A Fine Fall Sunday Morning

It is just coming up to 10 a.m. of a fine fall Sunday morning.

It is cloudy and overcast, but there is no rain pelting down, at least not yet. As usual, I am getting ready for work.

Getting ready for me (in part) means preparing coffee, making my bed, brushing teeth, then doing exercises and finally morning prayers before settling into the ritual of checking emails and doing a daily journal entry.

My daily journal is usually a log of events of the day previous, a recording of the nights dreams if any are memorable and sifting through any thoughts that may be playing on my conscious mind which I feel may need some kind of analysis.

I have often thought and said that this journal keeping is my therapy, and an invaluable tool and way of clearing the field for the coming day’s activities and challenges.

If something is troubling me or if I am concerned about something in my daily life, going over it in journal form often helps me to get to the root of the problem or concern.

This morning I don’t have anything other than the morning silence playing on my mind and so as I write, I also take a break to turn on my little aging Sony short wave radio (a gift from my friend Herb sitting on my kitchen table with its aerial aloft), tune in CBC Radio 2 and listen to a little music while I prepare my cereal.

I look out the window and take back my comment about no rain. It is truly pelting down now. But it is only a 20 minute walk to work and I have my umbrella.

The CBC host (Gregory Charles) makes the comment that he was born in 1968 but from now on is going to lie about his age and pretend he’s 22. 1968! My God, he’s a baby but that classic CBC radio style makes him sound so much older. And he has some fine taste in music! This morning's theme, suited to a Sunday morning , seems to be on the subject of faith and belief.

He tells a story that I find compelling which I have never heard. It is about the I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King. He said that while King was talking Mahalia Jackson was standing in the background and kept prompting him, “Tell them about the dream” (the announcer said you can hear her voice in the recording) and she kept repeating this until finally he seemed to hear her and launch into the famous I have a dream part of the speech. Talk about timing and the skills of a musician.

I was hoping that there might be some nice gentle music this morning and I am rewarded as he plays You Must Believe in Spring (and Love) sung by Tony Bennett and accompanied by the great Bill Evans on piano.

Bennett’s soft vocal approach combined with the rich colorful palate of the solo piano combine to create a lovely sense of nostalgia and peace in me, somehow perfectly in tune with the cloudy, rainy morning.

And just as though I had been to church and attended a wonderful service, I am feeling uplifted and ready for the day!