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Almost 2 years ago I sat next to a beautiful stranger on a flight back from the Key West Songwriters' Festival. She was afraid to fly. Didn't know her name. Didn't recognize her face. But the way she looked out the window with those big weary eyes definitely got my attention. No sooner than I could ask her her name, she turned to me--a complete stranger--and in the warmest southern voice said "I hate flyin". One thing lead to another, and I told her to just keep talking to me to distract herself and 'for goodness sake!' quit looking out that window. Over the course of the next few hours, I made a dear friend. (And for someone who generally likes to bury her face in her laptop on a flight, that is a strong statement.)

Somewhere between Miami and Nashville, this girl had told me that she was a songwriter and had just signed a publishing deal with Carnival Music. I remember thinking, "I wonder if she's any good." That night in bed I pulled up her MySpace. What I found I will never forget. A jewel. A diamond. A hidden treasure. First, the most beautiful photo of a girl next to a wood-sided building with a dress as deep a purple as her hair was brown. Then the first song started to spin... "I've been looker for a sweeter side/Lookin for a big bloom on a short vine." A magical lyric and a voice to match.

Well, lets just say I shot off an email to her publisher that SECOND. I had to write with her. To make a long story not quite as long, we have written some songs. But what's so much more is that through this process I have gotten to know the story behind the girl on the plane. She has been zealously, fearlessly, passionately chasing a dream for more than a decade. And she has done so with grace, gratitude, and humility that most on Music Row could only dream of having. She treats everyone with kindness, no matter what they do or don't have to offer her. And she has not sacrificed her unique qualities or lost herself in an effort to get ahead. She probably doesn't know this until now (if she's reading this), but her character and faithfulness has set the bar a bit higher for the kind of woman I want to be in the music business.

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have a tear or two in my eye as I watched Natalie Hemby celebrate her first #1 song ("White Liar"/Miranda Lambert) this weekend. It's pretty fun to see the girl afraid to fly really soaring.