Pulling back the curtain . . .

It has been brought to my attention by the two or three of you who read this blog on a regular basis, that my postings have become less personal over the past six months or so. (Or to be more precise, since I renewed this blog in early 2025). 

It is always revealing when reminded of how much of oneself is oblivious to your own thoughts, perceptions and actions. 

So to quickly deal with the surmised motive behind my slipping behind the fence of my public facade, I'm still dealing with grief and pain. Grief for a life and love that also I let slip away, no matter the rapidly changing introspections of that period of my life. And to be brutally transparent, so much of the past few years is literally a blur. Some of it can be attributed to me painting over memories in an effort to recast myself in a more favorable light, perhaps. Then, there is a more physical cause, as I'm getting older, memories are becoming more of an hurdle to recall than in years past. And then there is the unknown that hovers over us all. What is the old saying, there are two viewpoints in every relationship and then there is the truth?

Well, I'm not sure I believe that is always the case. Sometimes there is just the truth, and two people trying to navigate their own survival in the vacuum of what used to be. 

"Keep Me In Your Heart For Awhile"

When Warren Zevon learned he had a terminal illness he was determined to put together a final studio album. Fortunately, his record label; Artemis gave him a generous budget and he set out to bring as many of his friends together as possible. Check out this list:

Guitars – Ry Cooder, Bruce Springsteen, Brad Davis, Randy Mitchell, Tommy Shaw, David Lindley, Mike Campbell and Joe Walsh

Bass – Jorge Calderon and Reggie Hamilton

Vocals – Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Bruce Springsteen, John Waite, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmidt, Jordan Zevon, Jackson Browne, T Bone Burnett, Tom Petty and Emmylou Harris

Drums and Percussion – Don Henley, Jim Keltner, Steve Gorman and Luis Conte

Piano – James Raymond

Saxophone – Gil Bernal

Not only is this one of the best farewell albums ever recorded, I believe it stands as one of the best. Every track is sensational. The musical contributions from the group listed above is jaw dropping. You can hear the effort that every player brought to this project. And yet, the most powerful song on the album has the most simplistic arrangement. 

The Story Behind The Song

I don't know about you, but I love to dive deeper into the origin and context of some of my favorite songs, movies, performances, etc. My most recent excursion down this rabbit hole occurred after I watched the music video posted above. The song, "Silver Springs", was written by Stevie Nicks, and describes her perspective on the implosion of her romantic relationship with fellow bandmate and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. 

She is quoted as saying: "I wrote "Silver Springs" about Lindsey. And we were in Maryland somewhere driving under a freeway sign that said Silver Springs [sic]. And I loved the name… Silver Springs sounded like a pretty fabulous place to me. And 'You could be my silver springs' – that's just a whole symbolic thing of what you could have been to me."

The Destruction of Damascus Prophecy

I thought that based on the events that are happening today, (Israel attacking Iran on June 13th in an attempt to cripple their nuclear capability), it might be a good time to revisit one of the few prophecies left unfilled in the Old Testament. 

Isaiah 17 gives a prophecy about the destruction of Damascus. In addition to the prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos also write of the destruction coming to one of the world’s most ancient cities.

“The burden against Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria…’” (Isaiah 17:1-3)