed in a matter of minutes, beginning with her fingers tips, then her arms, then her legs, and then suddenly, her mind. She described with amazing detail, how she lost the use and meaning of words. Her brain chatter ceased completely. In those moments, she did not know about the floor or the sun or the wind. Those things did not exist to her because her mind was totally void of language, like an animal or an infant. Yet, she came out of the episode and can still vividly recall the feeling in those moments. She fondly described a sense of calm and serenity. Nothing in her mind saying, "I'm tired, I hurt, I'm late, it's cold, the dog is barking, that is a wall, the clock is ticking, shut the door, what's going on?" I envy that woman in those moments. Why can't I have an "off switch" for the words that torture my mind? I hav...

My best friend Deb recently came to visit me in NYC. We had blast shopping and visiting all the sights of the city . Before she made the trip, she explained to her sister-in-law, Melissa, just why on earth I'm living out here in the first place. I have no idea what she said, but she must have made it sound pretty good because her sister-in-law's only request was that Deb return to Nebraska with a postcard for her, signed by me. Deb handed me a blank post card and a pen, explaining why it needed my signature. Something about how I was gonna be a huge music success and my signature would be worth thousands someday. Rolling my eyes and giggling, I grudgingly took the pen and thought about how to sign it for my dedicated "fan." Her sister-in-law may have felt slightly let down when she finally read what I wrote, " Melissa, don't get your hopes up.  -Elizabeth Grimes "

Last night I performed a 30-minute set at People Kitchen and Lounge in New York City’s Lower East Side. I agreed to the performance very last minute and quickly invited all the people I knew who might be able to make it. I arrived at the intimate, trendy lounge to find absolutely no one I knew had come. Even Eddie was unable to make it on time. As I prepared to begin, I couldn’t help feeling a bit down about it. I looked around at the strangers' faces who were relatively uninterested, and only there to see the performer after me. Just as the manager gave me the nod to begin, I saw someone arrive out of the corner of my eye. It was a friend and fellow pianist I had met when we did a performance months ago. We remained in touch and go to open mic nights whenever possible. And as coincidence would have it, he is also from Nebraska!!! I ran to the door, hugged him in his bright red Husker jacket, and told him how glad I was that he came. And I really was. It gave me a boost of conf...