Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A tradition deepens...

For almost 27 years I have been gathering singers, artists and musicians together in various churches on Thanksgiving Eve. It started when the children were small and we would go to see Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie in NYC and morphed into our version of group singing gatherings in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona and now Massachusetts. Sometimes it has been very, very simple - a guitar, banjo and a few song leaders - and sometimes it became quite complex - our 15 person LARGE band in Tucson complete with steel guitar and gospel choir!

This year we've invited a few musical friends and poets to join us as we sing and play and pray and grow closer in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Group singing is an almost lost art form and one of my daughters once told me that one of her greatest joys was being with me as I encouraged and cajoled people into singing together in harmony. We will get another shot at it tomorrow night.

Here is a link to a local TV show we did last week that is mostly pretty good - a few rough spots - but mostly lovely and honest. Blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving... and join us at 7:30 on Wednesday, November 26th if you are in town.

2 comments:

Nick Coke said...

Hey - just watched the show! Brilliant - I loved it. Well done to all of you...

RJ said...

Thanks, brother Nick. It was a blast... thank you for your kindness.

all saints and souls day before the election...

NOTE: It's been said that St. Francis encouraged his monastic partners to preach the gospel at all times - using words only when neces...