I am going to take a week off. In the almost 18 months of this podcast, I missed the week just after the death of my dad. This time, I am taking a week just to relax and recharge. Americans are notorious for leaving vacation time on the table and working way too hard. Our society applauds busy-ness, but it isn't actually in our best interest.

One of the commandments is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. And we find in the gospels that Jesus takes time to go away from the crowds by himself and takes naps too. Perhaps we need to take breaks too.

Take a break. Catch your breath. Be a human being not a human doing for a bit. And if you feel so inclined, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes. Catch you in couple weeks!

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In the wake of the assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump, we, as a society must stop the violence. We need to change our language and rhetoric. We need to find peaceful ways forward and common ground. Violence is becoming normalized in our society as more people seek to solve things through physical force or shooting people. It has to stop.

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Having watched fireworks this past week, I was drawn to playing Sousa marches. It made me think about music at Christmas and as I listened to a recital tonight, about various types of music and how music can speak in many different ways. Knowing the state of the world, the tensions in the world of politics, the divides in American culture, I wonder what the soundtrack would be. Would it be "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillips Sousa that when heard makes us think of people happily waving flags on the 4th of July and celebrating America, or would the current American soundtrack be more dark and angular? Music can speak in many different ways and at many different times. Listen to the soundtrack of your life this week.

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