New Music Monday: Keeping Faith

Last month I happened upon the show Keeping Faith on Amazon Prime Video. The tagline reads:

Award-winning actress Eve Myles (Torchwood) stars in this BBC thriller as Faith Howells, a lawyer with a happy marriage until her husband suddenly disappears. As Faith becomes the police's prime suspect, her search for the truth leads her to the criminal underbelly of her quiet town.

It sounded promising and the two seasons were free for the month, so I started watching. I was hooked before the first episode was finished, on the show and the soundtrack. The story draws the viewer in, revealing the backstory bit by bit as the present-day drama moves the story forward. The acting is excellent; the plot is captivating and complicated. And the soundtrack is the perfect backdrop, beautiful and haunting. I enjoyed the music so much sometimes I would replay the intro to hear Faith's Song a second time before an episode started.

I would have watched the two seasons again but opted not to pay for Acorn TV at the time, though I am thinking it would be worth $5.99 a month this winter. There are several other worthy offerings on Acorn that I would enjoy.

In the meantime I managed to find the Keeping Faith soundtrack on CD, available from the UK. The singer/songwriter is Amy Wadge, who wrote, performed, and produced all the songs. It's a CD that I enjoy from beginning to end and then listen to again. She is amazing, and I have since ordered her self-named 2016 album that includes the Grammy-award winning song Thinking Out Loud.

I am going to share the lyrics to Faith's Song, since her character is the star of the series. Each song tells part of the story and is worth a listen in its own right. 

Faith's Song

Gave you all that you needed
You cut but I'm bleeding
And all of my strength that I gave to you

I loved completely
You lose then you leave me
And all of my hope
I left with you too

But I gave my heart whole I did
I gave my heart
And although it's lost
It is still beating
And I gave my whole soul I did
I gave my soul
And although I'm broken
I am still breathing

I will sleep through the moments
All the moments you've stolen
All for my love
I'll learn the truth

That I gave my heart whole I did
I gave my heart
And although it's lost
It is still beating
And I gave my whole soul I did
I gave my soul
And although I'm broken
I am still breathing

A Big Day

Today is my mom's birthday. She won't mind if I tell you she is 85 because people say she looks younger. She lives alone, still drives, and worked until just a couple years ago as a part-time courier for the local hospital.  

Mom lives in a town of under a thousand people on the side of a mountain in eastern West Virginia. She moved there almost twenty years ago when she married her second husband. He had a place and she was ready to leave the big city. I grew up just outside Washington, D.C., and as much as Mom loves the city it was getting more congested and harder to navigate every year. 

It's hard to get to West Virginia from Maine, a 15-hour car ride or a 3-hour drive from an airport in either direction. My sons and I drove down for her 2003 wedding, and Ken and I have made the trip a couple times since then. We had planned to make the trip this summer and maybe meet up with other family to celebrate her 85th birthday early, but the universe had other ideas.

So my sister, who lives in Scotland, messaged me a couple weeks ago about planning a surprise Zoom call for Mom's birthday. I thought that was a great idea, especially since my sister knew how to set it up. Several of us had talked to her this past week and no one spilled the beans. My sister had even set up a practice Zoom call with her under the guise of wanting to do a special one-on-one call with her today. So to see almost a dozen frames on the screen this afternoon was a real surprise for Mom and a real pleasure for all of us. My grandkids sang happy birthday and asked what kind of cake she had; the answer wasn't cake but vanilla bean ice cream. Mailing addresses were shared. We talked about "getting together" again after my next grandchild has arrived. 

It was a real celebration to share time with family, some of whom I haven't seen for many years. My brother and his sons and daughter zoomed in, as did my uncle and cousin. It was nice to visit in a way that wouldn't have worked if we had all tried to be in the same physical place at the same time. As much as we've all lost this year, it's good to recognize that we've made a few things work better than before.

I know I'm lucky to be able to visit with my mom. I don't take that for granted. Every time we talk we pick up where we left off, no matter how long it's been since we last connected. I am grateful for the time we have to share.

Happy Birthday Mom. 

Love, Your Daughter  

New Music Monday: Mercy Now

I decided to share music I discovered this summer because of the following song. A friend sent me a link to a song written and sung by Mary Gauthier. Someone had shared it with her and she thought I'd like it. I do. It could have been written for this exact moment, but the album, Mercy Now, was released in 2004. The entire CD is worth a listen. Mary Gauthier's earthy sound is blues meets country and puts me in mind of Lucinda Williams.

The title song from the album could speak to many situations. I think it is particularly pertinent now as our country suffers from almost four years of a greedy, power hungry, cruel administration that has slashed and burned down institutions with abandon and is the cause of suffering and death on a scale not seen in our country in modern history. 

My online dictionary defines mercy as "compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm."  

As the song says, I think every single one of us could use some mercy now.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT7NiFpJmvI

Mercy Now

My father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over it won't be long, he won't be around
I love my father, he could use some mercy now

My brother could use a little mercy now
He's a stranger to freedom, he's shackled to his fear and his doubt
The pain that he lives in it's almost more than living will allow
I love my bother, he could use some mercy now

My church and my country could use a little mercy now
As they sink into a poisoned pit it's going to take forever to climb out
They carry the weight of the faithful who follow them down
I love my church and country, they could use some mercy now

Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race towards another mushroom cloud
People in power, they'll do anything to keep their crown
I love life and life itself could use some mercy now

Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don't deserve it but we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance dangle 'tween hell and hallowed ground
And every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now

Day 217

A week ago I had a chance to catch up with someone I haven't seen since February. I mentioned how many days I had been staying safely at home, and she was surprised I knew the number. I didn't start keeping count on purpose; it was after weeks went by that I was curious how many days it had been. I told her that in the beginning it didn't occur to me that it would be months, and maybe more than a year, before I could visit family and friends with nary a care.

That knowledge in the beginning would not have been helpful. It was nice to be ignorant of what was ahead.

Summer was another kind of reprieve ~ warmth and sun and more light than dark made the days easier. 

Now that autumn is in full swing with its cooler temperatures and colors and changing light, I am changing gears. I have been going full speed with busy-ness, racing against nonexistent deadlines. Other than paying bills when due and voting, I don't have to get anything accomplished by a certain time. 

I wish that realization provided more relief than it does. I like beginnings and endpoints and deadlines. The more I have to do in a certain amount of time, the more I get done in the time allotted. I like organization, routines, and schedules. I am good at getting things completed and take satisfaction in a job well done. 

I've felt at odds with all the "free" time. Without deadlines I keep assigning more chores, starting more projects, and ending the days feeling like I can't get everything done, the everything that I've put on myself to do.

Now that I've figured this out I'm changing things up a bit. I started something new this month that is helping me change the pace. I wasn't sure how it would work out and it's taken me a number of days to find a groove. A few more days and I'll be ready to share.

The journey continues....

New Music Monday: MCC

 I bought a  number of CDs this summer, some by long-loved artists and some new to me. I thought it would be fun to share my favorites here.   

I load up the player Monday mornings for background music while we start our weekly visit with our granddaughter. We are lucky in Maine to have a locally owned store that sells new and used CDs and DVDs, and they offer free shipping with each $35 purchase [Bull Moose Music if you want to check them out]. I enjoy the new music as well as often-played favorites from our collection, and some days I put together a particularly well-conceived set. Luckily, some artists complement just about any other choices.

Mary Chapin Carpenter is just such an artist. I was going to share her 2020 release next week, but MDK [Modern Daily Knitting] just posted a review of her latest CD, which is worth a read if you feel so inclined. I have enjoyed her artistry for 30 years. Her music is sometimes soulful and sometimes lighthearted, always honest and poetic. The Dirt and the Stars is so perfect for this year that it's hard to believe she crafted the songs before the pandemic. I will play this magical mix over and over for months to come.

Here's the title song~

Between the Dirt and the Stars

Try to conjure up a night
Of jessamine upon the air
I'm 17 and in a car,
ready to ride anywhere
This summer night sticks to my skin
And the beer's gone to my head
My arm hangs out the window 
And I can't hear what you just said -

Over the radio
wild wild horses
everything you'll ever know
is in the choruses

Everything that made you whole
Everything that broke your heart
Whatever called you by your soul
And piece by piece took you apart
Every spark you ever chased
All the faith love robbed you of
Every light the dark erased
And every cause that gave you up

Turn on the radio
wild wild horses
everywhere we'd ever go
is in the choruses

Standing on the porch tonight
All I hear is a distant car
Watching the fading light
Between the dirt and the stars
Between the rough and smooth 
The easy and the hard
The lonely sound of loneliness 
That's shaped just like my heart

Years will pass before we turn
To face the place where we come from
Years will pass before we learn
What time denies to everyone
And if we're lucky ghosts and prayers
Are company not enemies
I time travel straight back there
When you were singing back to me

Along with the radio
wild wild horses
everything we'll ever know
is in the choruses

Over the radio
wild wild horses
everywhere we'll ever go
is in the choruses