There are a lot of female vocalists out there who have various strengths and talents. Heather’s most notable quality is her impeccable voice. It is imbued with sensitivity and acuity, and is incredibly soothing. She has a great sense of nuance and tone as a song stylist and song interpreter. more

Lucy Wainwright Roche headlined a lovely evening of woman power with fellow New Yorker, Rebecca Pronsky and local artist, Marie Moreshead at One Longfellow Square. It was fun to see up-and-coming musicians touring, and hear their song-writing and performing efforts. more

Musically enthralling, emotionally touching, philosophically profound. Joziah’s comments before the song were quite refreshing. Rather than casting blame against anyone, as some artists are prone to do, he said something about taking personal responsibility for what is going down in the world. more

Religious freedom allows mysticism to bloom. When a person is granted complete religious freedom, he or she can explore the inner world of love and faith with impunity. That exploration might lead them to practice Buddhism even though they were raised Christian. It might lead them down many paths, some of them unexpected and different. Yet, each person must go their own way, for mysticism recognizes that each person is following the blueprint that God has expressed in them, and has expressed as them. more

One beautiful spring morning in Virginia, as I walked across our yard, I stopped, and stared at a truly lovely sight. There were three blue and purple and yellow irises waving at me, as if to say, “We’re here. Have you noticed us yet?” In truth, I had not. I had seen them, but I had not regarded them. They were magnificent, and as I gazed at them, they became the center of my world. more

Why do flowers have this effect on human beings? Why is it that we can also completely lose touch with the beauty of nature, caught up as we sometimes are with the pain and grind of daily life? more

Oh, the night, the night. What a wondrous place it can be. Snuggly poo under the covers. Comfy, cozy sleep. Comfy pillow, snuggle snuggle. Suddenly, a loud retching scream! Another one! I am awake and I dash to the hallway, imagining that one of my children is puking from their bed. Dazed and confused, I call out, "Who is that? Are you all right? more

My sixteen year old son came home from school three days ago and announced, “I can’t breathe.” He pointed to his schnoz. Actually, what he said was more like, “I cad breave. I hab a code in by doze.” more

My mother’s birthday was Sunday, August 9th. This year, she would have been eighty-seven years old. The last time I celebrated my mother’s birthday with her, I was fourteen years old. After that, I was either away in California, or Europe or other places every August, until she died in 1983 when I was twenty-seven. This year made 40 years since I had celebrated her birthday with her. more

Dear Peter ... by writing this I am praying that maybe you can offer me some type of hope or comfort as my heart is once again crushed, wondering again why? more

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When I was living in New York City, and Reggie Jackson was in town, I would go to Yankee Stadium a couple of hours before the game got started so that I could get to see how he warmed up on the field. more

I regularly visit Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. I have been to other places where she used to live while her family was hiding from the Nazis. For instance, Aachen/Aken, a southern city in Germany, is a pretty little town where Anne’s mother Edith was born. They lived there for a while, right before crossing the border into Holland. more

I decided to take my whole family, including our two-year-old boy, to the world of “light and shadow”. On September 19, 2008, we all took the local train to Dachau, outside of Munich, Germany, after flying for twelve hours over the Siberian sky. more

Can an orchid forget?

One might not think so, but this one forgot. She was born next to a thicket of vines in a forest that echoed with the whine of bullets and the screams of men. When she was very young, a boot had fallen on her body, exhausting her in a bewilderment of panic as she struggled to free herself. Eventually, the boot had been dragged away, leaving behind scars and confusion in her delicate heart. more

He had been shunned and kicked and spat upon. He had been chased and tortured and had lived alone, unwanted and unnoticed by the world. To have a knight and the grandson of an emperor trust him and look to him for help was beyond his imagination. more

Members of the Devil Bug Gangs are very smelly creatures, rank with old sweat and an atmosphere of curse words not spoken in our parts for a very long time. They are very old, and very vain, and angry. more

It was the resounding thump of an alien child falling from the sky that woke Farmer Welton from his lazy slumber. He had wandered out of his farmhouse around noon, carrying a jug of his special home brewed root beer and some Oreos. Sitting there in the backyard, at an old beechwood table, he had gorged himself until he had finally fallen asleep. Did he dream? We’ll never know, but we do know that he drooled. more

Being a clever Wiggle Dog, he pulled back and forth, until the old spring on his very personal leash went “Pop!” and he was off! He ran this way and that way, and up the yard and down the yard. Freedom was a glorious thing, and Bogey the Magnificent was Proud and Happy to be On the Run. more

The small waiter so carefully so painstakingly more

I sit with my left hand fitting
on top of the well-groomed head of our cat,
My fingers between his perky ears and lean jaw
That lean into the massaging of my hand,
which in turn,
draws from him purrs
and rubs
and tufts of black hair
which float away
like milkweed in the breeze. more

Another Saturday
the sun shining brightly
the radio raucous with song
the house deathly quiet.
My children grew up.
They are not here. more

I love looking at the sky. When I’m buried in work and stress and the confusion of a million details, I often go out in our backyard and stand under the trees and look up at the sky. I feel the oppression of the daily grind melt away as I breathe and stretch and revel in the limitlessness of the heavens. more

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“Everything is Illuminated”, “Chocolat”, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, “The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood”, “Little Women”, and “Amelie” more

What a magnificent musical treasure she is. more

Shawn Colvin is simply one of the finest singer/songwriters in America today. more

What a beautiful story of a woman’s year of travel; studying, eating, meditating and living. more

This book is a truly amazing exposition of techniques for what the author calls "Scientific Prayer". more

There are almost too many books to name but these are seven books that I have shared with my 18 year old daughter.  It’s been wonderful to share the friends from these stories with her. These books have beauty, insight, depth, pathos and spiritual nourishment. more

This book is both fiction and non-fiction, for Van Loon recounts imaginary dinners with historical figures, and then proceeds to actual biography of each one, all done with a great deal of wit. more

One of my dearest childhood books, these are the tales of the six Bastable children, set in England. more

"Your outward search for God culminates in the greatest of all possible discoveries -- finding Him at the center of your own being. Life flows up from within you." more