Image: cover for Realms of Light. My singer Louise McConnell (L) and I on break from a concert tour in the mid-80's, in Manasquan, NJ.
Thursday, October 4
Checked the pages of photographs for Realms of Light with Diana today; then we worked our way through the Appendix. Went to Kinko’s and printed up the entire book, to reproof tomorrow, looking for formatting mistakes etc. Then off to reviewers and the publisher it all goes. I will look at it tonight, on my own.
Monday, October 8
Diana and I made all our final decisions today on the formatting: it is done. Will mail it off to the first reviewer tomorrow, and to the publisher.
Wednesday, October 10
Mailed the ms to the reviewer, but late last night Diana and I realized we had not yet designed the back cover. We designed the back cover after meditation and class; I am pleased with it. A few more questions for the publisher and we can send the ms to them.
Friday, October 12
Have been steadily working to fix up the Music Studio after the flood. The Music Studio is a separate building, in back of our main house. It was to be my teaching studio, but I had my car accident a month after we moved into this house - and I have not taught since. I have missed my students and teaching dearly.
Beautiful flagstones lead up to it, past the mail box and coal bin, under the carport on the west side of the house. Men came and took everything out of the studio; all the books and musical scores on the bookshelves along the south wall, floor to ceiling, were removed and packed into boxes which then sat in our back room for some weeks. The rugs were taken out, new ones put down. It took many weeks to clean every book, every score, every object - and then put everything back.
A week or so before the dehumidifier overflowed, a friend of mine from college asked if she could use the studio for teaching her piano students, for a few hours each week. I was happy that the studio would finally be used for teaching, and agreed to let her use the studio whenever she wished. After the flood, she helped me clean books and scores whenever she was able. Our last task together was to put all the plants back, they had been sitting in the carport for many weeks.
Because of my (healthwise) difficult summer, plants from the corner that had been displaced when the sidewalks were widened were still sitting in large plastic garbage bags in the carport; coils of unused garden hoses and dead rose bushes were piled by the door of the studio - all these had to be cleared away for Amy and her students, and I did so gladly. I wanted the studio to be both welcoming and clean for her students, and worked with the little energy I had to make it as welcoming as I could. My last effort was to put a stand filled with geraniums from the gardens by the front door, at least until the frosts come and they come indoors for the winter. I looked forward to students walking that slate path and using the beautiful Steinway grand piano in the studio - a piano that has barely been used, since I have a beautiful seven foot Steinway.in the living room of the main house.
When all was finished my friend began using the studio. One afternoon I needed to check some scores, and as I approached the studio from the house I heard the after-sounds of a beautiful piano piece, as though someone had just finished playing. My thought was that my friend was in the studio teaching, and I gingerly and excitedly peeked in the window: the studio was empty.
The aftersounds I had heard were not in my imagination. They were in the air around me.
This experience reminded me of a story I had read many years ago, written by a visitor to a chapel in Washington, New Jersey. It was late at night and the visitor heard a beautiful choir singing in the chapel. When he opened the door: no one was there.
I am always deeply grateful for these Glimpses into other realms.
Saturday, October 13
Diana sent the ms to the publisher today. Next week Diana and I will begin to think about the graphics for the next book, Visits With Angels and Other Divine Beings. I will reproof the manuscript and send it to her after she is back in Dallas.
I have scheduled a meditation retreat at Windgarth House next week. All my meditators are welcome, and two new people will learn to meditate. If it is warm enough we will meditate down by the lake then walk to the Point together, drink in its silence and beauty, gaze at the stars. Then we will have class on Divine Healing techniques, especially for the new people. Larry has agreed to be a practice Healee for classes, and hopefully he will also meditate with us.
Wednesday, October 17
Diana showed me the early stages of some of her new graphics for the next volume, Visits With Angels - I was very pleased with her ideas and images. Decided to take the ms with me to Windgarth next week, to begin reproofing it. That way we both can be working on the next book at the same time and at the same place - even though possibly on different floors of the house ...