Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in......
---Leonard Cohen
There have been artists through the ages that, through their music, literature, paintings, and sculpting, are able to portray the emotions that the rest of us are quietly feeling. On November 7, 2016 we lost a man whose ability to give our emotions a platform was legendary. Leonard Cohen's words rang true for so many of us as we listened to him, and many other performers, sing them from the heart. The man behind those words was as interesting as his lyrics, and author Sylvie Simmons gives as a peek into his fascinating life in I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen. This is a well researched and written book that is well worth reading.
It is funny how we all relate to music, be it country, pop or classical. Roberta Flack made many of us believe she was singing our lives with her words:
...Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song....
Who didn't feel that amazing spark of patriotism when listening to Lee Greenwood sing:
...And I'm proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up
Next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
So I will take the lyrics from Leonard Cohen's song, "Anthem", and I will "ring the bells that still can ring." Perhaps I didn't get my way this election, perhaps our new President-elect is surrounding himself with some pretty scary dudes, and perhaps I will be a little less comfortable in my world, but there is still much that I (and you) can do to hold on to the things we value. There is no "perfect offering" (nor should there be) in a land with so many diverse ideas and emotions. My perfection might be another person's disaster. So we watch the light push through the cracks, and we stand strong with our beliefs.
Mine is, and always will be, equality for everyone, and I will continue to stand up for all human rights. My life, my vote, my pursuit of happiness is no less or more important than anyone else's. I will support those who hold my beliefs in our state's and in our country's legislature. I will join causes and peacefully ask to have my voice heard. I will hope that our soon-to-be President will be influenced by the good angels on his shoulder, and four years from now we will say, "Hey, we made it, and look...the light did get through the cracks.
Speaking of cracks, Psychologist Alex Delaware and his cop buddy Milo seem to find small cracks in every alibi and eventually solve every case they take. Author Jonathan Kellerman has had a great time entertaining us with books about this crime solving team since 1985, and his latest endeavor, Heartbreak Hotel, is a must read for his fans. His descriptions are vivid, and the mystery surrounding the murder of an old woman with no enemies will keep the reader guessing for most of the book.
As always, complete reviews on both of this weeks books follow this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly