A number of years ago we watched a Pete Seeger concert on PBS. In his introduction to the Union Maid, Pete said something that has stuck with me (although I may be paraphrasing it a bit...):
"There will be good times, there will be bad times, there will be times that ty our souls. But don't let anyone ever tell you there is no hope!"
My father saw action twice in the Battle of the Bulge. The first time, the trucks dropped the guys off and told them to advance along the hedgerow to the forest. They didn't know the Germans had the hedgerow in their artillery sights. Dad was hiding behind a wooden wheelbarrow. A shell hit, but it was a dud and just threw up some dirt. Dad figured that everyone else must have advanced, so he moved up two places. Then a live shell hit the wheelbarrow.
Dad was the runner for the captain. They called him Rabbit. The captain, Dad,and a few other guys were in the top floor of a farmhouse in Belgium. Night was coming, and the captain said, "Guys, we're going to run down the steps." There was a German tank just around the bend, but they didn't realize there was also a German sharpshooter. The captain made it. Dad was shot in the leg. The third guy was killed.
After the war ended and Dad came home, his mother asked him when he had been in the greatest danger. She had waked up in the middle of the night and said to Grandpa, "We need to pray for John." They got out of bed, prayed for an hour, felt a sense of peace, and went back to bed. That was the time Dad's life was hanging in the balance.
Dad became a pastor and a teacher. I stand on big shoulders.
Woh, I have been thinking about our threats to democracy that continue to occur. As a musician in CA, I have written a song entitled: "America, We Stand for You, Democracy, We Stand with You Now" as a means to use music as a rallying call. Our country needs help.
I have my state and national senators and representatives on speed dial!! Calls do matter. I protest and belong to groups that meet, organize and act. Thank you for being the example of activism that many of us follow. I get into as much "good trouble" as I can!!!!
As I read your letter I remembered when my brothers and I played cops & robbers ( in the 1950's) cap guns that made sounds like a small gun. Running up to one of the bad guys and pulling the trigger with your cap gun and then telling the bad guy or guy I shot you ...you're dead. They would protest no I'm not.. then your adversary would shoot you and tell. You you were dead! Then you would protest and say No! I'm not. Then someone would call Time! Then we stopped. Put our weapons down. Then we would find something else to do...like play Kick ball or ride our bikes and race each other. We were girls and boys. Care free! "Those were the days". Most of us were poor...but we didn't know it. We had a bed and a roof ver our heat...food to eat...milk to drink...some clothes to wear (many hand me downs...hey they were new to me!)
Hey! I just remembered we called each other names and stuck our tongues out at each other. We said; "Sticks and Stones will break my bones...but names will never hurt me! Or I know you are but what am I? Also others. We would have our fights. Then go home. The next day we were friends....playing with each other.
Today there is no longer the same childhood innocence. Children are exposed to boxes that control them from infancy. Yesterday we played and sat on the floor and played with babies and little ones...Noel...that is the reason that your wife Betty hired me to be a Nanny to Kate and Anna. When I sat on the floor and called to Kate and Anna. Kate came right over to me ready to play while Anna was observing me. It didn't take long before she followed. Kate started to chatter in her precious sounds. When Betty saw the reaction with the twins with me I believe she knew I was the right sitter. She had one more interview and she would let me know. I left with hope to be hired. The next day Betty called me and asked me when could I start? I told her the next day. She told me to take a cab. I arrived and had a big surprise at the end of that day! Little did I know that when Bette told me that her husband would drive me home. She called your name Noel from the top of the stairs. When I saw you as you walked up the stairs...I remember saying; " You are Paul from "Peter, Paul & Mary".
Wow! Where did the time go?
We stayed in touch for awhile...and then saw you a few times after.
I could go on. I
remember you being the first person that took a few minutes to share the Gospel with me down at your pool. I was sitting in the kiddie pool ( afraid of the big pool where Kate and Anna had already learned how to float.)
That was in 1972.
Please tell Betty "Thank You" for hiring me. I will always remember those special days in Rye, N.Y.
I call my Senators and Representative almost every day and ask them to act on issues like the ICE deportations and kidnapping, our support for Ukraine, USAID, and various other issues. Calling is more impactful than emails or mail. I post issues on FB and IG to make people aware. We plan to participate in the June 14 No Kings demonstrations in our local area.
The Weavers were a quartet, not a trio. You must have forgotten Fred Hellerman. We are the same age. We (or maybe just I) thought World War Two was an opportunity for heroism, not a totally appalling waste of millions of lives.
On May 12th, 1985, in response to a documentary by Jim Lehrer of the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour on Trump and the NYC government tearing down tenements and putting up condos, I wrote a song about gentrification called Yo-Yo. It was a follow-up to my song about Junior the Pig and the flight to the suburbs called Junior Mind Your Manners (you're acting like a people again)." Both are on my Farm Country album, and the lyrics are under Songs and Poems, on my website www.lacrossepiano.com along with other even-handed political satire and more.
A number of years ago we watched a Pete Seeger concert on PBS. In his introduction to the Union Maid, Pete said something that has stuck with me (although I may be paraphrasing it a bit...):
"There will be good times, there will be bad times, there will be times that ty our souls. But don't let anyone ever tell you there is no hope!"
My father saw action twice in the Battle of the Bulge. The first time, the trucks dropped the guys off and told them to advance along the hedgerow to the forest. They didn't know the Germans had the hedgerow in their artillery sights. Dad was hiding behind a wooden wheelbarrow. A shell hit, but it was a dud and just threw up some dirt. Dad figured that everyone else must have advanced, so he moved up two places. Then a live shell hit the wheelbarrow.
Dad was the runner for the captain. They called him Rabbit. The captain, Dad,and a few other guys were in the top floor of a farmhouse in Belgium. Night was coming, and the captain said, "Guys, we're going to run down the steps." There was a German tank just around the bend, but they didn't realize there was also a German sharpshooter. The captain made it. Dad was shot in the leg. The third guy was killed.
After the war ended and Dad came home, his mother asked him when he had been in the greatest danger. She had waked up in the middle of the night and said to Grandpa, "We need to pray for John." They got out of bed, prayed for an hour, felt a sense of peace, and went back to bed. That was the time Dad's life was hanging in the balance.
Dad became a pastor and a teacher. I stand on big shoulders.
Woh, I have been thinking about our threats to democracy that continue to occur. As a musician in CA, I have written a song entitled: "America, We Stand for You, Democracy, We Stand with You Now" as a means to use music as a rallying call. Our country needs help.
Lyrics:
Verse 1. Come gath-er all peo-ple
And dis-cover your youth
And ac-cept there are facts
And dis-cover the truth
Verse 2. There are peo-ple be-fore you
That need your great love
You are here for a pur-pose
You don't need to shove
Chorus. Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Verse 3. The time is right now
For stand-ing to-geth-er
Re-mem-ber your his-tory
Re-mem-ber your cares
Verse 4. Re-mem-ber your peo-ple
Your great deeds and i-deals
Re-mem-ber the fal-len
Who fought for your land
Chorus. Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Verse 5. Re-spect all peo-ple
Cre-ated to be e-qual
That all of our peo-ple
Have in-alien-able rights
Verse 6. There's great hon-or and glor-y
And dig-ni-ty in ser-vice
In help-ing each o-ther
And do-ing what's right
Chorus. Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Verse 7. Reach out to all peo-ple
Who live in our land
For love is the ans-wer
Our all-com-mon strand
Verse 8. Look out for each oth-er
The dear ones a-mong you
And look to lift up
All the peo-ple near by
Chorus. Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Verse 9. Oh, Amer-i-ca, take care
For your neigh-bor with-in you
Care for your neigh-bor
Who be-side you is near
Verse10. And look to your fu-ture
And make all things bet-ter
Choose to be dif-ferent
And fol-low the truth
Chorus. Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We stand for you
De-moc-racy, We stand with you now
Amer-i-ca, We have a great call
Stand-up for de-moc-racy
Or else it will fall
Loaded some where in this Netherlands
I have my state and national senators and representatives on speed dial!! Calls do matter. I protest and belong to groups that meet, organize and act. Thank you for being the example of activism that many of us follow. I get into as much "good trouble" as I can!!!!
Hi Noel
As I read your letter I remembered when my brothers and I played cops & robbers ( in the 1950's) cap guns that made sounds like a small gun. Running up to one of the bad guys and pulling the trigger with your cap gun and then telling the bad guy or guy I shot you ...you're dead. They would protest no I'm not.. then your adversary would shoot you and tell. You you were dead! Then you would protest and say No! I'm not. Then someone would call Time! Then we stopped. Put our weapons down. Then we would find something else to do...like play Kick ball or ride our bikes and race each other. We were girls and boys. Care free! "Those were the days". Most of us were poor...but we didn't know it. We had a bed and a roof ver our heat...food to eat...milk to drink...some clothes to wear (many hand me downs...hey they were new to me!)
Hey! I just remembered we called each other names and stuck our tongues out at each other. We said; "Sticks and Stones will break my bones...but names will never hurt me! Or I know you are but what am I? Also others. We would have our fights. Then go home. The next day we were friends....playing with each other.
Today there is no longer the same childhood innocence. Children are exposed to boxes that control them from infancy. Yesterday we played and sat on the floor and played with babies and little ones...Noel...that is the reason that your wife Betty hired me to be a Nanny to Kate and Anna. When I sat on the floor and called to Kate and Anna. Kate came right over to me ready to play while Anna was observing me. It didn't take long before she followed. Kate started to chatter in her precious sounds. When Betty saw the reaction with the twins with me I believe she knew I was the right sitter. She had one more interview and she would let me know. I left with hope to be hired. The next day Betty called me and asked me when could I start? I told her the next day. She told me to take a cab. I arrived and had a big surprise at the end of that day! Little did I know that when Bette told me that her husband would drive me home. She called your name Noel from the top of the stairs. When I saw you as you walked up the stairs...I remember saying; " You are Paul from "Peter, Paul & Mary".
Wow! Where did the time go?
We stayed in touch for awhile...and then saw you a few times after.
I could go on. I
remember you being the first person that took a few minutes to share the Gospel with me down at your pool. I was sitting in the kiddie pool ( afraid of the big pool where Kate and Anna had already learned how to float.)
That was in 1972.
Please tell Betty "Thank You" for hiring me. I will always remember those special days in Rye, N.Y.
Your home was like a castle to me.
May you and your family be mightily Blessed!
Peace/Shalom!
EllY
I call my Senators and Representative almost every day and ask them to act on issues like the ICE deportations and kidnapping, our support for Ukraine, USAID, and various other issues. Calling is more impactful than emails or mail. I post issues on FB and IG to make people aware. We plan to participate in the June 14 No Kings demonstrations in our local area.
Have you seen my Substack?
The Weavers were a quartet, not a trio. You must have forgotten Fred Hellerman. We are the same age. We (or maybe just I) thought World War Two was an opportunity for heroism, not a totally appalling waste of millions of lives.
Vigilance, vigilance, always vigilance!!!
We could use some Musk and or Trump parody songs right now. Tom Lehrer is too old to compose one. Anybody else?
On May 12th, 1985, in response to a documentary by Jim Lehrer of the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour on Trump and the NYC government tearing down tenements and putting up condos, I wrote a song about gentrification called Yo-Yo. It was a follow-up to my song about Junior the Pig and the flight to the suburbs called Junior Mind Your Manners (you're acting like a people again)." Both are on my Farm Country album, and the lyrics are under Songs and Poems, on my website www.lacrossepiano.com along with other even-handed political satire and more.