Happy anniversary

Thirteen years ago I was blessed to wed a young woman in a simple, hippie ceremony in a park in Cleveland, Ohio. We have been through a lot: her stuff and mine, the death of her father and my mother, blending a family with young teens, moving into an urban ministry, a Southwestern ministry and now a Berkshire ministry to say nothing of our own health and spiritual ups and downs. It has never been easy - at times we saw the heart of evil in one another - but it has always been real. And... as the word continues to become flesh within and among us, I give thanks to God that we have found a way to be lovers, friends and seekers together on the journey towards a faithful life.

Along the way we have discovered a ministry of music that began with folk songs, expanded into a full rock and soul band and is now exploring the contours of acoustic music. We have sung the music of Springsteen and Jewel, the Eels and U2 as well as the Judds, Sarah McLaughlin and Leonard Cohen. We have rocked, danced, feasted and shared blessings with hundreds of beautiful souls who have blessed us far more than we could return the favor. We have travelled to Russia and Poland, Scotland, Liverpool and London (to say nothing of Cleveland, Tucson and Pittsfield) - and we have now returned to the land of our youth - the wild and flinty North East - and it is a blessing. We've camped in New Mexico, walked where Georgia O'Keefe painted, listened to Solidarity organizers talk about the destruction of communism and found our own language of faith somewhere along the way. We've celebrated the marriage of one wonderful daughter and will soon join the other in her sacred wedding.

What's more, spring is just around the corner in Pittsfield (I know because I cut the grass for the first time in 20 years) which makes it a good time to shout: Happy Anniversary, dear heart. I love you forever! And I would STILL drive all night just to buy you some shoes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HEfAqiPEU