GOD PLACED UPON MY HEART TO START A LOVE THY NEIGHBOR PROJECT

We all know the Great Commission:

1) Love the Lord with ALL OUR HEARTS... and
2) Love thy neighbor

I have heard this tons of times. In VA my neighbors were very interactive. There were 50 homes on the street and we all knew each other, each other's children, we pretty much all knew where the "hidden" key was, it was kind of like a commune...ergo the root of 'community'. "The times they are a changin," as Dylan so eloquently put it. But today, as Pastor Mike spoke, I felt a desperate need to connect with my neighbors here in Garfield soooooo I am going to pray and put the spirit of hospitality that God has given me to work and I will let you know what He brings to me to do AND what the reaction/outcome turns out to be.

I love people and over the years I have walked the neighborhoods I have lived in (thank you Pastor Ahlemann for that teaching some 20 yrs ago) and prayed for my neighbors whether I knew them or not.  Though I was born and raised in the neighborhood where I care for my Mom right now, those I grew up with have either moved on or passed on and though I wave occasionally to my current neighbors, I don' know them and they don't know me. I desperately feel compelled to do more. Stay tuned....

The Rippingtons Let it Rip @ Cain Park

What an enjoyable evening my husband and I had yesterday (in celebration of our 6 month wedding anniversary) as we sat in the midst of the cooling night air at one of the most beautiful Greater Cleveland venues, Cain Park. The Rippingtons filled the air with melodies old and new, some inspired by international travel that took me here and there each time I closed my eyes. They have been enjoyed by many for many years via smooth jazz stations, albums and concerts and they've still got it! They didn't miss a beat and it was cool to see them add a bit of choreography to their smooth stage demeanor. It was such a pleasure for us to see them in person. Keep it going Rippingtons! You're one of the GREATS.

Sade Herself...Still Sultry...Hasn't Aged A Bit & The Band "Sade" as a Whole...PHENOMENAL!!!

First of all let me say, "THANK YOU SADE FOR MAKING CLEVELAND A PART OF YOUR WORLD TOUR!!!" WOW...Songs brought back soooo many memories. The videos that accompanied the performance were cutting edge. One would never have known 20 years had passed. And the crowd was so beautifully dressed! Where were the naysayers about Clevelanders' style THAT night. The crowd was so diverse it was like a little touch of Heaven. All ethnicities...All ages. There were grandparents with young adult grandchildren, mothers and daughters, girls night out groups and evidences of parents' night out gen xers that were happy to rekindle a loving moment from days of early dating. John Legend kicked it off with a total command of the stage. This was a stellar event all and all that felt like a once in a lifetime moment. And though I waited until the LAST moment to obtain tickets, boy oh boy, was I glad that I had the opportunity to capture this moment! Credit to Elizabeth Mirth for the only pic I could find online of the entire group. To see more of her wonderful pictures of this concert, go to http://eof737.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/sade-live-in-concert-in-ny-a-pictorial-review/