Season's End: The Promise of New Beginnings

Winter whispers in the late summer wind, even in Southern California. The cool breeze chases teens into hoodies, adults into jackets, swimmers into street clothes. Summer is winding down; we are moving toward a season's end.

Farewell whispers in the late Sunday afternoon, even on Mission Bay. Nostalgia chases teens into chatter, adults into cherished memories, parents into quiet tears. Child-raising is winding down; we are moving toward a season's end.

Frank brings barbecue and waits patiently for a new heart. Melvin brings a devotional message, reminding us all that better days are ahead. Sam mixes bass and percussion while he sings and strums, solos and syncopates. Pat mixes with her guests, orchestrates a sumptuous feast, and charms us all.

Analicia -- she of the soon departure -- is at the center of it. Such a rare vocal talent. The same crystal quality of voice that graces Norah Jones, Sara Groves, or Corinne Bailey Rae. Fluid and resonant and ever more confident, relaxed into the rhythms of her father's smooth and professional arrangements.

Analicia -- she of the plays and musicals -- is at the center of it. Such an accomplished actress. Capable of stealing the show or nailing a supporting role. She moves on to Westmont to pursue drama and music; the Designer's good purposes are evident in her.

A season is winding down but for now: What a concert! Passers-by -- arrested by the voice and the confidence and the grace and the band -- stop and listen, frozen on the spot. Strollers wheel to a stop. Conversations cease. The dog can be walked later. Crown Point is not often a venue for concerts of this caliber.

We gather as friends and family, neighbors and supporters, an intergenerational and multicultural mix of people that feels more like heaven than earth. Smiles and songs, beans and rice, hot links and cold drinks. Those who were strangers five minutes ago are connecting at a deep heart level. Children run in and out, laughing out loud.

Gradually the sun arcs lower; the wind's whisper seems more insistent. Across the park, the bay sparkles quietly. For Sam and Pat, a labor of love is ending -- their work of raising Analicia is nearly done. Now comes a new season -- an empty nest, visits to campus, a transition from parents to mentors to friends.

These two will make the adjustments with wisdom and strength. Over time they will realize a central truth: They have raised their daughter well. Her talent, her gifts, her heart for God, her heart for others --- these and other qualities were nourished and nurtured and taught and transmitted by two people whose work may be mostly done, but whose influence will endure and thrive.

To Sam and Pat: Well done. To Analicia: We love you and we are proud of you! May your future pathways be illuminated by God's light, God's love, God's truth, God's purposes. The way ahead may seem unknown --- but when you get to the future, you'll find that God is already there.

A Great Morning: Right from the Start

Deep into a summer book tour for "Right from the Start," we awaken in the Midwest, only 2 blocks from a Chick-Fil-A. Rising early, we stroll to our favorite breakfast locale.

We recite our usual orders while the cashier peers at us, scanning us closely. This is unusual: We're a romantic, low-key couple, generally considered non-threatening.

With our order taken, the counter person looks at us and shyly poses a question: "Um....aren't you the Frisbies?"

Busted! Only one of us (cute, female) has showered and dressed for this occasion. The other one (male, taller) has been writing for several hours early this morning. He has not yet showered, not yet shaved, and had no intention of "going out in public." Just walking a few blocks to a remote Chick-Fil-A in the random Midwest.

The cashier awaits our response.

Lisa smiles brightly: "Yes, we are!"

"I knew it!" the cashier beams. She goes on to tell us about a book-signing we did in this city, two years earlier, at a Mardel store. She tells us which book she purchased and she explains how God is using the book to change her life. It's clear that she has interacted with the book's content: She quotes it (us) accurately.

We stand across the counter, amazed by God and His good work. We have no immediate response to this conversation, just shock and awe.

Then the cashier, who is also a manager, smiles and comps our breakfast.

There is pretty much nothing in the world that is better than a Chick-Fil-A breakfast burrito (chicken). Except maybe a breakfast burrito that is free!

Better still: The joy of encountering a reader -- someone whose life is being impacted by God-breathed words that an author or artist helped to create. A reader who took the time to attend a book-signing, took home a book, and then began to read it with an open heart and an inquiring mind.

Two authors begin a random day in the midwest.

God shows up.

"Hi David & Lisa," God seems to say to us.

"Today, breakfast is on Me..."

The 4-Dollar Banquet: Love Within Limits

Do you love her more if you spend $2 million on the bling, or if you drop a quarter in the machine next to the gumballs, and the ring is plastic? Which says “I love you” the loudest?

See – you already know this.

Today is Over-Hyped Day, a holiday that screams “spend money and prove your love.” Perfect day to be rich, so that your emotions really count. As if.

So if you love like Rodeo Drive, but live like the Taco Bell value menu -- a few tips for today, gentlemen:

1) The $4 banquet. This works at Panera Bread, but you can improvise at Caribou or Starbucks or that great little no-name coffee place you both love. Here’s the menu: Two (2) muffies (sliced-off muffin tops), Two (2) waters (not artesian or artisan, just agua), One (1) coffee to share, and a table by the fireplace or over there in the corner. Limited PDA is way okay, but please save the fireworks for after you get a room.

2) The $2 truffle. Many women love chocolate, but don’t want to wear an entire box on their hips or waistline. A single indulgence is better. Most malls have a vendor that will sell you an amazing chocolate truffle (so many flavors, so many choices!) for around $2. Look for a candy store or a chocolate factory and if truffles don’t do it, why not a cupcake? They’re everywhere.

3) The free foot rub. Choose your moment, and rub it like you mean it. Chill dude, and let her decide whether it’s foreplay or not. Not everything has to be foreplay, unless you want even more diaper bags around the house? Besides, the best foreplay pays off days later, not just right this minute. Romance is a marathon, not a sprint.

People who spend large sums of money are often over-compensating for something. Or maybe they’re just stinking rich, God bless them.

If you’ve just had an amazing year, income-wise, and you want to bling her out --- please do. But if you’re between opportunities or currently under-employed, no worries. Get off the computer and answer the real call of duty, okay?

Elevator Music

Both of us grew up in musical homes, surrounded by classical masterpieces, timeless hymns and occasional bursts of jazz. Both of us learned the value of music at an early age -- thanks to parents who enrolled us in weekly piano lessons without our consent! :)

Today music is essential to our life together -- woven tightly into fabric of our daily lives. Right now we're listening to James Taylor and Carole King, in their recent concert at the Troubadour up in Los Angeles, from the CD/DVD combo of the concert. These two make beautiful music together! We're lovin' it.

Meanwhile, here are three valuable music lessons for today:

1) Elevate Your Mood. Music is a powerful mood enhancer, no drugs required. Try a little music therapy the next time you're struggling with seasonal affective disorder (or you're just plain tired of winter). Good music makes life better!

2) Elevate Your Game. Whatever you want to do well --- practice constantly. There is no substitute for practice! Great reputations do not win football games, bring a Carnegie Hall audience to its feet, or sell more books. What succeeds is greatness itself --- and to become great, there is only one pathway. More practice.

3) Elevate Your Friends. Sorry to post you this memo, but life is not about you. All around you today are people who could use a word of encouragement, a short but amusing text message, or an actual phone call. (Tech note: Some cell phones are equipped with voice features. Ask your carrier.) Life is better when you share the journey with others -- focus on serving and helping someone today.

The Seasons of a Great Marriage

The youngest couple we've met was married almost 70 years. Only death separated them, and then not for long. They're in heaven now, most likely driving a classic car to the malt shop for yet another date night!

These two loved each other and everyone within their GPS area knew about it. Their love was genuine and authentic, fresh and real. You could listen forever and never hear either of them complain about or criticize their life partner. However, you could hear them compliment each other all day long! They never ran out of positive, encouraging things to say about each other.

Well into their 80's and still young in every way, they celebrated their wedding anniversary by going to Alaska. They stayed in a fabulous hotel in Anchorage, charming the staff and other guests with their infectious good humor and deeply romantic relationship. When the hotel found out that it was their 67th wedding anniversary, the General Manager decided to comp their entire stay.

Ray and Wilma Bridges were exceptional people, but the pattern they left behind can be followed by any married couple. Love each other well, speak positively about each other always, keep having new adventures, keep learning new things. This couple never slowed down and never stopped: Death had to catch them on the run! And as believers already realize, even death is temporary.

Autumn is a great season to get outdoors, spend some time together, go on a hike. You don't have to spend money (and who has any?) all you need is the desire to be together and a place to get away. Trample around in a pumpkin patch or wander through an apple orchard. Take a horseback ride or let a tractor pull you on an old-fashioned hayride. Have it your way --- but get it done.

Be the kind of couple that would make Ray & Wilma smile if they saw you....

Sunday @ Steamers

Steamers Jazz Club is a Fullerton fixture and a staple of the SoCal jazz scene. Today it fills to overflowing; the crowd spills out into the sidewalks and onto the streets. Busy servers fill plates with appetizers and take orders from new arrivals.

Daniel St. Marseille is here to perform -- he's in this place often; he proposed to his wife here a decade or more ago. Today is ostensibly a graduate-level recital for a Cal State Fullerton degree, so Dan has gathered the masters, young and old, for an afternoon of sublime sound and good-natured competition.

A half-dozen pieces, three of them composed by St. Marseille, fill a bustling club with inspired improv: keyboard battles trombone, guitar mocks piano, soprano sax mixes it up with everyone. Tom Hynes on guitar nearly steals the show in the final number; yet every other musician matches his level of excellence, each on his own instrument. Today, Hynes is on fire: He is absolutely ablaze.

For this listener (and from an informal survey of surrounding tables) the sentimental favorite today is "Emily" -- a Johnny Mandel tune sung by Julie Andrews in the title role of 1964's "The Americanization of Emily." Since then Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett have made it their own, but today it belongs entirely to a lone saxophonist, standing center stage and waving off the band for a bluesy, soulful solo. Not that we don't love improv --- such creative noise, and so much of it! --- but in "Emily" we find today's center (and we can usually locate the melody line too).

The band beautifully deconstructs "Speak Low" early in the set. A Kurt Weill piece composed for musical theater, the song has been covered by almost everyone. Today the original is systematically taken apart, then joyously reassembled in several new ways, by a sax teacher and graduate student, together with his hand-picked cohorts -- each at the top of his (sorry gals, the musicians were male today) game.

A word about these cohorts: The aforementioned Hynes kicks the walls out on guitar. Both Chris Dawson and Ryan Pryor dispense sheer excellence via the keyboard, each in an entirely different form. Pryor is simple, soulful, sardonic --- Dawson swings samba and riffs majestically on 3-piece combo interludes. Roger Shew lays down the bass with masterful authority: Is he the best bass in SoCal? Today's performance argues yes. Joey Sellers takes a trombone where it hasn't gone before (through the roof) and brings the house down in the process. Thomas White caresses the percussion with meticulous consistency: the epitome of cool. And on the final number, Jonathan Rowden riffs an impressive alto sax line as Maestro St. Marseille opts for soprano. The full band, in full voice, closes out "Ka Leo" (a St. Marseille composition) with a playful freedom that displays not only great confidence, but also much purity of form. Yet today, in the final analysis, belongs to the man who gathers all these talents together in one place, for one purpose, then directs their genius into full view. That man, noticeably more relaxed after each amazing piece concludes well, is Dan St. Marseille.

Mr. St. Marseille, you have graduated. You earned a PhD. from this listener and from each of the six or seven tables in every direction nearby. Don the robe and square off the cap: You're the new master!

Keep track of what's happening in this busy jazz venue (http://www.steamersjazz.com/) and keep an eye on the future of composer and musician Dan St. Marseille, plus a rising sax star in Jonathan Rowden, and each other member of today's crew. Live musical performance, much like sessions in the recording studio, is a continuous mix-and-match of players and skills, friends and cohorts, instruments and genres. Today St. Marseilles shows us inventive compositions, impressive arrangements, and bulletproof skills on the sax. All that, plus a knack for surrounding himself with first-rate talent. Sheer genius, and an afternoon well spent.

I Am Dying Like An Angel....

Exactly one century ago today, Macedonia gave our tired little globe one of its greater gifts. In the village of Skopje, two Albanian parents celebrated the birth of Agnes Gonxha Bojakhiu. How could they have known that this tiny baby would one day become a venerated nun, a helper to many, an example to all...

Today is the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth. Working at first by herself, then with the help of dedicated others, Mother Teresa began relentlessly caring for "the least of these" --- those who were dying in the back alleys of urban Calcutta. She opened a hospice unit, called Pure Heart, and simply cared for those who were dying, alone and forgotten, too poor to receive help.

One dying man, resting in the arms of this beloved nun, famously told her "I have lived like an animal, but now I am dying like an angel..." His experience was shared by thousands of others who were treated with dignity, receiving genuine love from caregivers motivated only by a desire to serve Christ.

In the name of religion, many mistakes have been made in the past. We can be certain that more mistakes are ahead in the future. Yet set against the backdrop of greed, politics, legalism, self-righteousness --- and other sins of religion --- at times one encounters the true life of faith, being lived simply and honorably.

Mother Teresa's life reminds us of this. Parents giving birth today, 100 years later, may hope their daughter grows up to become a CEO, or their son an electrical engineer. These are noble aspirations to be sure. But what if a parent, cradling a newborn on this day, simply breathed the hope that this new son or daughter would grow up to emulate Mother Teresa, who herself emulated Christ by taking up the basin and the towel, and serving others....