North Carolina is known as the Tar Heel State because from the earliest times of our country, it produced a lot of the country’s tar from the numerous pine trees in its forests. So it is no surprise that we are now in what North Carolinians call “The Yellow Season”––the two weeks in the spring … More The Blessing of Pollen
As I’ve written about before, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s YouTube channel is displaying one of his works for free over these coronavirus weekends (in the East Coast Time Zone, from 2:00 PM Friday May 15 – 2:00 PM Sunday May 17). This weekend’s production is the musical Cats. I really like Cats. But you have … More Broadway Blessings 7: Cats!
Of course, Barbra Streisand is more than just a Broadway star. But Broadway was where she got her start (who can forget her Fanny Brice?) and her Broadway songs are many of my favorites of her recordings, so I’m counting her as a Broadway Blessing. On May 5, Barbra released this video in honor of … More Broadway Blessings #6: Barbra!
Last week, we had Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber as a Broadway Blessing. This week, we had Lin-Manuel Miranda and Hamilton. There is only person I can think of who might outrank those two as the ultimate Broadway Blessing and that is Stephen Sondheim, the American composer and lyricist of some of the best musicals in … More Broadway Blessings #5: Sondheim!
Back in 2016, the first year that Hamilton: An American Musical appeared on Broadway but before it had gained widespread fame, I played a few video clips of the show for my high school literature class. They knew nothing about the musical, but they were spell-bound. The very idea of an ethnically-diverse cast telling the … More Broadway Blessings #4: Homeschool with Hamilton
This is the start of a special weekend in the Christian tradition. I’m a spiritual person very committed to my spiritual center. But if there is anything that could compete with my spiritual commitment, it is my love for…Broadway musicals! Broadway, as the exemplar for all US theater, has always been the most progressive of … More Broadway Blessings, Day 1
I’m still reflecting on my experience with the SNAP Challenge. I do know that I’m really glad I did it. Here are some of the things I realized. Feeding people is one of my love languages. Are you familiar with the book The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to … More Lessons Learned from the SNAP Challenge
The Town of Cary runs a Gallery Walk on the Final Friday of every month where galleries and town offices and businesses that display art (such as several restaurants and a local winery) stay open late to allow people to drop by and see the latest exhibitions. Since my son is an artist, we have … More Final Friday, SNAP Challenge Edition
Happy Spring! Yesterday was the Vernal Equinox, the first time in the year that we had equal amounts of daytime and nighttime (at least at the equator). Now we will have a few more minutes of light every day until we reach our peak at the Summer Solstice in June (which represents the end of spring … More Welcoming Spring
Happy St. Patricks Day! I like to celebrate every holiday, so I’ve got my plans for making bangers and mash for my family this evening. But I thought I would start the day’s celebrations with a lovely poem of blessing by a wonderful Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donahue. He writes a lot about how … More An Irish Poem of Blessing
