faulker020

A nice mellow tune on the clarinet by David Schwartz. This is one of the eclectic selections made for the soundtrack for the popular 1990s Northern Exposure television series. -

sometimes a small road can lead to great abundance or a simple joy ___________________ Image: "the roadway at joy farm" Artist: e.e. cummings Medium: Oil on canvas -

_________________________ Photo by Rachael Callahan @objectivityrach A view from Railroad Park of Downtown Birmingham at Christmas time -

Here is a delightful traditional Dutch carol, "Heer Jezus heeft een Hofken." YouTube notes are written in Dutch. Since I don't speak Dutch, I had Google translate for me: "Sing along with 'Lord Jesus has a courtship', performed by choir Capella during the recordings of the Netherlands Zingt in the Westerkerk of Amsterdam." The English translation of this carol, known as "King Jesus Hath a Garden," is often sung at Christmastime. To hear the English version, go to my post at  Music of the Spheres . -

inner woods making the pathway uncertain _________________________ Image: "inner woods" Artist: e.e. cummings Medium: Oil on canvasboard -

How about a John the Baptist who looks like Fabio and preaches like Mister Rogers? With some help from Leonardo da Vinci and Episcopal priest Penny Nash, that is the image emerging for me this week. The Rev Nash, on her blog, Penelopepiscopal , makes the connection with her post, “Fabio in the Wilderness.” Check it out here . It was synchronicity, or perhaps “the spirit of God,” that brought this home to me to meditate upon during this Advent season. Last Sunday, during the Gospel reading from the third chapter of Luke, I heard, as if for the first time, what John the Baptist was teaching. He told the people, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." To tax collectors, he said, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers were advised, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the priest closed the Gospel book and turned to gi...

Bobby McFerrin wrote the music for Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, a 1989 documentary film that tells the story of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Much of that music appeared on his album, Medicine Man , from which this track is taken. Enjoy the relaxing vocalizations of Bobby McFerrin. -

evergreens beside the still lake  mountains rise _________________________ Image: "mt chocorua dawn" Artist: e.e. cummings Medium: Oil on canvas -

 "The silver river in the night sky" photo by "matthewwu" courtesy of Flickr Unitarian Universalist minister, the Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein*, has beautifully encapsulated an important truth for our time from Paul Ricouer concerning what the French philosopher referred to as “the second naïveté.” On her blog, Peacebang , she states: “In Paul Ricouer’s philosophy of second naïveté, we enter into the mystery of sacred stories not with the naïveté of one who can’t think for themselves, but by choosing to engage the poetic sensibility rather than leading with our critical, intellectual faculties.  More simply put, when we have reached the maturity of second naïveté – a kind of chosen innocence — we make a decision to abide together in wonder rather than to dismantle sacred narratives in an insistent search for rational facts.” What is remarkable about her presentation is the story she tells from her own life to illustrate her personal journey. She tells of an encounte...

Here is an amazing and beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee." This Dylan cover is by the Heger  Walter Band. I think this group takes the song to a new level! (Lead vocals, guitar: Hans Heger; guitar, vocals: Karl Heinz Walter; bass: Math Schouten, drums: Peter Joosten: keys accordeon: Wilbert Verheijen) One more cup of coffee HEGERWALTERBAND PaludaRecords ISRC NLL280500018 from paludarecords on Vimeo . -

snows settle on the mountainside quiet days ______________________________ Image: "new hampshire: winter" Artist: e.e. cummings Medium: Oil on cardboard -

"Aleppo after the Fall" speaks to that uneasy peace, that "haphazard reprieve from war," and the attempt to find a normal life in a world that seems to be perpetually at war. [Originally posted on June 4, 2017 as part of the " Bearing Witness to the Times " series] Ruins near the citadel in Aleppo’s Old City. Credit Sebastián Liste/Noor Images, for The New York Times Aleppo After the Fall In a city so ancient That a merchant can stand on a street corner Where his blood ancestor may have stood Three thousand years before, There comes a haphazard reprieve from war. A weary silence falls Where streets once bustled With sales of fabric and spice Amid the sweet cacophony Of exuberant traders and pilgrims . Like a shattered plate, The courtyard of The Great Mosque Now lies in fragments – The hundreds of daily footsteps But a prayerful memory. Children play – When they dare come out – In the rubble-strewn side streets While old men try to remember The ancient p...

Six13, the award-winning Jewish acapella group from New York, does an amazing adaptation of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (call it parody if you must) while explaining the significance of Hanukkah that even we gentiles can understand. Hanukkah, the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights, began yesterday (Dec 2) and goes until next Monday (Dec 10). -

quiet forest path eliciting warm tribute to the stately trees _______________________________________ Image: "view through a forest road" Artist: e.e. cummings Medium: Oil on canvasboard -