Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hand Weights. Stretching. Walking. Gym in the Apartment.
All songs by Stevie Wonder.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Superstition
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
Living for the CIty
I Just Called to Say I Love You
For Once in My Life
Happy Birthday
My Cherie Amour
Have a Talk with God
Sir Duke
Isn’t She Lovely
Black Man
Blowin’ in the Wind

Walking. Hand weights. North East, Maryland.
Me Gustan los Estudiantes – Tia Parra
Broken Crown – Mumford & Sons
Peace and Power – Joanne Shenandoah
Grand March from Aida – Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic
Kabigan – Lea Salonga
Warrior Death Song – Native Americans
Tre Sarr Te Chuni Kali – Shazia Manzoor
The Load-Out/Stay – Jackson Browne
Lost Somebody – A Tribe Called Quest
Pamela, Pamela – Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
Ain’t Got You – Bruce Springsteen
Going Mobile – The Who
This Ain’t Livin – 2Pac
By the Time I Get to Arizona – Public Enemy

Third Movement of the Violin Concerto by Aram Khachaturian, arranged for flute – Sean Koenig
Hello, Dolly! – 2017 Broadway Cast of Hello, Dolly! & Bette Midler
I’ve Decided to Marry You – Lauren Worsham, Lisa O’Hare & Bryce Pinkham
Wouldn’t It Be Loverly – Julie Andrews
A Weekend in the Country – A Little Night Music Ensemble
Under the Sea – Samuel E. Wright
I Am What I Am – Donald Pippin & George Hearn
I’m Here – Cynthia Erivo
One Hand, One Heart – Matt Cavenaugh & Josefina Scaglion3
Do-Re-Mi – Mary Martin, Lauri Peters, William Snowden, Kathy Dunn, Joseph Stewart, Marilyn Rogers, Mary Susan Locke & Evanna Lien
Your Daddy’s Son – Audra McDonald
Ease On Down the Road – The Wiz
Everything Old Is New Again – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Vaccariello & Various Artists
Ya Got Trouble – Robert Preston
Eye of the Tiger – Survivor

Happy Birthday – Sean

Walking. Germantown.
Stretching. Gym in the Apartment.
Knee Bone – Ranky Tanky
Fight for Your Rights – Chili Most
The Mission – Black Violin
Songs of the Underground Railroad – John Coltrane Quartet
Blood and Bones – Our Native Daughters
Better Get It Right the First Time – Rhiannon Giddens
Welcome to the Terrordome – Public Enemy
State of the Nation – George Clinton
Sometimes It Snows in April – Prince
The Love I Never Had – Mary J. Bilge
A Song for Assata – Common (feat. Cee-Lo)

Walking.. Stretching. NK Body Philosophy. Gym in the Apartment.
Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
Stay – Yuna
Shady Grove – Yola
Luck Be a Lady – Robert Alda
The Owl and the Eagle – Jack Gladstone
Albatross – Judy Collins
Mana Ma’Ohi – Matato’a
Figures – Unchained XL
A Home – The Chicks
There’s a Kind of Hush – Ed Ames
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae
Sunshine – Earth, Wind & Fire
Overture (Part Two) – Quincy Jones
Moonshadow – Cat Stevens
It Happens Everyday – Carly Simon
Cello Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 109: I. Allegro – Steven Isserlis & Connie Shih

Walking.. Stretching. NK Body Philosophy. Gym in the Apartment.
Remembering Sidney Poitier.
Around and Around – Chuck Berry
Friendship Train – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Love and Affection – Joan Armatrading
The Queen of Argyll – Silly Wizard
Street Livin’ – Black Eyed Peas
Requiem for a Dying Song – Flogging Molly
One Vision – Queen
You Don’t Know Like I Know – Sam & Dave
Traffic Jam – James Taylor
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground – Willie Nelson
The Dark Slender Boy – The Sands Family
Anyone Can Be Somebody’s Fool – Nancy Griffith
Our Mothers Built This City – John McCutcheon & Tom Chapin
Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
Give Us a Flag – Richie Havens
Blue Suede Shoes – Black 47
The Hardest Time – Los Lobos
Overture from Porgy and Bess – Andre Previn
Call Me Mr. Tibbs (main title) – Quincy Jones
In the Heat of the Night – Ray Charles
To Sir with Love – Lulu

This is a repost to remind myself and to give a heads-up to my loyal reader(s) to mark our calendars now. Next year, at 20:10 in whatever time zones we might be, I will invite us all to lift a glass in memory of Ruling Elder Cynthia (Cindy) Bolbach.

Nine years. And three days. The vagaries of time make it feel like yesterday and like a lifetime ago, all in the same moment.

Ruling Elder Cynthia Bolbach, moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) died on 12-12-12 in the afternoon. This post was written on that day at a time before I knew of her death. That explains the tense of the post.

I did something today I have never done before.

I stood in silence for five minutes.

I am not big on pomp and circumstance and formality. A South African friend once observed that I can be a bit “cheeky” to those in authority. For some reason everyone who has heard that assessment has agreed with it. Go figure.

I stood in silence today for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach.

The tradition in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is to stand when the General Assembly moderator enters the room. Almost every moderator in my memory has encouraged people not to do so. Most of the time most of them meant it. Yet the tradition persists – in honor of the person and even more so in respect of the office. And while it is not my favorite thing, I take part.

Today, without being asked, without being prompted, I chose to stand in silence for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach – moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010).

I watched her election from the back of the auditorium in Minneapolis. My son Sean and I leaned against the wall.

A period of questions and answers precedes the voting. Commissioners (the folks with the votes) pose questions and the individuals standing (we’re Presbyterian, we don’t run) respond. The questions deal with theology, issues before the church, and issues in the world.

At one point, a question was posed along the lines of: “What would happen to the church, if you were not elected and one of the other candidates were?”

One by one the candidates offered replies praising the others and noting that the church did not depend on their election. Then Cindy Bolbach stepped to the mike. I do not remember her exact words, but the essence was:

There will be utter chaos.

The Assembly erupted in laughter. Sean turned to me and said, “She just won, didn’t she?”

The Assembly still had to vote. But Cindy did win. And I believe her sparkling humor that bristles with wisdom played a key role.

I stood in silence today for five minutes in honor of Cindy Bolbach.

Cindy is a woman of incredible faith, deep love, amazing grace, and an incredible wit. She lives daily her commitment to Christ, to the Church, to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , to all people, and to God’s world. She mixes simplicity and profound sincerity with a capability to navigate complexity and controversy. I am privileged to know her. The Church (in all its manifestations) is blessed by her presence.

For most of this year, Cindy has struggled against cancer. The struggle cut short her ability to attend events but it never dampened her spirits (at least in public). She wore a fedora to the 220th General Assembly (2012) and she wore it well.

This morning came the news that Cindy has entered hospice care. And I stood for five minutes in her honor.

But in the silence it came to me that another way – a better way – to honor Cindy Bolbach – is to give thanks to God for Cindy – to entrust Cindy to God’s merciful care – to pray for her without ceasing – then to get back about the business of ministry. I am pretty sure that is what she would want. So it is what I have done.

When Cindy returns to the dust, as we all will someday do, I will shed more tears. But I will also proclaim “Alleluia.”

When Cindy returns to the dust, as we all will someday do, there will be utter chaos. But in the chaos there will be love and there will be grace and there will be God. And all will be well for Cindy. And all will be well for us. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.