Bill's daddy always said he paid an arm and a leg
To buy their piece of heaven.
Bill turned eighteen and never dreamed he'd ever leave their land
But then came 9-11.
And the rest of my song tells the story of how Bill enlists to go fight terror in Iraq, gets hit by an IED, and literally pays and arm and a leg -- to keep us free.
And then he spends the rest of his life learning how to live with missing body parts, psychological trauma, and the realization that war is, indeed, hell.
Not all heroes pay the "ultimate price" that dead soldiers have paid and get honored for on so many holidays. We set at least a couple of days specially for the dead.
What about the still-living soldiers who now must face a lifetime of disability and challenges beyond anything most of us can imagine -- with even greater courage and determination than it took for them to go to war?
They deserve honor and tribute. Not just on a holiday or two, but something lasting. So I wrote a song. As far I can tell, it hasn't been done yet -- at least not that someone has made popular so people actually THINK about these great people.
Heroes -- not in death -- but for the rest of their lives.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Golden Boy

Chow face, with a purple tongue
Part yellow dog (like me!)
He connected with my soul
Now his is running free.
He saw me through a lot of grief
And gave me years of joy.
I loved that dog beyond belief.
I miss my Golden Boy.
What a great dog! His name was Ansel.
My friend and animal advocate extraordinaire, Janet, found him at her school. She'd taken in so many strays that the principal had warned her to stop. So she stuck the little golden blob in her truck and called me with an SOS.
I'd only have to keep the dog until she found a good home for it. Uh-huh.
When I peeked in her truck window, there he was in the passenger seat. Calm as could be at about three months old. Just watching. Very self-possessed. Cute, but nothing real special about him. Or so I thought.
In fact, that was all she wrote. He'd found his home. I have many memories of Ansel and me, which will most likely leak out in later blogs. He only lived 10 years, and he died in 2008 on this date. So did part of my heart.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
El Dia de Las Madres — Mother's Day
Mama was my lifeline to a lifetime full of love
From the moment of my first breath, 'til the day she took her last.
Love you, Mom! If you're lucky, nobody in the whole world will ever love you as much as your mother does or did. I was lucky.
Jim and I got married on Mother's Day weekend...on Kentucky Derby Day in 1988. We didn't know all that was happening that weekend when we planned it. Guess we didn't look at a holiday calendar.
It was a total blast, with loads of mothers there to celebrate with us, away from their own families. How great is that? Most of them came because they loved my very special mother.
I wish I'd known her better as a person and a woman, beyond her being my mother.
From the moment of my first breath, 'til the day she took her last.
Love you, Mom! If you're lucky, nobody in the whole world will ever love you as much as your mother does or did. I was lucky.
Jim and I got married on Mother's Day weekend...on Kentucky Derby Day in 1988. We didn't know all that was happening that weekend when we planned it. Guess we didn't look at a holiday calendar.
It was a total blast, with loads of mothers there to celebrate with us, away from their own families. How great is that? Most of them came because they loved my very special mother.
I wish I'd known her better as a person and a woman, beyond her being my mother.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
It's Jazz, Man!
To a musical family was born
A man of whom ladies be warned!
He'll play with a strumpet
As if she's his trumpet
That talented man with a horn.
And then there's what he does with a flugelhorn! But you can hear it all for yourself. Click here:
http://jazzonline.com/mike-metheny/mike-metheny-a-tapestry-of-sonic-delight.html
If you haven't listened to Mike Metheny, do yourself a huge favor and immerse yourself in the magic of melodic (mostly), moody (often), and mesmerizing (always) music that is his special kind of jazz.
Buy his new CD, entitles "60.1" (yes, he's "our" age, and the better for it!). Listen to it all in order. Then and only then -- after about 3 full times through -- pick and choose which cut you'll put where on your self-compiled favorites. You'll also want his other available CDs, so search them out and buy them as a treat to yourself.
I've known Mike since seventh grade, when our family transferred us kids from Lone Jack school to Lee's Summit. I believe it all happened because my mom made a surprise visit to my brother Dan's second grade class and found him teaching spelling while the teacher was taking the curlers out of her hair. That about tore it with Mom. But I digress...
Mike's always been a music man; it runs deeply in the family. He's a consummate musician, a nice guy, and, as you can tell from the limerick, a man with a sense of humor. (I think; he hasn't seen this yet!)
I believe in buying good music and in supporting friends...although NOT in sharing music with friends (or anyone else) who don't pay for it. (I REALLY believe in copyright protection.)
So, dear friends and music lovers, I hope your next CD purchase will be one of Mike's CDs.
Thanks!!! Love you! You're the best!....;-)
Labels:
flugelhorn,
jazz,
Mike Metheny,
trumpet
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