My Playlist

February is a month full of themes and special days for celebration.  We have Ground Hog Day, Super Bowl weekend, Black History Month, Mardi Gras season, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent, the State of the Union, the season of love (Valentine’s Day), President’s Day and special birthdays:  mine, Chelsea’s, Ginny’s (Alyce’s mom), Abraham Lincoln, George Washington. We have unpredictable weather even though Pauxatauwny Phil tries to give us a reassuring hint, sunny days followed by gray skies and blustery winds. So this month, along with many others, is a perfect time to cozy up with a good book, drink some hot tea or toddies, spend time with friends and family and simply enjoy the daily activities that fill your life.

The multiple choices and possibilities of daily life are the music we dance to. - Stephen King, 11/22/63 (a good book!)

Every life has a soundtrack.  Music is the language of memory. – Jodi Picoult, Sing Me Home (another really good book!)

 

My Playlist (songs from life, the language of my memories)

1.      Jesus Loves Me – I think the first songs I learned were taught to me in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School…some early memories include these:  Deep and Wide, Do Lord, This Little Light of Mine, Jesus Loves the Little Children

2.     Your Cheatin’ Heart – My dad used to sit outside and play his guitar and sing Hank Williams’ songs.

 

3.     How Great Thou Art- My dad also used to be the “song leader” for church on Sundays and occasional country church revivals.  I sat on the first or second pew where he could keep an eye on me.  I heard/sang all the old hymns such as:  Amazing Grace, The Old Rugged Cross (it was a relief to know that the crucifixion happened far, far away), Bringing in the Sheets ( I mean what are sheaves anyway?), Just As I Am, Onward Christian Soldiers, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Holy, Holy, Holy, His Eye is on the Sparrow

4.     Yellow Polka Dot Bikini – my early childhood best friend had older sisters so we listened to pop songs of their choice. I also remember Sea Cruise from this genre.

5.     Gospel quartets and country – my grandparents liked weekend musical TV entertainment.  I remember the Porter Waggoner show with his young protégé, Dolly Parton, who advertised Breeze laundry detergent which gave you a pretty striped towel in the box.   The Blackwood Brothers Quartet and He- Haw were also among their favorites.

6.     Moon River – My family was excited at the purchase of a new maple finish piece of furniture, a stereo hi-fi. The first family record albums I remember are Andy Williams Greatest Hits, Alvin and the chipmunks Christmas songs and Burl Ives singing Americana/children’s music favorites.

7.     Sound of Silence – my first music purchase with my own money was a 45 record of Simon and Garfunkel.  The flip side was I am a Rock. 

8.     Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter – my first album purchase was Herman’s Hermits, a preteen crush on Peter Noone. I would play this as my background to checking off my list of chores on a Saturday morning.

9.     Little Red Riding Hood, Wooly Bully – memories of music played during summers at the Carrollton swimming pool.

10.   Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, Déjà vu – favorite albums of my teenage years

11. Harvest-Neil Young’s finest was repeated often during spend the nights at Chrystine Accardi’s house.

12. Chicago – my first concert at Dallas Memorial Auditorium

13. Three Dog Night and Rod Stewart, opening by B.W. Stephenson- first concert with Darrell at the Cottonbowl

14. Thank You by Led Zeppelin, Can We Make it Last by Bozz Skaggs – “our songs” for me and Darrell

15. Hallelujah Chorus, Rhapsody in Blue – songs we performed in high school R.L. Turner Acapella choir

16.  Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof- when Darrell and I first met he was performing and I played piano with the orchestra in the high school musical production; we also had this song in our wedding

17.  Court and Spark- Joni Mitchell, played throughout freshman year at OBU, WMU dorm; also Roberta Flack

18.   Color my World, You are my Love, the Wedding Song, the Lord’s Prayer – more music from our wedding

19.  Wasted Days & Wasted Nights by Freddie Fender and Behind Closed Doors by Charlie Rich- in our early married days we played on a weekly bowling league. These songs were played at the bowling alleys in Irving TX.

20.  Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton- a club (Sweet Gemini) in the basement of the Gifford-Hill building during the late 70’s played this often; spent time there with Tom Armstrong.

21. Billy Jean and Thriller by Michael Jackson – waiting up for Darrell to come home from IBM shift work in NJ, I watched Casey Kasem count down the top music videos each week.  MJ was always on top. This was in the early 80's.

22. Family Christmas, Robert Earl Keen – introduced to us by Jonathan during his fraternity/college days at UT

23.   Greendale, Neil Young – concert with Travis before he left for college in CO

24.  Ghost Behind the Door, New Mexico Rain, Texas Cooking – all by Michael Hearne, singer/song writer, Darrell’s friend from Jr. High/High school

25.  I Saw God Today; All my Exes Live in Texas, Living for the Night, and many more - George Strait.  Alum of one of my alma maters, Texas State U; ultimate classic TX singer; we saw him in concert at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and again later at the first event of Jerryworld, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

So this is music from my life.  What’s on your playlist?

1 Samuel 18:6 …the women came out of all the cities…singing and dancing with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments.

Colossian 3:16…sing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The Bible (THE Good Book!)

These are a few of my favorite things!

Best of 2012

Reflections on a good year…James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above.

Activity – floating in my pontoon boat on Lake Grapevine watching the sunset; poking at a campfire

 

 

 

Art – Mark &Ted’s collection, Basalt CO; here’s some artist samples from The Modern, Ft. Worth TX (Agnes Martin, how did you think of drawing pencil lines with a ruler?)

 

Accessories – scarves, bracelets, my animal print bag

Books – Firstlight by Sue Monk Kidd (inspirational), A Natural Woman by Carole King (biographical), Hearts in Atlantis and 11/22/63 by Stephen King (fiction)

Clothes – jeans, t shirts, scarves, pajamas, Uggs, flip flops

Commercial – children on the AT&T ads “Bigger is better”

Drink- chai tea, Starbucks French Roast, Corona with lime (all still the same)

Food – Ruth Chris chopped salad (Cassandra turned me on to this one, thank you, yum!)

Game – Words with Friends (unchanged)

 

Gifts – calendar of Keller pictures and The Boat (retirement gift to myself)

Live music – Michael Hearne’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival, David Crosby singing with his son the song, "Radio"

Movies – Lincoln, Les Miserables

News – first grandchild is here! Welcome Keller!  We love you so much!

 

Place – home, Grapevine Lake, Keller’s house (with Jonathan & Erica, too), Travis & Chelsea's house

Restaurant for breakfast – The Village Smithy, Carbondale CO (unchanged), Old West Cafe, Grapevine

Restaurant for lunch- La Duni in Dallas, Main St. Bakery in Grapevine

Restaurant for dinner – Café Italia, Grapevine TX (unchanged)

 

Scripture – John 10:10 I came that they might have life and live it abundantly.

Sermon – 3/8/12, Cindy Ryan speaking on Peace

Songs – The Pontoon Song, Little Big Town

 

Spa – Spa of the Rockies, Glenwood Springs CO (unchanged); pedicure from Kitty Johnson in her zero gravity chair

Sports Event – Longhorns come from behind to win Alamo Bowl in the last few minutes after a disappointing season; Dallas beats Giants in opening game of NFL viewed at Travis & Chelsea’s house

Sight – human= newborn Keller in the hospital nursery, nature = bears in Travis & Chelsea's yard, Twin Lakes CO, aspens turning in Sept. drive between Minturn & Leadville CO, wild turkeys at Throckmorton

 

 

Thank you, my sweet Lord, for answered prayers, precious moments and blessings beyond our best dreams!

John 4:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

 

 

 

Words

 

What’s going on in your head? 

We are constantly bombarded with words from media that influence our thinking. Radio is on in the car – what do you hear?  Songs, sports talk, news, advertising?    TV is on in the home- what do you see and hear?  Songs, sports talk, news, advertising, cooking advice, silly comedy, crime solving drama?  What do you filter out and what gets to take up residence in your brain?

The high school Sunday School lesson this week was about watching your words and I had saved up some newspapers for them to use to identify words or phrases that gave a positive or negative connotation.  When asked how many of them read the newspaper not surprising that the only ones to respond with yes were the 4 over forty adults who were in the room.  So the groups set out on the task and came up with these identifications:

Positive – sweet, legendary, fun, family, Dear Santa, beloved, hot and happenin’, giant, new, honor, free, Panda hits 3 homeruns, new places, filled with love, peace of mind knowing that she is being well cared for, how can I help?

Negative – my literature homework is impossible again, fear, marijuana, school, death, destiny, killed, Rick Perry, threaten, grim, rape, toe injury, cancelled, Horn Frogs lost, creepy, firebombs

Possibly either – Obama 2012, boobs

This lead into interesting discussion of the scripture for the lesson, James 3, which uses imagery to describe how our words affect our lives.  In horseback riding, the bit is a small piece of the bridle but it weighs in heavily to guiding the direction of the animal.  Strong winds can push a boat about but the small rudder aids the pilot in guiding the vessel on the desired route.  A small spark can start a raging, damaging fire.  Relating to the cell phones that they all commonly use, the conclusion was that small talk texted to one another can take all sorts of possible directions with positive or negative results.  Included in the discussion was dealing with criticism, impact of compliments, holding each other accountable, and building positive relationships.  Whenever it’s my turn to teach, I feel that I actually come away as the learner.  Funny how things tend to work out like that.

So today I looked at the words ever present in my surroundings.  Do you have magnets and mementoes on your fridge?  These are the words found on mine:

I am still learning, Michelangelo; Don’t mess with Texas; Precious and few are friends like you; It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years, Abraham Lincoln; Boo!  Happy Halloween, Keller

Words found on my wall art and plaques:

Life is beautiful; life is good; celebration of the arts; remember who you wanted to be; got wine; our family is a circle of strength and love; our dog has a licker license; friends are the flowers in the garden of life; love, joy, laughter, peace; in dreams and love there are no impossibilities; come sit on my porch

I really don’t completely understand these words, but I enjoy their mystical quality in the description of God:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So, may THE WORD keep me accountable in choosing the right words to use at the right time to spread peace and grace.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music is Playing Inside my Head

Music is Playing Inside my Head

"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."
-Billy Joel

Part of our summer travel plans always include music –favorite road trip CDs, satellite radio tuned to classic vinyl and concerts.  The Rio Grande Railroad from La Veta CO takes you from a station in town by the city park, through the foothills, into the mountains and stops at a remote spot with beautiful views where a small stage area has been constructed for summer performances.  This year the show we chose was Michael Hearne and South by Southwest.  Mike is Darrell’s long time school friend from junior high and high school; they played sports together and played songs together.  While Mike went on to make music his profession, we’ve followed him through the years as he worked mostly out of Red River, Taos, Nashville and Austin.

“Something’s Gotta Give” is a song Michael describes as inspired from a conversation with his son; they were bemoaning the state of pop music currently played on the radio and wishing for the quality of the old classics.  A line from this song caught our attention as it was sung in the mountain top sunshine, “Crosby, Stills and Nash, where have you gone?” A few days down the line, our next music experience was Crosby, Stills and Nash performing at another beautiful concert venue, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison CO.  This one we attended along with Dave & Tracey McKinney, a cool Colorado couple who enjoys music from our generation and also happen to be parents of our lovely daughter-in-law, Chelsea.

Magical night! This Texas woman was able to climb the many steps up to our seats in the mile high altitude without completely losing my stamina – I did require a few rest stops along the way.  Playing all my old favorites, their harmonies were still tight, the guitar work was still fine and the new songs introduced are still in my mind.  Best moment of the show was David Crosby- shining in the light of stars, moon and spotlight, city of Denver twinkling in the background distance, standing tall, white hair flowing behind him in the cool breeze, belting out, “Almost Cut My Hair”.

Still a spark of political defiance, but a man who seemed softened by the hardness of his years showed up to give a peak performance.  Many remember him for his infamous drug arrest in Dallas.  I recently read Carole King’s autobiography and she remembered driving her young daughters to school in the early 70’s in their LA neighborhood where they would regularly pass a bicycler wearing nothing but shorts, long hair and a purple cape – David Crosby.  My internet research on his life revealed giving up two children for adoption, serving prison time, needing a liver transplant due to his poor lifestyle choices of alcohol and drug abuse, receiving a liver transplant that was generously paid for by musician friends, losing his house to an earthquake, nearly losing his life in an automobile accident and oh yeah, he created and performed a lot of soulful music along the way.

Besides seeing this crazy life rocker as an old man, I also got to witness a peek at perhaps redemption?  During the show, all members of the band were introduced and a talented keyboard player who had also co-written several songs performed that night was named James Redmond.  Crosby explained that this was his son (one of the children who had been given up for adoption) and proclaimed that his own life was so much better now since they had been together.  “Radio” was their co-written song that was performed that night and the words I remember were about putting your hand in the water to pull someone out who is going under.  Crosby said the message was meant to inspire people to just help out another.  I wish that one could be found on I tunes or heard today on the radio…something’s gotta give…where are the good new songs being played today?

From a later conversation with Chelsea, I came to understand that this young man who had been raised in an adoptive family had been redeemed from a possibly horrible childhood of being raised by an unfit father, a drug addict.  The psychological needs we all share for a father figure to provide an image of guidance and wisdom came to him later when tough experiences had time to transform his biological father into a person who could possibly fulfill that role.

So we spent more time in the mountains, staying at our favorite B&B in Carbondale CO (Ambiance Inn), staying with Travis and Chelsea in their beautiful log cabin-house and staying in a historic rental house in Redstone CO that backed up to the Crystal River.  Taking in the sights of the rocks, rivers, trees and wildlife renews your soul just like listening to music and our spirits were filled every day.

Along the return trip to Texas, we stopped in Taos NM to attend the 10^th annual Big Barn Dance Music Festival sponsored by our friend, Michael Hearne.  Although traditions for this weekend had been developing a following through the years, this was our first time to attend – previously the dates would not fit our lifestyle due to me following a school calendar but a new retirement allowed me to plan according to a schedule of choice J We arrived in town for the Friday evening performances and had signed up as volunteers for the next morning.  Darrell was assigned security and I was part of the ticket table.

Incredible experience of the senses and emotions!  The unique element of this music festival is the focus on songwriters – the performers sing their own songs (many are recognized as being made famous by other award winning artists such as Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, and Jimmy Buffett…) and then the musicians join in on other’s sets and jam onstage creating amazing group renditions. A bitter cold front blew in with rough winds, some showers and also some rainbows!  Words cannot express the feelings of the music in those moments and it is small, intimate – you can dance if you want to, you can sing along, you can eat & drink, you can leave to check on your dog & come back in but you don’t want to miss a set! Favorites I remember are Susan Gibson singing her song Wide Open Spaces, Jimmy Stadler singing It’s Past My BeerTime, Keith Sykes singing I’m Sorry, Don C. (long Italian name) singing Other Side, Trout Fishing in America singing Pico de Gallo and Don’t Touch My Stuff, Mike singing with his aunt & uncle Bill & Bonnie Hearne, and then of course the whole group onstage with audience sing along to Mentor Williams’ famous tune, Drift Away:

Day after day I'm more confused
When I look for the light in the pouring rain
I know that's a game that I hate to lose
And I'm feeling the strength
Ain't it a shame
(Chorus)
Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
Oh. Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
Beginning to think that I'm wasting time
I don't understand the things I do
The world outside looks so un-kind
I'm countin' on you
To carry me through...OH...
Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
Yeah! Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
When my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
When I'm feeling blue
The guitar is coming through to soothe me...
Thanks for the joy that your giving me
I want you to know I believe in your song
Rhythm and Rhyme and Harmony
You've helped me along
Making me strong....OH!...
(ACAPALLA)
Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
OH....Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
OH...Give me the Beat Boys to free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll and drift away
Now, now, now, wont ya
Wont ya take me, oh...take me

So my message is music: triggers memories of special moments in time, provides inspiration to something better, gives us common ground with many others, makes you just feel good.

My second message is redemption:  we all have a chance for it; I hope David Crosby really has it!

Psalm 5:11 Let them sing for joy!

Psalm 130:7 And with Him is abundant redemption.

 

 

 

 

Ode to Keller

Ode to Keller

This is not really an ode, which is structured lyrical poetry.  This really is dedicated to Keller – some of my rambling memories.

For years I have kept scraps of paper with people’s names on it, adding to the lists, scrunching and turning handwriting into the margins until there was truly no more room for my scribbles.  These are my prayer lists.  The Nepalese hang beautiful, multi-color cloths as prayer flags – mine are not as visually vibrant but still heard.  I have neatened up a little in recent times with my growing list of names kept organized in Notes on my I-pad. If you’re reading this, your name is probably on my list! So ever since my boys have been married men, I have prayed for God to bless their own families with babies and, importantly, asked repeatedly for God’s wisdom in the timing.  Wow, was that prayer answered so perfectly!

Last summer, after sinking away from us into the disease of Alzheimer’s, Darrell’s mother Laverne passed away. Jonathan and Erica came to town to attend the funeral and before leaving us, they gave us some surprising good news – they were going to have a baby, our first grandchild!  Wasn’t God’s timing just perfect on that one?  The circle of life was moving in our family.  Tears of sorrow mixed with tears of joy!

Having not yet consulted a doctor, they would not give us permission to spread the news just yet.  So after waiting the allotted time (I admit that I cheated and helped a few people guess what was on my mind all the time), we hosted a fun, belated birthday party for Darrell at Blue Mesa Grill in Southlake where the real theme of the party was announcing grandparenthood!

Thanksgiving marked a time for more family gatherings. So with an eager group gathered together, Erica treated us to cake ball sweets to answer our next anticipatory question.  Blue cake = it’s a boy!

So the months and days passed as I was working through what I had decided was my last year of teaching.  The ladies congregated for a lovely shower at the Colleyville home of Dana White and we passed on the age-old tradition of gifts, games and light hearted gossip.  The due date approached and we planned our grandparent visit to Austin.  My friend and recently retired co-worker, Sara Snell, was booked to be the sub in the middle school math classes for as long as needed and I worked many late hours preparing the lessons for my extended absence.  The due date passed and we wondered when the event would actually happen!  Finally, the word coming from a scheduled doctor visit was that Erica would be at the hospital to have labor induced on April 17^th if birth had not yet happened.  We had a date that would be easy to remember since Jonathan’s birthday is the 17^th of July and Erica’s is the 17^th of August.

Probability lessons in 8^th grade math…Jonathan and Erica kept the name a secret but gave us a tidbit, the initials of KB…so I made up a little contest and a fairly complex math problem for my students.  What is the probability of guessing the correct name of the baby boy, given that his initials are KB?  2 guessed Keller, 5 guessed Ben, and one correctly guessed Keller Ben! Keller means Champion and Keeper of the Cellar (as in wine cellar) and is the local suburb where Jonathan and Erica lived in their first house.  Ben is named after my dad, Benny Kohn.

A tradition at Colleyville Middle School was drawing names of a faculty member at the beginning of the school year – you bring birthday cake for the person for their school celebration.  This year, I picked Valerie Kraeg whose birthday was on Monday April 16^th.  She liked angel food caked with pink icing like her mom used to bake for her when she was a little girl – so that was my plan.  Well, my plan blossomed into more than just cake, inspired by our late friend Mike Hyde whose words rang in my mind, “Let’s make a big deal about everything!”  The inbox of my email contained an ad from M&Ms candy offering me a nice discount for being a previous customer so I was further inspired by words from a recently popular book and movie, The Help, “You are smart. You are kind.  You are important.”  I order some pink and white candies for Val that read, “Val is cool.  Val is smart.  Val is pretty.” The CMS garden club girls helped me make pink and white tissue paper flowers and I decorated the teacher’s lounge on Friday before leaving school for the weekend.  On Sunday, I baked Neapolitan cupcakes found on Pinterest and baked an angel food cake, also buying another from Tom thumb’s bakery to serve with strawberries and whipped cream.  The baked cake fell because I was in a hurry and tried to put the pink frosting on it before it was completely cooled.  Oh well, maybe quantity and creative table décor would trump the fallen angel food.  I went to bed content with my efforts.

4 a.m. Monday morning April 16^th (Val’s birthday) we get a phone call from Jonathan – they are at the hospital and it is the real thing!  We jumped out of bed and started getting ready to leave town.  But I had birthday celebration goodies to deliver to CMS – thanks to Stephanie Dulaney for letting me interrupt her regular routine of getting ready for school.  She’s the teacher – mate who lives the nearest to me and she agreed to transport all my stuff and set it out for Val.  On a beautiful spring morning we hit the road south, maneuvering through all the highway construction of DFW and then sailing on down the familiar sights of I-35 between here and Austin.  When we stopped for a break near Georgetown, I walked Tex through a pretty patch of grass and blanket flowers while Darrell got a phone update – dilating and pushing starts soon! We pulled over next at Round Rock because that phone call said, “He’s here!  Keller Ben Green, 9 lbs., 5 oz. and 21 inches long.  We couldn’t wait to see him!

Arriving at the hospital, we were directed to the labor/delivery room.  Erica was there with a nurse, looking quite beautiful, and she sent us on to the nursery where Jonathan was found with his son.  Total joy and admiration!

Later we took turns holding Keller, sharing him with Jonathan, Erica, Erica’s dad Gene and her Aunt Georgia, in their assigned hospital room that had a view of the UT Tower.  Fireworks were not going off that afternoon, but celebration fireworks were going off in my heart!

Family time in Austin filled our next two weeks as we happily helped with the newborn, errands, meals and household chores. La Quinta also got some extra business as the welcome extended to include meeting aunts and Uncle Travis, Chelsea, Gail, Mary and great grandparents Benny and Sue Kohn.  Keller, you brought a brighter light of love into our lives!  We look forward to watching you grow and teaching you all the things we consider important.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Psalm 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. 

Matthew 19:14 Do not hinder the little children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.