Music gives breath and melody to the words I've written through the years. Many of these songs began as poems and reflections from my life — stories of love, loss, hope, family, and the journey we all share. Through music, words become something you can feel.
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Explore the Music Collection
FRIENDSHIP
Some people come into our lives for only a season, while others become part of our story forever. These songs celebrate the friends who walk beside us through laughter, tears, and the ordinary moments that make life extraordinary.
My Friend
A simple reflection on the blessing of having someone who stands beside you through life's journey.
DELIVER ME
An unexpected friendship grows between two lonely souls who discover that kindness, compassion, and simply showing up for one another can change a life forever. Sometimes the greatest gift we can deliver is ourselves.
Willie And The Black Stallion
A story of friendship, dignity, and the quiet miracles that happen when people choose kindness. Even at life's end, there is still time for one last ride.
Grandparents and Parents
The older I get, the more I understand the gifts they gave me. These songs are for the grandparents whose faith, love, and example still echo through the generations.
“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children”-Alex Haley
The Ballad of Ancel and Sadie
A heartfelt tribute to two simple souls whose lives were built on faith, hard work, and unwavering love. From a chance meeting by the river to a lifetime of serving God and one another, this song honors the quiet strength of family, devotion, and the enduring legacy they left behind.
The Hummingbird
A touching story about a fragile glass hummingbird passed from grandmother to grandchild as a symbol of enduring love. Through generations of joy, hardship, and faith, it reminds us that the most valuable family heirlooms are not things at all—but the love they represent.
Hands Like Mine
The journey of a family's love does not end with one generation. This song is a reminder that the hands that once held ours eventually become the hands we offer to those who follow.
The Old Cross Road
After my grandfather passed away, I found an unfinished poem among his belongings. This song is the completion of that final gift—a collaboration across generations, where his faith and my voice come together to tell the story he began.
THE OLD CROSS ROAD
Ancel P. Thomas/Mark W. Stracener
There is many a road
In this world of sin
But only one
When our Christian lives begin
Where the Crown of Life
And Friends now wait
Only One Way
To the Pearly Gate
There are many who struggle
In this old world below
The Heavenly Road
They fail to know
Now the Old Cross Road
So Beautiful and Straight
Is the only way
To the Pearly Gate
Some of today's roads
Go down below
Some travel there
Who fail to know
It's the Old Cross Road
Where my Savior's been
He lights the road
Through this dark world of sin
I mind not their requests
To walk their new-made roads
As I travel on towards
My blessed abode
To my Crown of Life
Where friends now wait
Still the only way
To the Pearly Gate
Completed as a song by his grandson, Mark W. Stracener.
He Preached, She Played
An affectionate tribute to my grandparents, Ancel and Sadie. He was a country preacher. She was a self-taught guitarist who played the old hymns with all her heart—and probably a little louder than everyone else. Together they taught our family that the greatest ministries are often built with simple faith, unwavering love, and a song shared from the heart.
The Hand
A widow carries two Bibles to church every Sunday. Hidden inside one is a simple tracing of her late husband's hand and a final poem he left behind. This touching story reminds us that true love does not end with death—it simply waits for the day when hand in hand we meet again.
The Nap
One spring afternoon, my mother and I took a nap together. Decades later, on the last night of her life, that precious memory returned to me. This song is a tribute to the quiet love between a mother and her child, and the peace that comes with knowing some goodbyes are only temporary.
Forever
Love does not disappear when someone leaves this world. It remains in the beauty that surrounds us—in snowflakes, rainbows, newborn children, butterflies, and the first rose of spring. This song is a quiet reflection on the belief that those we love never truly leave us.
Mothers Day
On a quiet Mother's Day evening, a grieving son dreams of calling Heaven and hearing his mother's voice one more time. A heartfelt reflection on the enduring bond between parent and child, and the hope that love continues long after goodbye.
A Mother's Prayer
After his mother's passing, a son wonders about the countless prayers she offered for him throughout his life. In a quiet moment of reflection, he imagines the words she may have spoken, discovering that a mother's love and prayers never truly fade—they continue to guide us long after she is gone.
Finally Home
First shared at my mother's funeral, this piece speaks to the two sides of loss—the tears we shed here on Earth and the joy that awaits a faithful soul arriving Home. A heartfelt reminder that for those who believe, goodbye is never forever.
