My teaching schedule was weird today because of our State of the College address this morning. This gave me a little free time because my morning classes were cancelled. I went to my office with the intention of writing a blog post about… When I was a kid, I was taught to respect adults – my parents, my friends’ parents, teachers, any adult with whom I came into contact. Respect is a big thing when you are the child of…
Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To give the poor dog a bone; But when she got there The cupboard was attacked by a full bottle of soy sauce That made a big mess and kicked her in the rear. Okay…It wasn’t Mother Hubbard or a cupboard. It was me and my pantry. But, the soy sauce and the big mess are truth! Most days I have to laugh at the universe’s incredible sense of humor and how…
I am now a month into summer vacation 2019. As is the case with everything these days, I have no idea where the time has gone. Thus far my break can be summed up as…random acts of…. Today I find myself examining these last four weeks more intentionally, trying to identify in concrete terms exactly what I have done, what I haven’t done, and what I want to be doing with my days. This exploration will hopefully lead me to…
One thing that I think most of us have learned by the time we reach “a certain age” is that there are no guarantees in this life. Thus, we should take nothing for granted, not the big things and not the small things. Our lives can be turned upside down in an instant. Over the weekend, I was out-of-town visiting a friend and participating in a bowling fundraiser. Despite cold, sleet, ice, and snow, it was a great weekend. This…
I was out of town last weekend at Click Away, a photography conference primarily for woman, but there were a few brave men who attended, Weber being one of them. We met several of my Capture Your 365 photography friends in Amelia Island, Florida for some fellowship and some sessions to hopefully help our grow our photography skills. As I was packing to go, I realized that I was excited about the photography element of the trip, but I might…
Today’s Capture Your 365 photo prompt was Be Thankful for Who You Are. We were urged to take a self-portrait that shows who we are. This is my photo. For many years, I tried to achieve perfection in everything that I did – from school, to relationships, to parenting. I thought that I had to be perfect in the eyes of everyone around me to be worthy of being be loved. Needless to say, I fell way short of my goal….
I recently discovered something about myself and I’m not sure that I like it. On Monday, my youngest daughter sent me a text message saying that she was heading to Las Vegas on a last minute business trip. My response to her was, “Be safe.” Not, “Have fun.” or “Have a good trip.” or even “Win lots of money.” But, Be safe. I looked back through my Facebook feed where I had recently commented on posts by friends who are…
Today was a good day! It began with playing for two church services this morning, brunch with our closest friends, yarn shopping for my next Welcome Blanket, and then a little more shopping. The photos of the devastation in the Houston area continue to blanket the news. Many of those who have been displaced have now made their way to one of several shelters here in the Dallas area. And the cars, buses and planes continue to arrive. Those seeking…
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! – Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus” (1883), written onThe Statue of Liberty After I wrote earlier about the things I did and didn’t do during my summer freedom, my dear friend Joni reminded me that I did knit a lot over the summer. She…
At the beginning of each new school year, I feel like I need to justify my existence to my students, or perhaps it’s their existence in my classes. I teach the final three semesters of a four semester music theory and ear training sequence. Most musicians, unless you are super nerdy like me, probably would not take music theory if it weren’t required to get any kind of degree in music. I explain to my Theory II class that…