Break of Dawn
Thoughts on a brand new day...
Hello friends!!
While I post “E-Musings” at 7 AM each Tuesday, my prime time for writing the newsletter is also my best time to write everything else—much, much earlier in the morning. Not another Seyfried is stirring (yet), and, fresh from sleep, I seem to have a clarity and purpose that become more elusive as the hours pass. During the winter months, it’s still pitch dark when I sit down at the computer; these days, it’s gorgeous rose-fingered dawn (“rhododactylos” in Greek), as my good buddy Homer wrote.
Today begins with the marking of a sad loss: beloved New Age composer and pianist George Winston died last week, after a ten year battle with cancer. I have so many wonderful memories wrapped up in Winston’s music—listening to his album December while decorating the Christmas tree with my toddlers, attending a special concert at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside years ago. Winston seemed to be a gentle, aging hippie. Balding and bearded, he’d perform barefoot, and request that all the audience members bring canned goods for donation to a food bank. I recommend all of his beautiful recordings, but wanted to share this lovely instrumental, “Dawn,” from his final album Night. Thank you for the music, George. Rest in Peace.
MUSIC:
NEWSLETTERS I LOVE:
Here are two that I look forward to see popping up in my e-mail inbox—both very different, but very engaging and informative.
Maria Popova is a writer after my own heart. Every week she offers a smorgasbord of fascinating content, taken from books and other publications. You never know what will crop up—a Walt Whitman poem, a reflection on a painting by a lesser-known Renaissance artist, a graceful and accessible science essay. I can truly say my mind and heart expand every week, and that’s high praise!!
Jenni and Julie, once upon a time!
Jennifer Cullen grew up with our Julie. Jenni and her friend Jess Spoll co-write a terrific newsletter, sharing their views on recent movies, TV series, and other pop-culture. Though I’m a wee bit older than they are, I really enjoy reading the opinions of these two very bright and funny young women. Check it out:
COMEDY: Here’s a piece I wrote for The Belladonna Comedy, based on my LEAST favorite bit of writing advice. “Write What You Know™!” is full of “helpful” hints from the teacher of an imaginary Creative Nonfiction class:
VIDEO: “A Grateful Day”
I discovered this gem, and Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast, when I was searching for a topic for a church gathering quite a while ago. So happy it’s still available to view! Everything about this short video is gorgeous (I especially love Brother Steindl-Rast’s Austrian accent). Grateful living—what a wonderful way to approach this, and every day…
BLOG PREVIEW: Do I have an ulterior motive for including a blog preview every newsletter? What do you think? Working Title tomorrow is all about the “arrière-pensées” (hidden intentions) we all have sometimes!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” —John Muir
May this be the dawning of a beautiful week for you…wherever you may be!
