There is a Guitarist/Singer named Tommy Emmanuel, whom we saw in concert and met a few months ago. For those of you that know who Chet Adkins is, Chet said that Tommy was the “best finger picker around”! Tommy is from Australia and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for a number of years. For a number of years Tommy has been on the road just about every day of the year. When I say the road, I mean all around the world.

Chet Adkins had a friend named Jerry Reed, who is also a well-known finger picker, and acted with Burt Reynolds in the Smokey and the Bandit movies as well as others. Tommy Emmanuel sang a song during the concert we attended written by Jerry Reed, which touched me and I would like to share with others.

Today is Mine

Written by Jerry Hubbard Reed from the album “The Last Time I Saw Her”


When the sun came up this morning
I took the time to watch it rise
And as its beauty struck the darkness
From the sky

I thought how small and unimportant
All my troubles seem to be
And how lucky another day
Belongs to me

And as the sleepy world around me
Woke up to greet the day
All its silent beauty
Seemed to say

So what, my friend, if all your dreams
You haven't realized
Just look around you
You've got a new day to try

Today is mine, today is mine
To do with what I will
Today is mine
My own special cup to fill
To die a little that I might learn to live
To take from life that I might learn to give
Today is mine

Like most men I curse the present
Void of peace of mind
And race my thoughts beyond tomorrow
Envision there a sweeter time

But as I view this day around me
I can see the fool I've been
For today's the only garden
That we can tend