Poet, Author, Composer....
Feeding Five Thousand
135. Feeding Five Thousand I was re-reading a sermon I preached some years ago about the feeding of the five thousand. The scripture for that particular sermon was Matthew 14:13-21. And the verse that struck me then—and now was where Jesus says that the…
“October Mourning”
134. “October Mourning” It’s the name of the new book by Leslea Newman—”October Mourning—A Song for Matthew Shepard.” Fourteen years ago, Matthew Shepard, a twenty-one-year old gay University of Wyoming student was beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. Five days later…
Don’t Blame – Change!
133. Don’t Blame – Change Here’s something I figured out with therapy about my own mother and then about my own children. It’s about mistakes you make when your own children are growing. You make mistakes—because you are human, because it’s the first time…
I Want To Do As Long As I Can
132. I Want To Do As Long As I Can This starts with a story from when I worked in a nursing home as a music therapist. Each morning the day started with people coming into the white activity room to have coffee, to…
Get Rid of Excuses
131. Get Rid of Excuses I was re-reading a sermon I preached some years ago about the feeding of the five thousand. The scripture for that particular sermon was Matthew 14:13-21. And the verse that struck me then—and now—was where Jesus says that the…
Building the Bridge
130. Building the Bridge A number of years ago I went to Mariondale Center to assist their resident storyteller in leading the St. Francis of Assisi celebration day. I took three sets of Tinkertoys and we divided them into four sets—not necessarily equally because…
My Vision Song
129. My Vision Song Sometimes I lose track of what spurred me to write a song and that’s true of this song. It can be sung to the tune of “Be Thou My Vision.” It has within it so many things that are important…
Each Day Begins
128. Each Day Begins For a long time on Sunday morning as I drove the thirty minutes to the church, in order to warm my voice up for the choir, I would sing the round “When Jesus Wept.” It was also an excellent way…
Changing the Rules
127. Changing the Rules When I worked at Ramapo Manor Nursing Center in Rockland County, NY, we arranged for a nursery group of three and four-year-olds to come for an hour to the nursing home once a month. Sometimes they sang, sometimes they had…
How’s That Working For You?
126. How’s That Working for You? I’m going to disguise this story. It was told to me probably a year ago and I have thought of it often. The grown son who lived on his own went to lunch with his mother and as…
New Release!!
Daybook of Personal Faith
Mama and Me
