Music can help us all, and sometimes you forget how powerful words can be until moments like this. This story also reminds us how far a simple act of kindness can go.
Randy Travis and his band have embarked on the More Life Tour, which features the original Randy Travis band with guest vocalist James Dupré. Randy Travis is making guest appearances on stage on the tour as his songs live on and continue to touch attendees and fans.
One fan, though, really left a mark on Randy’s merch manager, and now Randy Travis is asking social media to help find this man.
Terry Tyson, who works for Travis’ team, took to Facebook after a show two weeks ago, sharing a story about a young man who chatted with him at the merch table. The man asked Tyson what their least expensive item was, but he noted that it was still too expensive for him. He, in fact, hadn’t even bought a ticket to the show but wanted to come to see what he could afford at the merch table because Travis’ hit “Three Wooden Crosses” saved his life… literally:
“He walked up to the merch table as we were starting to pack up and asked what was the least expensive item we had. I responded that I had 1 single Randy Travis can huggie left for $5. He held it and then said how he wished he had the money. He didn’t have a job and couldn’t buy a ticket for the show, but he wanted to come in and look at the merch.
So I gave him my last huggie and said this one is on us tonight. He was so happy and was nearly in tears. He began to tell us how he was at the lowest point in his life and contemplating suicide when he heard Randy Travis singing ‘Three Wooden Crosses’ on the radio and how that particular moment changed his mind over the lyrics below.
‘It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.’ He wanted to keep living.”
While the young man seemed over the moon leaving with a koozie, his night got exponentially better when he walked away from Tyson’s table. He stepped outside and ran smack into Randy Travis, who was kind enough to pen an autograph on his hat. The young man re-entered the building to tell Tyson about the magical encounter, once again leaving a deep impression on Tyson.
“A bit later, he came back up and said how it was the best day of his life. As he walked out the back door, he ran right into Randy and had his hat signed by his idol! He had to come back, wiping tears of joy from his eyes, and tell us again how special this night was for him!
This boy had a speech impediment, and it was a challenge to engage in the conversation with us. I asked to take his picture to share with everyone. He hugged us and said goodbye. I overheard him telling others as he was leaving- how this was the best day of his life!
Then it hit me how ironic that was – this tour is called ‘THE MORE LIFE TOUR.'”
If the parallel between his story and the tour’s name doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, I’m unsure what will. Stories like this show songs’ direct impact on people’s lives, changing their outlook or trajectory. Yesterday, Randy Travis’ team asked Facebook to help locate this young man based on the picture.
Fans quickly identified the man; one commenter even noted that he helped him at a local Lowe’s and spoke highly of his personality. I sure do hope Travis’ team does something special for this man because that is one heck of a story.
“Three Wooden Crosses” is beloved for many reasons, and this story highlights the lyrics’ deeper meaning. Fire it up.
