I often think about writing a memoir or compiling a book of essays. For the most part, I have lived a rather mundane life. I can’t say that I have accomplished anything noteworthy and I am not famous. However, my life has been—and is—a journey of finding that being creative is important.
When I was about fourteen years old, the piano preludes of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) changed my life. Before then, the piano music my teacher gave me was mostly from the Classical Period with some from the Romantic Period. Czerny and Hanon were the backbone of the technique she taught.
When I was in the eighth grade, I wrote a paper with the title, “Enthusiasm is Contagious.” I can’t remember what class it was for—but I do remember we had to stand in front of the room and read our paper to the class. I can’t say that anyone was bowled over with my writing or oratory skills. It was memorable because my teacher made a remark that it was an odd choice—I was not the outgoing, spirited type of person. At that moment, I realized people are judged by what is seen on the outside. I am not saying that is bad—it is a natural tendency. We can’t know what goes on inside a person.
Life all around. Are we seeing a mirror or a window? Does the scene reflect who we are or does it give glimpses into people’s lives? It is both.
The lady across the street would play “Beer Barrel Polka” on the hammond organ. The organ was in her living room and when my family walked over to visit, she always played the organ for us. I remember watching her […]
Several months ago, I was in my car and as I switched off the CD and turned the radio to NPR, I heard these words . . . or, so I thought. “In Alabama trying to toughen up baby oysters . . .”
I recently read an interview with American author Richard D. Mohr who wrote a book about Arts and Crafts pottery makers, Frank Ingerson (1879-1968) and George Dennison (1873-1966)—”The Splendid Disarray of Beauty: The Boys, the Tiles, the Joy of Cathedral Oaks—A Study in Arts and Crafts Community” (published in 2023). Mohr’s final comments in the interview made me consider “all the things worth having.”
In my day job I manage a church office. One of my responsibilities is to maintain the keys to the buildings. I keep a spread sheet with the key numbers, date the key was issued, and date returned. Recently someone moved away and returned their key through the mail.
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