I am bringing a piece that I wrote some time ago about music and children and words. It relates to the post from last week inspired by Dr. Cornell West and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. That focused on the pietic, the poetic, and the prophetic. This, inspired by my children, ties the three together for me.
I can almost hear everyone asking, “What do you mean?” Well, let me tell you! The pietic are those personal practices that bring greater spiritual freedom and spaciousness – music, prayer, walking – whatever floats your boat! Poetic is the words and the music that describe that inner spaciousness (quite literally what is below). And last, the prophetic, an outward movement of the inner spaciousness to bring greater freedom to the world. Here, quite literally, it is in my children as they are moving outward now bringing an inner spaciousness outward. This is what we do here.
In addition to the poem below, inspired by listening to my children get musical, I’ve linked in a Youtube recording from my son today. He was in the National Academy of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition in Seattle today and placed second. He inspires me and in him and his friends, I see a generation coming of young people that continue to strive to bring an expansiveness to the cosmos that we have not felt or seen yet.
OK…the video is not necessary, but being the proud mama of this chick I have inflicted out into the world, I wanted to share! Thanks for your indulgence!
Love
about that note
and the melody that
languidly curls in the air
a feathered piece of straw
catching your ear held
by the hands of mozart
and elvis and even
p.d.q. teasing
driftly softly down
blown by the soft
breeze of progeny
cascading joy rising up
like incense
holding the gift of
past, present, and future
the slightest brush of an
angel’s wing carrying
the melody onward
Terri Stewart ~ a member of our Core Team, comes from an eclectic background and considers herself to be grounded in contemplation and justice. She is the Director and Founder of the Youth Chaplaincy Coalition that serves youth affected by the justice system. As a recent graduate of Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry, she earned her Master’s of Divinity and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Spiritual Direction with honors and is a rare United Methodist student in the Jesuit Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu. She is a contributing author to the Abingdon Worship Annual.
The BeZine 
Pietic, poetic, prophetic….good trilogy to ponder.
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It keeps reverberating (like timpani) in my brain!
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Greater spiritual freedom and spaciousness is something I find in music, writing and walking, or sometimes composing as I walk; writing as I listen to inspiring music! Your poem is special, Terri, and Colin is a talented and articulate young man; that song is a very difficult one to perform, so he has done a remarkable job. Well done.
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Thank you! I’ll pass on your encouragement and kind words.
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I have the lifelong and rather poor habit of being “very spiritual” followed up by being “not spiritual. What a delightful young man you have raised and what a wonderful song. He is reminding me that I have now lived in my “not spiritual” phase a bit too long. And, that I am being giving some wonderful opportunities to “open up” now. Thank you Colin and Terri.
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Wonderful! I will let him know!
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There is a simple joy of ‘being alive’ in both your poem and your handsome son’s song! He sang it so well, and you can just tell he loves to sing. 😀 Thanks so much for sharing and putting a smile on my face!
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