said, a, o, oh way to go ohio

I WENT BACK TO OHIO
MY CITY WAS GONE
THERE WAS NO TRAIN STATION
THERE WAS NO DOWNTOWN
SOUTH HOWARD HAD DISAPPEARED
ALL MY FAVORITE PLACES
MY CITY HAD BEEN PULLED DOWN
REDUCED TO PARKING SPACES
A, O, WAY TO GO OHIO

WELL I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY FAMILY WAS GONE
I STOOD ON THE BACK PORCH
THERE WAS NOBODY HOME
I WAS STUNNED AND AMAZED
MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
SLOWLY SWIRLED PAST
LIKE THE WIND THROUGH THE TREES
A, O, OH WAY TO GO OHIO

I WENT BACK TO OHIO
BUT MY PRETTY COUNTRYSIDE
HAD BEEN PAVED DOWN THE MIDDLE
BY A GOVERNMENT THAT HAD NO PRIDE
THE FARMS OF OHIO
HAD BEEN REPLACED BY SHOPPING MALLS
AND MUZAK FILLED THE AIR
FROM SENECA TO CUYAHOGA FALLS
SAID, A, O, OH WAY TO GO OHIO


ahhh, thank you pretenders...

i'm headed back to ohio today...back to the 'nati to hang with k rains and dave nixon

but more than that fun, i am at the beginning to something wonderful...i am joining the sustainable faith school of spiritual direction through the leadership and guidance of dave nixon


one of the books i have read and re-read entering this new season was margaret guenther's: holy listening: the art of spiritual direction

i love that image: spiritual direction as holy listening

one of the ways i have discerned that God is calling me into spiritual direction has been fervent conversations with Him...abiding and listening to Him

but also with sacred friends...deeply

Listen and you will live.
from Isaiah 55

...i think it has much to do with my vocation...

...which, in turn makes me think of kendall payne's somg 'closer to myself' from her album, jordan's sister:

Digging deep, I feel my conscience burn
I need to know who and what I am
This hunger jolts me from complacency
It rocks me, makes me meet myself
Jacob walked a limp to remind him
Of the greater gift of the greater one
But when I fell, I fell to my own resources
How can I carry a truth, if I can't even crawl to you?

Chorus:I wanna feel something sweeter than this sin
Cover me in leaves and roll me over again
I've been everybody else now I wanna be
Something closer to myself
Paint me in a different light
Shed me yet another coat of skin
Mark me with ash until I'm clean again
Cause I'm so sick and tired
Of being sick and tired
I know I can love you, I know that I can