Whether you are at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere or the end of winter in the southern part of the globe, at times it seems to have been a very long season. A long season in the midst of ever-changing times.

In such times, it is good to find moments of quiet, times to refresh one's ideas, one's visions of hope and of connection. Then, to take the next step.

Here is music to help with those things.

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways. 

This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. Our relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.

Remember when the important things in life were playing with friends, seeking adventure, and making forts? Remember when you’d wake up excited to draw chalk art on the driveway, play tag on the lawn, or catch fireflies after chomping on your ice cream treats? For some reason, as we age, the fun seems to shift to the background of life and the more mundane takes center stage...why is that? Sure, there are bills, laundry, taxes, and such— but if we’re lucky enough to have those things to manage, we don’t have to permit them to remove the focus from the fun in life, right?

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways. 

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways. 

The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series, Exploring Michigan's Coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways. 

It is summer at this writing, a summer of shifts and change and uncertainties across the world. It is a time of division, of anger.

It is also a summer, though, of seeking ways forward, and a time of looking for joy, for hope, for trust.

Music is a part of thinking about all these shifts and changes, of finding hope, of seeking perspectives that lead to peace.

Here's music to explore: