That's what is so great about being able to record a 13-song

Hear, O lovers of song and seekers of truth, the words of Reba McEntire, queen of country and voice of the people: “That’s what is so great about being able to record a 13-song album. You can do a very eclectic group of songs. You do have some almost pop songs in there, but you do have your traditional country, story songs. You have your ballads, your happy songs, your sad songs, your love songs, and your feisty songs.” In this utterance lies not merely the craft of music, but the mirror of life itself. For life, like an album, is not one note, not one story, not one emotion, but a collection of many, bound together into a single whole.

The meaning of her words reaches beyond music. To live fully is to embrace variety, to weave into our existence joy and sorrow, tenderness and defiance, tradition and innovation. Just as an album is not rich without its range, so too is a life not rich if it seeks only one flavor—only happiness, only tradition, only victory. Reba reminds us that the greatness of art, and of life, is in its eclectic harmony, where many different notes, moods, and experiences together form beauty.

History itself sings this truth. Consider the Psalms of David, that ancient collection of sacred songs. Within them, we find laments of despair, hymns of triumph, songs of thanksgiving, and cries of longing. Each psalm is different, yet together they create a tapestry of the human soul before God. Were they only songs of joy, they would not capture the fullness of life. Were they only laments, they would fall into despair. Their greatness lies in their range, as does the greatness of Reba’s 13-song album.

Or think of Shakespeare, whose plays embraced the whole spectrum of human experience. He gave us tragedies drenched in sorrow, comedies sparkling with wit, histories filled with power and fall, and romances that soared with longing. He knew that to portray humanity truly, one must not limit art to one tone. This is the same truth Reba speaks of: the power of diversity, the strength of many voices woven into one chorus.

The lesson is clear: do not seek to make your life a single song. Do not demand only happiness, for sadness will come and teach you depth. Do not cling only to the old, for new experiences breathe life into the spirit. Do not pursue only love, for struggle too has its place. Just as an artist fills her album with different songs, so must you fill your days with many experiences, even those that do not fit neatly together. It is in this mosaic that true beauty shines.

As for practical action, live your life like the crafting of an album. Seek out experiences that differ, that stretch you, that challenge your heart. Welcome days of labor as well as days of rest. Cherish the moments of joy, but do not turn from sorrow, for it deepens your soul. Create balance: sing your happy songs, but also allow space for your sad songs and your story songs. Let your life be filled with love, yes, but also with the fire of defiance, the feisty songs that remind you to fight for what is right.

Thus, Reba’s words, born of music, echo as eternal teaching: life is an album, not a single note. The greatness of the journey is not in monotony but in variety, not in perfection but in completeness. Embrace it all—the light and the shadow, the soft ballad and the wild anthem—and in the end, your life will sing with the fullness of truth.