Singing Along the Journey

Calling

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More

The birth of a radical Christian…

I admit to feeling pensive and internal lately, and, well, more than a little bit weepy.  And, at the same time manic.  I clearly am preparing for something unknown, cleaning, re-arranging furniture, painting, and organizing and planning with all of the obsession of, well, an obsessive.  It is a pattern that I have seen in myself before.  So, when I sat down this last week to do my assignment for Wednesday Night Words (to pick a song that has had meaning for my life and to bring it to share with the group), I found myself making what many would consider an odd choice.  No, no aria from an opera, no…
Read More

O, for the lack of a chair…

Silly, right?  We have lots of chairs in the house. But for me, there is something meaningful about having my own chair, in my own space, where I can read and think and pray.  Maybe it is because I grew up watching the Lesley Ann Warren version of Cinderella on TV each year, and I can still all-too-clearly hear in my mind the strains of her singing "In My Own Little Corner". And I haven't had one for a while.  And, I will admit, I am currently obsessed with changing this situation.  If I have said it once over the past month, I have said it at least 100 times…
Read More

Why I Became a Baptist, Part 2

When I wrote the first entry titled "Why I Became a Baptist", I never dreamed that I would write "Part 2".  But after the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the choices I've made over the course of my life, and in particular, this specific choice. You see, it has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me, what with committee meetings and concerts and a whole host of activities that have kept me running hither and yon, as my mother would have said.  By the time I finished everything that I had to do on Sunday and finally found myself at home, sitting in my…
Read More

I’ve been fed…

(Written while on retreate at Montreat Conference Center, posted later) I'm sitting here in my little wooden chair, in my room at the Assembly Inn at the Montreat Conference Center, having just had a cold shower (hot water is an issue here, but the shower wasn't that bad), with the windows wide open to the cold morning air of the mountains, watching the light creep up over the edge of the baby mountain in front of me.  I'm sitting here in the dark, waiting for day that mostly involves driving and flying, and I'm thinking...I don't care.  I don't care, because I've been fed. And I don't mean the exceptional…
Read More

Burning off the fog…

In a couple of days I'm heading for away for a fall mini-vacation to the mountains.  Fall is my favorite time to vacation and I rarely get to experience its beauties away from the city, because of other demands.  My friend, Leah, is hosting a wonderful series about the glories of the fall season on her blog.   I'm hoping that I'm not too early to get to experience the season's glory on my little mountain trip. It's mountains and leaves and fog that is on my mind, as I think about the past few days of my life. I'll admit it, I had a particularly tough weekend.  Things are clearer…
Read More

May the circle be unbroken…

Yesterday, I filled in for Pastor Leah at Thomas House.   My adventures at Thomas House, have, well, been very formative for me in this my spiritual quest (you can read about my first solo visit here).   And I have high hopes that my organ playing will improve now that my friend Elaine pointed to me this great book:  100 Hymns with Just Three Chords.  So yesterday, I prepared "Open My Eyes", "I Need Thee, Oh I Need Thee," and "Blessed Assurance", and despite my less-than-elegant playing, well, it seemed to work. But yesterday, the surprises for me were not in the music, neither the singing nor the playing, but in…
Read More

Those little choices in life…

There are moments when we face a seemingly little choice, but how we choose can change the whole course of our lives.  Funny thing, we don’t always see those moments when we face them.  Luckily, yesterday, I did. Right now, I’m on the train between Granada and Madrid on the final leg of my journey here in Spain.  In two days, I will finally board the plane and return home. But yesterday, well, yesterday wasn’t such a good day, at least in the beginning.  I was so dreadfully tired, and to tell the truth, I wasn’t totally happy with the way I had sung on the concert the night before. …
Read More

It was not a mistake…

Last year, I declared a moritorium on two things:  taking classes and travelling to sing.  And it served me well...I needed to sit and listen.  From that decision to basically stand still, a lot of good things came...I heard more clearly the call of God in my life, I was baptized, I was licensed, I made a CD, and I calmed down enough that I started to, finally, sing pretty well. And once all that happened, I was feeling pretty good and pretty grounded -- so I immediately went back to taking classes and travelling to sing.  By the time I had finished my class in Music and Social Justice,…
Read More

Thinking about…

I've been thinking alot about the reasons why we as singers sing.  Obviously from the other entries here in this blog, you know that I think about that topic alot.  But being in a context in which I am watching a lot of other people sing, and singing myself, certainly makes it come to the top of my "think" list. When we sing in worship, the reason is obvious.  But what about the other times?  The concerts? The masterclasses?  The opera?  Just in private for ourselves? I have a good friend who often, after a concert, will say -- well, it was nice, but wasn't that concert for the singer? …
Read More

Last Night…Day 25

Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first "yappie hour" with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don't do the doggie ciruit, a "yappie hour" is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d'oeuvres, and bowls of water all around. These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night's gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don't know if you aren't that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town...many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their…
Read More