Dogwood Trees and Honey Bees
Dogwood Trees and Honey Bees
18 count
4 wall
High Beginner level Waltz (with beginner level options)
Song: Outskirts of Heaven
Artist: Craig Campbell
Dance: Dogwood Trees and Honey Bees
Choreographer: Felicia Harris Jones
There is not often in one's life where you are able to do something that you love. I love music. I love dancing. I love creating. My life has consisted of all three for years now. I am an incredibly lucky girl.
This beautiful song was written by Craig Campbell. I was able to meet with him and explain to him that it took me 3 days to get through listening to the whole song without crying. I shared with him why the song meant so much to me.
Many times we listen to music and we are touched by one or two lyrics that speak to us. In this case, every lyric in the song could've been written about my life. I was raised by my grandparents. We lived in a hunting camp in the forest within steps of the river where many visitors enjoyed the wood swing that hung on our front porch for years (that swing now sits on my own back porch). One of my favorite memories about the one-light town I grew up in was going over the huge bridge to get to the other side of the river to get where we lived... it always looked like we were driving right up to the heavens. It is still my absolute favorite part of the drive back to that place. My late grandfather retired when I was a preschooler and was a stay-at-home kinda guy who was there every afternoon when I returned from school. He hunted and fished with every season. My grandfather was a part-time bee keeper late in his retirement. We lived on the outside of town known for its horse farms and sod farms. My grandmother loves the Dogwood Blossoms. For as long as I can remember, she wore a silver ring on her finger of the blossom that she learned to love from her own father. A few years ago, I was gifted that very ring that she wore (she bought herself -along with all of the other women in our family, a new one). Many of us wear our rings everyday. She taught me about worship music and made sure that I went to Vacation Bible School every summer.
I truly lived in a place with dirt roads for miles, fish in the river and a dogwood tree in the yard. When I drive to visit the place I grew up, I feel like I'm in the Outskirts of Heaven. When I die, that's where I want to be.... I am sure that my grandfather has a place on the Outskirts of Heaven. He's there waiting for us all.
The dedication of my dance called Dogwood Trees and Honey Bees is to my GaGa and PaPa. To all that they gave up to raise me; To all that they gave me; To all that they taught me.
OUTSKIRTS OF HEAVEN
My grandpa taught me about buck knives and shotguns, how to cast an old Zebco, how to work a stick shift.
He taught me the Bible, about all twelve disciples and he made sure that I know there's life after this with pearly gates, streets of gold, he said if I just believe, that's where I'll go. But Lord when I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of heaven where there's dirt roads for miles, hay in the fields and fish in the river. Where there's dogwood trees, and honeybees, and blue skies and green grass forever. Lord when I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of Heaven. Now it says in the King James, in the almighty's kingdom he mentions a mansion that he's built just for me. Now I'll gladly trade it for a farm house with acreage and a back yard that's shaded and a squeaky front porch swing. That's where I wanna hang my wings When I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of heaven. where there's dirt roads for miles, hay in the fields and fish in the river. Where there's dogwood trees, and honeybees, and blue skies and green grass forever. So Lord when I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of Heaven... yeah. Yeahh, the good Lord knows me, he knows I need blue skies and green grass forever. Lord when I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of heaven. Yeah when I die, I wanna live on the outskirts of Heaven.
