turn, Turn, turn...
The seasons change and so do the descriptions of what I do
I've left behind the four hour nights singing cover songs in the bar.
I don't sing in college lunchrooms at noon anymore. I'm given real
chances to try my songs out for listeners. That might mean many different
things; from singing in small rooms or under the wide open sky, to
concerts with a choir or in a grim, dark hallway.
treading into the wild
Published in the High Impact Training Newsletter
" 'Go to hell.' That's what you might hear from Millie at the Creekside
Convalescent Home in Santa Rosa, CA. A few minutes later she may compliment
your outfit or your eyes. Today she's on her way, wheeling determinedly
past me as I sing. She stops suddenly and unsmilingly finishes the
verse of the song I'm singing. I get quiet so we can hear 
her
voice. It's a strange voice and this is one of those weirdly wonderful moments.
JUMP (Join Us Making Progress) has delivered me here. As a service/volunteer
organization for students at Sonoma
State University, they've established an 'Adopt-A-Grandparent' program
with Creekside. It's not an easy place to be and we are a large group
today, but these students find a way to melt in and make it real. They
know that not everyone is going to have a sunny disposition, given
their health problems, medications and occasional bitterness towards
the world.
Today there are edgy moments where I'm not sure what's going
to happen. But Millie has decided to sing with me, not tenderly, but
with conviction. She finishes with, 'Please don't take my sunshine
away,' and she's gone. Something good just happened...I think."