Tag Archives: music

Jan1

Blessings for 2017!

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Kristen Cervantes is a Student Pastor at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waco, TX, while she continues her studies at Brite Divinity School in Ft. Worth. We have weekly conversations that help us both grow in ministry.

When Kris responded to presidential election results, she posted these wise words:

I will not despair. Or rather, I will not only despair.

At times like this I really do wish I believed in a God who is an active agent in the world. But as I think of the gut-wrenching sobs I have heard, felt, held in my body and held in the circle of my arms, in my friends’ bodies, I don’t have that solace.

I have solace in the beauty and wonder of the world we share. I have solace in the deep emotion that means deep commitment to the continued work of building the beloved community for all, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, citizenship status, ability, and all the other boxes we try to fit ourselves and others into. I have solace in the help and strength and brokenness and beauty and potential in every human body and mind and soul.

My church says it wants to ‘create a more just and loving world.’ I take solace in the knowledge that we do not stand, move, and struggle alone in this painful and difficult act of creation.

I will not despair.

The New Year is upon us! May you find your way out of despair and into community.

Nov9

One day post election

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Some electives post election:

My focus today will be on music, art, nature, and community. Beyond difference lies beauty. One moment, one person, one love at a time might begin to heal divisions. May we reach out to one another as best we can.

Blessings and grace to each of you, dear friends.

Jul6

Philosophy through Art

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I have been following a blog by Cristian Mihai that focuses on various aspects of writing. He has written several short stories and will soon release a novel, Jazz, for which he solicited opinions about its cover art.

Cristian sent 20 of his readers who requested it, a digital copy of his short story “A Sad, Sad Symphony” in hopes that we would review it. So glad I had that chance! I wrote a review for Amazon, where you can download it for 99 cents–well worth the price of a tune. Check it out! A Sad, Sad Symphony

His website is here, where you can find a link to his blog. Cristian Mihai

I like his signature quote: “If the doctor said I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”

May9

A new normal? Exhausting!

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My favorite water coaster says, “Pretending to be a Normal Person day-after-day is exhausting.” But in a good way!

My sister Madeleine loves Austin so we try to pack in a lot of restaurants and even touristy things while she is in town. The heat was rather a welcome respite from the chill left behind in Columbus, Ohio. They had a very warm March in which everything bloomed, then a late frost killed off some of that bounty. Now they’re warming up again.

A baker’s dozen of things we did:

  1. Austin Overtures 90-minute tour with our friend Maggie who loves Austin probably more than anyone else. She knows the history and even where the bodies are buried–in the Texas State Cemetery. As it happened, everyone else on the tour that day was also from Ohio. Originally from the Cleveland area, these 7-8 friends have an annual reunion from all over the place. This year they chose Austin. We’re so glad they did!
  2. Favorite restaurants such as Magnolia, Zocalo, Galaxy, Wildflower Cafe; and pot lucks with friends.
  3. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which is absolutely bursting with spring blooms. QR Codes provided information about various sections right on my phone, either spoken or in text. I took lots of cell phone pix as well and we enjoyed browsing in the gift shop.
  4. More shopping! Madeleine needed something special for a wedding luncheon and the wedding itself. I helped her spend lots of money on some good values.
  5. A children’s orchestra performance on the plaza of the Long Center. Jon recognized Elizabeth Whitehead, their conductor, who was a friend of his daughter’s from 15 years ago. I took pictures, including one of the two of them together.
  6. Conspirare Symphonic Chorus and the Austin Symphony, conducted by Peter Bay and Craig Hella Johnson. This was a wonderful concert that included two Stowkowski interpretations of Bach (Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; and Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor).
  7. The Chorus sang Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. Orchestration was mostly with woodwinds and not a single violin or viola! . . . and Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. How beautiful! A boy soprano, Lucas Revering, sang the 23rd Psalm in Hebrew. It was dramatically interrupted by the chorus breaking into a furious “Why do the nations rage?” Then the boy’s clear voice came back in and sang, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Familiar text added to the effect.
  8. Lost cell phones! Madeleine literally lost hers somewhere. We retraced our destinations as soon as we could, to no avail. She was eligible for an upgrade so it cost her about $1 plus some angst. On the very same day, my iPhone completely died! It’s only 2 months old, but even Apple’s Genius Bar expert said it gave her an error message she had never seen before. They gave me a new phone, but I lost the day’s pictures from the Wildflower Center. Fortunately, Jon had emailed himself some of the pix of him with Elizabeth Whitehead so those were safe in cyberspace. Phone contacts were restored through iCloud.
  9. Tapestry Singers concert! It was wonderful, if I say so myself. Since I was concert co-coordinator I was grateful all the logistics went rather smoothly. A great committee makes a world of difference. This year we added colorful scarves to the basic black and we added a Scarf Diva to the concert committee. Well done, Sonya! Excellent conducting Jenn Goodner; sound by Tom Johnson of AltaVistaRecording.com. We eagerly await the polished recording. Already we enjoyed watching the video of the concert at our after-party. It was fun to sing our favorite parts again and to laugh at our missteps. (Literally: Mary missed a step and fell, though she is just fine.) Musical mistakes are not nearly so noticeable in the video as they had loomed in our minds!
  10. Tapestry Singers were joined beautifully by Westlake High School’s Chamber Women’s Choir, also directed by Jenn Goodner; and the Westlake Middle School Choir, directed by our accompanist Andrea Snouffer. Each choir sang one song and they all came up for the encore. Over 100 voices sang another favorite, “For Good,” from the musical Wicked. (“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better, but … because I knew you … I have been changed … for good.”)
  11. More shopping! I had borrowed Madeleine’s new skirt for the concert and decided I liked it well enough to get one of my own. The ruffles make it swing nicely. I also found a crocheted top that will look great over a camisole.
  12. The Bakery Jam! We topped off Madeleine’s visit with my weekly musical jam. It was something of a house-warming, too, in the newly remodeled home of one of the Jamsters. Sheryl was thrilled to have us fill her home with joy, laughter, and best of all, music.
  13. Up around 4am Monday morning to get to the airport in time for Security Follies. Even with a doctor’s note about her fake knee, she always has to be patted down :~) … Love and hugs as she goes away for a while. We are already planning our next get-together.

Now I’m just waiting to know she landed safely back in Columbus (she did). A wonderful week and new memories. Plus, I recorded her telling some family stories from long, long ago. Deviled eggs, pie and ice cream also made this week heavenly and special.

Two full days later and Jon and I are about to hit the road to visit friends in North Carolina. More travel tales await!

Jan27

Kairos

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Kairos has found me at last in this time, this space, this moment of reflection. Cool morning, warm sun streaming through my favorite window.

Having moved non-stop it seems from holidays, son’s wedding, conference, sister-time, ministers’ retreat (with work to fill “spare time”), pastoral care, a couple of sermons squeezed in, meetings, plans, and more, means that personal time has been limited at best. Not a half day off with no work that had to be done, to the point that it did not qualify as true rest–just another thing to wedge between A & B and on toward Z. I have not had/blocked out enough time to give my soul a chance to catch up.

So I pause without agenda–except to let everything go–for the next few hours. Let this sunshine recharge my weakened batteries for a spell. The battery warning light was not glowing orange but red. Reserves have been tapped frequently to get through specific tasks or responsibilities only to leave me depleted at the end. Complete a task–barely–and move on before taking time to sweep my spirit clean. Float free like wind and water.

So let my spirit clear up with these blue skies after a gray day; let this breeze flow through me; let this poem speak to my heart; let this walk bring me down to earth; let this music dance for me until I can dance, too.

May8

Sting and Sing!

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Last night’s Tapestry Singers concert was awesome, if I say so myself! The music had a wide variety of styles and moods, including lyrical gentle breezes, cold harsh winds, whirligig beetles that swim in random circles, the ethereal Northern lights, a Brazilian tribal song, and a Japanese children’s song about fireflies. A favorite was Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run,” followed by an encore performance of “Wise Mother.” This was written by Nell Manycats as a prayer for her AA meetings–an alternative to the Lord’s Prayer. She had written the words when she met Tapestry Singers. She was so inspired that she went home to compose the music–her first musical composition. She was a Tapestry Artistic Director for several years.

Toward the end of the second half, something bit me on my right forearm. Great discomfort! I kept singing, a bit distracted by the pain. Every time I adjusted my sleeve it hurt more so I even wondered if something sharp had become caught in the fabric. Between songs, a quick look–yep, it was a bite. Next song, something in my hair. Was it the music folder from the person behind me? I finally brushed it away and off flew a huge wasp! Oh! so that was the culprit!

The wasp had been in Mary’s hair, too, and crawled up Carol’s dress until someone swatted it away. By then it was pretty irritated and landed on my arm. Hmm…..the concert theme was Nature’s Glee. Was it also Nature’s Revenge? The friendly wasp finally landed on Sharon’s pant leg. She walked outside at the end of the concert and sent it away into a more natural habitat. Not many in the audience had any idea about our mini-drama.

Topical ointments and sprays had minimal effect, so I took Benedryl–one pill at bedtime and one at 4:30 after a late night phone call awakened us. It still hurts a good bit and looks bruised about the size of a half dollar, but it’s much better. Good thing I’m not allergic!

I was so pleased to see friends and family members in the audience. My sister Madeleine often comes to visit for concert weekends and we have had a busy time together.

On the day she arrived, my son Fred left for 3 months of research in Stockholm! I helped him with his luggage and the three of us had lunch together at the airport before he left. Fred told us several stories from when he was a kid. When he was 6 and brother Rob was 10, they flew to West Virginia to visit relatives but mistakenly got off the plane at the wrong airport! No one had told us the plane had an intermediate stop!

The plane took off without them and airline officials scrambled to get them on a charter plane with a bunch of businessmen. They were landing when Fred got up to tell the pilot his ear was hurting. When he took in the view of the cockpit and the panorama of beautiful West Virginia he said “Wow!” and the pilot nearly jumped out of his skin. Said they’d talk about it later and sent him back to his seat. Upon landing, everyone filed off, the pilot shook his hand and asked about his earache (it was fine by then), and off they went. Ah! the days when minors could fly without a huge amount of supervision.

After swapping more stories, Fred boarded the plane. He did make it across the friendly skies on British Airways without incident. His challenge for a while will be to go to bed at a decent hour, since it barely gets dark this time of year.

Love these travel adventures!

Feb12

Sweet Honey Harmonies

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CENTER Institute, the first large scale continuing education conference for Unitarian Universalist clergy, took place last week in Pacific Grove, CA. Nearly 400 of us gathered at the Asilomar Conference Center for five days of learning, worshiping, and walking on the beach. Food was great; collegiality was even greater!

Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, founding member and lead songwriter of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, offered her seminar on Building the Vocal Community. She writes and sings songs with a purpose: inspiring us to listen to the sounds of nature; assuring us that freedom will unfold in time; filling us with the holy spirit! (Go to http://www.sweethoney.com/ for more info.)

As a long-time fan of Sweet Honey in the Rock, I was eager to attend Ysaye’s seminar, work she has done for 27 years, about 8-10 times per year. She knows a LOT of African-American music history along with the songs. About 40 ministerial colleagues formed a double circle as we sang chants, spirituals, gospel, and justice songs. The circle was for community. Ysaye taught the songs, yes, but we looked into each others’ faces and sang our harmonies with a lot of heart.

The first chant became an intricate blend of several phrases. We chose one line, learned its rhythm and repeated it until all of the text worked together rhythmically: 1) Go down into the market. 2) Mama! 3) I won’t go down to the market, Mama! 4) I just came from the market, Mama, go down! When we added movement and walked around to greet one another, the sound and rhythm grew in intensity. Fantastic!

One side benefit is that the “Barnwellians” were asked to sing at several worship services during the Institute. One song evoked the sound of God, from a tribe that understands that the Rain Forest is God. Another repeated lines that mean, “The works of God can never be destroyed.”

We also sang, in English,
“Tell all my friends that my ship just came sailing in.
It was filled with the Holy Spirit, it was filled with joy divine,
Wouldn’t you like to sail on a ship like mine?”

We learned about quadlibets, in which several related songs are sung in succession or simultaneously—like a modern-day musical mashup. One pure joy was singing along with Ysaye for about 30 minutes as she sang one Civil Rights song after another. We joined in as we learned the tunes.

I plan to bring several of these songs back to Live Oak Church, possibly with the help of Ysaye Barnwell’s instructional CDs, Singing in the African-American Tradition and/or Building the Vocal Community.