21 January 26

Today is a rather special day for us: we are setting up a too-long-delayed gathering on Zoom with my sister Gloria and two of her "kids," who all live in Louisville! Gloria (retired organist/piano teacher) moved from near Philadelphia (PA) to Louisville in September. My nephew Nolan is pastor at Highland Presbyterian Church. Niece Kirsten works in graphics design. I chose to wear my Psalm 150:6 tie because it celebrates our family's deep faith and love for music, and because the G clef always reminds me of Gloria as my first piano teacher (when I was 5 years old).

4 September 22

Our friend/adopted-brother/former pastor Clyde David Burberry has a birthday anniversary every year on 3 September! He prefers to let me choose a tie to honor him, and this time we agreed that my tie displaying Psalm 150:1 was the right one. The photo of both of us is from 2016.

3 June 20

Today I'm helping to lead a memorial service for Jean Sowder Snyder, former resident at Telford Terrace in Richmond, KY. This is the nursing home where I've visited weekly from October 2000 through early March this year (about 930 visits in all). While Jean was there in 2019-2020 she regularly attended my Bible-study-and-hymns meetings, and upon her death her daughter Liz Ross asked me to speak and sing at her funeral. I chose my Psalm 150:6 tie, "Let all that hath breath praise the Lord!" I'm singing Amazing Grace and 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, and reading parts of the committal service from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.

1 July 18

Wearing my Bible-verse tie for my visit with residents at Telford Terrace (nursing home). "Let all that hath breath praise the Lord!"

5 October 16

Yesterday would have been my brother Dick's 70th birthday. He died from complications from colon cancer earlier this year. Three years ago he wanted me to wear this tie for his birthday celebration, and I'm happy to wear it again -- and I think he is singing some Psalms now!

28 June 15

Spending the day with my brother Dick and his wife Carolyn, in Ocala, Florida. Dick had selected this tie for me to wear on his birthday in 2013, and I wanted him to see it in person. He decided to wear a tie too, over his t-shirt!

23 November 14

Today (11/23) is Fibonacci Day, honoring the mathematical sequence 1-1-2-3(-5-8-13-21-. . . ), where each term after the beginning is the sum of the preceding two terms. The Fibonacci numbers show up all over nature, as in the common counts of flower petals, the seeds in a sunflower, and the spiraling chambers of nautilus shells. Today's tie has several spirals in the G-clef, and it celebrates "nature" in the call for "all that has breath" to praise God. I chose it especially for this week of Thanksgiving celebrations, including a great dinner today at our church in Somerset.

9 February 14

Today is my sister Gloria Rae (Kleppinger) Huizenga's birthday! She was my first piano teacher, showing me everything about the G-clef which she has used as one of her personal symbols for many years. We agreed that this was a great tie for her Sunday celebration!

21 April 13

Today marks the birthday of choral composer Randall Thompson (1899-1984), whose "Peaceable Kingdom" masterpiece was a wonderful challenge when I was in the Lexington Singers about thirty years ago.

23 January 11

A new tie, a gift from Courtney's parents, featuring the text of Psalm 150:6 and a large G clef. The idea of praising God with music fits so well with my weekly visits with residents at Telford Terrace, the personal care home at the St. Andrew's Community in Richmond. Most Sundays since October 2000 I have read Bible narratives, sung hymns and read Psalms there, after the residents finish their evening meal. They will enjoy the premiere of this tie!