One of the things I love about Kate Campbell is she has Elvis songs: not covers, but songs in which he makes an appearance of some sort. She’s not the first to do it, but he does seem to enjoy showing up in her songs. One of her songs Friday night took me back to…
I went to hear Kate Campbell sing Friday night, which is a good thing to do when she comes to your town, or anywhere in driving distance. Her songs are full of faith and food, hope and history – both national and personal, making listening to her a reflective and thoughtful experience. One of her…
It has rained all daywhat snow was left has lostits frozen self in the moisturesaturating the soil at every step I am walking down to my carwith questions lining up likesparrows on the lines of my mindwaiting for you to answer as you do most every afternoonwhen I call to say I am walkingand you…
I love being married to a good preacher. Sunday, she knocked it out of the park – or at least knocked me around a little bit, prophetically speaking. My musings tonight owe much to what she had to say yesterday. I knew going in to church that her sermon was based on the Luke 5…
take the umbrella, she saidbut I was not going to be gone for long and I don’t mindgetting a little wet I dryoff rather quickly the rain lasted mostall daya background of softapplauseto a thoughtful dayand Imust say I concur there aren’t many dayslike thiswhen hope clings to melike rainand love runs freelylike rainin a…
I’m watching midnight come and gothe same way I do most nights,sitting at the keyboard with a glassof wine wondering what to writeand listening to some old friendsing me into the solitude that sows some sort of word play. some nights I know the very songI want to hear, but then somesend me searching for…
I was getting ready for work yesterday morning when I heard the teaser on NPR about a story to play that afternoon asking, “Why does time fly when you get older?” I smiled, one, because I knew I would have to find the story later to hear what they said (I don’t get to listen…
Since we can’t get to church this morning because of the snow and ice, I’ve put together a service of poems, songs, and a film clip. So, having gathered, let us prepare our hearts for worship. Our call to worship is “Morning Poem” by Mary Oliver. Every morning the world is created. Under the orange…
for Ginger It doesn’t matter how long it has been.Most any night, I can pick up my guitarand my fingers will find their way to fretand strings, and my voice meet the melody,so familiar: “People smile and tell meI’m the lucky one . . .” The picking pattern is muscle memory,which is my working metaphor…
It’s been close to ten years since I taught high school English, and yet this week I’ve had two occasions to go back to the Reading List and two occasions to mention Robert Burns. Three nights ago, I wrote about Of Mice and Men, thanks to Burns’ Night. Now, just three nights later, I am…