Home on the Range: Small Wonders in the Mail

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Small Wonders in the Mail

I am a huge fan of The Piano Guys and their music is what has upheld and uplifted me after losing my brother, as well as some intense and continuing PT after a bad fall on cement steps that tore up my right leg a couple of years back, a disabling injury that meant I had to leave field work as a federal agent that helps to find a family's closure. That was tough to deal with on top of losing Barkley, my stepmom if 30 years (Mom died when I was in college), and my only brother, all within a short time span.

The Piano Guys have millions of fans - I'm just one. But not too long back, Jon Schmidt, the pianist, lost his only daughter in a tragic hiking accident near where Dad lives, while I was on a visit there. I couldn't join the search in rough terrain when she went missing due to my leg, but I could send some words to uphold them spiritually, when her body was found, which I did, figuring it would be lost in all the fan mail. Yesterday a small envelope came to the house addressed to my author name. My publisher sometimes forwards stuff, so I thought it was a request for a book signing or some other promotion. Then I noticed "TPG" and the address.

It was a hand-written thank you card from Michelle and Jon Schmidt of The Piano Guys thanking me for my words of comfort and offering me encouragement as I continue on without my own family members. Their words of "the worth of helping one person" meant so much. Nothing could have made my day brighter here in these days that precede the anniversary of my beloved brother's death on Good Friday.

God is good.

1 comment:

MartyApril 3, 2017 at 6:16 PM
I am glad that they have found peace and are able to share it with others.

I find this cover so uplifting!

Though I'll likely never get to Scotland, this piece has also inspired me to check out old castles next time I'm in Eastern Europe. Last time it was cathedrals, next time castles. :)
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A perfect book for the thinking person who has lost a beloved pet, this brief yet densely rich memoir draws its power from the author's contemplative, insightful prose. Deeply personal but filled with universal wisdom. An instant classic of the genre. - David Whitewolf, Livermore, CA
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I know when you look at a book and see every single review is a five star review, you think there's no way it can be that good. This book is that good. Ms. Johnson writes deeply of life, love, and learning about both with a terrific teacher and companion, her Barkley. This book will make you laugh, cry, and think deeply about life and love in all it's many forms. It will also make you re-think everything you think you know about squeaky toys and white carpeting.
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One Nation Under God

As Daniel Webster stated - “Let it be borne on the flag under which we rally in every exigency, that we have one country, one constitution, one destiny”. The flag is not a piece of cloth intended to be worn as a bikini or an outfit for your wiener dog. It is a sacred symbol of a nation. A representation of a promise of freedom. Freedom to life and liberty. The freedom for the law abiding citizen to protect their family and what they hold dear. Freedom to work hard and prosper and enjoy the fruits of your honest labor without fear that it will be forced from you to support the degradation of the Constitution. The flag is more than fabric, it's a promise. I am an American, and I will honor the flag, wrapping myself around it as a patriot would, to protect it, not wrapping it around words or actions to justify that which we know to be a breach of this promise. - LB Johnson

On the white cliffs of Dover
where freedom still dares
and the sand on the beaches
lay quiet as air;
on the bluffs lies an aircraft
who naught made it home
comrades anxiously waiting
at the Norwich Airdrome.

Hope flew in their hearts
like an eagle above
while they waited in silence
for friends that they love;
but ghosts can't come back
bearing the tales
of flying home crippled
as only courage prevails.

They'd traveled so far
to set down their life
leaving just memories
amidst all the strife;
as night waned on the cliffs
and the sea mourned alone
All that was left
would be a headstone.

We'll always remember
the deeds that you've done
as we look at old photos
faces eternally young;

The white cliffs of Dover
stand in freedom today
because of your courage
and the price that you paid.

-Brigid