Music greatly enriches my life. I’ve been spending a lot of time in my basement recently listening to CD’s and vinyl records on my Crosley Rochester music machine. It’s been a wonderful time.

What I most connect with in music is the lyrics the singer-songwriters pen. I love experiencing their stories. Often I will read the lyrics as I listen to the songs. This helps me enjoy the music more and I also believe it helps me to be a better listener. Our world is in need of more good listeners. Many of us know how to tell our story. But how many of us truly know how to always listen to the stories of others?

Lately I’ve been listening to the music of Sam Cooke, The Beach Boys, Vampire Weekend, Dixie Chicks, Run Kid Run, The Insyderz, Cat Stevens, Louis Armstrong, The Ataris, MXPX, The Chieftains, Hawk Nelson, The…