An Evening With Chloe

I am writing this about thirty minutes after Chloe and her Dad have left my house. Chloe took all my energy and her Dad emptied my freezer. It reminded me of when my wife and I used to leave her parent's home. We never left empty handed. Before I left work yesterday I looked in my desk drawer and found 55 cents. I went into the breakroom and bought some animal crackers because I like to pick Chloe up at the day care bearing gifts. After picking her up she told my wife and I that her Mommy is using a "Pooper Scooper" and that she's not too happy about it. Once we got to my house she had me playing so many games that I can barely recall all of them. I know at one point I was the Papa Bear and she was the Baby Bear. Of course, I couldn't just be a Papa Bear that sits in a comfortable chair. No, I had to be a Papa Bear that crawls around on all fours. I did finally convince her that I was a Papa Bear that could only crawl on a floor that was carpeted. After that she spotted what she thought was a guitar case. When I opened it she said, "That's not a guitar! That's a Dulcimer"! I was amazed that she knew what a Dulcimer was. She then told me that someone on Sesame Street plays a Dulcimer. When she tired of that, we had to go outside for a walk. First we went in my backyard where I got about 287 bug bites. I convinced her we should take a walk on the street. Of course, she insisted on riding on my shoulders. I'm not sure what Chloe weighs now but carrying her on my shoulders is like walking around with a 50 pound bag of potatoes on your neck. We ended the night sitting on my front porch while she pretended to grill crab apples. Of course, to do that properly I had to first go into the kitchen and get a real spatula. Chloe has unlimited imagination and energy. It is a major chore, but a labor of love, to keep up with her.

Lately we have been having beautiful weather and some very sunny days. At certain times of the day the sun shines very bright. It is so intense that I have to turn away quickly after I glance at it. This is how I imagine the direct experience of God would be. Many of the great mystics describe the experience of God as burning, intense, and even painful. In the story of Moses on Mount Sinai, we are told that Moses had to turn his back as God passed by. In this life the best most of us will get is a glimpse of God. His light is too bright and we cannot look directly into it. Of course, like our experience of the sun, we can feel the light and warmth of God even though we cannot look directly into the light. God, like the sun, is always there, even on cloudy days.

Everyone who has been reading my daily thoughts for any length of time knows how much I love music. I am basically a rock and roller but I like all kinds of music. As a new feature in my daily thoughts I am going to start occasionally recommending music that I like. It may be rock, jazz, folk, blues, or even classical. I hope that some of you may be motivated to give some of it a try. (I am not on commission with the music industry!)

Here are three Miles Davis CD's I highly recommend. These are from the late 60's and early 70's. They represent Miles' transition from more traditional jazz into what became known as jazz fusion. Jazz fusion is basically a marriage of traditional jazz with rock and roll. Many of the musicians on these CD's are popular in their own right, especially guitarist John McLaughlin.

In a Silent Way
Bitches Brew
A Tribute to Jack Johnson