DOWAGIAC — Members of the Dowagiac Rotary Club had the opportunity to experience Annie Rettic’s storytelling, songwriting and singing at their weekly meeting.

Rettic grew up spending her summers on Diamond Lake, but moved to San Diego, California 12 years ago, where she now hosts keynote concerts. Keynote concerts are keynote speeches, sang by Rettic with music she writes. Rettic’s keynote for the club was focused on the topic, “It’s never too late,” which is the message she also shares when she speaks at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and senior centers.

On Thursday, she also discussed two of her favorite themes, “It’s never too late to forgive,” and “The attitude of gratitude,” which she said the Rotary Club was very familiar with.

Rettic started her speech by asking the audience a question.

“How many of you talk to yourselves in ways that you would never talk to anybody else?” Rettic asked.

Several members of the audience raised their hands, as Rettic told the audience she has worked on self-forgiveness in her own life.

She went on to describe the first song she would play, “Inside Out,” which is featured on her new album, “Heartstrings.”

“It was written by my friend,” Rettic said. “I thought it so well epitomized what I talk about that I asked her if I could record it on my CD. It said everything I wanted to say.”

Rettic’s voice played throughout the Rotary Club’s meeting room as she strummed her ukulele. Wearing a rainbow guitar strap, she sang lyrics describing turning her life being turned inside out.

Rettic went on to describe two moments when her life was turned inside out. The first time, Rettic said, was 15 years ago when she went through a divorce. After three years of struggles, Rettic received a call from her mother in San Diego, who said she needed someone to help take care of her.

“My mother knew that I needed her at least as much as she needed me,” Rettic said. “I packed everything up in my car and went out to San Diego.”

That was in 2017, and it was also the same time that Rettic started songwriting and wrote her first song, “Bottom of the Well,” for her first album.

Rettic said after her move out to San Diego, she adopted an ‘attitude of gratitude’ in an effort to change her life.

“I would wake up sometimes full of grief or fear,” Rettic said. “I would just switch to, ‘Wow I am in San Diego. It’s sunny. It’s beautiful.’”

Rettic said one thing she is thankful for is that she has voice. Before she came back to Michigan, Rettic said she could not sing a note or even talk. After being given a medicine protocol from her sister, who was a choir teacher, Rettic sipped a remedy of gingerroot, tea, lemon and honey in-between her performances.

To represent her attitude of gratitude message, Rettic performed a second song about the joy of being on an ocean beach in California.

Rettic said the second time she turned her life inside out was when she decided to cut the final tie to her ex-husband, in the form of her returning to a piece of property they both owned in Michigan’s upper peninsula. When Rettic and her husband got divorced, the property could not be split in half, she said.

“I decided it was time to come back to Michigan long enough to realize our dream of putting a small cabin on it,” Rettic said. “To make it more accessible to us and enjoyable.”

Once Rettic returned to Michigan in April, she thought it was too late to find a cabin. After driving around, Rettic found a cabin located 30 miles away from her property in the exact size she wanted and at half the cost  she expected to pay.

“I surrendered to the idea that the universe knows better than I do about what I need,” Rettic said. “I have been getting exactly what I need all summer. This whole summer has been a summer of miracles.”

Before Rettic busted out her fiddle to play some bluegrass for several members of the club who are fans, she sang another song from her album called, “The Last Place.”

“I’m grateful to be able to play music,” Rettic said. “I am grateful to share my message and music with all of you.”