Music Frees the Spirit and the Children | by Guest Blogger Maria Thompson Corley

I believe in the healing power of music, and I also believe it is our responsibility to care for “the least of these.” Maria Corley, one of my fellow AKA authors, asked for help in raising awareness about a new organization that combines the two. How could I say anything but yes.

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Children of incarcerated parents have a 72% chance of being incarcerated themselves.  One in twenty-eight children in America falls into this category.  While Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and other charitable organizations are actively involved in serving children with imprisoned parents, there is only one charity in the country specifically devoted to breaking the cycle.  Even more shocking:  SWAN (Scaling Walls A Note at a Time) has only existed since December of 2011.

The Cycle of Life | by Linda Brendle

We laid Mom to rest yesterday. We celebrated her life with a simple but heartfelt memorial service attended by a few relatives and close friends. It was the feminine version of the service we held for Dad 53 weeks ago.

Mom’s Busy Hands | by Linda Brendle

One of my writer friends recently issued a challenge in her blog to describe the hands of someone; to try and show this person to the reader by showing her hands. I immediately thought of Mom’s hands. If I had to describe them in one word, I’d have to use the word “busy.”

The Risk of Making a Joyful Noise | by Linda Brendle

A couple of weeks ago the worship leader at my church asked if I would sub on the piano this past Sunday. There was a slight pause as several thoughts ran through my head.

It’s been 15 or 20 years since I played for a worship service and over a year since I’ve touched a keyboard that wasn’t attached to a computer.

I’ve never played most of the praise choruses we sing now, and a week doesn’t give me a lot of time to learn.

The church doesn’t have a real piano. It’s an electronic keyboard, and I’ve never played one. Besides that, Stacy stands up to play, and I don’t know if I can do that.

Music, Jesus, and Alzheimer’s | Linda Brendle

Mom couldn’t read music, but she played the guitar and the piano by ear, and she had a beautiful singing voice. When they were young, she and her sister Fay sang duets in church, and Mom often led the congregational singing when no one else was available. It must have taken an enormous amount of strength to overcome her natural shyness and insecurity to stand up in front of people every Sunday, but music and Jesus were important to her.