Sustenance and encouragement

Dear Readers,

I apologize for the lack of posting the past few days. As you can imagine, I have been grieving the loss of my position with the Diocese of Oklahoma and experiencing a lot of pain from the sense of rejection that has gone along with it.

I want to share with you a couple of quotations I found today that are very encouraging:

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." ~ Japanese Proverb

"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again." ~ Flavia Weedn

Now let me tell you what has been going through my mind a lot this week:



I grew up on this song. Even though he was a tenor, my father loved to sing this and he sang it wonderfully. I absolutely love Frank Sinatra's interpretation. Riveting.

I also grew up on the Mississippi River. The "Mighty Mississippi". Paradoxically ever-changing and always very much and very reliably there.

And so the song has sustained me. May it also sustain you, whatever your life challenges may be at the moment.
~~~
UPDATE: And another truly great performance is the one by Judy Garland.

UPDATE 2: Yes, I know (before anybody hollers!) that Paul Robeson is the singer who put this song on the map. And nobody can touch him. But Frank Sinatra reminds me of my Daddy (they even looked a lot alike) and Judy.... well, Judy Garland paid her dues in suffering and she had a RIGHT to sing this - no question.