The Road Less Traveled

Remembering Dan Fogelberg

Yesterday as I was leaving my house, I turned on the radio. On the station the introduction of Same Auld Lang Syne was playing and the announcer said "this is in memory of Dan Fogelberg who passed away yesterday".

"What!?" I said

I was shocked and saddened! I have been a fan of Dan Fogelberg since my teenage days! Back in 2004, my husband was going to take me to another one of his concerts for my birthday--Dan had gotten the news of his illness and canceled the tour. I knew that he had cancer, but I thought he kicked it. I have been melancholy since hearing this unfortunate news. I am so sorry for his wife, his family and his fans.

I got to thinking today of how I discovered his music...it was when I was in the 11th grade. I was taking a Creative Writing English class and the assignment was to bring in a song with the lyrics written out for the entire class (we had to bring the record in to listen to as well). While I brought in a song by Bread, one of my classmates brought in Dan Fogelberg--his Nether Lands album. I was hooked from that moment! Something about this entertainer spoke to me. He sang to my soul, and touched me with his words. I went out that day after school and bought that same album. I would play it front side and back, over and over until I knew every word of every song. The title track Nether Lands became my mantra--just as the Robert Frost poem The Road Less Traveled did. The orchestral music lifted me up and made me feel alive! I remember riding my bike from the Fire Island Lighthouse (where I lived at the time) to the boardwalk at Robert Moses Field 5. In my mind...as I breathed in the salt air and listened to the sound of the roaring ocean crashing in my ears...I could hear this song playing, and feel the freedom it gave me to live.

Nether Lands

High on this mountain
The clouds down below
I'm feeling so strong and alive
From this rocky perch
I'll continue to search
For the wind and the snow and the sky
Oh I want a lover and I want some friends
And I want to live in the sun
And I want to do all the things that I never have done
Sunny bright mornings and pale moonlit nights
Keep me from feeling alone
Now I'm learning to fly and this freedom is like
Nothing that I've ever known
Oh I've seen the bottom and I've been on top
But mostly I've lived in between
And where do you go when you get to the end of your dream
Off in the Nether Lands I heard the sound
Like the beating of heavenly wings
And deep in my brain I can hear a refrain
Of my soul as she rises and sings
Anthems to glory and anthems to love
And hymns filled with earthly delight
Like the songs that the darkness composes to worship the light
Once in a vision I came on some woods
And stood at a fork in the road
My choices were clear yet I froze with the fear
Of not knowing which way to go
Oh, one road was simple acceptance of life
The other road offered sweet peace
When I made my decision
My vision became my release

Today and everyday--I will remember the joy, the peace, the freedom, the happiness, the sadness and the life Dan Fogelberg's music has brought to me. I am sorry for the loss of him, as I feel I have also lost a piece of my childhood. But, thankfully I have his voice and his words recorded to take in whenever I want. I am sure he is in God's Kingdom singing in the heavenly choir of angels.

Rest in Peace Dan.

How Do You Get a Teenage Boy to Cooperate?

When my son was younger, he was a "ham" and let me take his picture all the time. Now, as a teenager...I find I have to negotiate with him. So, tonight he brings me his "Irish" Santa hat for a little mending. I told him I would stitch it if he let me take his picture in it. I mentioned that I needed a photo to make Christmas Stamps. Reluctantly (and only because he really wanted the hat to take on his Boy Scout Christmas camping trip tonight)...he said...okay. I was able to get four takes of him, trying to get him to cooperate and smile. Here are the photos I wound up with. I think my favorite--ironically--is when he covered his face...as that is the only "real" smile he conjured up. I guess there is still a little "ham" left in him.

This Years Christmas Card

I tried my hand at a digital Christmas Card this year. I couldn't get the kids together to take a photo of them, so I had to use one of each of them at separate times for the card. Now all I have to do is get the cards printed up and mailed to friends and family. I used pieces from the nitwits Comfort & Joy Collection. On the other hand...I have been tagged with two different sets of questions that I will have to answer on my blog within the next few days. So, from my home to yours...Merry Christmas!

=) Allison