One of the rewards I’ve reaped from Riehlife are the connections I’ve found. Getting in touch with a distant cousin Vince Riehl who lives in Raceland Louisiana, close to New Orleans, has been one of these. Vince Riehl is in his early 40s and musically gifted. He plays guitar and piano, but mostly does mixing on the computer. He attended Southern Illinois University, and came out with degrees in Information Technology and Business Administration. He owns a computer consulting/repair firm, and runs a restaurant in his spare time. He joined the Army at seventeen, and was honorably discharged in 2004.

Marcus Bustos, known on MySpace as Mortimer or Mort, is half brother to Vince Riehl. Marcus is a musician and very affected by the war overseas. Marcus and Vince lost their sister Dawn and cousin Sean Langley overseas.

Vince sent me the lyrics to “Rainmaker,” a song Marcus wrote to express the sadness he feels about the loss of those he loves and the war in Iraq. Vince says that this is his epiphany about the war.

Vince, Marcus, and I offer “Rainmaker” today as a tribute to loved ones lost in this long-lasting conflict and wars everywhere.

Janet Grace Riehl
____________________________

RAINMAKER
a song by Marcus Bustos

When I was wandering in the desert
And was searching for the truth
I heard a choir of angels calling out my name
I had the feeling that my life
would never be the same again
I turned my face towards the barren sun

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in our lives
like the cracks upon the ground
They are sealed and are now washed away

You tell me we can stop the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find
something to wash the tears away
You tell me we can stop the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears.

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in the ground
like the cracks are in our lives
They are sealed and now far away

You tell me we can stop the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find
something to wash the tears away
You tell me we can stop the rain
You tell me that we all can change
You tell me we can find something to wash the tears.

And I know of the pain that you feel the same as me
And I dream of the rain as it falls upon the leaves
And the cracks in the ground
like the cracks are in our lives
They are sealed and now far away

(copyright 2008 by Marus Bustos)