Voice. Listen with intent. Speak simply.

  • INVISIBLE

    I have been ruminating on an issue that has affected me deeply in recent years. In fact, I have been working on this particular blog entry for more than two months! The advent of the Pandemic exacerbated the problem of no longer being able to speak. Even though the worst of the pandemic over, at…

  • Miracle

    Some months ago, I wrote a piece about what I can do.  It was written from growing despair as I realized increasing limitations as a Parkinson’s patient…the incessant, inexorable downward spiral as this beast continues to drag me into its clutches.  By focusing on the things that I could still do, I could talk myself out of the doldrums.…

  • 20 20

    Can anything positive be said about this past year?  We as a society have lost so many, so much; we are left in many ways, empty and alone.  There are some relevant things that we don’t often think about. Perhaps the most significant is understanding the humanness of the entire world.  I remember stories and pictures of…

  • Saying Goodbye

    This is Jubilee. I don’t remember where I found him, or even why I bought him in the first place. But, he became one of the most valuable teacher’s aides I ever had. You see, Jubilee introduced all my youngest students to the most basic aspect of music – the steady beat. He would already…

  • Giving Thanks in 2020

    It’s Thanksgiving. Normally, we are on our way to a relatives home where a major feast is underway. There is laughter, share memories, family stories, coffee, hugs and snuggles…..much like your celebrations, I’m sure. This day in 2020, much like the rest of 2020, is different. For months, we all have been in suspended animation,…

  • AFTER GLOW

    I can’t believe it’s been nearly 9 months since I wrote a post for this blog! It feels like we’ve been in suspended animation. When I was a child, I was haunted by a movie in which sensory deprivation was used as a form of torture. I believe we have all been experiencing a bit…

  • Finger Prints

  • Making Family

    I have lived a lifetime in just the last week. I’ve stood by my elderly mother‘s deathbed, keeping vigil as she drew her last breath. My siblings and I have mourned Mom’s passing, celebrated her life, and sorted through her most special treasures. After weeks away, I have finally returned to my own home, to…

  • Kelsey

    What a strange week this has been at the Spencer home. We knew for several months that this was coming, and put it off as long as we humanely could. Last Tuesday evening, we said goodbye to our dearly beloved pet, Kelsey. She was a German Shepard mix whom we found at a pet adoption…

  • The Organist

    Dr. Mueller was my organ performance professor for 4 years in the early 90’s. He taught me to make Bach’s music dance, to soar with the elegant beauty of Mendelssohn’s melodies, to engineer the compositions of Cesar Franc so that my small hands could perform the music of this giant of a musician who also…