Celestial Sounds At Mystical 16 Concert by Crescendo in Lime Rock CT

Amidst dynamic, colorful art openings in Falls Village CT, at Harper Blanchett's Blue Star Gallery on Main Street and Danielle Mailler's show of metallic painted sculptures and paintings, about 40 singers and musicians with the amazing conductor Christina Gevert brought 16 pieces of music to life to fill the hills with music.  With more information online, the details can be pondered and reflections shared. Based on the 116th Psalm, the healing  inspiring number of love, 16, was explored with reverence, depth and celebration.

There were a few times 'Allelulia's' resonated in the lovely stone church at the intersection of Dugway Road which leads to the Falls in the Amesville part of Salisbury CT and over the Iron Bridge to Falls Village CT. I brought a picture of our late teen son Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton and shared with a few folks about his heroic deeds ten years ago, when he was 16 years old on the last day of his freshman year at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, located about a mile down the road from the church on Route 112 and Limerock Race Track's Main Entrance.

The post Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton explores more about that day, June 16th, 2009...and the overall time and theme of facing challenges in a family and small community. Much has been healed and outreach done (primarily on this livfully.org blog but also with letters to the newspapers and outreaches such as Acorns to Oaks Team Outreach, A-2020 and Acorns to Oaks Friends United Network, A-20 FUN.) There'll be more to come soon and help is appreciated with that and on all fronts to help one another grow in wisdom, kindness, talent, friendship, safety and success.

There had been a day of fun for kids at Limerock earlier today for a chance to bike or run about freely and have one's face painted. I saw a sweet youngster named Ella with her Grandpa in a schnazzy Corvette in Sharon CT after that event who filled me in. I had gone to the Region One Art Show at the art gallery on Main Street which had a variety of works by students in K-8 from the public schools in Falls Village, North Canaan and Cornwall, Salisbury, Sharon and Kent. I wrote a song about those towns in that order which I share on this blog (The Housatonic Song).

These are the kinds of events that warm my heart in light of having grown up in Falls Village Ct myself and reared our four wonderful progeny in Sharon CT over the past few decades as well as seeing many nieces and nephews and plenty of their friends and classmates work their way through the grade schools, high schools and college paths. Some stay in the area to work or even raise their own children. It's like a play that never ends..but it has some major 'changes if not intermissions' when someone moves away or transitions from the earth plane..or even gets ill...the 'game changes' but again does not necessarily End-End.

I like to think of the many strong, caring, creative and capable people as being good stewards of the community and land as well as honoring the legacy of those who have gotten along in life to a point where they need to slow down or have more help. That could be any of us from time to time and eventually basically is all of us. Some have a quick decline but most linger longer...and maybe for quite a number of years, calling forth more care and skill from those in their circles and society. We hopefully will find ways to help everyone have some 'in case' plans and ways to practice asking and receiving help early on and often so no one challenge seems too big of a step or too high of a note to reach.

I started the day spending time with someone in their ninth decade of life who still has a sparkle in their eye and much basic joy in living and good mobility and wits to keep up with plans with a modest appetite and mostly good health. That's inspiring on many levels, yes? It helps to have family and community around, but that person is pretty good at maintaining comfortable routines and like many, watching and guessing the amounts of items and the showcases of The Price Is Right (without going over mostly.)

The other day I said "22K" for both showcases and one was only 450 more than that, so my confidence is growing. I know a lot of people felt it hasn't been fair for the fellow on Jeapordy to keep winning so much, over 100K the last time I heard. Yet someone else maybe did double that. I have heard some say that more will use his strategies (whatever they are) to also become more likely to Win Big. Meanwhile we also want to all stay abreast of how Alec Trebeck is faring with his pancreatic cancer.....

Keeping it real is all part of the melody and harmony of life. I was able to visit a dear elderly couple in Torrington CT at Wendy's...and brought them flowers from a service for my fomer mother-in-law, Caroline Paton which was held in Sharon CT at Silver Lake.

There will be a recording sometime online with the couple hundred people singing a few songs together, and maybe some of the song circle that went on for  a few hours (thankfully in the heated Cedars Building after being in the big cooler dining hall for the service and potluck.) That was one rainy, muddy Mother's Day (Mudder's Day some might call it...) We made it with only a few cars getting stuck in the (you guessed it) Mud! Now we can laugh about it but at the time it was a pain and puzzlement fit for a king.

Thanks to all attended and made that type of gathering special for all there and listening in from above. Wanda Fischer from WAMC's The Hudson River Sampler had played some tributes after the March 2019 passing of Caroline Paton, co-founder of Folk-Legacy Records, Inc with her late husband Sandy Paton. I think she may have been at the Memorial but I need to check. When I was listening to her Saturday night show on NPR (90.3 in my NWCT area) I heard the station needs 5K raised by Sunday May 20th to get a bonus of 5K as they reach their goal of 200K. I donated a modest amount but hopefully having shared that on FB and Twitter will help get others to put in their good dollars too (and get people to listen to her show which is a treat!)

I managed to get to the Sharon Congregational Church for their Craft Fair. Having reared our children at that church with lots of support over a couple of decades, I was happy to see many of the old friends and make some new ones. Caroline Paton had appreciated a visit from the current minister and his wife, finding they had some common experiences to draw upon. While I had hoped to get to the service there for Mother's Day, I found I had extra time to help a friend that day and pick someone up to bring them to the service, so the basic plan was a plus. The time just got put to another use that took priority.

I did get to another nice local church for some of the service (I am kind of known for doing what works for my schedule, sometimes getting to the social hour more than church or talking away in the parking lot, etc.) Eventually 'everything gets done' mostly. Many sermons are online which is a big plus. Our former minister Terry Ryan would generally have his sermons on tape or CD for us to take home for another listen or to share. Thanks to  Rick H. and Bob S. and others who faithfully made those for eons.

I found myself enchanted with many of the people and their crafts. One woman was keen on sharing her newfound career as a bus driver and encouraged me to give it a go... Could be a possibility (especially since there is some flexibility to drive vans or students to appoinments --that's more at a private school or seniors etc.) We'll see.

Over all the weather was so nice the whole day seemed gift-wrapped. With other nice gatherings during the week and my birthday coming and going with some treats along the way (on the 14th of May) I felt this week was like two blended together. Catching up with people I haven't seen in many years even made it a real reunion as well as a time to share in others' bidding their loved ones farewell whether with a formal service or hearing online that a friend's family member passed on Facebook then hearing the many comments  of support. In our circles some are sick and when there are ups and downs it's a test of faith and a show of a community willing to pull together to be there however they can be for the person in need as well as their family.

Sadly I saw some of the moving video of the community in West Virginia dealing with the loss of the lovely Riley Crossman whose mother's "boyfriend' ended that 15-year-old's precious life. A very disturbing tragedy that likely is rocking our country more than we can measure...and reminding many in that difficult way to consider safety more than we may think is needed. The outreach by #KaydensKorner, a family who faced the loss of a young girl at the hands of her own unstable, vindictive father is one seeking to shed light on what states can do to help prevent such miseries. 

I want to end this post on a more uplifting note. The concert was the high note of the day...and thinking of our late son ten years after his passing was a way for me to 'mark this time' in a meaningful way. Looking around our small communities, I can count many who had someone die suddenly or under difficult circumstances. In speaking with a younger friend who knew my son and whose mother has passed, we shared some of the kinds of questions and concerns loss can bring up.

Those are the healing kinds of conversations and time to share insights and hunches. Our modern world and online forums are allowing for much more conversation of 'difficult topics.' Someone was sharing that Washington state is considering or has passed a law to allow for 'Human Composting'...like cremation only resulting in dirt (about two wheelbarrows full) that would be counting the wood chips and would take a month and cost about $5K. That seems rather pricey.

I met someone in Brooklyn (I'll try to post his information) who had a device that ran on electricity to heat a composter that would be able to work in a few days (for food or other natural material...) These are 'grim topics' in ways but the effects of cremation on the air (with mercury being released from fillings back into the air and ground) and pollution are not ideal.

We are many and need to think realistically about our options to return more of the benefit of being on earth and part of a growing population rather than hoping 'the reality won't set in' while we are alive. Some say we only have a few decades before "150 million people will perish from climate change in terms of poor air quality." The example used the depiction of the amount of 25 Holocausts,which claimed 6 million lives each. 

The Lakeville Journal of CT in the May 16th, 2019 issue had a summary of a Holocaust family member speaking to groups to keep the history alive. Another older friend shared a newsclipping of a man whose mother was convinced he would not return safely from WW2, but thankfully did even though he did get seriously wounded.

The man's family was informed that he had been killed only to get word shortly after that was not accurate. Talk about Good News! That man has since passed on from natural causes, but his family runs the farm he returned to help with, so the story continues. The person I know knew that man and would visit so I got the idea that maybe I could reach out to that next generation and maintain the sense of connection with more "Children of WW2" Veterans...since my Dad was in the Coast Guard.

I share in another post how he seemed to get out a bit early due to a medical situation yet maybe his ship sank shortly thereafter. When we look over many life times such as Edgar Cayce and Rudolf Steiner, Buddhist and many traditions offer, we likely are having some major 'balancing of karma or otherwise working out agreements' with soul groups of people in our families and even communities.

Some say there are no chance encounters. Some say we are 'making it all up'...all the main characters and background folks too. If that's the case, I feel I've mostly lived among and listened to some from angelic realms...One other friend from long ago, Michael Mulligan, who went to HVRHS gives erudite talks about lung transplants in Washington state.Give a listen on youtube...and consider the many miracles unfolding for people facing a dire situation. Day to day problems will shrink in comparison..and maybe inspire a song.