Tag: Christmas

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All the trees in the fields will clap their hands…

11/24/21

Hello, friends…

It’s been a busy fall here on the Big Front Porch presenting local Deep Roots music shows, doing community and church work, and prepping home and hearth for the winter season ahead. I hope this post finds you well with your finest place settings ready at the table and delicious smells coming from your kitchen…and a strong WiFi connection in case some of your loved ones can’t actually BE at your table. 

I’ve been concerned that the ‘push’ for Christmas consumption seems to be so much earlier and more ‘in your face’ this year…feels like Thanksgiving is almost being overlooked altogether….anyone else? I hope this holiday of ‘gathering with grateful and thankful hearts’ is not diminished…

I was pondering this on a walk one afternoon, when I looked up and saw….the trees…(Isaiah 55:12)

I had such a good experience with my inaugural car camping trip back in the summer that I planned to block a few days off for another road trip to see some fall foliage over in Arkansas. But lo and behold, as the days passed, I could see that the trees on my own street and in our own little town were prettier than they had been in years, so I decided to stay put and enjoy what was right outside my own front door. The golds and reds of the crepe myrtles, ginkgos, sweet gums, oaks, and maples have been rich and deep this fall, along with the rust color of the Leland cypress trees which complimented the entire palette beautifully.

Staying put and observing the lessons of the natural world around me reminds me of one of the three primary monastic vows of the Benedictines…stability. Stability refers to the importance of community and commitment in life. When I came back to Mississippi in 2006, I believe it was a calling, and when I retired from Delta State in 2019, I believe I had a call to stay in this community….To  Be. Now. Here. And so here I am…

Part of my ‘staying put’ over the past decade has been to share whatever gifts I have been given in considering visions, sharing ideas, dreaming dreams, and then working towards the realization of those things. It has been my honor to serve on the board of the Cleveland Music Foundation, Inc., the governing body for GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi, since 2011 as a founding member.

My “sermon,” if you will, was and continues to be, “Music can bring us together and make us better,” and trying to insert that idea has been my primary contribution while serving on this board. Others who have way more ‘left brain’ that I, have done the ‘heavy lifting’ of procuring funds, making political connections, overseeing construction, and developing staff in order to make the museum the reality it is today. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a magnificent project.

 

Advent begins this Sunday…one of my favorite seasons, and the beginning of the new year for the Church. No argument from me that Easter is the great Alleluia! to the Gospel story, but to consider the Incarnation…that God would ever come to be with us at all…Emmanuel…wow. One of my Advent/Christmas/Epiphany readings will be For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio by W.H. Auden. I was not familiar with it until recently, but it is said to be perhaps one of his greatest works. I’m looking forward to some reading time spent with a well-written book and a cup of strong Community coffee.

+peace+ to you and those you love…I am thankful for each of you:)

 

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

 

Tricia

 

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The Work of My Hands…

As I’m writing, it’s rainy and cold in the Delta tonight, and this damp December weather tends to make my ‘well used’ knees feel a bit more stiff and sore. But on days like these I am reminded to give thanks for my mortal strength each time I am able to take a walk through our town’s lovely Christmas lights or just around the block, even if there are noticeable ‘snap, crackle, and pops’ with each step I take. Not really unexpected, given a lifetime of athletic activities, from youth sports through the running and fitness plans of adulthood and now the attempts to remain healthy through the less impactful practices of yoga, biking, and swimming.

But several weeks ago, I began to hear a new ‘clicking’ and ‘popping’…in some of my fingers…on both hands. Nothing to be alarmed about unless they start to lock up like trigger fingers, but this new soreness and stiffness from years of use (not to mention age) brought a new awareness of and gratitude for these amazing ten digits and how they are still able to move about the keys of a piano or the frets of a guitar. 

I’m trying to be more intentional these days about how I observe and ‘see’ things…to try and really SEE on a deeper level what God would show me. During this Advent season, I’ve had a lovely time doing several seasonal ‘gigs,’ and at a recent performance for some sweet senior citizens, I found myself noticing the hands of a lady who sat next to me at lunch. Even though I am now considered a ‘senior’ citizen myself, this lovely lady was a good 15-20 years my senior. Her hands were paper thin, showing several age spots, her nails were manicured, her veins clearly defined. On her left hand she wore a beautiful diamond ring and gold band. I noticed she was having difficulty cutting the pork chop on the festive plate in front of her with the plastic knife and fork that were provided. But she managed…and enjoyed her lunch…and was happy to be there. She was in the moment. 

My first thought was, “You’re not too far away from those hands yourself,” which was a bit disconcerting, but the real lesson for me was BE. NOW. HERE. In each moment. In every scale and in every chord…in every beat and in every melody.  I think sometimes in the Christmas rush, that phrase gets scrambled to read more like BE. NOWHERE. Funny how a tiny period can make such a difference.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.”  Psalms 90:17

I hope that the work of your hands is blessed and that every moment in this Advent/Christmas season is full of meaning for you, full of joy and love and hope and peace, even during the long dark days of winter. The Light is coming….Emmanuel, God with us….creaky knees, stiff fingers and all.

Pax from the Big Front Porch,

Tricia

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A time for every season…

Headed south on the City of New Orleans…

 

 

 

 

The Delta is beautiful this morning with multiple shades of earth tones, from the deep dark chocolate of the alluvial dirt to the golden shades of the broomsedge to the occasional blood red of the sumac and the sweet gum along the tracks. The land, as if one being, seems to take a deep restorative breath as it begins to settle into its season of rest, of fallowness and waiting. All of nature seems to slow down, offering opportunities for reflection and introspection on the amazing Gift that is once again promised to us and is coming soon…

I love the season of Advent…the anticipation…the expectation of something about to happen…candles bringing light into the darkness of our world’s winter… and the Promise…

The fields know of the Promise…and they rest in it…the fields know that spring will come in time and new life will begin. They never tire of the same story being told each winter, whether near the fireplace, in sacred spaces, or in open hearts…and neither do I. 

Here’s a seasonal song for you…may your Thanksgiving be filled with peace and gratitude….Tricia

“In A Bleak Midwinter”

(based on “A Christmas Carol”, a poem by Christina Rossetti)

In the bleak midwinter frosty winds made moan.

Earth stood hard as iron. Water like a stone.

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 

In the bleak midwinter, long ago. 

Angels and archangels may have gathered there.

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air.

But His mother only, in her maiden’s bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, would I bring a lamb?

If I were a wise man, would I do my part?

Yet what can I give Him? Give my heart.

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Grateful and thankful…

I’ve just returned from my second year of attending the annual conference for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHCPO) where I was again invited by my friend, Dr. John Mulder, to help lead a songwriting workshop for a group of hospice professionals. These angels of mercy willingly write deep thoughts about the sacred work that they do, share those thoughts with each other, and then entrust those thoughts to us to ‘knit them together’ into a cohesive song. It is such an honor and privilege to have a part in this kind of work because these folks are passionate about what they do. John and I huddled in a hotel room and came up with this year’s offering which is titled, “We All Know How This Ends.” We debuted the song for the group at a coffeehouse concert the following afternoon, and it was met with positive reviews, so it will become part of a larger recording project in early 2020 that will result in an album of songs of hope, healing, hospice care, and love. Worlds collided again in the connection with former hospice nurse and now bluegrass singer/songwriter, Ali Shumate, who writes for a publishing company in Nashville run by my songwriter buddy, Jerry Salley….you just never know how the dots will connect! Stay tuned….

In witnessing the care and passion that the hospice workers shared with us, I was reminded of how Jesus calls us to compassionately serve the poor and sick and marginalized in our communities, for that is where He is most often found…(there’s a song on my new Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Eye CD called “Parable [Sheeps & Goats]” that I hope captures this idea). Recently, I have been listening to a podcast by theologian Richard Rohr which is based on his recent book, “The Universal Christ.” It’s called Another Name For Everything, and I haven’t made it through all the episodes, but one that particularly struck me talked about the idea that with all the vitriol, rancor, and chaos in our state/country/world right now, perhaps there is a ‘resetting’ going on…his thoughts explore the concept of ‘ordering-disordering-reordering,” and in looking at various ‘dark’ periods of the world’s history, it seems to me to make some sense. Without that possibility, then what could be the reason for this ‘shift?’ And right about now, it makes my brain hurt to think about that, so I’ll move on…would love to know your thoughts/comments on that…

But I am hopeful….and one of the things that encourages that hope in me is the upcoming season of Advent and Christmas, when once again, God brings to us the hope of the season…the ‘coming’ of Himself….the Incarnation…the Light…hard to fathom, but so beautiful to believe.

Our little community of Cleveland is about to ‘light up’ in a big way for another “50 Nights of Lights,” and I hope some of you will be able to take time and find your way to the Mississippi Delta to spend some time with the good folks here. There are SO many wonderful events going  on (scroll down on this link for a listing of events), but here’s one I’m really looking forward to – Have Yourself A Delta Little Christmas on Monday, December 2, at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi. My friends, Buddy Greene and Jeff Taylor, will be the special guests on this holiday show featuring ‘homegrown’ talent…click HERE for all the info…don’t miss it!

And speaking of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, the museum just opened a new exhibit called “Stronger Together: The Power of Women in Country Music.” For those of you who know my story, you know that I didn’t grow up listening to country music, but when I got to Nashville, I had a complete and thorough education in that wonderful genre because of all the opportunities I was afforded during my time there. When I would visit the Country Music Hall of Fame (and other music museums), my favorite exhibit would always be the display of lyrics of hit songs written in the hand of the songwriter. So let me try and express what an honor it is for me to have been asked to contribute two sets of my handwritten lyrics to this new exhibit….I chose “The Heart of Dixie” and “Looking In The Eyes Of Love”…But WAIT…there’s more….my lyrics are displayed as a pairing with the work of the incomparable songwriter, Cindy Walker, who wrote hits like “You Don’t Know Me,” “Dream Baby,” and “Blue Canadian Rockers.” Her acceptance speech at the 1997 Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony still brings me to tears…check it out….

Lots of things going on on the Big Front Porch, so I do hope you’ll sign up on my email list, if you haven’t already. I promise…NO SPAM…just a monthly gathering of news and some occasional blog posts.

Hope to see you on the porch soon…as Thanksgiving approaches, know that I am thankful for each of you….pax,

Tricia

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It’s Time…

Dear friends and gentle hearts, it’s time again to sing the old familiar carols, feast with loved ones around a common table, and scratch our heads in awe and wonder at the craziness of Emmanuel, God coming to earth to be with us and to show us how to live. I love the contemporary translation of John 1:14 that reads, “And the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.”

Emmanuel…God with us.

Christmas Eve morning brought a sweet phone call from the brother of a dear friend and an email from one of the sisters at Sacred Heart Monastery, each sharing that they were celebrating with my Christmas CD playing in their respective homes. That gave me a nice little ‘push’ against the Christmas blues and reminded me of how sacred is the gift of music…and to that end, I’m happy to report that I will have a new recording to share with you all in the first quarter of 2019! It’s called “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Eye,” and I suppose it will fall in the singer/songwriter/storytelling category (if there is a reason to categorize it at all)..whatever it is, I look forward to getting it out there and sharing it with you. Best way to keep up with all the news that is news from the Big Front Porch is to sign up to be on the mailing list at www.bigfrontporch.com. Thank you kindly:)

It’s Time…

In the fall of 2017, using a discipline I used when deciding whether to leave Nashville to return to Mississippi, I began a year-long period of prayer and discernment about if/when I should step away from my position as Director of the Delta Music Institute at Delta State. As the weeks and months of 2018 went by, it became clear to me that summer of 2019 would be the right time. I don’t really think of this as ‘retiring,’ but the DMI ship is in good shape and with some exciting projects on the drawing board, it’s time for someone new to take the helm. I plan to step back into the creative life I had before, but hopefully, keep a one or two toes connected to DSU in ways that will benefit the program and the university. 

As word of my decision began to leak out about this upcoming change, I received some calls as to whether I planned to leave the Delta and move back to Nashville. Let me squelch that rumor and say that when I came back to Mississippi, I felt it was a ‘calling,’ and I believe that ‘call’ is still in effect until God says otherwise. This community has embraced me, encouraged me, and supported me from the day my moving truck rolled into town. I will cast my lot with this unique mystical place called the Mississippi Delta. Going forward, I will try to use my gifts and talents in the service of building community in this complicated place we love that still wrestles with the historical residue of our collective past while trying to gather creative, honest voices for the future that will work to share our authentic story with others. Because storytelling is at the heart of everything, even the Divine heart…just read again the wondrous story from Saint Luke…

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

PEACE TO US ALL. 

O, HOLY NIGHT. 

EMMANUEL.

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Oh, My Goodness!

Oh, my goodness! 

That was the immediate reaction I heard from the citizens and guests who were in our fair city last Saturday night when thousands of new holiday lights were turned on downtown. The green space and walking trail were packed with people from one end to the other, and in a matter of seconds, Cleveland was suddenly bathed in magic and awe and wonder. It was a sight to behold and the event was the talk of the town in Sunday church hallways and grocery stores.

Now, let’s move the comma.

Oh my, goodness.

There was something else I felt among the good people of Cleveland at the lighting ceremony. Even though it’s early in the holiday season, I swear it felt like peace and joy and good will. Did you feel it? Did you turn to someone in amazement and exclaim how beautiful it all was? Did you forget for just a moment the things that were troubling you? Did you feel hopeful? Did you feel the goodness? I did.

A thousand thanks for the goodness of those who made this possible…the original visionaries of the project, the 50 Nights of Lights team, the City of Cleveland crew, the sponsors, the donors, and the dedicated volunteers who put in countless hours of work on behalf of our community.

Oh, my goodness…what a community Cleveland is. May we all hold onto the magic, awe, and wonder these lights will bring during this season and beyond…and may we also share some goodness with each other along the way.

Pax.

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Wise men still seek Him….

Epiphany…January 6…the end of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle…I had a lovely time at Secluseval, even with awful weather on Christmas Day. It was 70 degrees on Christmas Eve and my sister and I enjoyed the sunshine on the Big Front Porch once again. I then had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a New Year’s retreat at a very special place called Laity Lodge out in west Texas. My friend, Buddy Greene, invited me to be one of the musicians for the retreat, and I never miss a chance to play music with Buddy. Another old friend, Scotty Smith, was the speaker for the retreat, and his focus for the retreat was Epiphany…taking a deeper look at how God ‘broke through’ then and continues to ‘break through’ now to those in this world. I sang…I rested…I feasted…I shared community with others who are seekers…it was a glorious time and I am grateful to have been a part of it. I hope to carry the spirit and grace of the retreat into every day of this new year…may your days ahead be filled with hope, good health, peace, and grace…pax, TriciaFrio Canyon_Laity Lodge

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The Longest Night of the Year…

Advent…the season of waiting…and tonight is the longest night of the year….but there is hope in this dark night of waiting even with the unspeakable sorrow of Newtown and the uncertainty of what lies ahead in 2013. I had the privilege of singing last night for some beautiful patients and caregivers at our local hospital…there was birth and death and the fearful waiting of the emergency room all within three floors of each other, and yet music held us together for a short while during the cold night.

I came home to read an Advent  selection by Brennan Manning titled, “Shipwrecked At The Stable.” Manning writes of how the world does not understand vulnerability and how the spirituality of Bethlehem is incomprehensible to the advertising industry…how true. But in his commentary on the mystery of Bethlehem and the trivialization of the divine scandal, Manning quotes the Spanish author, Jose` Ortega, whose thoughts of being shipwrecked resonated with me in this Advent season:

“And this is the simple truth…that to live is to feel oneself lost. Whoever accepts this has already begun to find himself, to be on firm ground. Instinctively, as do the shipwrecked, he will look around for something to which to cling, and that tragic, ruthless glance, absolutely sincere because it is a question of his salvation, will cause him to bring order to the chaos of his life. These are the only genuine ideas; the ideas of the shipwrecked. All the rest is rhetoric, posturing, farce. He who does not really feel himself lost, is without remission; that is to say, he never finds himself, never comes up against his own reality.”

Those who are shipwrecked cannot bring along baggage from the past…they can only be in the here and now, facing the reality that they are lost…we are lost…but we are captivated at the Bethlehem stable by joy and wonder, and the Child there is the One to whom we cling.

This Christmas, whether you find yourself literally at home or at home within your heart, may you find peace and comfort there in knowing that there is Hope for the shipwrecked….from the Big Front Porch to your home,

Tricia

[mp3player width=175 height=35 config=single.xml playlist=sweetlittlejesusboy.xml]

 

 

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Ya Yas and frocks…

Hard to believe that January is almost over…and thankfully, it’s been a mild enough month to actually sit on the Porch and do some pondering…nice:) Hope that February will follow suit, don’t you?

During the Christmas season, my two best ‘growing up’ buddies, Jackie and Paige, and I always get together for what we have lovingly termed, “The Gathering.” I’m not sure exactly what year we started, but it’s been going on now for at least half of our 50+ years. It’s a chance to put on our PJs, laugh a lot, and do pretty much NOTHING for about 24 hours. Pure bliss…

Ya Yas

Mom Walker and Luzon have gone on to heaven, and so our last remaining mama on this earth is the Matriarch, “Miss” Eleanor. We gather in her kitchen at Meadowview, and while she mixes together some homemade cornbread in HER mama’s cast iron skillet, we revert back to childhood and giggle uncontrollably at the retelling of some incident from forty years ago that still makes us act silly.

Mmmm....cornbread...

The focus of the Gathering was the impending nuptials this spring…the first born of the ‘petite’ Ya Yas (Jackie’s daughter) will be tying the knot in late March, and so this blessed event requires that we all go out to shop for a new frock. Yes, there. I said it. I have to go shop for a frock. I believe it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” I don’t think she was speaking in the context of shopping, but whatever….

I was in Jackson yesterday and so I made an attempt to enter a mall and make a purchase. Lord, have mercy….there was a SALE on and there were hundreds of women who were in their element in such a situation while I, on the other hand, was about to break out into hives. I had to wait 45 minutes just to get into a fitting room…so while I waited, I fired a volley of texts off to the Mother of the Bride extolling how I was making close to the ultimate sacrifice for her firstborn:)

Ok…I didn’t fall out or throw up, so all is okay….found two items that I will live with for a couple of days to see if one of them will work for the happy occasion. I’m sure to be a lot more comfortable in boots and jeans for the rehearsal dinner at the fish house.

I also got off the Porch last week long enough to make a quick trip to our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast to perform at a showcase in Bay St. Louis for the “Backstage Pass” arts event sponsored by our Mississippi Arts Commission. I am proud to be included on the Artist Roster of the MAC, and I appreciate all the work they continue to do to spotlight the arts and arts education in our lovely state. Executive director, Malcolm White, understands how valuable arts and artists are to our state and particularly to how they can impact the creative economy. Next time you have a little time on your Porch, take a few moments and read all about the Creative Economy in Mississippi and what it can mean to our future.

Showcasing at the Hollywood

Well, I’d better cut off the Porch light and get a little rest…looks like a busy week ahead. Y’all take care, and I’ll get back in touch soon!

Pax,

Tricia

 

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Here’s to 2012 from the Big Front Porch….

Ok…no sense in adding the undue pressure of a hard and fast resolution to this post, but I do intend to try my best to bring you news from the Big Front Porch on a more consistent basis than I have been…’nuf said.

Here’s a glimpse of the Big Front Porch…it was lovely to sit on the porch yesterday on the first day of this new year and take a few moments to enjoy the smell of a wood fire, the colors of the sunset, the feel of the crisp winter air on my cheek, the sound of a hoot owl in the woods, and the taste of my sister’s perfectly cooked black-eyed peas. God is good…all the time. I hope you and your friends and family will take some time in the coming days to sit on a porch (inside, of course, if it’s too cold for outside sittin’) and be quiet long enough to hear the ‘still small voice’ within…

The Big Front Porch

And since we’re still in the days of Christmas, here’s a sweet little cedar that is our Christmas tree this season…cut from the fields of Secluseval…a special place.
Christmas Tree at Secluseval

Pax,
Tricia