He started with a solo
unexpected, unplanned
It was more than a quartet when others joined in.
A sad event in American history
a funeral
an amazing song by Joan Baez
incredible drawing and animation
and a wonderful memory and reminder of the compassion of
President Barack Obama.
via Quartet
I’m back in the sixties
They called me ‘Peacenik’
The stars were alive
and the smoke, it was thick!
Oh the sisters of mercy,
they are not departed or gone.
They were waiting for me
when I thought that I just can’t go on.
And they brought me their comfort
and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them,
you who’ve been travelling so long.
Yes you who must leave everything
that you cannot control.
It begins with your family,
but soon it comes around to your soul.
Well I’ve been where you’re hanging,
I think I can see how you’re pinned:
When you’re not feeling holy,
your loneliness says that you’ve sinned.
Well they lay down beside me,
I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes
and I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf
that the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love
that is graceful and green as a stem.
When I left they were sleeping,
I hope you run into them soon.
Don’t turn on the lights,
you can read their address by the moon.
And you won’t make me jealous
if I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren’t lovers like that
and besides it would still be all right,
We weren’t lovers like that
and besides it would still be all right.
–beautifully written by Leonard Cohen
via Mercy
A reminder about the challenges of growing into ourselves.
Thanks for the thrill, on Blueberry Hill, and more.
February 26, 1928-October 24, 2017
First Movement : I started taking piano lessons when my kids were young. It was, you know, one of those things you want to try. As it turned out, although I truly enjoyed making sounds on the piano, I never could manage to really play.
Second Movement: Before Ludwig Von Beethoven was completely deaf, he composed “Quasi una fantasia,” roughly translated as “almost a fantasy” but better known as Moonlight Sonata.
Third Movement: Around this time, I was also taking art lessons. I wanted to draw something other than stick figures. So, I tucked a bunch of art classes under my belt.
Fourth Movement: I watched a a movie about the great composer who left his estate to his “Immortal Beloved” – also the name of the film. I love this movie! Especially 2 particular scenes – the one at the end (you’ll have to watch), and the one where Beethoven, in his later years, plays Moonlight Sonata with his head rested on the piano so he can “feel” the notes.
Wrapping up this Composition:
So, I took a screen shot of that particular scene. (A great idea for practicing artists)
And made my own interpretation.
As I assumed all along, we can’t all be Beethoven’s.
But in our own ways, we can play along.
(Even if it’s a play on words)
On a scale from from one to ten
where do you fit in?
On a scale from high to low
which direction do you go?
On a scale from left to right
undisturbed or too uptight?
On a scale from A to G
what matters is the harmony
Whatever range in which we fall
Quite the keyboard are we all!
Weekly photo challenge: SCALE
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
hundreds to choose from in worlds that were written
years ago back when this sketch was created
these were the titles I most celebrated
When the night comes
when the day hums
when I reminisce
I simply remember my favorite books
the ones I could not resist
“What are you going to do? Run around naked and chant?”
When my husband had asked me that question years ago, I laughed. When I returned from the Hilde Girls women’s retreat, I laughed more when I said, “Yes, we did!”
What is a “Hilde?”
Hildegard of Bingen, a German Benedictine abbess, was born around 1098. She first began experiencing visions at the age of three.
It wasn’t until she was 42 years old that Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an instruction from God, to “write down that which you see and hear.” And that is when she became a writer and a healer through her knowledge of tinctures, herbs and precious stones. But that’s not all! She also became a composer, philosopher, polymath, and illustrator.
In this mandela, Cultivating the Cosmic Tree, the elements of fire, air, water and earth are seen in this “quartering of the circle.”
Back to the retreat – Yes, some of us stripped off our clothing but all of us stripped down to our core being. What’s not to like about drumming and singing around a fire under a full moon?
For “8 Reasons Why Hildegard Matters Now”, read here.
Daily word prompt: Circle
Carolyn Dennis-Willingham 