I first met Luke ten years ago on a hot, still late June day in 2006.
“Hi, Peter,” Lisa, my future wife, and her then 15-year-old daughter called as my guide dog Jules and I stepped out of the van that we had ridden in from the St. Louis airport.
Luke growled.
Lisa had told me about how Luke, then a four-year-old standard poodle, had sailed over a six-foot fence to terrorize cats and patrol the neighborhood.
“Hi Luke, you…..
In high school and college, I sang in several choirs, each led by talented, well-organized conductors. I currently sing in four choirs with equally talented, organized conductors, and appreciate their leadership as they steer us volunteer singers towards performing repertoire in wide-ranging styles.
And then there’s Marty.
I first met Marty several years ago when he took charge of the Agape Singers, a church choir that sings contemporary Christian music. I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He never…..
At around 8:45 AM on September 11, 2001, I was on a plane taxiing towards a LaGuardia Airport runway. We were scheduled to leave New York at 9 AM and arrive in Washington, DC about an hour later. Gifford, my guide dog, was lying between my feet.
At around 9:30, the plane raced back to the gate.
“What’s going on?” I asked the man staffing the ticket counter.
“A small plane ran into one of the World Trade Center towers,”…..
“And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
– From Verse Four, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
As the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the playing of the United States’ national anthem continues to swirl, I can’t help but wonder how well our anthem reflects our country’s better angels.
Francis Scott Key, the anthem’s lyricist, was a well-connected prosperous lawyer who supported slavery. John Stafford Smith, a…..