Creating Connections

I find it fascinating that what is most “relevant, spectacular and powerful” (thank you Henri Nouwen for these insights) in this world is what is perceived as insignificant, mundane and humble: the cry of an infant in a manger; the courage of women who push through adversity as they and their respective partners bring life into this world; the offering of drink, bread and other forms of sustenance to those who have so little; a prisoner held unjustly and mistakenly in jail set free. I find strength in the simplicities of life that carry and convey the love and truth of the Divine. How do these insights fit into poetry and songwriting?  I think that creating songs that are simple, singable and memorable is a songwriting triad that will assist in bringing songs into communities for joyful and sometimes mournful, meaningful singing.  Nothing that shakes the music-for-profit relevance scale.  Nothing that flashes  spectacular.  Nothing that screams powerful.  A simple lyric supported by a simple melody with a simple rhythm might not turn water into wine, but might just change the hardness and meanness of this world into gentleness and acceptance. Three chords plus heartfelt words in three-four time is a very good medicine for our troubled world. When writing a new song or poem, or revising one of them, consider aiming for the insignificant, mundane and humble and you will create something for yourself, and perhaps many other listeners, that is more than memorable.

Photo by Miller James on Unsplash A little over fifty years ago, one of our nation’s greatest songwriters died in a plane crash, along with five other people, on September 20, 1973 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, after finishing a concert at Northwestern State University. The songwriter: Jim Croce. About eleven years after Jim Croce’s death, I was serving Hopewell United Methodist Church outside of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, located in Guthriesville. After a worship service that I led with singing and playing my Washburn Dreadnought guitar, an elderly parishioner by the name of Frank approached me and told me that he once knew a songwriter. Frank shared that this songwriter came to his campground and country store to sell an old propane tank just to get some extra cash. I asked who this songwriter was, and without hesitation, Frank retorted, “Jim Croce.” In Ingrid Croce’s “Jim Croce Anthology: the stories behind the songs,” Ingrid actually refers to Frank’s Folly store and how Jim would make a run to the store “for some eggs, thick slab of bacon and a few six-packs of beer and Frank’s local chatter.” Reading Ingrid’s words, reflections and moving stories about their arc of love makes me appreciate so very deeply the life of this Pennsylvania songwriter whose music, songs and stories resonate with us still. I often wonder how many other songs he would have written, and how blessed I and so many others would have been to be on the receiving end of such gentle, humorous, and moving love songs, ballads and lively lyrical and real-life characters and portraits. This very evening, my wife and I will attend A.J. Croce’s, “Croce Plays Croce Fifty Year Anniversary Concert” in Reading, Pennsylvania. What a privilege and opportunity to celebrate A.J.’s artistry and remember his father’s music as well. So today is a day to remember and give thanks for all those loving, cantankerous, creative, fun-loving artists who have gone before us. As we remember and give thanks, may we also write, sing and gather people together in ways we haven’t before, knowing that, in the words of Jim Croce, “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be a Brighter Day.” Photo by Miller James on Unsplash

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1 The crispness in the air, the sounds of Canada Geese on the move, the chattering of children and  their parents as they walk to school-bus stops, the aroma of pumpkin spice and the sipping of warm coffee and tea welcome those of us living here in southeastern Pennsylvania to the emergence of a new season, and what a beautiful season it is! I invite you to join me in writing a poem a day until the end of this month of October, with the emphasis of the poem highlighting what you are noticing during this season in your life, wherever you may live. For so many in our world, this is a season of tragedy and unbearable grief.  I am reminded of the scripture in the Gospel of Matthew 2:18: “A cry was heard in Ramah – weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.” Writing and singing and creating music are avenues of and for healing.  Remaining present, just being present, with those in traumatic grief and loss, is what we can offer.  We might feel like throwing our harps into the trees and shouting, “How can we sing in this foreign land of unconsolable pain?” Perhaps this quote from Mary Gauthier in her book “Saved by a Song” will aid us in this very moment: “Songs bring us into connection with each other. When they resonate, when we’re in resonance, singing together, we become one for that 3 1/2 or four minutes the song lasts. It takes away that isolated loneliness that modern life is so full of.” Here is what is emerging in my songwriting life this morning: In the distance there is weeping In the distance that is so near In the distance there is no mooring, No morning, but mourning in fear.   In the present there is  hope That love will see us through A love that envelopes and overpowers hate A love that heals slowly and leaves us Gradually, steadily and reassuringly renewed Now I once again invite you to write what you are noticing and observing in the moment of this season.  May you find strength, hope and encouragement in what is being revealed to and expressed through you. I look forward to you sharing with me what emerges in your wonderful creative life. Blessings and peace, Michael   (photo credit: Johannes Plenio, unsplash.com)

July 17, 2023 Greetings from Denver, Pennsylvania.   Thank you so very much for visiting my website and checking out the release of my workbook “Creating Connections: Interweaving Poem-making and Songwriting, which includes the release of eleven songs that you can easily access by capturing the QR code for each song. Please join me in a thirty-day writing challenge that will focus on capturing in nouns and verbs what you are noticing about yourself and the world around each day.  Here is the process: Choose a writing time and place; Write for fifteen minutes; After you stop writing, read what you have written and then highlight words, phrases, thoughts, ideas and images that stand out. Using the language of Mark Simos, collect your “song seeds,” plant them and watch them grow.   For later in the day or night: Begin writing lines of lyric, and read these lines out loud to capture the natural rhythm and melody in the line. Have fun and set yourself free in following the creative flow. Hum the melody to yourself. Then vary the motif of the melody ever so slightly. Consider using a refrain of the central idea of the song as the foundation of your chorus.   Make time to post what you are noticing about your creative process.   Blessings,   Michael Carr, LPC, CJT