15 till 1

Whoever coined the phrase "the Devil's in the details" never met my mom. I think Details was her middle name. I can remember her getting the house cleaned up for company to come over once and finding her changing the shelf paper in a bathroom. "Mom, do you really think they're going to look in there!?!" She and my mother-in-law spent hours shelf papering my kitchen when we moved into our current house- it has now either been thrown away or is scrunched up in the back corner of the drawers, because that was the last time I thought about it. Last weekend, I opened the doors to a wardrobe that was in my bedroom growing up and saw the beautiful Laura Ashely scented shelf paper that mom had lined it with. Now THAT was some shelf paper.  I think I derailed.... Details. Mom was a detail person. In fact, I just got her planner for my wedding. I had my own notebook that I used to keep up with everything. But now that I've looked through hers, she must have been t...

" Heart and Soul "....was it really a trip to Granna's without a piano "lesson"? She spent time with both of my older girls teaching them a little piano and they had this duet perfected. I remember her teaching it to me years ago and feeling so big when my hands were finally big enough to make the stretch between the two notes of "madly/gladly"! Photo: Mom at her childhood piano -------------------------------- Heart and soul, I fell in love with you, lost control, the way a fool would do, Gladly... Because you held me tight, And stole a kiss in the night.. Heart and soul, I begged to be adored, Lost control, and tumbled overboard, Gladly... That magic night we kissed, There in the moon mist. Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling, Never before were mine so strangely willing. But now I see, what one embrace can do, Look at me, it's got me loving you, Madly... That little kiss you stole, Held all my heart and soul.

Today is going to be quick, easy, and fun. I'll never forget the Christmas that Mom got a bee in her bonnet about finding the Jackson 5 Christmas album. I don't know if we had it and had lost it, if we had it on record and she wanted the cassette/CD, or if she just decided she'd had enough of waiting to hear it on the radio and needed her own personal copy. But away we went to Be Bop Record Shop to make the purchase. She adored baby Micheal's voice. "I DID! I really did see Santa. Guys, you gotta believe me, you just GOTTA  believe me!" Several songs from that album have become seasonal favorites of mine. So, naturally, they made the playlist. Enjoy! ---------------------------- "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

I hesitated to put this story in. It might be too real. It might be too much. But after weighing it over and over, I've decided that the lesson from it is a good one and one that needs to be shared.  Towards the end of Mom's life, she didn't rest very well. She was exhausted from a lack of oxygen and from fighting pneumonia for months. When I would spend time with her at the hospital or at home she'd fall asleep at the drop of a hat, but then would be extremely fitful and filled with dreams. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to watch. There were times I wanted to yell, "Stop fighting it, just go to sleep!" like she had said to my kids when they were toddlers and wouldn't nap. Most of the time, she'd wake herself up talking.  Here's where the lesson and song come in. The things she'd wake up saying were nuts. I'd look over at her as her eyes focused. She sheepishly look at me, grin a little, and then I'd let go of the laugh I was attemp...

One of the things that surprised me most after the death of my mother was the friendships. The friends of hers that needed to be heard and to hear from me and friends of mine from years ago that showed up in different ways. I held one of her former ESL students as she fell to pieces at mom's visitation and we've stayed in touch ever since. A friend from my early childhood Sunday School class who's mother died the year before reached out to me and continued to do so for  months. Another relationship is the friend mom made in Denver, CO at National Jewish Hospital. NJH is the research center for the disease she had and on one of the many trips there she befriended a fellow patient in a waiting room. They continued to support one another through the years. The day mom passed we opened her phone to find an email from this friend. It turns out Mom had told her the day before that she was going home from the hospital to hospice care, but that "it was time." She had not ...

If there's one category of music that definitely makes me think of my mom it's Motown. The ones I mentioned yesterday in the Elton John post were definitely some pop favorites in their time. But if you wanted to see Mom's toes tap and fingers snap, put the Temps and Tops on 11. She LOVED them. I can see her now dancing and crooning. I'm surprised she didn't beat the steering wheel off the Buik drumming as she and I road tripped to Dallas to see her cousin when I was about 7, The Big Chill soundtrack on....well I was about to say repeat. But I guess I should say I'm surprised we didn't wear a hole through the tape in the cassette. And I guess I was in charge of flipping it over when we got the end of each side. I don't think we had a fancy auto flip player yet.  So here are few of the greatest from Motown-  It's the Same Old Song ,  My Girl , and  Ain't Too Proud to Beg "It's the Same Old Song" You're sweet as a honey bee But lik...

 Today's song is a fun one. One that showcases a different side of Mom. Because, you see, she wasn't always Mom. She fawned over Elvis, was part of Beatle Mania, and had her dad (the general) asking, "What's a Steppenwolf!?!"  One of my personal favorite revelations was her love of Elton John. I can remember thinking, "Poppie was right. What's a Bennie and the Jets !?!" But then she played it. The piano. The way one beat of one chord got the whole crowd roaring. I was hooked. I still am not sure what electric boots are and can't even imagine a whole mohair suit, but man I sure sing with conviction when this one comes on.  If I'm not mistaken I believe the last movie mom saw in the theater was Rocketman. "Maggie, don't tell anybody I went to see that movie!" Oops. Well, sorry, Mom. It was a good run. If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure my kids will take great pleasure in divulging their sainted mother's love of Aero...

Jesus Loves Me/Clair de Lune. If Granna had known what the GOAT meant, this would have for sure gone on her list. It combined two of her most beloveds. The classical piece by Debussy and the simple, first hymn that should be on the lips of any child blessed enough to be born to a Southern Baptist mama.  Mom always loved Clair de Lune and I can remember hearing her playing it on our piano. I also remember her mind being blown the first time she heard this medley. It was two pieces of her childhood seamlessly stitched together into something that brought her utter joy.  There are several cultures that have myths surrounding a thread or string that connects things together. For me, this is one of those threads. As I said, I remember hearing both tunes in my childhood home. If you've ever seen the 2001 Ocean's Eleven, the closing scene is Ocean's eleven men staring at the fountain outside the MGM. As they slowly disperse,  this classical piece swells in the background. It MAK...

Day 11 is the hymns that were sung at Mom's funeral. The daughter of the pastor that preached the service and a lifelong friend of mine sang. They both did an amazing job and we are forever grateful for both of their friendships.  If you don't take the time to read the lyrics of any of the other songs I write about, please read these. In Christ Alone is one of my favorite hymns and It Is Well With My Soul was one of Mom's. We also included the last stanza of Rock of Ages in the program for the service. The imagery of soaring to worlds unknown is just so beautiful and comforting to me.  There's just not a lot to add to these. Read, listen, apply. Rest in truth. Photo: bracelet I had made after Mom's funeral- a near-daily reminder that it was well with her soul and He has taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul" --------------------------------------------------- "In Christ Alone" In Christ alone my hope is found He is my light, m...

Today is a two-for. The Sun is Shining Down and When I Get Where I'm Going . I spent the night at Dad's the night before Mom's funeral and got a text early that morning from my brother. "Do you think we could switch up some of the music today?" No, I do not...but then he sent a link.  We had been through the weeds of planning Mom's service, picking clothes, picking flowers, writing an obituary and a program, selecting music. It's like planning a wedding, but the guest of honor isn't really there and you're doing your best to honor them and knowing that you're falling short somewhere. After pouring through hymns and notated sheet music of Mom's (and her mom's) we kind of needed to hear from "the real people." Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE hymns- don't forget where this blog started, and more are to come. But at this moment we just needed to grieve in plain English.  I pushed play on John's text and the bluesy, gr...

Supermarket Flowers . This is a relatively new song to the playlist, but it fits nicely into the story right here. As I listen to this song I hear a man packing up the hospital room for his mom as they take her home to prepare for the final trip Home. Ugh. Just one of the worst days. A day filled with such mixed emotions. While you're glad that you get the chance to know the end is coming and that it wasn't thrust on you in some terrible accident, you also must acknowledge that the end is here.  My own Supermarket Flowers day was a whirlwind. What a holy and terrifying privilege to prepare a deathbed for someone. Dad and I moved the furniture around in their room to get the hospital bed in just the right spot. Could she see the lake? Was there a spot for a visitor to sit? Were there beautiful flowers to look at? I threw some notes into a Women's Ministry meeting I was supposed to be attending and begged prayer that Hospice would be able to find the mattress that she had bee...

Lest you all think my musical tastes rests solely in the Psalms of 16th-century monks, today's selection is from Eric Church. The Chief. We're still on that uncharacteristic run and tears are streaming down my face as I've been serenading the neighborhood with "From the Depths of Woe". I'm soaking in the rich truths of that song and when it ends " Record Year " begins. I know we rely a lot on Bezos's algorithms, but I place faith in the One who first spoke ones and zeros into existence and this song was the perfect follow-up that day. If you're not familiar with it, it's a ballad by a guy whose love has walked out on him and he's battling the heartbreak with music and a few stiff drinks. While the circumstances of our losses were vastly different this song grabbed my attention like it never had before. My mom was going to be leaving. What was I going to do with that pain? I had just been reassured that God was not going to destroy me,...

In fifteen days it will have been a year since my mom left us. Today I felt the need to begin sharing what I've learned over the last year. I truly believe that our trials are gifts from God and are wasted manna if not shared. So, I'm going to start with a fairly easy exercise over the next 15 days. I'll be sharing a song or two from my "Mom" playlist and sharing the lesson learned, the memory attached, or the lines from the piece that earned it a spot on that list. Highlighted links go to Amazaon Music. Today's selection is "From the Depths of Woe." In the fall of 2020, the decision was made to end treatments for the infection that had plagued Mom's lungs for the last 14 years. I woke up the morning after talking to my dad about this meeting with the doctor and I ran. Now I'm a firm believer in Proverbs 28:1- if only the wicked run, consider me righteous! But this morning I laced up my shoes, put my earbuds in, and ran like my life depended...