January 30, 2014   (A day late)

USA Today had an excellent article marking the passing of an old friend, Pete Seeger.  The title “He taught us to sing - and to think”.  Very accurate.

I trust you remember - or will remember songs like, “On Top of Old Smoky” (I didn’t realize he had written this), “This Land is Your Land” (my personal favorite),  “If I Had a Hammer”, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and so many others.

I had forgotten the fact that he was once a member of the Communist Party and was convicted of contempt of Congress for failing to testify about that, a conviction that was overturned on appeal.

What I did recall was the one concert I attended and he had the audience in the palm of his hand with his songs, but even more so by the homespun wisdom he had to offer.  He will be missed.

Sadly, the major media seemed to over look his passing, more intent, it seemed to me, by their criticisms of the leaders in Atlanta, GA, and their failure to prepare for a few inches of snow.   Perhaps, they earned it as I vividly recall how much of East Point - where I lived at the time, was paralyzed by less than three inches of snow in the late 50’s.   What amazed me - from the reports I heard, was the resilience of the people who responded to the others trapped in the cars on major highways and went out of their way to bring snacks and drinks .   And of course, there was the baby born in the front seat of her parent’s car while thousands of others had nothing to do but wait it out.

SPECIAL NOTE:

I was completely ignorant of how “blogs” operate when I received the encouragement of a dear friend (some of you know her, Karen Langford), but with her knowledge and encouragement, I am now confident I know the basics, at the least.   So, starting tomorrow, February 1, I will get started with my real objective - not just to “report” on life as it is on the day I write, but letting you in on the life and circumstances that led me to where I am, today - the only reason I have confidence to believe, every life has importance and our biggest problems in life stem from the fact we are not alone.

So, with this blog, you can tune in as you will and still understand why I might be writing as I will be.   And I want you to know, I have made a lot of mistakes along the way and let you know - it is not the mistakes we make, but the lessons we should learn by experiencing them.  See you tomorrow?

That is my prayer…