Tag: singer/songwriter

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God Shed His Grace On Thee…

Happy 4th of July holiday from the Big Front Porch!

Since last we visited, it seems like we sort of eased on through spring and now find ourselves navigating these summer days with some really oppressive heat…hope you’re finding ways to stay cool.

In April, I was pleased to represent Cleveland as its Music Ambassador at the long awaited Music Tourism Convention, held here in town after two postponed dates due to COVID. Deep Roots musicians entertained at some of the events and Mississippi’s favorite new country group, Chapel Hart, closed out the convention at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi. Lots of folks from the USA and abroad got to experience the magical, mystical Mississippi Delta…good times:)

Right after the convention, the Women in the Round returned to the Delta for another show at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. Pam Tillis and Ashley Cleveland made a return visit, and this time…after several tries…the wonderfulsongwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman was able to join us. It’s still one of my favorite gigs, and I am grateful that we got to do it one. more. time.

 

After catching my breath, the Big Front Porch, in partnership with the good folks at the Mississippi Songwriters Alliance, hosted the Mississippi Songwriters Festival – Delta Region, the first ‘satellite’ festival of the parent festival on the Coast. The 25+ local songwriters that participated had a chance to share their original songs with each other and the public over two nights.

 

 

 

 

Three professional songwriters, Bridgette Tatum, Clay Mills, and Sean Gasaway, came down from Nashville to play their ‘hits’ and present a couple of music business workshops. Most of you have heard my ‘sermon’ before that, in regards to the music business, “It All Begins With A Song,” so it was great to have an event that focused on the gifts and talents of the unsung folks who lay their hearts bare and put pen to paper trying to say those things we want to say but don’t know how…it’s a gift, to be sure. Hug a songwriter next time you see one. The Deep Roots music initiative continues its mission to strengthen community through music by providing live local roots music in area venues five nights a week, thanks to the support of the City of Cleveland and the talented musicians and audio techs that bring that music to the public each and every week. Just last week, I was honored to join the Mayor and other representatives from the City of Cleveland at the annual Mississippi Municipal League convention to accept a Municipal Excellence Award in the Spirit category for towns over 10,000 in population! Yay us!

 

Seems like I’m leaning into the slower tempo of summer more easily this year…not sure why…perhaps it’s the ‘significant birthday’ earlier this year…or perhaps it’s due to a more focused intention of being in the moment, whether enjoying the taste of a perfectly assembled tomato sandwich followed by a slice of sweet watermelon, or the joy found in a minimalist seasonal wardrobe of shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops, or witnessing little miracles and blessings of God every day…right where I am. I am grateful.

I’ll wrap up this summertime post with little history from Wikipedia about one of my favorite patriotic songs…”America the Beautiful.”Stay cool, y’all…until next time, Tricia

 

The lyrics for “America the Beautiful” were written by Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College, and the music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met.

In 1893, at the age of 33, Bates had taken a train trip to Colorado Springs. Several of the sights on her trip inspired her, and they found their way into her poem, including the wheat fields of the heartland of Kansas, through which her train was riding; and the majestic view of the Great Plains from high atop Pikes Peak. 

Just as Bates had been inspired to write her poem, Ward, too, was inspired. The tune came to him in 1882 while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day and he immediately wrote it down. He composed the tune for the old hymn “O Mother Dear, Jerusalem”, retitling the work “Materna”. Ward’s music combined with Bates’s poem was first published together in 1910 and titled “America the Beautiful.” _____________Wikipedia

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

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Beauty and Kindness

One of my favorite spiritual writers, Joan Chittister, does not believe in writer’s block. She says, “You must jump into the middle of a line and trust that God will take you to the end of it.”

Good advice…that being said…I’m jumping in:)

I’m a little late with what was to be an Eastertide post, and the official start of summer is only a little over a month away, so I wanted to check in from the Big Front Porch with a few small stories about beauty and kindness…two things we can always use more of…

It has been a particularly beautiful spring around the Porch in the Delta…with the exception of the F1 tornado that skipped through town, dropping one of the old oak trees in the street two houses up from me. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

But in the days after the storm, spring really starting showing out! The chinaberry and sweet olive blooms (transported from home), the huge purple Dutch irises (originally from a housemate’s yard in Dallas 30+ years ago), wisteria (purple AND white), a banana shrub, and the sweet smell of Confederate jasmine drifting through an open window. All stunning examples of the beauty and artistry of God…

Along my driveway fence, I have one flaming orange rose bush (see above)…planted by another’s hands long ago…perhaps it was planted by our resident rose master, Ms. Jane Dunlap. ‘Miss Jane’ was recently awarded the Louise Godwin Award from the Keep Mississippi Beautiful organization. The Louise Godwin Award recognizes individuals who are exceptional when it comes to helping keep their communities cleaner, greener and more beautiful, and believe me, Cleveland is one of those especially beautiful communities thanks, in no small part, to our public rose gardens, lovingly nurtured by ‘Miss Jane’ for over 50 years.  I only hope that if I make to 90, I can still play a G/C/D chord on my guitar or a simple scale on the piano!

‘Miss Jane’ Dunlap

“There is a built-in danger in old age which, if we give in to it, makes aging one of the most difficult periods of life, rather than one of the most satisfying – which it should be. The danger of old age is that we may start acting old.” ______Joan Chittister 

A few weeks ago, an online post/picture of a scruffy, battle-scarred old orange tabby cat popped up on a local social network, asking if anyone knew the owner. Within hours, a half dozen folks from the neighborhood responded, identifying the old warrior by various names__Big Daddy, Rudy, Frank, Scar, Buddy. Seems he traveled a large territory on a regular basis, receiving food and attention at every stop. Recently, one neighbor noticed that he seemed weaker and perhaps ill. She was able to catch him, and through her generosity and kindness, had the ol’ fella neutered, wormed, and treated at a local vet. The online group monitored his progress and shared good wishes for recovery and a better life for Big Daddy/Scar/Rudy/Frank/Buddy__and it seemed he was doing well. But a week or so later, he took a turn for the worse and went away. Online, we all promised to keep watch for him, but we never saw him again. Our neighbor that had provided the most care for him found his body under her back steps, and gave him a proper burial in her backyard. We’ve all been sad about it, but grateful that his last few weeks of life were filled with more comfort and love than perhaps he had known earlier.

Buddy/Rudy/Scar/Frank/Big Daddy

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”_____Gandhi

Veterinary services for an old tomcat—homemade pimento cheese from a neighbor to say thanks for the music—A favorite hymn sung by request at the graveside of a stranger___Fresh cookies for grieving family members and friends of a beloved coworker___these are the things that make us into a community. Kindness.

Wars continue to rage on the other side of the world; gun violence is on the increase; social media pulls us towards ‘doomscrolling’ and the idea that ‘we are not enough’…

But take a look around at what we have____roses and music and old cats and good neighbors___it is enough.

“The service that the whole world needs from the elders is not the service of hours spent and time put in and documents finished and machines fixed. There are untold numbers of people who can do all of those things. No, the service of the elders is not a service of labor, it is a service of enlightenment, of wisdom, of discernment of spirits. Only the carriers of generations past can give us those things, because wisdom is what lasts after an experience ends.”
― Joan Chittister, The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

Look up___beauty is everywhere.

Look out___kindness abounds.

Peace be with you:)

Tricia 

P. S. Get ready for live local music…starting in June!

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There Is A Season…

Hello, friends…hope you are doing well as we head into a long-awaited Delta spring:)

As we begin this season of Lent, I thought I’d share a few things in this post that have been meaningful to me recently…I hope you find meaning in them, too.

First things first… the good folks at Thacker Mountain Radio in Oxford visited the Delta for a remote show at DMI last week, and the broadcast is set to air this Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 pm CST on Mississippi Public Radio. As the ‘guest author’ I sang a few tunes and had a conversation with their wonderful host, Jim Dees, and then sat back to enjoy the performances of my former student Keith Johnson, “Prince of the Delta Blues,” the Bobalows, DeltaRoX, and the Yalobushwhackers with guest musicians Fish Michie sitting in…a great afternoon!

I subscribe to a daily reading from Frederick Buechner and found this piece particularly inspiring…enjoy!

Creation

TO MAKE SUGGESTS MAKING SOMETHING out of something the way a carpenter makes wooden boxes out of wood. To create suggests making something out of nothing the way an artist makes paintings or poems. It is true that artists, like carpenters, have to use something else—paint, words—but the beauty or meaning they make is different from the material they make it out of. To create is to make something essentially new.

When God created the creation, God made something where before there had been nothing, and as the author of the book of Job puts it, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (38:7) at the sheer and shimmering novelty of the thing. “New every morning is the love / Our wakening and uprising prove” says the hymn. Using the same old materials of earth, air, fire, and water, every twenty-four hours God creates something new out of them. If you think you’re seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you’re crazy. Every morning you wake up to something that in all eternity never was before and never will be again. And the you that wakes up was never the same before and will never be the same again either.

-Originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words

Carolyn Arends is a fellow singer/songwriter and friend of mine…she and her family live in Canada, and I’m a big fan of her writing and thinking…here’s a post she shared called I Was An Ash Wednesday Rookie along with a prayer for Ukraine she had posted on her site:

Prayer for Ukraine

Sovereign Lord, you observe all those who dwell on earth. Have mercy we pray on those who now suffer the miseries of a war not of their own making. Have compassion on the wounded and dying; comfort the broken-hearted; confound the hatred and madness of those who make war; guide our rulers, bring war to an end, bring peace across the world.  Unite us all under the reign of your Son, the Prince of Peace, before whose judgement seat the rulers of the world will give account, and in whose name we pray. Amen.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel,
Sydney, February 24, 2022

Also, here’s a video of her wonderful song written during the pandemic, “After This:”

Lastly, I was invited to submit a piece for Delta Magazine this month…the piece is called “Seasons”…I hope you enjoy it….+peace+…Tricia

SEASONS 

Eccl. 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…

The first seasons I remember were as a kid growing up in a beautiful old pre-civil war home built in a clearing among ancient hardwoods. My mother was the editor of our small town newspaper, so my love affair with words and writing began early. She always said she had ink in her blood, and I suppose she passed some of that ink along to me.

I was 27 years old when I heard ‘the call’ in my heart to go try and see if I could ‘make it’ in music. This was before the advent of the digital age we know today, so to answer that call meant packing a U-Haul truck and driving 500 miles away from my hometown of Fayette, Mississippi (pop. 1600) into the mysterious, unknown world of the entertainment business in Nashville, Tennessee (closer to home than New York or Los Angeles). A one-bedroom second floor apartment (no elevator) for $235 a month was where I began my quest, having made the move with no steady employment and no personal or business connections…and remember, no cell phones or computers. It was a scary and exciting season, but it was also a great time to be in Music City. I was afforded amazing opportunities over the years to meet and work with both legends and wannabes, crafting songs with pen in hand, standing behind a microphone in a studio or on a stage, and traveling to places near and far with some of the most gifted musicians on the planet.

Eccl. 3:4 (KJV) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…

A quarter century went by and, after Hurricane Katrina, I began to hear the call in my heart to come home to Mississippi. No big lightning bolt, but rather a slow revelatory ‘parting of the curtains’ over time which, with confirmation from trusted friends and counselors, was undeniable. The opportunity of this season was in the form of a new entertainment industry studies program at Delta State University into which I could sow all that I had gleaned from my time in Nashville. As I drove that U-Haul south down Highway 61 through those fertile flatlands, headed to my new position, I remember experiencing an immediate familiarity in the natural beauty of the land and sky along with what seemed to be an invitation coming from the sheer expansiveness of the Delta.

Eccl. 3:2b (KJV) A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted…

The Delta carries a constant reminder of the seasons in the Law of the Farm…the necessary process of planting, watering, fertilizing and cultivating in order to be able to produce a crop of any kind…no short cuts. After working the ‘field’ of the DMI for a season of 13 years, I went through a yearlong discernment process and came to see that, for me, another season was on the horizon, so I announced my retirement from Delta State, with plans to spend more time engaging in creative pursuits related to community building through music. And what better place to do that than right here in the Delta? The roots of music and community run deep in the dear hearts of the good people who live here and who took me in, and even in this age of uncertainty I find that one of my greatest sources of comfort continues to be found in the faithful and relentless repetition of the seasons.

And for all the seasons away from the beautiful Delta and my beloved Mississippi, given the circular nature of seasons, in many ways I feel like I was never even gone.

Eccl. 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…

Tricia Walker — singer/songwriter, Director Emerita, DMI Entertainment Industry Studies, Delta State University, Music Ambassador, Cleveland, MS.www.bigfrontporch.com

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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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Another Trip Around The Sun…

(Originally written 3/17/21; meant to be posted that day…oops!)

Yesterday I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and another ‘trip around the sun’ for me…plans for some time in quiet contemplation, but severe weather and a series of tornadoes in the area disrupted that idea a bit (although I did have some prayerful moments in my storm ‘closet’)…

I am blessed and so grateful for all the wonderful birthday wishes on social media, texts, emails, and in person gatherings…who could ask for more? Thank you ALL…

I am amazed, but not really surprised, that there are actually flowers in bloom and buds on the trees after that really DEEP freeze we went through a couple of weeks ago. How wonderful to be reminded of the promise of new life, even after the coldest and darkest of days. I’ve said before that’s one of the things I love most about being in the Delta…seeing the Gospel lessons manifested in the ‘seed’ and the ‘farm’ and all related agricultural activities…year after year after year…the faithfulness of God.

I hope you and all you love are safe and well and enjoying the beginning signs of spring as vaccines for the COVID virus continue to roll out to the public. I’m grateful that I’ve received both my doses…that in itself lifted my spirit and increased my hope that we are indeed seeing light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. I’m continuing to pray that the collective ‘we’ rises with courage and strength to meet the enormous challenge of vaccinations for all in the coming weeks and months.

Have you seen the Music From The Ground Up episodes yet? The episodes are looking GREAT! A new episode is released each Friday at 1 pm CST on the Deep Roots website and also on our YouTube channel. Please subscribe and hit that notification bell so you’ll be reminded when a new episode goes online! Yours truly was featured last Friday, and in case you missed it, here it is:)

If you’re in the Cleveland area, get ready to grab your folding chair, a friend, and a cool beverage as the Deep Roots: Live Downtown! outdoor music series begins on April 23 at 6 pm at the Delta Arts Alliance awning. Live music for eight Fridays in a row, featuring local artists on the Deep Roots roster. I hope you’ll support these efforts of Cleveland becoming a MUSIC CITY…plenty of room to safely spread out with friends and neighbors and enjoy our talented local musicians! Schedule of dates and artists will be announced soon and will be on our website events page HERE.

Another little bit of good news…and a reminder of how songs have a ‘life of their own’…my friend and co-writer, Karen Staley, shared with me that singer Kelly Clarkson performed our song, “Keep Walkin’ On,” on her TV show earlier this week…how fun is that? Faith Hill recorded this song over 20 years ago…hope it makes you dance around the kitchen!

https://youtu.be/b4MkmJc4_Wk

Until next time…wear your mask…wash your hands…get the vaccine…say your prayers…and be kind to one another…

+peace+

Tricia

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Indian Summer…

10/12/20

This afternoon I’m sitting on my back porch enjoying the continual breeze of a ceiling fan as the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees. Not terribly unusual for the Delta this time of year, but I’m about ready to break out my favorite sweatshirt, how about you? Skeeter is napping in the chair next to mine, one of the many squirrels in my large oak tree is navigating his/her way down to nibble on some corn I put out, the sweet olive tree is full of fragrant blossoms, and I see two new buds on my knockout roses. All in all, it’s a lovely day…and what a gift that is.

Nice to be able to still find peace even as the pandemic continues and hurricanes blow through our region…even as political ads/texts/emails seem to grow more persistent and invasive (I’ve turned my tv off)…even as things seem out of control…at least from a flawed human perspective. But thanks be to the One who calls us to be. now. here. rather than pushing so hard and so fast that we often tend to be. nowhere. (And yes, I have that finger pointing straight back at me…)

I’ve had a great week of having the good fortune to be in what I call “the crosshairs of my giftings,” which I believe is found, for me, at the junction of music and encouragement. The Deep Roots music project, a community initiative to develop and promote local roots music, had the opportunity to shoot videos of eleven local artists performing at a lovely theatre space at the Delta Arts Alliance. A brief interview with each artist/band revealed a common thread of just how much we have all missed playing music WITH EACH OTHER. And even the film crew and a few select visitors said the same thing…”It’s great to hear live music again!”  So stay tuned for a series of short roots music programs (probably on YouTube), featuring some really talented local musicians, in early 2021…after we put the Year of our Lord 2020 behind us. If you’d like to read about the project and meet the initial roster of musicians, visit www.deltadeeproots.com, and if you sign up for the email list, you’ll receive a link to an exclusive playlist of three hours of local Delta roots musicians (yours truly included)!

In case you’re not familiar with the term, American roots music is described as a combination of musical styles which incorporates early music genres and traditions of indigenous groups with ‘shared roots,’ heavily influenced by both the culture and sound of the blues. American roots music grew from the “folk” music made by whites of European descent in the early 20th century, mostly of meager means and living in the rural, isolated South, then expanded to include the song styles of other cultures, particularly the blues and gospel music of African-American southerners. While it encompasses a broad range of music genres and styles, roots music now includes those genres which were given birth in the Mississippi Delta and the American South: blues, folk, gospel, traditional country, zydeco, R&B/soul, bluegrass, and singer/songwriter styles. Often marginalized on commercial radio, roots music contains a common thread that draws on the lived experience of ordinary men and women and has served as a vehicle for offering the disenfranchised a voice.

I’ve been cleaning out some Dropbox files today, and as I took a few moments to reflect on some photos and movies, I was reminded how I have been blessed over the past several years in seeing plans and hard work bear good fruit. I hope, with intention and focus, that will be the case going forward with new projects and ideas. As Thanksgiving approaches, my hope is that all of us are able to find something good that has come out of the upheaval of the last 8 months …and that we will cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude for each day that we are given.

 

 

 

 

 

…and remember, at least we have SOME football to watch… (And I really like this all-SEC schedule☺)

Thanks for reading…I hope you and all those you love stay safe and well…and that you find some time to enjoy the peace of a few moments on your own Big Front Porch.

____Tricia

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Crossing Over…

CROSSING OVER

The coronavirus pandemic continues and one day seems to melt into another without much distinction, but this week marked, for me, with significant passings…on the local, state and national level.

One of our sweet St. Luke church community members, Ann, passed away yesterday. She sat on the second pew near the front of the sanctuary, smiled when I sang, and she always had a kind word to say as folks were leaving the service. I was reminded of and saddened by how difficult it must be in these trying time for our elders and their family members to not be able to be with each other during that sacred time of crossing over at the end of life.

I had the opportunity a little over a week ago, at the invitation of Ann’s daughter, to stand outside the courtyard of the nursing home where she was living and sing her a few songs. As I was waiting for Ann to be brought outside, another family was gathered by the courtyard fence and was shouting words of love, through tears, to a frail man who appeared to be the patriarch of the family. As I got my guitar out of its case to prepare for Ann, I felt a tap on my shoulder and one of the younger boys of the family asked, “Would you sing my papaw a song?” Expecting a hymn request or other church song, I said, “Sure…what would you like for me to sing?” He said, “Do you know ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today?’”  It may seem strange, but in that moment I gave thanks for every night I sang that sad song in a bar in Nashville. “I’d be happy to.” As his sister held the phone up with the lyrics, I gave it my best shot. Turns out the old man had sung that song to his wife as she crossed over…there wasn’t a dry eye in the courtyard, including mine. I regrouped, turned my attention to Ann,  and sang some of her favorite songs as our pastor connected us in prayer. Rest in peace, Ann…I’ll miss seeing you on the second row.

Strange how lives connect over time and space, sometimes in ways we could have never imagined…

Last week also marked the passing of Charles Evers, former Mayor of my hometown of Fayette. The ‘soundbite’ (that term wasn’t around in the 60s) that was always attached to him was, “the first black mayor of a biracial town since Reconstruction.” I never learned the reasons why he chose Fayette to establish his political career, but the years that he was in office while my mother was the local newspaper editor is a story worth telling (I’m hopeful that a couple of my writer pals, more skilled in the screenplay format than I, will put pen to paper and flesh out the story). When my daddy’s body was brought through the community of Fayette for his funeral service, Mr. Evers lowered the flags in town to half-staff. When my mother died, Mr. Evers was one of her pallbearers and eulogized her, saying, “She was my worst enemy and my best friend.” I’m hoping that Mama and Daddy and Mr. Evers are sharing a toddy and catching up on some lively conversation about all things Mississippi. Rest in peace, Mr. Evers…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, Congressman John R. Lewis…I had the chance to meet him in 2014 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and was immediately struck, like so many others, with his calm demeanor and the dignity he displayed. From the son of an Alabama sharecropper to the ‘conscience of the Congress’…he was always working, as a child of God, towards the beloved community. The picture of his final crossing the over Pettus bridge yesterday is worth a thousand words…rest in peace.

 

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus replied:˜Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ˜Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   Matthew 22:36-40

Until next time, take care of yourself and be kind to your neighbor:)

+Peace from the Porch+

Tricia

P. S.  If you’d like to see/hear a replay of me and the Harmony Junkies singing some oldies in support of restocking the library at Parks Elementary, here’s a link…enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/756510202/videos/10163799577370203/

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Right away…write a way…

Well, the world has certainly changed since I posted my last blog…nothing like I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. And so now we are all charged with ‘social distancing’ as the norm for the coming weeks…or months…or more. 

As I was outside last week digging up the ground in my backyard for a small garden (first one I’ve had since coming back to Mississippi), I found myself feeling grateful and very comfortable being at home. The day seemed to slow down in a way that felt strangely familiar and satisfying. Hmmm….felt like I was living like a monk. And rather than feeling the demand to have everything happen right away, I heard the phrase differently in my ear….right away dissolved into write a way. So here is a brief offering of pen to paper.

Some of you may know that I am an oblate with the Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, Alabama. From the website at Sacred Heart, here’s the definition of an oblate: 

“Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian women and men who enrich their way of life by associating themselves with a Benedictine community. They offer
themselves (the meaning of oblation) in service to Christ by choosing to incorporate the values of Benedictine spirituality into their daily life. Oblates are not vowed religious nor do they live at the monastery; rather, they bring the spirit of Benedictine life to their own homes, churches, and workplaces.”

I realized that perhaps this new ‘social distancing’ was drawing me more closely into a traditional monastic order of the day, which is a balanced combination of work and prayer…Ora et labora…the Benedictine motto. And that felt peaceful and meaningful, offering an opportunity to savor being intentional and ‘in the moment.’ 

I’ve been amazed (but not really surprised) at how the music and creative communities have found beautiful ways to bring their gifts and talents to the world in this crazy time through the miracle of technology. Our spirits are lifted through SONG and I hope we will all share the sheer determination to make music and dance in the midst of what seems like madness. 

With all the wonderful sentiments out there on social platforms and broadcast media, I hope this little note brings you encouragement. I have news about a special project of which I had the pleasure to be part that has recently been released, and I will send that out soon. Until then, allow me to share a couple of things that have really spoken to me over the last few weeks. One is from the Rabbit Room, a group of like-minded thinkers that fosters Christ-centered community and spiritual formation through music, story, and art. This article was shared by Rev. Darian Duckworth…it’s titled “Love In The Time Of Covid-19,” written by Lanier Ivester, and the piece below is called, “So That’s,”by American editor/novelist Peter DeVries.

“So that’s it,” Dr. Cameron said, greeting me at the elevator. “Your daughter’s temperature’s been normal now for two days, so it’s probably let up. She’s just walked in the hall without any pains. She feels a lot better. Give it another day and you can take her home. But anyhow, we’ve eliminated everything serious.”

That was the happiest moment of my life. Or the next several days were the happiest days of my life. We could break bread in peace again, my child and I. The greatest experience open to us then is the recovery of the commonplace. Coffee in the morning and whiskeys in the evening again without fear. Books to read without that shadow falling across the page. Carol curled up with one in her chair and I in mine. And the bliss of finishing off an evening with a game of rummy and a mug of cocoa together. And how good again to sail into Tony’s midtown bar, with its sparkling glasses, hitherto scarcely noticed, ready to tilt us into evening, the clean knives standing upended in their crocks of cheese at the immaculate stroke of five. My keyed-up senses got everything: the echo of wood smoke in Cheddar, of the seahorse in the human spine, of the dogwood flower in the blades of an electric fan, or vice versa….But you can multiply for yourself the list of pleasures to be extorted from Simple Things when the world has once again been restored to you. 

©From The Blood of the Lambs, Peter DeVries. Distributed by Warner Books, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Publishing, Inc., New York.

Peace and a song to you…along with a ‘virtual’ hug from six feet away,

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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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