4 Things w/ Walker & Laney Hayes: The Best Love Song. Blessing Others. Grieving the Loss of a Child. Practice Gratitude

Hi, Here After with Megan Devine fans! This week we're including an episode Amy Brown did with singer/song-writer Walker Hayes and his wife, Laney! We hope you enjoy it!

 

Singer/song-writer, Walker Hayes (who wrote our theme song! + the #PIMPINJOY song 'Joy Like Judy') and his wife Laney join Amy for all 4 things this episode. You might laugh. You might cry. The parents of 6 kids let us in on a lot and we are so thankful that they took the time to share it all. FIRST THING: Amy is obsessed with Walker's song “Don’t Let Her”, which was written about Laney. Every girl would love for a guy to write her a song like this. Its genius. Sorta sad. But genius. And very sweet. A must listen!!! SECOND THING: Blessing others is fun. Walker & Laney have been on the receiving end, but now they are on the giving ned. They are paying it forward with their "Be a Craig Fund" that was inspired by their friend (named Craig) that blessed them with a van for their big family at a time when they were financially strapped and they didn't have a car with enough seatbelts for everyone. "Be a Craig Fund" now allows them to pass the blessing of a new car on to other people that need a little help. THIRD THING: Walker & Laney open up about the heartbreaking journey of losing their daughter Oakleigh during birth. They share about how they are getting through the grief process in hopes that it can be helpful to others who may be going through something similar. FOURTH THING: “Life ain’t always pretty, but hey its pretty beautiful thing!” Through the good and the bad...Walker & Laney practice gratitude...so they each share 4 things they are thankful for.

Be sure to check out WalkerHayes.com for his music, more information on the Be A Craig Fund, as well as the awesome merch mentioned in this episode. 

Best places to find more about Amy: RadioAmy.com + @RadioAmy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, friends, it's me Megan Divine, host of Hereafter with
Megan Divine. Season two is coming up soon. It'll be
here before you know it. But in the meantime, while
you're waiting, I wanted to introduce you to a couple
of shows I think you're going to like. You might
even get some new favorite podcasts out of it. So
give these episodes a listen and stay tuned for the

(00:22):
announcement of the launch of season two coming soon. See
you soon, friends, Never laugh, laugh, little food for you

(00:44):
so life. Oh it's pretty bad. It's pretty beautiful. Laugh
a little more kicking with four with any Laney's forty
by the way, Oh looking smoking hot for forty. Yeah. Well,

(01:09):
what Walker doesn't know is that I've started recording. But no,
that's awesome. But he's brought it up. Is so fine,
She's so fine. Yeah. So, um, I've got Walker Hayes
and Laney Hayes on the podcast today, so they are
going to do all four things with us, which is awesome.

(01:29):
We're going to cover, um, just some of Walker's music,
which is amazing. I feel like he is a talented songwriter,
like so talented. He will forever have a special place
in my heart. Well, for one, you may recognize his
voice because he does the theme song to this podcast. Um,
in case you don't know, but this is Walker Walker.

(01:52):
Do you do you remember singing this I don't put
your headphones on here, little Oh that's pretty bad. It
was pretty beautiful. Yeah, So I had sent Walker when

(02:14):
I asked him because Walker and I developed a relationship.
Because Walker is also the guy that gave my mom
a theme song, like my mom was battling cancer, we
would talk about her on the Bobby Bones Show. From that,
the Pimp and Joy movement was born, and you know,
then next thing you know, Walker busts out with this
song titled Joy like Judy and then walk Away. You

(02:38):
don't know is that song? Well, I probably have told
you before, so you may know, but I'm just now
I'm going to tell everybody, and I'm sure I've told
everybody before, but I'll say it again, is that this
song is such a gift, like to me and my sister,
my family and friends and um my mom's grandkids, my
kids who didn't get to know her because you sent

(02:59):
us this song on Like, I feel like we at
least recorded the video in March of two thousand fourteen.
Not sure when you sent the song, but once my
mom had a theme song Joy like Judy, I was like, whoa,
we gotta mom, you need to do a music video.
And she was so hesitant. It was like being on
videos and not her thing. But she rolled with it
and she was such a good sport. And now you know,

(03:22):
y'all can watch it. It's a it's on YouTube, but
we'll put it at radio amy dot com if you
want to check it out. But this is my first
connection to Walker and why he and his family will
forever be special to me, because like, this is a
video that will forever be there for my family to watch,
and this is Walker seeing about my mom choosing Joy,

(03:48):
and it's it's definitely something if you listen to the
podcast and you don't know much about Pimp and Joy
that I encourage you to go check out because I
don't know if the video is like just super special
to me because it's mine, but I hope that you'll
be touched by it too, because and that's why another
reason why I'll be forever grateful for Walker. But he
has so many other amazing songs, and you know, Bobby

(04:11):
has always praised your songwriting skills and is a big
fan of you, and we're such a huge fan of
Laney too, And y'all just have an amazing life with
some stories, the ups and the downs, and y'all are
willing to be vulnerable and share, and that's what we're
all about here on this podcast. So I think we're
going to cover some of those some of those ups

(04:33):
in the downs. So I appreciate you all coming in
to do it. Thanks for having Yeah, we count an
really fast? Is that what you do? That thing constant?
I think? So that goes back to seventeen. And y'all

(04:53):
do have six kids, so that probably happens with them
to a little bit. Do you feel like they keep
you pretty young kids? Oh? Yeah, absolutely, because y'all do
not look like you have six kids. I gotta tell
y'all if y'all don't know to what Walker and Laney
looked like. They're like Nashville's most beautiful people. Right. And

(05:15):
then lady you said Walker has been when did you
start your working out journey? Walker? I started, So I
quit drinking four years ago and that's I dabbled and
then I became you know, it becomes a little bit
of a session. Um. And so yeah, so that's what
kind of when I started caring. I guess, you know,
visiting the gym frequently because Laney, I don't know, you

(05:37):
can tell me if from but I mean he like
was not in bad shape, but he went from like walker, Hey,
I work out. I don't know, like Men's Health magazine covers. Right,
He's always been in great shape, and there were seasons
them that's not good deep. Uh no, we can go deeper.
You're like, no, really, no, just kidding, um, but yeah,

(05:57):
it became his thing on the road for sure. He
always either ran or worked out. He always was in
good shape. But definitely now it t yeah, it's up
and nut. Okay, he's crazy. Sorry, I mean you can't
take him anywhere. It's fine. We'll go ahead and get
in tell them your favorite parts. But I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

(06:21):
Kick him off, okay, but yeah, and so far, I
always be like to my arm with Jack and she's like,
it looks the same. I mean, I'm terrible affirmation because
he always looks the same to me. So I'm like,
I don't know, you look the same as you did
years ago, and he's like, no, that's not the right answer. Well,
I don't see the fluctuations, Old Walker. I know that

(06:45):
you're used to kind of being out there and sharing
a lot. I mean, and you're an artist, musician, a songwriter.
You're out there that Laney, thank you for being here
with us, and I know that y'all are both going
to open up about some hard stuff and um, again
we'll talk about the highs and lows of life and
what we like to be here with the podcast is
relatable and touch somebody. And I know that your story

(07:06):
about Oakley and um losing her and then even like Walker,
you having to deal with that and almost losing Laney,
I feel like, um, that's something we're going to get
into as well, which I hope will you know, be
comforting somebody. I mean, we're all will experience loss at
some level, but you know that's definitely another level to me,

(07:30):
like I can't even imagine. But even I've appreciated you
being open and talking about it. So Um that said,
we'll just and then too, I want to get at
the end. Sometimes what we do with guests is find
out things that you're grateful for. And guess how many
things we do for so but you know, while we're recording,

(07:50):
be thinking of the four things that you're grateful for.
They can be serious or fun or whatever. And then
we'll kind of close with that. But with that said, Walker,
do you want are you gonna sing us to the
So I just sent Walker the four Things, um, the
four Things joy Seeker, which that's what that is, called

(08:13):
the be kind ches joy laugh a lot, you cake.
It's something we had on a shirt and a toe
and we called it the joy Seeker. And I was like, hey,
would you mind doing my theme song? And You're like,
no problem. And then you were like over in the
UK or something, walking the streets of London, just spitting
out rhymes. I was so excited to do it for you,
but I didn't have any gear there to like lay

(08:34):
it down. And so yeah, one day I remember you
being like, well, I need it by a certain date
and I was like, oh crap, and uh so yeah,
I just kind of wrote it. I texted it to
mysel That's kind of how I writes stuff, is just
text myself. But yeah, I remember a bit walking around
and I was like, I gotta find an alley where
I can sit and sing like Cassa road thing and

(08:55):
like and so send you a voice memo and I
remember being lad when I sent you that, and you
were like, yeah, that's the that's great. Oh it's so perfect,
Like you had the little like the cast role and
how you tied in, Like, yeah, we share recipes on
here because I kind of told you I think we're
gonna be like it'll be all the things like recipes
and serious stuff, and so you your brain came up

(09:17):
with castle roll things, food, food for your soul things,
so that tighten it's not just about like literal food,
but food for the soul. He is wrote it just
it's amazing. But yeah, the yeah, but my favorite lines
eat cake. I mean that's me. That's the jam. Like
you need a hat that says just eat cake. Good idea. Yeah, Okay,

(09:42):
coming soon to walk her hay Sto coma. Don't worry
other people do it. It's fine. First, Okay, So we're
gonna go ahead and start with the romantic song Yeats,
because I feel like this song Walker, It's it's so

(10:05):
I mean, it's it's probably everything every woman want to hear.
And I know Laney that you vet a lot of
his songs for him and do you get tired of
doing that? Or is it like, do I get tired
of doing that? I'm to be honest in this interview, Yes,
for sure, I get I wish I was this like
perfect wife who was like, oh, bring me all your

(10:27):
song lines. I love to hear him, but no, that's
not really the reality at our house. Um, when he
comes home with a song idea, like the day he
steps off the bus and he's home for a couple
of days, were like, you have a new song idea
right now, Like, couldn't that have just waited a couple
of days until you go back on the road, because
he gets in song land and it's hard to bring

(10:48):
him back. Like anybody in the creative world kind of
knows that you you drift off and even though you're there,
you're not really there. You're kind of living in your
head and creative land. So um, yeah, oftentimes we go
come come back to us like out of creative world.
But but when you sent me the lyric to this song,
I definitely it was different. It was different from the others. Okay,

(11:09):
And so for people that haven't heard it, I'm gonna
play a little clip here. We can only listen to
a little bit of it, or then we might get
sued by Walker because that's podcast laws. So let's we
can listen quietly for a little bit and then we
may have to start to talk over it. So here
is a little bit of don't let her. She don't
given it's a little coffee. Last she ever listens me,

(11:53):
Please don't let her. Okay. So what people are probably like, Okay,
those are cute lyrics, but I don't really get it.
But it's the concept behind it that makes the songs
so fabulous. So explain the concept. Yes, it's a million
different things into one. Um, I was, I was. Actually

(12:14):
I wrote this song the same week I wrote your
theme song, Like in one week. I had the most
fun creative week. And uh, I was missing Laney and
you know this was last year, so I was still
you know, we're fresh off the loss of Oakley, almost
losing Laney, which you know, I'm I'm a I am
Laney Wood would agree. I'm the emotional person of the

(12:38):
family and I have trouble. I don't know what you
call it, just digesting emotions like it takes me. I'm
a slow rebound from any emotional stimulus. And so uh,
my head. You know, when I'm missing Laney over there.
I was in the in the UK for two weeks.
I am myself and recharging my batteries with Laney and

(13:01):
the kids. When I'm away from them, things begin to
just go south. I'm just lost. And I just started
writing specifics about Laney um and really it was just
a love song, like look how much I know about you?
Because I think that's flattering when Laney is like when
you smile like that, I know what means this. And
when you I know how you you know, eat with
your elbow up or you know, like little quirks. When

(13:25):
somebody knows that about you, you feel like, oh, you
notice me. And so that's what I started to do.
I was like, you know, she loves to sleep late,
and you know, she didn't like you if you're drunk,
and uh, you know, and it just all the specifics
about Laney and my story. And then I accidentally was like,
and if she misses me, don't And then I was like, well,

(13:47):
what what I want you to do if she misses me?
Because honestly, selfishly, I'm like, let her a little bit,
you know, but then then make her feel better. But
I was like, no, I want you to, you know,
help her move on. And and then if then that's
that's the line that became. That's what made it that
almost morbid concept, you know, was that question was like, hey,

(14:11):
you know, we're not promised tomorrow. And that actually happens
to a lot of people. And I've I've noticed that
from from the reactions of this song. So many people
react and say, hey, that is my spouse. You know,
I lost them, and um, I needed to hear that.
Now I'm gonna go out you know, I'm gonna get
back out there into the world. So yeah, that song

(14:31):
is you know, obviously completely about Laney. I really enjoyed
kind of sifting through the specifics of her and I
knew when I texted her and and by the way,
she she does not like to always listen this to
lyrics like there there's I almost cringe when I'm like, hey,
do you listen because I know she's like, um. So, anyway,

(14:57):
when when I sent her this, I knew, I was like,
this is gonna get her. I know this is about
to get her and uh and it did. So, lady,
what was your when he sent you? Like, I mean,
my one of My favorite line is home is a
favorite restaurant. Yeah, no, I really this one struck me
differently than a lot of the other songs. I you know,

(15:19):
sometimes he comes home with a sweet love song and
he's like, I've wrote a song about you today, and
I hear it and I'm like, nah, that wasn't really
about me, but this one obviously, um, but this one
was so genuine and it was it was sweet to think, oh,
you do you just know all the little intricate details
of me and who I really am, And it's it's

(15:42):
fun to feel really known for who you are, good
and bad and loved anyway. And so this song did
I kind of. I think I sent him back a
terry face and was like, oh my goodness, that's so sweet. Now.
On the other hand, I was thinking, I don't know
why anybody would want to listen to a song about me,
but you know, I'm thankful that it really does touch
other people. You're the inspiration. I think it's just for

(16:03):
me listening. I mean, yeah, I don't like all home
is my favorite restaurant, by the way, too, I feel
you on that one, but it's just like you can
feel it's so cute it's cute, like it's a cute
love song that's deep and sweet, has so many layers
to it. It's not just surfacing. It's not surfacing cute,

(16:25):
it's deep cute. Thanks saying thank you? Does that even
make sense? Yeah? When I listened to it myself, I
find myself like I'm confused emotionally. I'm like, am I
sad or happy? Or? And then I laugh, you know
with the mom line that makes me laugh. And then
I love the little section of say the Moline the

(16:47):
best if ice I can give you. Brother, I don't
never say she's acting just like her mother, Oh yeah,
even though she does sometimes, which, by the way, I
adore my mom. And it sparked a whole lot of
like me calling my mom, Mom, you're going to get
a complex over this song. And so that was a
really funny, well other little interlude, and and my mom
was so sweet. I was like, my kids are going
to say that one day. That's just life, right. We

(17:07):
all say that I loved my mom as well, but
when I mean when she was alive, my husband definitely
compared me to her. And in fact, even since she's
passed away it's been five years now, so it's like
in that territory where it's okay to bring her up again.
He will compare me, and I still get mad. I'm like,
I don't do that, but I mean I clearly do that.
But it's like little it's just people that you're close
and the way there's things about people where you're like,

(17:28):
and you know, I'll call him out, like you're acting
like your dad right now, and he's like, yes, it
is not one Simon. That's the fun go to when
you're married. That's just easy Emmo, you know, right, and
then it's like well and then you're like, well, I
wouldn't say that if I was like they were in
the room. But no, fans, it doesn't mean anything bad.

(17:50):
Are y'all close with y'all have a healthy in law?
I mean, I don't think you're in laws are listening
unless they are. But I mean, yeah, we don't get
to see him a whole lot. You know, our life
stays busy, and they don't you know, they come to
visit some, but you know, we try to. We try
to make the round to visit everybody at least a
couple of times a year, because I think that's pretty good.

(18:12):
High school sweethearts parents friends, I've no no, I mean
our parents were once we we started dating in eleventh grade,
they kind of began to get to know each other.
But you know, I feel like maybe since our our
relationship was so early and and at an immature age,

(18:33):
and then you combine that with my career choice, you know,
I can definitely, uh, even though at times I'm a
stress or not appreciate my relationship with my in laws,
I can as as a father, I can see how
difficult kind of watching us must have been, you know,

(18:56):
me like Lanny meeting me, obviously not being her level,
like she was completely out of my league as she
a president of everything like beautiful, and then I was
kind of a I was a poor student, a little
more of a wild um card. And then you know,
a couple of months into our our engagement, I'm like, hey,

(19:17):
by the way, I'm not gonna sell real estate. I
want to move to Nashville, you know, be a rock star.
And then turn around, she's popping out kids like tic TACs,
and You're like, and you know, I'm sure her parents,
I can definitely see if there's any animosity or was
ever any like, oh my god, what are y'all doing?

(19:37):
I I can completely understand where that would come from.
When I tell our story. A lot of times, I'm like,
what were we thinking? What age were you when you
got engaged? We were engaged with a long dating, long relationship.
I think our life has just never made sense. And

(19:59):
the thing that we love the most in life are
all the things that we're really silly to go into.
I mean, we couldn't afford well, this dream was crazy
to chase, and then we couldn't afford kids, but we
kept having them. And all the things that we love
the most about our journey in life, you know, have
been the things that don't really make sense. We still

(20:20):
can't afford kids, and we we we want to, like
we wish someone would just drop quadruplets on our door,
you know. I mean we struggle. That's where everyone should
go download don't let her, and then there's like because
there don't let her merch. Oh yeah, we just came
out with the don't ever watch the Office without Me

(20:41):
shirt because that's one of the things. Yeah. So yeah,
I mean we um, yeah, we never we we sometimes
sometimes we're like are we we selfish? Like that? We want,
you know more kids or um and stuff, and we're
we're both the babies of the family. And so if you,
I think, if you walk in our house, you realize

(21:02):
that we're so I feel like we're lazy at times,
but we're just there's there's things that we're not concerned with,
perhaps like the yard. I don't care, like our yard
looks like Jumanji always and I don't care. I don't
fix it until I get a notice from the neighborhood
and like, hey you got And I'm like for a

(21:23):
lot and there, but you know, we got we got
seat rot problems going on. I mean, we skateboard, we
throw the ball in the house. We we just we
live in a different on like kind of a different planet,
and we always have. I think when you have a
bunch of kids, though, you have to learn to let

(21:43):
a lot of things go, a whole lot of things
go just right. I mean, I have to. You'll have
six with kids, yeah, yeah, you have two, or you
don't enjoy your kids and you don't enjoy what you
have exactly. I used to be way more uptight about
don't know what kind of mom, Laney you thought you
were going to be. But I thought I was gonna

(22:04):
never give my kids cereal. Promise. I get that. You're like,
we're gonna have healthy smoothes for breakfast every morning, and
I get it right. With our first kid, Laney always
had like a mini bag of fresh carrots, like some

(22:24):
pure asparagus. We only started off avocado. Is raining. It
is interesting how you change. It's just you know, it's like, wait,
why am I so stressed? I mean, I feel like
we still have aspirations and goals of like keeping them
healthy and getting them interested in like things that are

(22:46):
gonna be good for them. But at the end of
the day, like a bowl of cereal isn't gonna hurt anybody.
But I mean, I used to be pretty and even
like I was a little judge, and I take it
all back. I don't now I'm like not judge, but
I remember I would see I was like, I mean
because my mom fed me that I ate sugary. Serious,
I will say, we don't have we don't lucky charms,

(23:12):
right right, I know that's what I'm saying. If I
pop out any more, I might go that route. But
now it's like even even the convenience sometimes of I
think on Saturday morning, like Stevenson got up and I
was like, hey, buddy, He's like, what's for breakfast? And
I was like, can you just put yourself a bowl
of cereal? And it was amazing. I was like, this
is the life, right, yes, So I can't even imagine

(23:34):
this ideal like way up here in the clouds. And
then there's real life and it doesn't always on the subject.
They'll have sugar cereal, I will say it has an
immediate effect on our kid's attitudes. So then selfishly, I'm like, ah,
eat a banana use because I just don't want to
deal sometimes with the way you're going to act after Right,

(23:58):
that's a real thing. I'm saying that strung goal is real,
Like with the dietary stuff is for real. Oh yeah,
I can see it too in my kids. But then
sometimes well sometimes it's like you're saying, Laney, like you
just you don't want to miss out on experiences with
your kids, Like you don't want to waste time doing
the yard if you're missing out and stuff with your kids.
Like for me, I felt like I was sort of
gonna be the same way about like ice cream. We're
different things. And then there's times we've got as a

(24:19):
family and we all get it together, and it's like,
if I was trying to be uptight about it, we'd
miss out on those moments because like, kids love treats
like that, and you know, I don't want to be
like so up dot I can't even enjoy ice cream
with my kids. But okay, so before we again back
to Don't Let Her, which you should be downloading now
on iTunes to support Walker and Laney and their six kids.

(24:39):
But let's listen to a few more lyrics to see
where we are. I kind of like, let me turn
it up. I'm not a professional here, but hold on.
That's your favorite flower, don't ever watch the office out

(25:01):
available the favorite season, Jail. You really love football season? Laney?
Oh I do. We're cutting down August thirty one. Oh yeah, no,
I know. I see I'm not that in the football.
But my husband, yeah, he's on the countdown and I'm like,
oh gosh, I'm very lucky. Laney. Laney is like avid sport.

(25:25):
Like if if I was like, Hey, we're gonna have
a special date tonight, I have a surprise for you.
If I was like, hey, I got tickets to a
Cardinals game, or Braves game or or a band with
football game, she would lose her mind, like that's that's
where she likes to hang. And again, I'm I'm a lucky,
lucky dude. Um, she knows more about pro baseball than
I do. Right now, I'm I'm on the road singing.

(25:47):
I don't really you know, get to watch every game
and she'll be like, dude, the Red Sox lost by
this much and this is how this was crazy, and
she'll just watch it by herself. I think it's probably
been since getting since having boys and they've gotten older,
and watching them at baseball and then just kind of
getting into it and then watching some games with them.
You know, it's kind of been a process. I can't

(26:07):
say I was always like that, but it is a
fun thing to do as a family. And we're kind
of obsessed with playing the show on the PlayStation when
Walker comes home, so every day. We've gotten a lot
of baseball knowledge that way too. But I do love football,
and four of our kids were August Baby's PlayStation BAKA.

(26:28):
She goes with the Red Sox. I usually play with
the Dodgers. She's so good every time speaking that right now,
and I'm just hearing a song. She likes Red Sox,
I like Dodgers, right, put it on a shirt. Just kidding.
But I know we mentioned the merchant and the stuff

(26:48):
about Walker. I just want to say too, you can
go to Walker Hayes dot com. Right Walker, Yes' because
I mean, get it, get it, check it out. Okay,
So Walker, Next, I want to talk about the Craig Fund, which,

(27:10):
um is a really amazing story. Also too, you created
a song from that. It's got to be I think
probably therapeutic for you to be able to use, just
like you gave us the gift of joy like duty
and you know, even the podcast theme song that may
resonate with some people in some way, but this is
like on another level because you know, you met this

(27:33):
guy Craig, and he had had a major impact on
your life, which we'll get into, but then you were
able to write a song about him, and then you
played him the song, and then it's created a whole movement.
And so I'm gonna play a little bit of the
Craig song and then we'll talk about it. Because the
Craig Fund, I think is something that people, I mean,

(27:54):
they may want to see how they can get involved,
or they may just be inspired by like wow, like
you can make a different and you can bless people bigger, small,
and Craig happened to go. I mean he went big
for y'all. And we'll get into exactly how. But here
is Craig by Walker Hayes. Yeah, I know he sounds cool, right,
not from Sunday School, right. I still figured out church yet, Craig,

(28:20):
I get now he can't. It's sot of double by buddy,
just be tight with so obviously barrier flying with Craig
is like Jesus, Like he's tight with Jesus because he

(28:40):
has you know, a relationship. You met him at church,
but you kind of were like, this guy's different than
maybe other people you have had experienced. So a Walker,
I'll let you take it. Yeah, yeah, Craig. There's two
massive Like there's two two large things that I that
um struck me about Craig is one. I can be

(29:01):
a very judgmental person, especially upon like a Christian community,
because I a lot of times I find myself picking
him up apart because they are proclaiming one thing but
then acting a certain way. And that's that's my problem.
That's wrong with me um. But Craig's relationship with Laney
and I was so unconditionally loving and we never felt

(29:23):
if I'd have felt preached that or even taught, I
would probably have backed off from just that type of person.
But he just loved us, and so that was definitely
alluring um quality that he possessed. And he his just
relationship with us was so um, had no agenda, just
just they just wanted to They just loved us, you know.

(29:47):
And then also I was beyond inspired obviously by by
by Craig giving us a car, and and there's there's
many reasons, but one was because dude, did ask you
know what, I find myself a lot of time. Hold on,
I'm gonna back up a little bit because people might
be I want to know a little bit more back story.
So y'all started in Laney. I don't even know that

(30:09):
I know this part, but like who, like I found
the church all are gonna start going to. Maybe it
was a new you started going? Were you going? And
then Walker started going? And then what was what was
going on y'all? Life? Y'all's life around that time, and
then boom, now Craig is in the picture. So I
originally met Laura, Craig's wife through a mutual friend just
kind of nice to meet you, and that was it.

(30:30):
And then saw her later at basketball at our kids
basketball games and just started talking to her. She told
us they had just moved here. They had started a church,
and I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, great, that's nice.
And then they had invited us, and I was like,
I don't know, so I kind of got online and
I was like, what kind of churches this, what do
they believe? You know, what's going on here? And um.
She struck me, of course, as super kind and friendly

(30:53):
from the very beginning, and we certainly clicked. And then
I drugged my family there and it was in the winter,
so it was pitch black dark, it was at night.
They were meeting at night, and we were driving to
the middle of the country and I was like, guys,
I don't know what we're about to drive up to.
Like I was kind of a little bit flipping out
about I don't know where I'm taking my family. Um,

(31:13):
and then we walked into this church at night, and
every it was just it was amazing. People were so
kind and welcoming and loving, and kids everywhere and running
around and it was just the most come exactly how
you are and we love you sort of place that
we had walked into. So that was kind of how
it started. And then we did develop a very close

(31:35):
friendship with Craig and Laura and their kids over the
course of time. And you can go from here. Well, yeah,
and at that time in our lives, Um, I was
I was drinking heavily. Um, probably when we rolled into
that church. I'm sure I've been drinking all day. Um.
We had we were about to have We're about to
actually be pregnant with our six. We had just had

(31:58):
number five, number five Hollywood, okay, and you know, things
were going downhill fast, like money wise, job wise, I
had not gotten a job yet at Costco was what
was about to And but yeah, Laura, but I mean honestly,
Laura and Craig, Uh, they they just they adopted us,

(32:18):
is what they did. I mean, they called us. There's
they opened their house to us. Uh. He showed up,
you know, to my shows like a father figure would
and sat in the back. And anytime I saw Craig
in the back chatting somebody's ear off, I knew that
he was like and that dude good, like you have
you ever heard of this guy like he like he

(32:41):
would always tell every night, like after a show, he'd
be like, you need to be playing arenas, man, I
can't believe you're playing right, you know. And I and
I was just like it was so kind and and
and genuine and um and then yeah, a relationship just
continue to grow. And then about three years later we

(33:02):
had had our six kids, Um Everley, and we were
down to one car. We we I had hidden the
fact that I had gotten dropped from a label, from
an endorsement deal that I had, and because I knew
that as soon as this Volkswagen dealership found out that
nothing was going on musically, that they probably take that

(33:22):
van back. And all we had was this old Honda
that Laney brought in when when we got married, and
so the van got taken away. I remember I remember
watching the truck take it and the kids were like,
that's awesome, you know how they put it up on
the truck and I was like, but not at the

(33:43):
same time, and so things got rough, you know, and
and um, you know, I acted like, oh I got
you know, I got it figured out. And we shared
a car for about six weeks and one night Craig
shows up unannounced. We had invited. He showed up after
Beckett baseball game, and UM got out of his own

(34:05):
minivan and Laura, his wife, drove in in in another car,
and he had this big grin on his face and
and we argued, you know, he was he was like,
take take the car, you know, just take it. I know,
I know you you know, you know you needed all
you gotta do. A sign the song is exactly what

(34:26):
what went down. And UM, I was like, nah, you know,
and because honestly, I was genuinely embarrassed and just proud
and and didn't want to accept help, because you know,
accepting help just felt like I was saying that I
couldn't do it, you know, on my own. And I
remember my daughter, I remember her saying, Dad, just take
the car. And then I remember Craig saying he he

(34:49):
actually him and his brother were like really good wrestlers
in high school. And at one point he said, I'm
gonna wrestle you, you know for it, and I was like, nah, no, thanks,
I don't want to wrestle. And so I just took
I took the car and we drove it home and uh,
and I immediately felt a burden just lifted. Um. I

(35:10):
felt the ability to focus on other things and not
be so stressed out about you know, the vehicle situation.
And obviously the kids. We're much safer riding in a
car that they all fit in. You know, we had
been driving everywhere in the Honda with Laney and I
and six kids, and so it was definitely illegal. Um

(35:32):
and you know we we weren't proud of that, but
that's all we had. But yeah, I mean, dude showed
up and he didn't ask like I said. I mean,
he saw a need and he just I think him
and Laura probably spoke like, hey, can we do this?
And and and Craig. You know, I think a lot
of people feel like he just hands out cars and

(35:52):
can do that. I mean he I think after he
gave us the car, he went and bought himself something
used for five or six grad It's not it's not
like he was like, oh, I'm going to get a
Tesla and just say y'all know. That was a that
was definitely a financial push for them. That was not
really something they could necessarily afford to do. People think, oh,

(36:13):
they must be wealthy and be able to just do that.
They really couldn't. They were stepping out in faith, just
seeing a need that we had and how can we help.
They're just those people, you know. It wasn't that that
was an easy thing for them. They were They were
really just stepping out. And I have four kids, right, yeah,
no I have. And they didn't have like a bank
account of money that they could rely on if something happened.

(36:35):
I mean, they they were really they were going out
on a limb for us. For sure. That was people,
don't They wanted to bless you and and walker to
you like he proved to you that like, yes there
are there can be people that maybe aren't necessarily they
are walking the walk and talking the talk. And that's

(36:57):
to Craig was to you. So that's why, Well that's
what the song is all about. And then you from
that the Craig Fund. Yeah, it's unreal. Uh. I get
teary eyed every time we do something just because of
how just full circle it is. But we we have, um,
we have a Craig Fund. We sell shirts where the

(37:20):
those those shirts, every shirt that we sell, the proceeds
go to the Craig Fund. And then people just drop
huge installments like people just like when we lost Oakley,
the Craig Fund filled up. That was kind of people's
way of, um, you know, saying they love us and
and um in honor of Oakley and stuff, and and

(37:40):
what what we do is, uh, we it was a
lot of logistics and hoops and loopholes to to jump
through at first, but we we gave our first car
away to a single mother and and again it was
just an emotion. It's such an emotional moment. And um,
We're going to continue to do those things and find
ways at the Craig Fund can be used. But it's

(38:02):
all about exactly what Craig did for me. It's what
we do is we take submissions of who you can
like nominate for the Craig thing, and people send us.
You know, we had about fifty submissions narrowed down for us,
and then me and Lanny and the kids sat down
and we went through like fifty one night, and and

(38:23):
it was like, Okay, who do y'all? It's so hard,
you know, but um, you know we'll keep all those
and and do it again and again and again. And
uh it's my favorite you know, part of of being
um uh, you know, whatever you call me, you know, singer, songwriter,
recording artists or whatever. I mean, that's to me. That's
the That was the most fulfilling moment I think I've

(38:46):
experienced in this in this job is when when we
showed up in the town and I was able to
give this lady a hug, and her kids had written me,
you know, letters, and I sat in the car and
it was so clean, and and you know, from from
my experience with Craig, I remembered how nice that was
like to sit in a car that just started when

(39:08):
you turn the key, you know, and you push the
button and the window works, and you're hot and the
air makes you cold, and there's a seat. It's just
like those things. I think you know now, Landy and
I are okay financially right now, and and we we
It's funny how fast you take those things for granted.
But I know where those people are. And I love
reading the submissions, and the people that write the submissions

(39:30):
are they're they're Craig's and themselves like just to to
sit down and write essays about someone they love and
why they need a car or they need assistance. So
it's a it's a really really gratifying, fulfilling fun part
of what I'm able to do now. And that Craig
fun stuff can be found at Walker had you can

(39:53):
you buy be a Craig shirt? You know those are
everywhere And uh, I didn't steal that from Amy and
this team set up the fund, but it's all the
people out there that are filling it. Yeah, it ain't
mom money, it's the fans. I mean, they're they're the
ones that's it isn't amazing, It is an amazing feeling.

(40:16):
And you know, Walker, you're I know sometimes you're like,
oh no, you know, people ask you to sign like
Pimp and Joy stuff like you're one of the original
Joy pimpers because of the theme song. And it's like
that's something too where I know exactly what you're feeling
like watching people rally together for a cause and a
reason and a movement and it's so cool to see
people react and they want to be a part of

(40:39):
something bigger and better. Because that's what Pimp and Joy
is to me. It's what the Craig Fund is to y'all.
And it's a lot similar to your mom. I'm sure
you're you're like, so to me, it all start like
that elevator thing she talks to people, like, that's what
grabbed me. So you must have been re listening to
the Bobby Bones Show that day, okay, so or maybe

(41:00):
read maybe heard about you talking about her and then
read something and the something written about you talking about her.
You said she taught me because she was choosing joy
and at the hospital Indie Anderson, when she would be
like having a rough day, like going to get treatment,
it was just like, oh, but she knew everyone else
that India Anderson was probably having really rough days too,

(41:22):
so she would make an effort to talk to people
on the elevator and be like such a cute sweater
or whatever. And I'm like, who talks to people in
the elevator? But she did, and I guess you picked
up on that. And then I I don't know that
we've ever talked about how you decided that was the
spark and you have to like that's I think that's

(41:43):
That's what I feel about Craig is like just the
way he spoke to me that first night, and now
full circle, we're just dropping cars on people because other
people were, you know, doing it and then that happens
outside of us, Like but you know, we'll meet people
in line and they'll they'll say, hey, I donated, I
just gave some money car because I heard about your friendship.

(42:04):
But you have to feel, you know that the same
way about that's just a cool thing. How small to
me something can be. And then a couple of years
go by and it's a freaking franchise, like it's just happening,
and it's all It was literally because of love. It
was because one person just wasn't in love with himself.

(42:26):
They were actually in love with everybody else just for
a second and then baboon. And I know Craig was
kind of when you talked about releasing the song and
it being public, like he was like, oh, he probably
still does. It was uncomfortable for him because he wasn't
doing it for any sort of He didn't want praise
or recognition. He just wanted to again just bless y'all

(42:48):
and so. But but for him and because him and
his wife they felt it was put on their heart
this is what they needed to do, and they were
obedient with that, like this is the domino effect, Like
this is the blessing of plump, blessings and blessing and
it's multiplying, and y'all are keeping it going and walker
with your platform, like and y'all's fans together. I mean, hello,

(43:11):
you'll do have These are the haze of our lives,
basically our own soap opera happening. But y'all are, y'all
are using y'all are doing good with it, and I
think that that's what's important. Some people are like, I
don't really want to talk about it, but when you do,
it's not like for bragging, because you know that it's

(43:31):
possible because of everyone. And it's also to inspire. Yeah,
it is. Craig didn't even want to play the song
for his kids. That's how you know humble he is
about kind of recognition. And then on a yeah, on
a funny note, one songwriter came up to me and
he was like, Dude, that same thing happened to me.
Somebody gave us a car and I was like, and

(43:55):
it was originally just meant as a thank you for him,
and then it was never meant as an album. Um addition, yeah, well,
let's listen to this hook one last time in case
Craig's listening Craig, if you're listening, this goes out, This
goes out to you, and I know it sounds cool, right,
not just from Sunday School, right. I still figure it

(44:16):
out Church yet, Craig, I can't now, he can't water.
Let's turning down a Bobby Red buddy. Just my be
tight with a man. He's not lying out the world.
But I wish that my mom was right is yes, yeah,

(44:38):
just my be tight with a man, lyrical genius and
you know he will listen. Yeah, yeah, grand Laura awesome,
Hey Laura. Hey, um, so that's another song to Chris
probably like shut up, aby, but you can go download

(45:02):
do it? Do so Walker. I have tattoos that are
super personal to me, Like I have Joy tattooed in
my mom's handwriting on my wrist, and then I have

(45:24):
a spoa right below that, which means hope in Creole
and that was just for me. Like our adoption process
took five years, so obviously having lost my mom, having
joy in handwriting on my wrist is a big deal.
And then a spa was there as an everyday reminder
as we were going through that process of you know, like,
don't lose hope, this is going to happen, even though
there were days where I thought, Okay, this might not happen,

(45:46):
but that was my reminder. And so I know that
you have Oakley's footprint on your arm, and so I know,
like even getting into this right now, I feel like
it is something that I know it's so personal for y'all,
and I appreciate you sharing, but even something like that
every day having to look down, I'm sure it has

(46:08):
sometimes like for me seeing my mom's handwriting, it's like
so special, but then sometimes it's also hard. And so
how how long has it been since she would have
been She would be one year and about two months now, Okay, yeah, yeah,
And um, you know you just talked about I. Um,

(46:31):
Laney and I kind of decided together, uh, to not
be private about this, and I think one of the
reasons we did is because there were a couple of
people that we're not private about their own experiences that
showed up for us literally the day of like I'm
talking about, while Laney was in this in the operating

(46:54):
room and I was there alone by myself. Um, what
was the girl's name, Michelle? Her name was Shell. I
don't remember her name. I've only seen her once in
my life and that was that That was that day,
and she showed up and she began to just talk
and walk me through her experience of losing a child.
And uh, had she been private or never reached out

(47:19):
to any organization that cared about that happening to someone else,
we would have been completely lost that day. I didn't know.
You know, this sounds silly, but when you when you
when you you know, Lanny had us stillborn. She she
carried Oakly nine months. That morning, we thought we were
going to have a home birth. We were so excited.

(47:39):
I was supposed to play on the CMT Awards that night,
like first TV anything. Just a lot of excitement and happiness,
and then you know, she goes into labor, her uterus ruptures.
An hour and a half later, doctor walks in to
me in a room and says, hey, you had a
little girl. We tried to rest I state what we

(48:00):
couldn't and so I'm just sitting there alone. I don't know,
Like we obviously want to get to my wife. I
don't know if I'm supposed to meet. Do you do
you meet? Do you do you do you hold a
dead kid? Do you do. Like that's just a question.
That's like one question in my head, like do you
do you hold her? What do you do? Like what
are we about to We're about to have a funeral,

(48:21):
Like do you get rid of them at that? I mean,
I'm clueless, you know what I'm saying. I had absolutely
no idea. And then in the meantime, emotionally, I'm never experienced,
and Laney and I are we go through this together.
You know, I look at this tattoo still on my arm,
and it reminds me I had a bait, I had

(48:41):
a kid, a baby. I held a kid of mine,
a real life child in my hands, you know, that
had a foot and another foot, and and hands and
and and hair and a face that that this looked
like another one of our our kids. And so yeah,
I don't really know what question I'm answering, but I

(49:02):
think I started off by saying we would be vocal
about it because it's not just us. You know this,
People lose people all the time and it is a shocking,
lonely emotion and people grieve differently. And I needed that
girl Michelle there more than anything. She walked us through
getting pictures of Oakley and uh, she she helped us

(49:26):
find the cemetery where we would eventually go look and
bury our daughter next to hers um, which which was
earth shattering, just like kind of of that. That was
just like a I don't know what's what you call it.
It just like we fell in tears, you know when
we when we saw LuSE Lucy is her name. When

(49:47):
we saw her name, Landy and I literally broke down
and just shambles. And then then a dog came up
impede on a grave and we we laughed. We just laughed. Uh,
we laughed so hard and we needed that dog to
pee on grave. We were like, this is a perfect spot.
We were like, it's just like our house. There's dogs

(50:10):
everywhere and there's you know, Lucy here. But it's just
a whirlwind. You know. We still are in Like I said,
I still look at at her footprint and I go,
that happened to us, and it happens to a lot
of people. Um, and you know, I'm talking miscarriages too,
you know, and sids and and people people just lose,

(50:33):
people lose grown up kids, you know, and well there's
something about it being the other way around. I feel like, yeah,
I lost my mom and she probably she died too
young and she had cancer, but it was sort of
in the right order of like, at some point I
was probably hopefully going to say goodbye to my mom
and I will to my dad, because that's what we

(50:55):
consider to be the natural progression of life. So with
y'all having to experience, especially after you've got six kids,
it's like, well, we're giving births of this, We've already
done this before, were about to meet our new baby,
and then it took do a one eight and then
not like that's that's a whole different territory, even to
where I'm just like I wouldn't know what do you do?

(51:18):
Do you do you hold them? And do you take Yeah,
do you take pictures? So yeah, I mean Michelle, what
a blessing that that she was there. And then Laney's
not You're in surgery, right, so I mean he went
through a lot of it alone because I was in
surgery for what a couple of hours and um and

(51:39):
at this and then after that, do you don't hear
her state? You know, like you know I didn't. I
wasn't really honestly, it just was such a blur. I wasn't.
I realized later, I guess how close you know Laney
was to Dine. I was just oblivious. Again, I'm concerned
with you know, with Oakley, because your your look honest,
you know you're looking at minutes. You're like, fifteen minutes

(52:02):
ago there was a heartbeat or and you're like, no,
I can't you know, it can't be done now, Like
are you sure? You're sure? And you're and you're just like, no,
no way, this is that, this is happening. And then
I could I could sense distress in the doctor as
she continued to visit me and say, hey, we're trying
to stop the bleeding. We're doing everything we can. And

(52:23):
then they would vanish and then I'd be like, what
did you just say to me? Like does it it
sound It doesn't sound like it's over yet, you know,
And so yeah, I mean that was freaky. And then
the worst part of it all was um was when
Laney came to and she was out and she was

(52:45):
she had a tube in her mouth so she couldn't
talk to me, and she was very very drugged and sedated,
and uh, she lost a ton of blood um during surgery,
and so she she was coming out and awake from that,
and and she would look at me and I'd be like, oh,
she's gonna you know, she's gonna say something about it.
And she would touch her stomach and I knew she

(53:09):
was like trying to say, like what, you know, she
wanted me to say we had a girl or or
you know whatever, and then I would tell her, I say,
you know, as a girl, she didn't make it. And
then I could just see Lanny's body physically just convults,
just go like I thought she's gonna have a heart

(53:29):
attack because she couldn't she couldn't talk or say anything.
She could just cry and I would just see tears
and tears and then she would kind of pass out.
And then fifteen minutes later we just do it all again,
like she would wake up like I never told her anything,
and and so over and over, you know, I continually

(53:51):
felt I had to answer and and so you know,
that completely sucked. And then and you know, Lanny any
and I we we It's like we were some of
Somebody explained it to me, not like a therapist, but
a dear friend said, it's like you are both in
the in a car wreck at the same time. Like
exactly at the same time, and then forever will always

(54:14):
be telling each other what happened in our rex like
it was the same wreck but different recks. And and
you know, I thought, I feel so bad, you know,
for for Laney, because when she woke up, she didn't
lose just a kid. We're done, we can't have she
she she woke up and got told where did You're done?

(54:37):
You're not have you you can't, We're not having any kid.
It would be irresponsible of you too to to to become,
you know, pregnant again. And that is so hard, you
know for for for me to watch Laney is just
just what she was born to do. I swear to
God that is It's just she she was supposed. I

(54:57):
didn't know that when I met her, you know, when
I'm gonna let eleventh grade, I didn't know she was
just she was made to just raise and love and
nurture and care, you know, for kids. But that is um,
that's where she she belongs. She she's supposed she's gifted
at that like like next level gifted. And so you

(55:18):
know she's been struggling with that um truth. You know
that she's she's what I don't know what do you
call it? You're you're you're on not like birth control?
But she we have what do you use? The wall?
Come on, somebody help me. The goalie, the eternal goalie
that never goes away. Yeah she did. She does that
go into like birth control and what I'm just saying,

(55:40):
she's on that. But when she and I laugh and
we're like, I hope I still hope, Like I still hope,
you know, like I hope, I hope you get pregnant.
And that's like maybe God's way of saying you can't
can't stop this train, Like it's it's it's crazy how
big those desires are, you know. Yeah, like Walker said,
not only did I wake up and realized that we

(56:01):
had lost we didn't know she was a girl. So
we found out it was a girl, you know, we
lost her. Um and then they say, you know, they
were able. They wanted to do a hysterect to me,
but they couldn't because of how much blood I'd already
lost and they didn't think I could survive it and
all of that. So, um, anyway, they did not do
a hysterecto me. So for Walker me, We're going, well,

(56:23):
maybe there's still a chance, you know, Like that's how
badly we love having kids Like that is you know,
his his only dream is not music, but that that
is my dream. Like I love having kids and just
pouring everything I have into them, like, um, I don't know.
So yeah, to wake up and to realize we were

(56:44):
done and that you know, that wasn't our plan. You know,
that was our plans. Just getting completely halted and told
you know, you're doing a one A D from this, actually,
you know, Um, it is hard. Is so many layers
to process, to take in, so many levels of grief.
You know, we're grieving Oakley, you know, after losing her.
You know, I'm my body has a hard time healing.

(57:06):
And then it's the things like your milk still comes in,
you know, a day or two later, and it's such
a harsh reminder that you don't have a baby. Um,
And so you have these physical things you're dealing with
the emotional toll um. You know, you're almost still in
so much shock. It's kind of the Lord's way of
protecting you. You can't take it in. It's hard to

(57:28):
even grasp it's a process of grieving because you can't
you can't really understand the weight of it immediately. Um.
And yeah, we had so many people there for us, UM,
the people at the hospital, the stuff we didn't know,
I mean, hold her, spend time with her, hugger, you know,
love what you can, UM, trying to memorize our features.

(57:51):
You know, you just look at her toes and you
just like study your stop looking at her because you're
not you won't You're not gonna see her again. UM.
Photographer named Callie showed up and did pictures for us.
And you know, then I said, you know, Leela is
our only child that met her and held her. But
I said, you know, don't take pictures on your cell
phone because I don't know that you'll want that in

(58:13):
your camera role. And I regret that. I mean, you know,
I didn't know. It's not you're not taught on how
to do this, and so we didn't take snapshots of her.
But thankfully Callie was there and did pictures of her,
and that's all we have. And so, UM, I am
so thankful because I mean what I what, I do
things differently in some ways, yes, but in other ways,

(58:35):
I'm so thankful that these people all showed up because
they helped us grieve in the healthiest way that we
possibly could going through something like that, and we wouldn't
have known how to do that, um, how to walk
through losing her. And and then you know, it's the
things you're not expected for. You know, you're holding you're
holding your dead baby, and you just it is the

(58:59):
weirdest thing. They look just like every other newborn we
ever had, and you are you are physically staring at them,
going please just breathe, like there's you know, you just think, oh,
they're gonna start breathing. You know they're not. This isn't true.
You know they're gonna breathe. You know, it's just hard

(59:20):
to it's hard to take it in because you really
are And the other thing and this is you know,
maybe a lot of information, but she was cold, and
so the mom and you just keeps kind of wanting
to snuggle her up and hold her close and wrap
her up because you know she's cold. And um, you know, spiritually,

(59:40):
I'm going she's not here. You know, this is just
her shell. She's not here. She's very much alive, just
not right here with me. But the mom of you
can't get past the this is her physical body that
you want to care for, um, even though you know
she's not there, but it's it is traumatic and traumatizing,

(01:00:04):
and we do want to share our story because if
it can help somebody, like you said, not feel alone,
If it can you know, if we can help somebody
grieve and the healthiest way that they can, you know,
we want to We want to do that. It's also
a therapeutic, I mean selfishly, just to relive it. Um,
I can still just as we talk about it, there's

(01:00:27):
there's still shock here. I mean, it really is that
her picture is at the it's it's in our room.
It's in our room where it all went down. And um,
I mean some nights we just sit there and talk,
you know, and and look at her picture and still
absorb like this happened to us, you know, like you said,

(01:00:48):
it's probably a miracle that you can't if you could,
if you could feel it all at one time, you'd
probably just explode, you know, or your heart would stop
or something. But yeah, um, we we were so lucky
the community, this community. UM not gonna lie. Like artists

(01:01:08):
were so competitive, like we just compare each other to
each other, and we want to we want to be friends,
but we want to sell more albums than the other
one or I do speaking personally, but I'm gonna tell
you something when something like this happens, or when it
did to us. We had a meal that day from
Russell Dickerson's family, him and his wife that day, I

(01:01:30):
know they were busy, uh cmt stuff and she left
and homemade the most incredible lag yeah, just soup every
just it buckets a film. I mean we I don't
think we paid for a meal or fixed a meal.
She you know, Oakley. We lost Oakley in June, on
June six, and I promise you we have food till September,

(01:01:53):
more food than we could eat, you know. And and
for us to be you know, we felt it took
us a while, like to just get back out into life,
you know. And so the last thing you wanted to do,
what was was like worry about where we're gonna eat tonight.
And and so yeah, I mean it was we were
so well taking care of Craig and Laura showed up,

(01:02:16):
they met, they met Oakley, they held her that he
actually officiated like a little a funeral service. My my
boys and I buried her like we've we've filled it
a whole up with dirt, and you know, Craig and
law were there and we were just surrounded by We
had a lot of family and friends show up that day,

(01:02:38):
and you know, it's it's a tricky situation for all
of us to navigate. Nobody knows what to do. And
you know, death is awkward. It can be awkward for
all of us. We don't know how to walk through
it really, and nobody, I mean people talk about it,
but um well, I think y'all being willing to share

(01:02:58):
your story and then kind of so too. Yeah, it
is that that's an accurate statement. Death is is awkward.
Um So it's like just people should just show up.
I mean it's a reminder for me to hear that too.
And I think other people listening, like if some if
you know someone's gone through something, sometimes you just don't

(01:03:18):
want to be in the way or you don't wanna
like you don't really know. Well, I'm not that close
to them, but I mean I have sympathy for them,
I empathize or whatever the case may be. Like I
hurt for them right now because I know that they're
hurting and this has got to be painful, but like,
but what do I do? And so I don't know,
like sometimes we do nothing. Yeah, but it's I think

(01:03:43):
that that's probably a reminder that just just do. If
it's put on your heart, like, don't ignore that, just do.
And I know probably the people that sent meals and
you know, publishing companies and labels and you know, so
many people were providing food for us, and that might
seem silly and small to them, but it really did.
People feeding us through August it was I mean, it

(01:04:08):
really was such a blessing because physically I couldn't for
a while, and then after that you just are trying
to pick up the pieces. I mean, you just are
trying to your best to maintain some sort of let's
get back into life, like we can't just hold up
in our house forever um. And to have that taken
care of and provided for us, it really was that
was huge. That was so huge, and that was you know,

(01:04:30):
maybe people saw that as small just Okay, I'm gonna
send him a gift card for Uber eats or whatever
people might have done. I mean it all that's like
to me, the US experiencing that and and the people
that did show up Um, it's it's to to me
like the right answer in that case that you're talking about,

(01:04:52):
because I feel the same way, like I don't even
know that guy that well, and like it's it gonna
be weird, you know if I show up and I
feel the right answer takes the most courage and and like, Craig,
can you imagine how scary it would be to drive
up to a dude son based baseball game Son's baseball

(01:05:15):
game and be like take this car? Like I can't
imagine a more frightening thing to do. Um, And the
same thing you talk about Michelle showing up for me
that day. I'm not like, I'm I'm I'm I'm pretty
angry person and amidst like emotions like that. So I
can't imagine being on her side of that waiting room

(01:05:36):
and talking to a completely silent man whose wife isn't
even out and okay yet and just start black and
just start telling my story. You know. That's just I
had to That required some serious bravery. Um. So yeah,
what I'm saying is probably like it's good just to show. Yeah,

(01:05:58):
I mean, that's what I'm receiving from this now. Even
a reminder to myself. And then sometimes when you're hesitant
on sharing your story, and sometimes it may hurt, but
I think that what you all have learned for it
too is it's therapeutic. And then also like Michelle, it
probably was painful. It probably walked her through her entire
thing and she's having to relive it, but somewhat therapeutic.

(01:06:22):
But also now it gives not that you want to give.
You have to find. It's almost like you want to
find the reasons why things go bad. It's not like
there's the whole that everything happens for a reason or
like okay, well this is why that happens that we
can better prepare me. But for me, I think if
you look at it like, um, yeah, this was a
really crappy situation, like this sucked, but in order to

(01:06:46):
make the best of it, I have to look for
the ways to make this better. Like you can choose
to live in the crap and make it crappy and
it be a horrible situation like the whole like my
mom's gains about losing her to that it could have
been like we could have just lived than the crap.
It sucked. It was brutal, the things I saw I
will never unsee and it was horrible and nobody should

(01:07:06):
have to die that way, Like it just was not right.
And you know, I was there to her last breath.
I even laid with her dead body for like an
hour with my sister and thought it was awkward, But
it's like my sister I made a choice, like, Okay,
what are we gonna do from here on out? What's
the legacy going to be? Are we gonna, you know,
just sit in this yuck or are we gonna like
look for how we can help others with this, you know?

(01:07:30):
And so then now that's what we've done. And I
feel like to y'all sharing your story, that's what you
can do is look for the reasons. And for Michelle, yeah,
I mean she went through it, but then she was
able to help you, and she was said she was
like your angel that day walker, I mean, like a
huge blessing. And then now y'all are going to be
that for somebody else, because it's the stuff is going

(01:07:53):
to happen in life. It is. But when you put
yourself out there and you open up, like you have
an opportunity to be that angel for somebody else, like
I yearned to you, somebody listening right now like it
has been or God forbid, like somebody listening, and then
you know, something like a year or two later, something
may happen where this podcast may right and they may remember,

(01:08:13):
oh gosh, like they may know what you're saying, and
the things like remember too how to how to grieve
and everybody grieves differently. But um, and not that y'all
went into necessarily exactly how you grieve the process, but
just for y'all being open and sharing, and I'm so
thankful and I appreciate you opening up for my listeners to. Okay,

(01:08:46):
so now it's gratitude time and I want to hear
the four things. So technically, because it's times too today,
we're gonna get eight were eight things? Yeah, well Walker
you get four and Lady you get four and just
something fun to do because you know, with gratitude, when
you practice that, that's what brings true joy, and so

(01:09:07):
that's we're all about on the podcast. So we want
to encourage that and maybe it'll get other people to
be thinking about what they're grateful for today. Okay, putting
me on the spot here, well obviously, I mean I'm
just not just saying that. But right here, I tell
Laney this all the time, and uh, I mean it's

(01:09:27):
it's so cheesy, but I'm grateful for her, you know
who I never would have thought, you know, just I mean,
I guess I'm like halfway through life here, and I'm
just really glad you know that I have. I'm glad
I found her so early. Um, my best friend, just
just somebody I want to just to hold hold my

(01:09:48):
hand through everything, you know, and even the worst stuff.
You know, I've I feel like I've experimented holding Laney's
hand through all things, and um, She's there's no no
one else i'd rather like get old with. So I'm
obviously grateful for her. I'm so grateful for all of
my children living and gone. Um, they are unreal. I

(01:10:15):
learned so much from my kids about my own brokenness,
and um, I don't know, they made me laugh, but
they also just make me love life, UM even more.
I'm grateful for Um. I'm grateful for music. You know. Music, Uh,

(01:10:35):
it brought us together. Um it is uh. You know
I always tell Anny this, and she makes fun of
me because I'm so emotionally attached to all music. But
it's it truly is. I can't imagine a life without it.
I can't imagine a life without being able to make

(01:10:57):
it for therapeutic reasons. Um, it has saved my life
a billion times. And UM it's it's given me um
purpose and then um and then my last you know,
but not least grateful And I don't really know how
to say this, but I'm right now. I'm I'm I'm

(01:11:23):
grateful for the Bible. I'm grateful for that book. Um.
I don't know everything in it. I don't know how
to apply, you know, verse after verse, but I'm I'm
grateful that that is a resource, um for me at
this time in my life as I kind of add

(01:11:45):
up all my experiences and try to move forward as
an old man. Um, I'm glad it's there for me,
and the man in it is in there UM with me.
I think, so, oh, I love those four things. Walker.
I'm gonna try to not jump all over the things.

(01:12:05):
He so I can't come, Kylie, No, I wish i'd
gone first. Um. This is super generic and it's kind
of a you know, wonderful like Miss America kind of answer.
But UM, I know, right, Miss Alabama not it doesn't
really sue me very well. But but I'm going to

(01:12:26):
just go generic with love on the first one. I mean,
Walker and Uh spend more time than you know just
talking about love, just how you know, how do we
love each other better? How do we love our kids better?
How do we love other people? Um? Obviously, you know,

(01:12:46):
we have a handful of people in our life that
have really impacted us in that have taught us, shown us. Um,
you know, Craig, other friends, reading about Jesus whatever. I mean,
it's we and another book we're both kind of reading
right now. I mean, we are constantly talking about how

(01:13:07):
can we just love other people better? Um? So that's
just kind of generic a little bit. Um. My second one,
I want to say laughter because that gets us through
a whole a whole, whole, whole lot. And you know,
I'm sure someone as Walker feels like the jester of
the family, but I'm like, we laugh so much when
he's home, and I'm so grateful for that. Um, it

(01:13:33):
gets you through anything. It's like us trying to pick
out a burial plot for Oakley and it's the worst
experience you can even imagine walking through. And then he
makes me laugh. He makes comments and we just giggle,
and I'm like, goly, I'm so thankful for moments of laughter, um,
whether it's in the hard times or the you know,
super happy times. And then the third I'm gonna have

(01:13:54):
to say all of my my living family. I mean
I and Walker has already touched on that, and I
can't say anything but kind of repeat what he says, Um, Walker,
our kids living Um. It's they are just such a
joy in my life. They because of all them, it

(01:14:16):
makes it harder to yearn for heaven because I love
being here with all of them so so so much.
Um that they they are just my everything. It's hard
to not make them idols in my life because I
love them that much. Um. I always want to be
with them, and I just I don't know, everything in

(01:14:37):
my life just wants to revolve around them. Um. And
then the fourth win, I'm gonna say Oakley, um, because
I can see the big picture of her and what
the Lord is doing with us having her and losing her,

(01:14:59):
and and I'm so grateful. It's a stretch to say
I'm grateful for that experience because it is more painful
than I can even express. But I'm so grateful for
what the Lord is teaching us and how he's using
her life, um to change us and to reach out

(01:15:21):
to others and just to make us more outwardly focused.
And um, just I think a lot of the changes
that He is working on in us would not have
happened without having lost her. And I wish those were
lessons we could have learned without losing her, but I'm
not sure we were in a place to do that. So, um,

(01:15:44):
I'm very grateful for her and what her life, even
though it was just nine months in utero, what that
is really teaching us and continues to teach us. Well,
I just love a Nadoria so much so, Walker Laney,
thank you for coming on. Boom You'll nail it. The

(01:16:04):
four things finally always end with a boom, all four things,
and you know, yes, through the I can't even tell
you how many times I got goose bumps when y'all
were talking and sharing and um, you know, yeah, I'm
I'm grateful that y'all came on. Yeah you feel famous, No,

(01:16:27):
you're rocking it. Also, oh yeah, you know you know
the laws, the technology, No, I'm killing just stuff I
learned from Bobby So. Yeah. It is different though, because
I've been you know, I been doing this a long time,
like thirteen years, but with Bobby so now to kind
of be on my own, it's like a little bit
and we were looking forward to it. And we've listened

(01:16:48):
to a couple of them. You do a great job.
I listen to him while I'm working out recipes. Recipe.
Yes on the first one recipe, Stevenson came on and
shared it so cute. That was his podcast debut. Yeah. Thanks, Well,
we all are great, um, and I will see y'all.

(01:17:09):
Senor got to bring all the kids over. I mean,
we talked about this all the time and it's happening.
We're all getting together. We should we'll just come over
to your house. That's especially because it doesn't matter about
the yard of the house does not. You can't mess
up anything. Kind of crooked and dangerous. It's awesome, Rusty,
we love it again. Um okay, Well, everybody go to

(01:17:33):
Walker Hayes dot com. I don't know why I just
kissed like that, but Locker Hayes dot com download all
of his music Walker really really quick. What is your
favorite song you've ever put out, ever put out, not
gonna lie. It's just don't let her all right, I know,
I know that's yeah. I mean that's my favorite one,
me too, But I just I didn't know if there

(01:17:54):
was some like you know, oh yes, Halloween is so
good that I just trying to encourage people if they
have never heard your music like Halloween laylist stars or
Lee list. Sorry it's um least stars. Yes, one favorite, Yeah, yeah,
I mean this is the jam right here. Jam, it's

(01:18:17):
a little coffee favorite lady. Come on, we're jam. We'll
end on this. Turn it up? She please? Jam? Okay.

(01:18:48):
So that's Walker and Landy Hayes. If you weren't familiar
with them before today's episode, well you are now, and
I hope you love them as much as I do.
I just appreciate them coming on to do all four
things with me and opening up about different parts to
their life, like they're so amazing. You can follow Walker
on Instagram at Walker Hayes, and then on YouTube you
gotta check out These are the Haze of Our Lives

(01:19:09):
their little YouTube show, get it like, these are the
days of our Lives. But since their last name is Hayes,
so yeah, give them a follow. Tell them how much
you you loved then being on the podcast. If you did,
I mean, I'm not telling you all to just like lie,
but if you liked it. It never hurts to reach
out to someone and say, hey, thank you for sharing
part of your life with us, and thank you for

(01:19:30):
doing Amy's theme song like I love it. I personally
love it. Be kind choose Joy, leave al lot eat Cake,
which that was our joy Seeker. I mean we talked
about it in the interview that already existed, but the
way Walker turned it into my theme song, I love it.
And then of course Pimp and Joy, which the note
I got from my email shout out today has to
do with Pimp and Joy, so it's a perfect tie in.

(01:19:51):
I thought this was a great email to wrap up
the Walker and Laney Hayes Four Things podcast. So this
email comes from Suzanne and Susanne. I love this. Thank
you for sharing this email with me. Amy. I just
had to share this story with you because it brought
so much joy to me and I know it will
bring the same to you. I recently made a big
move into d C to live by myself for the
first time. I was absolutely terrified, but I faced that

(01:20:15):
fear head on, especially with the hope of your podcast.
A few weeks ago, I was crossing a street with
my dog and spotted a driver's license. I watched as
tons of people stepped on or over it. It only
took a second of my time, but I picked it
up and took it home with me. I sent it
back to the owner with a quick note that said,
hope this reaches you in time. Just a quick kind
thing I could do for you. Hashtag pimp and joy.

(01:20:37):
Long story short. After a very stressful week, I returned
home to my little apartment to find a card in
the mail with a message that said, you give me
hope for humanity in this world. Uh, Suzanne, great story. Yes,
you saw a license, you took the time to pick
it up, you checked out the address you mailed into
the person. They probably thought their license was gone forever,

(01:20:58):
which I recently lost my license and I still haven't
gotten it back, and I still need to go figure
out how I'm gonna get a new one. I don't
know what I need to do, call and renew or
go to the d m V. But the DMV, just
like even saying it right now, sort of stresses me out.
But I'm sure that this person was obviously so thankful,
and yes, you gave them hope for humanity in this
world by your little kind act. And that is what

(01:21:20):
Pim and Joy is all about. I mean, first of all,
Susan alludes to the fact that I think she's choosing
joy for herself even though she was terrified moving to
do d C, but then she decided to spread joy
to others, and Pimp and Joy in a nutshell is
about that. Choose joy, spread, spread joy, be joy. I
know that I can't talk, but somehow I have this podcast.

(01:21:41):
So choose joy, spread joy, be joy, all things joy.
So shout out Suzanne, and shout out to all of
you out there that are Pimp and Joy. You can
always post stuff on Instagram use the hashtag. If you
want to get any Pimp and Joy swag for yourself off,
just go to Radio Amy dot com and that's where

(01:22:03):
you can find a link to Pimp and Joy stuff.
Same link that will take you to Pimp and Joy
will also get you to a spuaw Things, which is
our line that supports Haiti. And just a quick note
on that, we have launched the Teacher four Things Tope bags,
and there's a code. There's a discount code for teachers
and it's Apple. Actually there's two codes that will work.

(01:22:25):
You're only gonna get still ten percent either way, but
two codes you can type in Apple or west Rock
because we're doing whole thing on the Bobby Bones Show
with West Rock Coffee. That's like we're big West Rock
Coffee fans and they do a lot of really amazing
good things in this world. They even are delivering I
think right now, like as I speak, some four things
tote bags to Rwanda, Like how cool is that the

(01:22:48):
teachers in Rwanda are going to have topebags four things topebags,
Like it's amazing. So uh yeah, if you are a teacher,
you can get the teacher toe, which the four things
on our are already made. Teacher toe say caffinate, educate, sleep, repeat,
pretty cute, um if you I know, we went back

(01:23:10):
and forth on what the four things are going to
be for our teacher tote and I know we didn't
make everybody happy with that one, but overall it's been
a great response. But if we didn't make one the
way you like it, that's the beauty of the four things.
So you can also customize your own, so that is
super cool. You can just think of the four things
you wished or on your teacher toe or our teacher
toe and and make your own. So that's that's the

(01:23:33):
fun part. Or make it for a teacher in your life,
or yeah, maybe you're not a teacher, but you've got
kids and you want to get your teacher a gift, well,
then order them the teacher toe. Pretty much every teacher
can relate to caffinate, educate, sleep, repeat, and um what else?
There was one more thing associated that. Oh yeah, we
are still working on a think around September is when

(01:23:54):
we will launch the sponsored Teacher Tote where we want
to have you guys come along side and sponsor some totes,
and then we're trying to get donations and maybe even
people sponsoring, like you know with funds, like when you
buy a tote, you could check out and say like, oh,
want to donate an extra five or ten or fifteen dollars,
or maybe you can't even afford to buy tote, but

(01:24:16):
you can do the five dollars. It'll go towards what
we're gonna fill the tote with two kind of bless teachers.
And then people are gonna be able to nominate teachers
and then we'll pick them and then we'll just mail
them a surprise tote full of all kinds of amazing
goodies inside and that fun. Okay, we hope that y'all
will join in. We'd like need to. This is where though,
we need to rally the troops and spread the word.

(01:24:36):
Y'all are amazing at that. Like, I feel like we've
got a great little community going here, but this will
be one where we've got to just spread the word
on Facebook, on Instagram, tell your friends, um, send emails,
maybe just tell your book club, your mom's group, your
this or I don't know how you've spread the word,
but word of mouth is what we've got, so that's
what we've got to use. Which spe can have the
same same way for this podcast. Word of mouth. Tell

(01:24:59):
your people and subscribe. That would be huge. Really just
subscribing and rating and reviewing is amazing. Maybe you don't
have time to rate and review, just click subscribe, boom.
Tell your friends. Go on your husband's phone, click subscribe.
Maybe he'll start listening. Then we got another male listener.
I feel like every time we get a male listener

(01:25:20):
and angel gets its wings. So okay, y'all are amazing.
Um again, shout out Walker and Laney Hayes for being
on today never laughing, okays th little food for you,

(01:25:42):
so little life. Oh that's pretty bad. It was pretty beautiful.
Laugh a little monthsey Kicking four with Amy Brown