"She Dotted Every i" (c)

"She Dotted Every i"

Bartender, Bartender,

bring me another,

I just got back from

the funeral of my mother.

She had worked at the church

rather later that day,

prepared some meals and

loaded them up,

before getting on her way.

But before she could leave,

a stranger appeared.

"Can you help me?" he said.

"I have no where to live."

She called local shelters,

and while her favorite hymn played,

the stranger proceeded

to brandish his blade.

Once, twice, three times, four,

on the fifth attack my mother

fell to the floor.

A random harsh act
on a woman gentle, kind,
Left the community in shock,
the halls of justice, blind.

"She put action into
her hands and her heart.
She made helping others
an objective, an art."

"Yes, she was the best,"
the supervisor replied.
"She crossed every "t"
and dotted every "i."

Rubenstein Library

     Yesterday, I took a walk on Duke's West Campus and decided to visit the Rubinstein Library, which recently re-opened after an extensive renovation.  On view is a spectacular exhibit of Sidney Gamble's photographs, taken in China during the early part of the 20th century.

     It was quite an achievement for Duke to acquire this collection.  Apparently, Princeton University, where Mr. Gamble attended, did not express much interest.  Duke reached out and offered to digitize the collection immediately, and the collection's owner donated the collection to the university

    Here is one of my favorite photographs, of ricksas:

"Ricksas on Bund," Sidney Gamble

Lisa Fischer

Lisa Fischer Gives Love to Durham Audience

     A houseful of adoring fans welcomed Lisa Fischer to the Carolina Theater in Durham on September 15th.   The excellent acoustics in the hall created a magical musical evening.

     Ms. Fischer displayed great chemistry with her band, Grand Baton, a powerhouse of three musicians.  “I am so blessed being able to work with them,” she explained to the audience mid-way through her performance.  Guadeloupean JC Maillard, is a composer, pianist, vocalist, and guitarist.  On several songs, he played his Sazbass, an 8 steel-string electroacoustic instrument designed by French luthier, Herve Prudent. 

     Frenchman Thierry Arpino is a graduate of Berklee and played like a master on drums and cymbals.  Several years ago, he accompanied B. B. King at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

     Aidan Carroll accompanied on bass.  Mr. Carroll debuted his first CD in March of this year, “Original Vision.”  With the rest of Grand Baton, he will be part of Ms. Fischer’s current tour through February, 2016.

      While Lisa Fischer may be best known from screaming “RAPE!  MURDERRRR!” with the Stones on Gimme Shelter, in recent years she has included ballads and blues to her repertoire.   For her second song, she chose the great Eric Bibb’s “Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down” and showed the depth and meaning she can give to the blues.

     Another stunner was “Fever” (Little Willie John), which was delivered with such sultry skill that I thought her mic would melt.  This was followed by “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” a hit by the Rolling Stones, delivered in a slower, thoughtful mood by Ms. Fischer and her band.  She also performed “How Can I Ease the Pain,” which won her a Grammy in 1992 for Best R & B vocal.

     At one point in the evening, a fan shouted out a request, “Baby,” which was not included in the set list.  Ms. Fischer obligingly sang it to her appreciative fans.

     Her encore was the Stones’ “Wild Horses,” which went to the center of her, and everyone else’s soul.

"There are times when it is better to incur loss than to make gain."  -- Plautus

I don't have to win.  The values of kindness and consideration go long and well.

On Losing

"There are times when it is better to incur loss than to make gain."  (Plautus)

I don't have to win.  The values of kindness and consideration wear long and well....

A Wreath for Emmet Till

Emmet Till would have been 71 years old this year.http://www.amazon.com/review/RIURKTQF23PVB?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0618397523&cdMSG=addedToThread&cdPage=&channel=detail-glance&newContentID=Mx2G20B0ZHVPMZU&newContentNum=1&nodeID=283155&store=books#CustomerDiscussionsNRPB

What Motivates Me

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want.

— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 122

Bill W. wrote that "material values ruled my life for many years. I believed that all of my possessions would make me happy. I found out about a new way of living. As a result of learning to trust others, I began to believe in a power greater than myself. Having faith freed me from the bondage of self. As material gains were replaced by the gifts of the spirit, my life became manageable. I then chose to share my experiences."