Pine Tree instructor receives magazine props for song lyrics
By MAGGIE SOUZA
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Life's hard times are an important part of who Linda Miller is today.It has helped mold her, but it has also had a lot to do with her recent success in a national lyric-writing contest.
Miller, the TAKS at-risk coordinator for Pine Tree Junior High, won second place in the American Songwriter's recent lyrics competition for her song called "Dear Abby." She was recognized in the magazine's January-February edition for her achievement.
Winning was a complete surprise, said Miller, 51, who found out she'd won on New Year's Day.
"I was thrilled," the Longview resident said animatedly, sitting at her desk in an office behind the junior high's library. "That was the best New Year's ever."
Miller entered the contest in the fall after learning about it through an online networking site for songwriters and musicians.
Though writing Christian contemporary music is her first passion, she submitted two of her country songs, including "Dear Abby," which she wrote more than a decade ago.
Winning a lyric-writing contest has added fuel to the fire, Miller said, adding the accolade will give her more clout as a musician.
"It kind of lets you know how you stack up to others."
Miller's love for music runs deep and is shared by her parents and siblings.
"I grew up in a musical family," said Miller, the daughter of John and Grace Grimes. Her father was a pastor, and the family lived outside the city for a while. They finally settled in Longview in time for Miller to start her sophomore year of high school as a Lobo.
"When I was young, (music) was one of our forms of recreation," said Miller, who wrote and sang a song with her two sisters in the early '90s that gained national airplay.
It wasn't until the late '80s, while battling with a devastating illness, that Miller became serious about her songwriting.
"At that time, it was a healing thing for me," said Miller, who suffered through a year of painful symptoms before doctors discovered that she had a tumor on her pituitary gland, and Cushing's disease as a result of that.
The tumor was removed via brain surgery — over a Christmas holiday so that she could miss as little school as possible.
"After that time, the songs started pouring," Miller said, adding that her spirituality grew stronger as well. "When you go through something like that, it just changes you."
Since then, writing lyrics has been one of the most enjoyable things about life.
Having won an award, Miller plans to move full-speed ahead with her musical aspirations. She's already been working with a local producer, in addition to collaborating with a team in Dallas.
What she wants most, Miller said, is to be able to share her words with the rest of the world.
"We all have these purposes here in life," she said. "Some of us, it takes longer to figure out. ... I know that I've been blessed, and I don't take it lightly."
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