The Durable Will – At Kada Gallery, Erie, PA
Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.
–Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, 1567-1622
I am not going to ramble on this morning. Trust me, I was planning on doing just that. But in mulling over what defines real strength, I realized that it often comes in brevity, in not having to point out everything. The strength that comes in the calm confidence of just standing as is, exposed and letting others draw whatever conclusions they might.
So, while I would like to talk about the strength and power that comes in compassion and gentleness, I am just going to leave it as is for you to ponder.
I am going to add a song. Bruce Springsteen has a new album called Only the Strong Survive which is comprised of his cover versions of great Soul and R&B classics. While I have been a Bruce fan for nearly 50 years and his music has been the soundtrack for much of my life, I am not crazy about this album. Oh, his performances and those of the backing band are excellent and the songs are, needless to say, brilliant.
It’s a fine album and I will no doubt listen to and enjoy it again and again.
But the originals of some of these songs are so ingrained in the precious fabric of memory that the covers seem almost tepid in comparison. Maybe that’s because I do know these songs so well. For those of you who might not know them well, his versions might feel fresh and eye-opening. And that’s okay, even good if with it comes some recognition of the originals. Here’s the original version of the title track from the great Jerry “The Iceman” Butler.
Redtree Times 