 Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas! And if you don't celebrate the holiday, I still hope you feel the warmth that this season brings...even in spite of the year we've had.
With this last email of the year, I leave you will some music, some well-wishes, and a story of a crazy encounter i had this fall (I guess I was waiting for the right time to share).
I really missed performing live for you in 2020 but I thank you for all your support even from a distance- your notes, your donations, your love! As I sign off for the year I thought I'd share some music from the archives - a playlist including some past Christmas performances and some live performance footage. Watch on Facebook.
As well as my Holiday Live Stream from last Friday.
Last but not least, In keeping with the season I would love to hear about any unexpected gifts and surprises this year gave you. Please let me know!
Love to you all and BEST wishes for the New Year!!!
Joy
 "A LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS"...final reflection for the year
A few months ago I had an experience that will forever stay imprinted in me.
This is a story I would typically only share with a few friends (and i have) - and only specific ones who might listen openly, but as we stepped into this much anticipated week, i felt the pull to share more widely as we round out what has felt like a marathon year of struggle, disappointments, and lack of hope.
A few months ago I had a dream about an old friend and upon waking up I knew the dream was significant and sensitive to the timing of the season we are currently in, in our country.
In the dream, my friend (we'll call him Jamie) and I were at a retreat in a remote location. The weekend was specifically designed for congregational worship leaders (the music makers) from every Christian tradition to connect and worship together. The gathering was in a beautifully lit cabin-like building with large wall-size windows and rays of light pouring in from the west. On one side of the cabin a group of men and women were singing, hands lifted and eyes closed. As I left that room and entered another, I encountered my good friend. It was obvious in the dream that we hadn't seen each other in over 10 years and that there was much to catch up on. As time passed, Jamie updated me on his music career, his life, his family, and his kids, While he shared, I was keenly aware of his kindhearted spirit that literally transformed the room we were in. I was profoundly moved by the strong presence of peace he carried and it felt as though an imaginary bubble of safety surrounded him. As we wrapped up our conversation, I pulled out my phone to take a selfie with Jamie before moving on but somehow could not find the camera app. All technologies were failing and my sister even entered the room to help. Another 20-30 minutes passed by and we tried (to no avail) to capture the moment. Pretty embarrassing for 3 considerably tech-savvy humans, but at least it was a dream! At one point the 3 of us considered reentering the neighboring room where a traditional church worship service was taking place, but we felt strongly that our time together just reconnecting was more necessary than being in the other room. In any case, the picture never happened (#majorfail) and the dream ended.
Upon waking up, I could not shake the feeling that... [read full story]
|
 | Powered by YMLP.com | |
| | ||