Looking out my windows earlier this month, I was captivated by the ice which covered the trees after the ice storm.  We have many trees on our lot, and I have been surprised to see that not one of them has fallen.  Their branches have sagged greatly under the weight they have been holding.  Branches have broken or fallen to the ground.  But the trees have remained standing.  Seeing their sagging branches, knowing the strain they are under, I longed for warmer temperatures, hoping their burdens can be lifted.  Covered with ice, the trees looked beautiful.  But under that beauty there was strain holding up that weight and the constant threat of breaking completely. [Read more…]

One of my favorite movies is called “The Dancer Upstairs.”  There is a scene in the beginning of the movie where the driver and passenger in a car are listening to a song performed by Nina Simone called “Who Knows Where the Time Goes.”  The song begins the clip you just heard, with Nina Simone speaking rather than singing.  Confused as to why they are listening to this, why the singer is spending so much time speaking rather than singing, the passenger says to the driver of the car, “Why Does She Talk?”  The driver responds definitively, as if no other explanation is required, by saying, “She Is Preparing to Sing.” [Read more…]

Growing up, I loved being outside.  Our house was across the street from the local park.  In that park, there was one place which was my favorite to go – a group of about 15 pine trees which grew together and formed a sanctuary in which I could hide.  I would spend hours climbing the evergreens and creating forts in the heights of their branches.

There was also a creek which ran behind our house.  During certain times of the year, this creek would flood.  And water would run through the park to the creek behind our house.  This was no small trickle.  It was like a raging river which divided my house from my beloved pine grove. [Read more…]

I have never been one who has enjoyed traveling.  When I was young, my favorite part of taking a journey was coming home.  My travels as a child mainly centered around taking my sister, who is 14 years older than me, to or from college.  I dreaded those long hours trapped in the car, the seeming eternity separated from my Atari video game system.  So much so that there was there was even a little song that I sang in the car as these long journeys neared their end.  Since this is the first time we are together, I don’t want to sabotage our budding relationships by subjecting you to my voice and singing that for you.

[Read more…]