A word about absent. When I was a kid growing up, one of the vague memories I have when I was going to school was my teachers calling the role. Miss Jordan in the fourth grade would stand in front of the class the first thing every morning with her gradebook in her hand,…
A word about garbage. I have to remember something important every Monday night. Every Monday night, before I can turn out the lights in our home and retire for the evening, I have to take out the garbage containers, take them out to the curb. Because early Tuesday morning a truck comes by and…
A word about grace. A couple of years ago, I discovered something about the way I pray that had a gnawing impact on my life. I will tell you the story of what I discovered. At our house, I’m sort of the undeclared and unofficially nominated prayer at mealtime. Whether in some diner, restaurant,…
A word about,… Unheard. I had a sad conversation a few days ago. I talked with someone who told me about their life and, in so many words, described what I would call a very lonely place. A woman who loved her husband and family was confronted with a variety of difficult circumstances and issues….
A Word About Firsts,… Life in all its complexities and nuances is crowded with occasions we call ‘first times.’ My life began, almost certainly, with a crying episode. (Although I don’t recall it, I must have been absolutely squalling,) The first time I ever took a breath. The first time I ever got smacked on…
A Word About Backstage Every Sunday morning, I get to lead The Classic Service at church. We have a wonderful group of committed musicians and singers. We help the congregation that’s gathered focus on God musically, with traditional hymns, choruses, gospel songs, and even an occasional contemporary worship song. We try to keep the focus…
A Word About … Reading We live in what could be called a frenetic and confusing world. One of the ways I try to stay on track with my life, especially in the midst of so much uncertainty, political rhetoric, slant, spin, news (fake and otherwise) … is by reading. My library in my…
A Word About Autonomy When I was growing up, I thought my dad was the smartest man in the world. I remember riding in the car with him and wondering how he always knew where he was going and how to get there. He knew when it was his turn to go, at a…
A Word About Vocabulary I got to wondering the other day… how many words I actually know? Not the ones in dictionaries. Not the hundreds of thousands that scholars say belong to the English language. I mean the words that live in me. The ones I reach for when something needs to be said….
A Word About Practice and Rehearsal I’ve spent a good part of my life around music. Pianos, choirs, instrumentalists. Warm-ups, run-throughs. I’ve made notes on the pages of music that ultimately become something you can actually hear. And over time, I’ve come to believe that there’s a difference between practice … and dress rehearsals….