Here's a Thought with Jay Daniels

Yesterday, I was at  The Culpeper  for my regular performance at the piano. I suppose I've been playing there for almost two years now. It was during my first performance that I saw an old Hammond organ sitting to the side. Toward the end of the show, I couldn't resist any longer. I just had to play that organ. Yesterday, I took time to perform a few u nplanned numbers at the Hammond once again. It was a reunion that had been long coming.  You see, I've played the organ longer than I've played the piano - only by a year or so. So, what's so important about the organ to me? I'm glad you asked. When I was a kid, my Granddad Seay played the organ for our small church, Edgewood Christian, at Lake Anna. He played totally by ear, and every single song was in the same key of A Flat. Whether it was "Near the Cross" (original key of F) or "Just As I Am" (original key of D Flat), every song sounded almost the same; yet, those sound vibrations ...

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of having Fr. James Hubbard serve us as priest during Sunday morning Eucharist at St. John's. During his sermon, he said something that has stuck with me since that morning.  Fr. James looked out at the congregation and said, "Look around you. Think of at least ten people who are sitting around you. With each of those people, there's a story to be told. Some of them are facing great struggles in their lives. Yet, you'd never know it just by looking at them from the outside." Can we count the number of people that we encounter on a daily basis? For many of us, probably not. Yet, each person we come into contact with has a story to be told.  The checkout clerk... the auto technician... the teacher... the next door neighbor... your spouse... your children. One thing that I started doing around New Year's was asking folks what is happening in their lives. What are the good things in their lives? What are the struggl...