my letter to you
my letter to you
I woke up to an e-mail message informing me of a new Bruce Springsteen record--always good news. The introductory single gave me both the title for my post tonight and a lift in my spirits.
‘neath a crowd of mongrel trees I pulled that bothersome thread got down on my knees grabbed my pen and bowed my head tried to summon all that my heart finds true and send it in my letter to you
Summoning all that our hearts find true is no easy work these days. As we move from summer to fall, Robert Earl Keen has letters of his own and honest words about weariness.
my bag is full of letters unopened and unread I'm sure they'd tell the story of worry and of form my heart is beating heavy with all we left unsaid I swear to you I never meant you any harm but sacrifice and compromise could never stand the strain it's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
But weariness is not the last word. I was talking with my spiritual director about all that is swirling around me in these days, focusing mostly on the grief when she said, “It feels like your life is filled with God. Peter Mayer put her words to music in a song I have carried with me for a long time.
when holy water was rare at best it barely wet my fingertips but now I have to hold my breath like I m swimming in a sea of it it used to be a world half there heaven s second rate hand-me-down but I walk it with a reverent air cause everything is holy now everything, everything everything is holy now
I had forgotten about this Warren Zevon gem until it showed up in a playlist the other night. Feels like a COVID anthem to me.
don't let us get sick don't let us get old don't let us get stupid, all right? just make us be brave and make us play nice and let us be together tonight
Jeff Tweedy wrote this song for Mavis Staples to sing, but here he is singing it himself. As we live at a distance, let us sing it to each other.
you're not alone I'm with you, I'm lonely too what's that song can't be sung by two?
a broken home, a broken heart isolated and afraid open up this is a raid I wanna get it through to you you're not alone
I’ve posted this one before, but how could I get to early September and not play “Summer’s End”?
the moon and stars hang out in bars just talking I still love that picture of us walking just like that ol' house we thought was haunted summer's end came faster than we wanted come on home come on home no you don't have to be alone come on home
I’ll close my letter with an old gathering hymn from James Taylor. Sing along, people; we’re all we’ve got.
shower the people you love with love show them the way that you feel things are gonna work out fine if you only will shower the people you love with love show them the way you feel things are gonna be much better if you only will
Peace,
Milton
