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It appears that Rolling Stone Magazine and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have finally taken notice: Linda Ronstadt has finally been inducted. While it should have been done many years earlier, justice has finally been served.
Ronstadt fans have been aware of the longstanding feud between Rolling Stone and Ms. Ronstadt, mostly because she dared to be outspoken and honest. Blunt she may be but as her book, Simple Dreams shows so clearly, she is an artist with integrity.
As I pointed out in an earlier post when I met Ms. Ronstadt for her book signing, I didn’t understand her way of thinking at first but I do now. For her, the art comes first and the art, in and of itself, is the message. If the art, whether it be painting, drawing, singing, playing an instrument, songwriting or writing, is done well, the message will shine forth, loud and clear. If the art is subject to the message, subservient to it, both will suffer.
I believe whatever art (in this case, music) I have created has suffered from the message being imposed on the art. The message is good and eternal but the message is not just about the words. I used the music as a tool to get out the message. Nothing wrong with that except that in my case, the music suffered. If I had put half the time, effort and study into creating the music that I did in creating lyrics, I could have perhaps created a song that was sublime. In the end, the music was just okay. Some of my songs were good but I don’t believe any of them were great.
I’m reading one of my favorite authors right now, Chaim Potok, a book called My Name is Asher Lev. Asher Lev is an artist and a prodigy. He is also an Hasidic Jew, faithful to his religion, desperately trying to be a good son to his loving parents. Somehow he must find a way to juggle his gift as an artist (which often cannot be controlled) and his identity as a Hasidic Jew. I read the book because I knew Potok would unearth and reveal the creative mind and heart and so far I have not been disappointed. He puts my dilemma so perfectly into words, describing how the boy Asher felt about the drawings his mashpia [aka school principal] had asked him to make:
“I hated what I had drawn in that sketchbook. I should not have done it. Why had he asked me to do it? I hated the drawings. They were lies, stagnant creations done to someone else’s demand and I despised them.”
While my feelings are not as strong as Asher’s (I don’t hate my work but I don’t love it either), I understand now as never before that art must be honest in and of itself. Yes, you can and should do work for others (otherwise how would a writer be published or a singer or musician be recorded?) and you should follow the guidelines set out by those who are risking their capital on you.
But this doesn’t mean the art created in the end cannot be honest.
The trick is figuring out how to do that within the confines of the professional and business environment.
My goal as a creative person entering the last phase of my life is to create one thing that is sublime. This will take focus, commitment and belief that it not only is possible but permissible. I still have to get my message out, but it is permissible and desirable to make it as excellent, as beautiful, as compelling, moving, poignant, challenging …
I have been given a remarkable professional opportunity as a writer which I cannot disclose at this time. Suffice it to say it will help to fulfill a lifelong dream. I consider this my shot to create something sublime.
Linda Ronstadt was highly critical of most everything she did but it never stopped her endless pursuit of making the best music that she could. Her book, Simple Dreams, takes you on that journey. While she never believed she created something sublime, her fans did. And now she is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Congratulations Linda. Not on the award.
May I follow in your footsteps.
Click to Tweet & Share: Linda Ronstadt finally inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: the cost of artistic integrity http://wp.me/p2D9hg-zm
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Need a break from the sudden onslaught of winter? And that it’s just beginning?
Check out these beautiful birds
photographed by my brother-in-law Tim’s friend Matthew Faughnan:
One of my favorite birds – they usually will come upon you in a swarm, grabbing berries off of bushes and trees. As smooth as silk!
This photo verifies my sighting of this bird in my backyard during the Fall migration of hawks. Stunning blue color!
What a great bill! I wonder what this duck eats to necessitate such a bill?
So peaceful.
Click to Tweet & Share: A break from the ice and snow: beautiful birds http://wp.me/p2D9hg-za
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In a previous post about healing, I wrote that it takes a partnership between ourselves and God to experience healing.
Case in point: my longstanding battle with sore feet, aching legs and a consistent backache. I started walking at lunchtime a couple of years ago, just after I discovered my “dream shoes,” the Mercy Croc (see previous post). My feet bounced in them, they were nice and cool in the summer, cozy and waterproof in the winter.
Walking was fun and I loved writing about what I saw on my walks.
My legs felt like lead again, just like before (I have a chronic foot condition that causes this). Not only that, they hurt. And so did my back. Walking turned from something refreshing and fun to something akin to dragging a ball and chain behind me.
Eventually I stopped walking and felt very discouraged. For all the steps forward I had taken with walking for my health, I felt like I took twice as many backwards.
I started praying for a healing. This was back in January of 2012.
Recently I saw my doctor on an unrelated matter and when I mentioned about my difficulty with walking, he suggested that my shoes were the problem.
“No!” I said. Not my dream shoes, the ones I am totally in love with. The shoes that nurses wear, claiming they can stand in ten to fourteen hours a day in them.
When a second person mentioned the same thing, I knew I had to explore the option. I dug up my Nikes: the shoes that squish my toes.
I’ve since walked twice in them. And today I admitted that my doctor and my friends were right. The added bounce in my step and the lack of pain in my back more than made up for my having to kill my pride in admitting I was wrong.
This led to some other discoveries. Suddenly I remembered that if I stretched everyday for 5 minutes like my foot doctor has told me (over and over again), I would experience less pain. Guess what? He was right!
I then remembered to add glucosamine to my daily vitamin ritual. I dug those out of the kitchen cabinet and miraculously, that worked too.
Who knows? Is it because it was easier to wallow in my misery than to take action to take care of it? I can’t imagine why I would think wallowing would be easier or more desirable, but it is sometimes.
Pride, self-pity and the fancy to play the invalid have no place in the world of healing. Lord, heal me of these things and the stupidity that accompanies them!
Click to Tweet & Share: To be healed, sometimes you have to admit you’re wrong (aka “It’s the shoes, stupid!”) http://ctt.ec/jZ0F9+
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I love reading Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas stories as they embody the Christmas spirit. Writing in the style of her time (19th century stories teaching moral lessons, known as didactic stories), Louisa’s stories not only taught children the meaning of giving but gave the poor a name and a story. The rich were not demonized and the poor were elevated. Louisa’s idea of Christian charity was eminently practical, showing resourcefulness and creative thinking on the part of her characters both young and old.
Enjoy!
From the Christmas Tales and Stories collection (Laura Ciolkowski, editor) comes a sweet, albeit typical offering from Louisa May Alcott known as “The Little Red Purse.”
Even though the essence of the story is very familiar (rich little girl learns how good it is to give to the poor), Louisa always manages to insert something that raises the story above the mundane.
My first thought going into the story was, “How long will it be before Lu, the little girl who owns the little red purse, either loses it, ruins it, or gives it away?” You’ll have to read the story to find out if that happens or not. It kept me guessing right up to the last minute.
Lu is ten and loves candy. She receives an allowance each week and often spends it on candy and usually makes herself sick. But she has…
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This song from my Wait with Me CD is derived from the Sunday liturgy’s first reading from Isaiah:
And here is a song in honor of Mary for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception:
Part of the Catholicmom Advent Wreath Link-Up
Click to Tweet & Share: Music for the Second Sunday of Advent and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception http://wp.me/p2D9hg-yO
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“Mary of Nazareth” is the first film to seriously consider the life of the most important woman who ever lived. The film’s website provides this summary:
“The film vividly captures the essence of Mary’s profound faith and trust in God amidst the great mysteries that she lived with as the Mother of the Messiah, her compassionate humanity and concern for others, and the deep love that she and Jesus shared for one another. This movie underscores her special role in God’s plan for our redemption, her unique relationship with Christ, and the tremendous suffering that she endured in union with his passion and death, as well as her serene joy at his Resurrection.”
Here’s a preview:
What the summary doesn’t tell you is that this film, released by Ignatius Press and Carmel Communications, is thoughtful, insightful and imaginative. As so little historical writing exists on the life of Mary, one must take whatever sources are available and inject possibilities in between to flesh out the story. This is good writing. While there is nothing theologically controversial about the film, there are many new approaches to the familiar story.
Take the scene from the Wedding at Cana: we see Jesus dancing at the wedding. We see a tender exchange between Mary, who is concerned for the bride and groom that the wine is gone, and Jesus, who is not yet ready to begin his mission. Her intercession brings about his first miracle. While a straight reading of the scripture in John 2 suggests possible tension between the two, here we see a loving mother and son exchanging concerned glances and smiles of understanding.
In fact, it is the facial expression that tells the story in this movie. This is where we pick up on the closeness of the relationship between mother and son. It is touching to see the chemistry between the two actors depicting a most unique relationship, and yet one that any mother with sons can relate to (such as this one).
Mary plays a much larger role in Jesus’ ministry in this movie and all the scenarios are quite believable. She is the one who continually reminds the apostles that “He will live, He will rise.” Despite her heart-wrenching suffering, Mary’s faith is rock solid.
One of many interesting twists in this story is the character of Mary Magdalen. Here the writers imagined that Magdalen and Mary were friends in their youth but that Magdalen was tempted away from Nazareth when she is befriended by Herodias, a seductive, almost devil-like woman into a life of promiscuity and deceit, leading to the deaths of Herod’s son and then John the Baptist. It is this latter death that causes Magdalen to flee from the palace and become a prostitute who is eventually saved by Jesus. The scene where she cries over the feet of Jesus and wipes them with her hair is very moving.
While this movie is not available yet on DVD, it is available on Netflix. The website also provides ways for your church or organization to screen the film.
On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, today would be a perfect day to screen “Mary of Nazareth.”
Click to Tweet & Share: “Mary of Nazareth” a wonderful film dedicated to the mother of Jesus Christ now available on Netflix http://wp.me/p2D9hg-yy
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Part of the Thursday Small Success Series on Catholicmom.com – this was definitely a success for me!
Read on …
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I had always understood the gift of healing from our Lord to be a passive act. You pray for healing and the Lord either grants your request or does not.
But it never occurred to me that God might not be granting a request for healing because the person praying for it is not willing to do the work involved to bring it about.
I had never thought of it that way until this week.
I have two chronic conditions which are too indelicate to describe here but suffice it to say, they interfere with my quality of life and my ability to stray far from the house. Because of these conditions I will not stay overnight somewhere else unless I am compelled to.
This past week these conditions have been on overdrive due to a variety of reasons.
I participated in a healing service at my parish recently for these conditions. I frankly felt embarrassed asking for healing because they are not life-threatening but my heart desired the touch of Jesus so I asked for it. There was no visible change at the time.
Yesterday it finally became clear to me that the Lord was asking me to take part in my own healing. Such an obvious thought, really, considering the medical marvels we now have at our disposal. And yet, this thought had never before occurred to me. My understanding of what it meant to be healed by God was very limited.
Yesterday I visited the local CVS, looking for over the counter medication that could help with my conditions. Shooting in the dark, I bought several items, hoping they would help.
They did.
And that’s when I began to realize that requesting a healing is not simply a matter of asking, sitting back and waiting to receive. We must act in partnership with our Lord if we wish to be healed. And we must accept whatever His answer will be.
What could I find at the store that would relieve the symptoms? What could I ask for from my doctor? Acting upon those ideas, I obeyed His request and found the necessary balms that would soothe and heal. I found solutions that will help prevent recurrences.
This simple lesson reminded me yet again that I must never take what Jesus says and does strictly at face value for I miss the hidden and deeper meaning. I could read about the healings in the Bible and lament the fact that I could not just go up to Jesus and ask Him to touch me, to heal me. I could attend healing services and ask for prayers and anointing and then be disappointed when the healing didn’t manifest itself as my narrow mind perceived it ought to. By doing that, I would miss out on all the wonderful insight the Lord would impart to me if I would just follow His course of action.
As I enjoy the balm of my healing, I enjoy even more the knowledge gained from knowing that God steps down to work in partnership with me in every aspect of my life. He became human so that He could share in my ups and downs as a human in the most intimate ways. He did this for everyone.
How has God brought about healing in your life? How did you actively participate?
Click to Tweet & Share: Does healing from God require an active role on your part? http://wp.me/p2D9hg-yk
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My habit every Christmas is to spend a few minutes each morning in front of the Advent wreath on our dining room table. For those of you not familiar with this Roman Catholic tradition, one sets up a simple wreath with four candles in the middle. Three are purple and one is pink. The candles correspond to the four Sundays of Advent: each week an additional candle is lit. The purple represents a heart turning back to God in repentance (repentance meaning “turning”) while the pink represents rejoicing.
Each morning I light the number of candles appropriate for the week of Advent, read a simple set of prayers and/or scripture readings, sing a verse of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and eat my breakfast before heading off to work. It does wonders to calm down the noise of Christmas and help me focus on the real meaning – the coming of Christ, the first time as a babe, and the second time at the end of the world. It’s a time of rebirth of Jesus in the heart.
This year I am using O Radiant Dawn: 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath by Lisa Hendey. This book is geared for use with families but can certainly be used as an individual devotion as well. Using scripture, spoken prayer and questions for pondering, O Radiant Dawn is a wonderful companion for Advent.
Quiet prayers, quiet music, quiet prayers. A time to ponder what it means to be human, for God to condescend to us to become human and to love us so much that He would do that for us.
Much to think about indeed!
This song always puts me in the mood; it’s “Lo, How a Rose E’ere Blooming” from my Wait with Me CD:
Click to Tweet & Share: Five minutes around the Advent Wreath can give new (quiet) meaning to Christmas http://wp.me/p2D9hg-ye
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It’s hard to believe Christmas is only a month away. The waiting can be filled with much shopping, parties, busyness, noise, rushing around … not bad things, but the waiting can also be filled with quiet expectation.
Time alone.
Silence.
So one can think, ponder and imagine the scene of the coming Messiah, born as a helpless babe in the cold and dead of night.
This period of waiting, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Advent, is one of the most beautiful seasons of the church year. The decor in individual churches is simplified, featuring a single large wreath with four candles (three purple, one pink) waiting to be lit.
The priest wears the purple vestment, signifying a time of preparation of the heart, repenting of past sins, and turning back again towards God.
Scripture readings from the prophets, especially Isaiah, proclaim in compelling prose the coming of the Savior of the World. The Gospel of St. Luke introduces us to the most influential woman in the world, disguised as a humble, poor young girl whose brilliance and wisdom was revealed in saying “yes” to God.
Services feature meditative songs and chants sung acapella rather than with full organ accompaniment.
Of all the music that I recorded, my favorite by far was my Advent/Christmas collection known as Wait with Me: Advent of the Promised Son. Drawing upon the rich scripture tradition of Advent, these songs proclaim the biblical truths from Isaiah and St. Luke. The collection begins with songs of expectation and build to the birth of our Lord on Christmas Day. Unlike my other CDs, this one features earthier arrangements: acoustic guitar, hand percussion instruments, plentiful harmonies. Listen to samples here:
I can send you a copy of the CD, Wait with Me so that you can have it to prepare your heart in waiting for Jesus.
Click here to place your order.
Click to Tweet & Share: Beautiful Advent/Christmas Music for your waiting by Susan Bailey http://wp.me/p2D9hg-xB
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Be as One 