I was walking with Jen during the sunrise yesterday when we were absolutely taken aback by the sun coming over the hill in the wildfire smoke from distant fires as a huge red ball. It was unbelievably beautiful, and yet we knew the beauty came at the cost of pain and suffering for the folks being affected by the wildfires raging in many places in our state and beyond. We also got to talk yesterday morning with a couple who are facing uncertainty at the cost of the tragedy of the man having had a debilitating stroke that has changed their lives seemingly irreparably. Are these two incidents related somehow? Does tragedy lead to beauty in many situations? Some people who have had cancer say they would never go back in time and undo the cancer in their lives because the cancer taught them lessons of appreciation and love. Is it possible that these lessons are part of our growth and purpose in our lives? I have not liked the painful lessons in my life, but they have made me a more caring and feeling person. Maybe these painful things are gifts from the divine to make us more human and godly at the same time. Some people are hoping that COVID-19 will be the same thing for our world. I don’t know, but I’m sure glad the red-ball sun was breathtaking and made me think and appreciate for a moment.
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What have I been up to?
I had several senior facilities during the week that I really enjoyed. It’s hard to express the lift it gives me and the folks to pass smiles back and forth even though we can’t see them under our masks.
Thursday was my Facebook theme show doing Gordon Lightfoot songs. I learned several new ones, and we really reached some wonderful moments reminiscing and sharing his music. Gord is one talented guy!
Sunday was my Facebook request show with a ton of requests this week. I think I got to most of the requests although I had to leave some out and we went a little long. There was some really fun and insightful stuff. If you missed it and would like to hear, it’s on my Facebook page and on my website with all my shows except a few that have been taken down for copyright.
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What am I up to this week?
I have gigs every day this week which is the first time in months I’ve had that happen. I have five senior facilities during the week either performing outdoors or online. A couple of them are for folks I haven’t seen since March or even February. It will be so good to see them!
Thursday at 7:00 mountain time is my Facebook theme show. This week I’m doing the songs of John Prine. He was a songwriter's songwriter, and he passed in April of COVID-19 - making him one of the earlier deaths of the virus. There were many tributes to him at the time, but now that we’ve had a little more reflection I think that his music is even more poignant. If you don’t know his music then you’re in for a treat. Please join me if you can.
facebook.com/tom.munch
tommunch.com/photos-videos
Saturday I’m doing a special Facebook show for Philmont Scout Ranch folks online on a Facebook group I made just for this concert. If you’d like to attend you can find the group with a simple search on Facebook for my name and Philmont. Anyone is welcome, but there will be a lot of Philmont reminiscing and music, so it may not be something you’ll enjoy if you’ve never been to Philmont.
Sunday at 7:00 mountain time is my weekly Facebook request show. I have a few requests left over from last week, and I usually save requests for folks until I see they are in the audience, so there’s always plenty of songs to choose from. If you have a request please let me know durning the week and I will try to include it.
facebook.com/tom.munch
tommunch.com/photos-videos
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That’s it for this week. I had thought about doing a Labor Day marathon, but I think I’ll wait to do another marathon maybe at Christmastime. It just doesn’t feel right to do one at this time. I hope you are well and taking care as much as you can. I still feel that these tragedies are here to teach us - as hard as that may be to consider.
Best always,
Tom
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Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing a Facebook Live Concert of John Prine songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/photos-videos
When: Thursday, August 20, 7-8:30 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing a Facebook Live Concert of requests and favorites
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/photos-videos
When: Sunday, August 23, 7-8:30 pm mountain time