Introduction to Songs and Stories From Home

An Introduction and an Invitation

As someone who has faith in the power of stories and songs – who believes in the might, magic, and mystery of loving and being loved – and who trusts that together songs sung, stories told, and love shared can lead us home – I’d like to welcome you to “Songs and Stories from Home.” 

At the beginning of what for me is a new chapter – this new adventure – I thought I’d take a moment and talk about where I am, how I got to this place, and a bit about what may be happening from here. Like lots of folks I have struggled to learn life’s purpose – to live that life with passion – to know what it means to love and to be loved – while being connected to things greater than myself. 
Since I was a kid I’ve been singing, writing songs, and telling stories. I’ve been fortunate to be able to make those things my life’s work. They have helped me explore the world, to better understand who I am and my place in that world. They’ve brought me great joy and through hard times. There’ve been moments when I might have stopped - gone on to other things. Fortunately I did not know how or when to quit. So songs and stories have been and continue to be an important part in finding that purpose – defining those passions – and furthering those connections. 

As a point of reference I will be 71 as I begin sharing “Songs and Stories from Home.” For my first 50 years in many ways I was governed by what I absorbed – consciously and unconsciously – as I was growing up. Those childhood truths and trust were shaken when I was told – at 22 – my father had been in a mental institution when I was born. At that moment I would also become complicit in a family secret. Truths were challenged further when I discovered at 36 the seriousness of mental illness and the hold it can have on whole families. At the same time I continued to learn over and over again the power of silence and the unspoken to provide a breeding ground for anxiety, misunderstanding and fear. 

Then - a few months after turning 50 – at my dad’s memorial – in his own words – to the surprise of a family of secret keepers – the minister shared the story of my dad’s time in a mental hospital. Though not clear at that moment I eventually saw that revelation as my dad’s last gift. No longer feeling obligated to remain silent, I felt – with my father’s blessing – free to shine light on and give life to what for me could be a whole story and the songs that would go with it.    

I thought it might take a year or maybe two to define, understand, and give meaning to my dad’s last gift, to that blessing. Surprise, surprise. Filled with all its twists and turns it would become a journey lasting – in all - 20 years. 

Looking back the first ten years became what Joseph Campbell describes as A Hero’s Journey. For me the Holy Grail I sought was found in the power of story, the power to turn what I had feared for so long inside myself into something – into someone – I could love.

The second ten years became a personal odyssey - of remembering and discovering – taking a lifetime of stories to create the story of a lifetime - using a lifetime of songs as a soundtrack of that journey- shared at this website around 49 virtual campfires -    

Twenty years of finding and facing long hidden fears – with the release of those fears able to understand new heights and depths of loving and being loved, and in the end trusting on some deep level that I was finally home. 

In some ways nothing has changed. In others everything is different. I will be exploring what that might mean and sharing what I find in “Songs and Stories from Home.” 

You are invited and I would be delighted if you came along.

FINDING MY WAY HOME (TO YOU)

Spent so much of my life on the road
Times with someone sometimes alone
Wond’ring was I one of those
Who never found their way home

Came in the blink of an eye
Though I can’t tell you how or why
Was suddenly clear deep inside
Knew when I saw you I’d arrived

Chorus
I can’t explain it – define it – or name -
Sometimes can’t believe that it’s true
All that’s been uncovered, revealed, and discovered
Finding my way home to you

So long my life’s been outward bound
Something driving me toward some next town
I’ve been tempted to stop, turn around
Found what I’ve been looking for now

In time I have learned I’m enough
That I can both love and be loved
Though it’s still hard for me to trust
I know at this time that I must 

Chorus
I can’t explain it – define it – or name -
Sometimes can’t believe that it’s true
All that’s been uncovered, revealed, and discovered
Finding my way home to you