It seemed a big advantage to have a last name that began with “Z’. Seated alphabetically, I often had time to rehearse my answers before the teacher called on me. So I wouldn’t make a mistake.
I remember reading ahead…
Feb 25 2019
Feb 10 2019
Note by Note: Crazy In Need | No. 8 | February 10, 2019
“Love is the most universal, the most tremendous, and the most mysterious of the cosmic forces.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Who and what do you love to your core?
How do you put that love into words...or music…or art…or food…or…
Jan 21 2019
Note by Note: Will You Stand With Me | No. 7 | 1.21.19
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
I almost quit guitar lessons about twelve years ago. Between Mom duties, two or three part-time jobs, graduate school, band practice, major league volunteering, etc., there wasn’t enough…
Jan 5 2019
Note by Note: The Firefly | No. 6 | 1.5.19
“Growing pains are not just for the young…”
While experiencing those uncomfortable pangs once again, this line became the genesis of “The Firefly”. I was reminded of fireflies kept too long in mason jars. Did you also gather up fireflies…
Dec 20 2018
Note by Note: The Gift of Light | No. 5 | 12.20.18
Isn’t this a fabulous premise? A noted author travels far and wide to thank his mentors by preparing beautiful, home-cooked meals of thanksgiving. He shares each “pilgrimage of gratitude and generosity” with a mentee or two, thereby widening the circle…
Dec 11 2018
Note by Note: Christmas Card Blues | No. 4 | 12.11.18
One of my favorite Christmas cards ever arrived in our mailbox several years ago. The front photo had your typical darling, smiling, outfit-coordinated children, but the backside was hilarious. The photographer captured the action a few minutes before or afterwards…
Nov 9 2018
Note By Note: O Sorrow | No. 3 | 11.9.18
Snow began falling on our drive home from Des Moines yesterday afternoon. As Linda and I re-lived the delight of the two workshops I led at Mercy Medical Center, Linda’s cell phone rang. During a routine teeth cleaning, our vet…
Nov 5 2018
Note by Note: I Wish You'd Met Me When My Stomach Was Flat | No. 2 | 11.5.18
What body images have shaped your beauty standards -- Rubenesque figures, Twiggy or Nicki Minaj? How wide is your definition of loveliness?
True story--I avoided my neighborhood pool for a whole summer in middle school because I thought my butt…
Oct 22 2018
Note by Note: An Introduction | No.1 | 10.22.18
I love hearing the inspirations that led songwriters to their songs. And I love knowing what makes artists tick.
These fascinations led me to this leap of faith into the blogging world. My intent is to explain Note by Note…