Skip to main content

Retrospective

"Here Comes the Dread Argument of the Individual Case...Again"

"Too Much"

"Enough"

"Good News"

"Bits and Bobs"

All these post have something in common: a heart. My friend Justin needed one. After a dangerously long wait, he got one. And last week my older daughter and I drove to Longwood to hear him play the organ and lead the audience in the traditional Christmas carol singalong.

Heart disease takes a toll. Justin still walks with a cane due to residual balance issues. He created his own personal physical therapy to overcome nerve damage in his hand. When he swivels around on the organ bench to address the audience, or throws his legs over to hop down to take a bow, it may not have quite the fluidity that it used to. He told me he used to launch himself into the air and land with a flourish. He still wants to do that but isn't quite sure he can guarantee a perfect landing.

But heart disease has done nothing to mar the music-maker that is Justin to his very core. His playing is superb. His rapport with the audience is warm and lively. He treats the instrument like a dear old friend, and it is.

If you have a chance to make it to Longwood this season, perhaps you'll take a half hour to go see him*. If you are looking for a Christmas miracle, this is it: a brilliantly talented musician who got his life back and is returning to the work he loves best.

 

 

 

 

*These are the sing-along dates and times when Justin will be playing:

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more