Another guitar video

Well, this one doesn't have me in it because I didn't take the time to use the video camera but here are some of my favorite pictures of our children when they were young and me playing a song called "Belle" by Jack Johnson. I make some mistakes so bare with me. It is played on my Ibanez Artcore series semi-acoustic guitar and then edited in my Fruity Loops audio studio (yes, that's the name of the software). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.... - JR

Music - one of God's greatest gifts!

I was thinking today how much music is a part of my life. I guess it has been with me ever since I was born - perhaps even before. My dad is an excellent pianist and no doubt he may have played the piano some in my parents house while my mother was still carrying me. Perhaps that exposure to music may have seeded some inate deeply rooted love that would last a life time. I guess it's hard to know for sure.

Certainly another possible source of the muse within me is most certainly my dear sweet grandmother. She gave her life to the passing on of the gift of music to more piano students than I can even imagine. I know her house was nearly always in use by yet another student. As a kid, I saw her teach school age children who would come over for lessons immediately after school and even adult men and women who decided to learn the piano. She used to tell me that as soon as I was old enough to stand, she placed my play-pen (yes they called it that back then) next to the piano and I would rock back and forth to the music as she and the students played the piano (apparently I wasn't critical - then.....). Of course as soon as she could set me on the piano bench, my grandmother began my education for the pianoforte.

It was probably around age 14 or so that I learned I could play things for myself whether sheet music was involved or not. It was then that I departed from the formal route for piano mastery and proceeded on my own course of self indulgence. It has been a heart-felt love ever since. I love the sound of a piano and the feel of a piano. I like to sit in a completely dark room and just play it with my eyes closed. It is relaxing to the spirit and calming to the soul.

My mother used to tell me that she could tell by the music I played after I came home from school and sat down at the piano in the living room, exactly what type of mood occupied my mind that day. If I played dirges, then I was sad. If I played loud expository and dynamic rifts, then it meant I was angry and working it out. If I played mellow laid back elevator music or light rock, it meant I was happy, content and feeling peaceful.

I was exposed as a child to many diverse forms of music. My parents had old 78 LPs that included Rose Marie Clooney (singing "It Takes a Long Long Train With a Red Caboose to Carry My Blues Away" - no joke) as well as famous conductors of the time like Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey. They later added some 33 RPM LPs which included Eddie Arnold, Englebert Humperdink, and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

Of course I grew up with the 50s, 60s, and early 70s bands too. My musical "tastes" as a result are very diverse and that is the way I have tried to raise my kids. Over the years we have shared country, rock, easy listening, and even operata music with them and they have each embraced different musical instruments along the way.

So, today I was just thinking about how important music is to us. I really believe God loves music Himself. After all, He created it and shared it as a great gift to us and He even calls upon us to employ it in our worship to Him. I'm sure He knows how music is able to reach out and touch our very souls. It can project such incredible passion including happiness, sorrow and peace. It can get our motors reving or help us fall asleep after a long hard day. Indeed, even at times when we find it quite impossible to communicate verbally with another human being, we may find expression and relief through music.

So, I would just like to say "thank you Lord for the gift of music. It has been a life long blessing to me and will remain so until the day I pass from this existence to the glorious music of Heaven promised in the Bible. I look forward to that day when I can stand in your presence with the host of heaven and sing your praises. Until that day, I will enjoy doing the same here each time I assemble with the Church and in between, I'll probably knock out a few more tunes on the piano or the guitar."

I hope that you too have found a special place in your heart for music. It can be the healing balm that your soul needs on cloudy days and the outward expression of the inexpressible on days when happiness fills your heart to bursting.

Love to all,

Jerry

I think it must be me.....

I seem to have a problem attending sporting events in which "my" team actually wins. This has been a long standing problem for me. Apparently when I attend the event (as predisposed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) I in some way cause my team to lose. Heisenberg basically said that "the act of observing a process changes the result". I'm not quite sure how this works but it simply must be the case because it happens every time I attend - they lose.

Last Thursday I went to see my favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, play a game against the Toronto Blue Jays (and just how did a Canadian baseball team get into the American baseball leages exactly?). The Sox had been experiencing some difficulty with the Jays early in this series but on Wed night, the Sox found the winning formula and put the game away with 1 run to spare.

So, I was hopeful that on Thur when a group of my friends from work and I went to the game, that the Sox might hang onto that winning secret and redeem the evening for me (which included a very painful and long drive to downtown Chicago to get to the game and a very long drive home too). However, such was not to be the case.

I'd have to say the relatively new Sox stadium (called Cellular Field - formerly Comiskey Park) was very nice indeed. It is a lot cleaner and neater than Wrigley and much better arranged. I've been to both stadiums to watch both the Sox and Cubs play (I'm not a hater) but I'd have to say the Sox stadium is much nicer.

Upon arrival, the anthem had been sung already because I was running a bit late but I found my friends and joined them for a hopeful Sox victory. After 7 innings in which neither team had really done much of anything apart from putting some guys on base and then getting thrown out, the Jays managed in the top of the 8th inning to put 6 runs on the board - ARGH! Well, we were a bit worried and thinking all was lost when suddenly the Sox got their bats wrapped around some balls too and the score closed to a 6 to 4 lead by the Jays. That was good because it kept "us" in the game. Then in the 9th inning, the Sox did a great job of pitching the Jays some no-hitters and that brought the Sox to bat in the bottom of the ninth with just a 2 run deficit. The Sox created some additional excitement when they put two guys on base and with 2 outs already, it was up to the last batter (I'll leave him nameless) to either hit a home-run (and win the game by 1 run) or at least knock in the other two guys for a tie and overtime. Unfortunately the Jays pitcher had another idea (strike him out) and that's exactly what happened. So, that was the end of the evening.

I'd have to say it is very nice to get to see the game in person but the drive and cost (On top of my $28 ticket and $22 parking, I paid $8 for a 12 oz coke and a 24 oz bag of peanuts) will probably keep me from doing it more frequently than a couple of times a year. Still it was great fun and I really enjoyed the game but I would enjoy it a lot more if I could figure out how to break the Jonah curse that I seem to carry and thus get to see my team win one sometime. Oh well, I seem to be better able to watch my favorite sports teams by television where I do no harm so tomorrow I will be watching the Packers hopefully win another game.

Go Sox and I hope you can close out your season as still the divison champs!

Love to all,
- JR -

Here's a video (courtesy of a request from my youngest daughter Leah) of me playing my new Taylor guitar. Leah - I am adding photos to my Flickr account too so you can see my new guitar there as well. I will later add photos of my other two guitars too. I hope you enjoy the video. It's the first time I have tried this. I apologize for the mistakes - I'm far from perfect yet but I am learning and very much enjoying the guitar. I now have a Frederico Garcia classical guitar, an Ibanez semi-acoustic electric guitar and a Taylor acoustic guitar. Each one is just excellent in its own right. My stable is complete! Enjoy the video and drop me some comments. Remember - I'm still learning! 8O)

The piece I am playing is entitled "Valze in First Position". It was written by Ferdinando Carulli and the version I play was arranged and edited by Myrna Sislen.



The "wave" is for my lil daughter in Florida! Hi Leah! Love you - Dad

Parenting - the ongoing saga....

You know, this afternoon I was changing the oil and filter in my son's car and rotating the tires and I was thinking about how much I love my son and how important it is to me to be sure his car is operating safely. The same is true of my daughter's car. I try to keep up with them all but with 4 cars in the family, it can get challenging.

Still, I was thinking about how when he was little, I used to do a lot of things for my son. Now he can do most anything on his own. However, there are still some things I can help him with such as maintenance on his car. Yeah, he's working and yeah, he could take it to an oil change place but I know those guys work fast and sometimes too fast. On the other hand, I'm slow and careful. I can't help him avoid all the pitfalls (or potholes) in life but I do what I can and although our dynamic has changed since he was 5 years old, I still care about him the same and it's important to me to be able to "let go" gracefully for his sake but also continue to add value where I can.

It's an interesting thing raising kids. If you are fortunate enough that all your children are living while you are, I strongly suspect you never really outgrow the parenting bizz. Even after your kids are old enough to have their own kids, I'm sure you shift your focus to the grandkids and you help your kids learn how to be parents.

What a great and incredible blessing God has given us in providing us with children. They can wear you out and make you spend your last resource on them - and yet, they are such an incredible blessing from the Lord. The give us purpose and meaning to our lives and in as much as we make every effort to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they can be a great blessing and heritage for us.

So, I thank God again for my children and I thank Him for my ability to do a few simple things for them like simple maintenance on their cars when needed and a computer touch-up here and there.

Sheila will be my life-long and loving most close companion and I guess I always thought our children would grow to adult-hood and then move on to their own lives. I guess that could still happen but regardless of where they live, I sense they will still be my children and they will still need me and I will need them so long as the Good Lord graciously grants us both the breath of life.

My wish for you too is to share love in your family. What a great blessing indeed!

Kind wishes,

JR