Posted on October 29, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

Live in Moncton with Betsy and Pete

(Terry Mosh Dunbrack photo)

 

“What the people need, is a way to make’em smile,

It ain’t so hard to do if you know how.”

Listen to the Music – The Doobie Brothers

It’s happened so many times in my life. Sometimes it’s planned but more often than not, it is totally spontaneous, unscripted, unrehearsed, and unexpected. It happens in places where one would expect and occasionally in some of the most remote corners of the world and most unusual venues. Sometimes it happens with just one person present and other times a small gathering, and once in awhile in front of large crowds. Invariably, it brings joy.

Of course, I’m talking about music and more specifically the power of music to move the soul.

Last week, I was in Halifax at the Seahorse tavern. No. It wasn’t part of a pub crawl which was all the rage decades ago when we were university students. My son was in town with Jesse Roper and The Pretty Good Band. It was their 16^th stop on a 30 city North American tour. A few family members travelled up from Antigonish to see Pete and the guys perform.

It was a long day. This notoriously early riser was on the go at 5:30 a.m., walked to school, taught grade 7 math all day and then hopped in the car for a 2-hour drive to Halifax. The performance time got shifted around and it was close to 10:00 p.m. before the boys took the stage… well past my bedtime!

I was minding my business sipping on a can of cold Keith’s when Jesse walked by and jokingly asked if I wanted to go up and sing a tune with Pete. Of course, being the shy, withdrawn type (!), it took me about two seconds to say yes. In that instant, I became part of the opening act.

Now it is safe to say that Pete and I have performed together many times so we didn’t need a formal rehearsal. We performed Neil Young’s “Old Man”, and it was very well received. For me, it was one of those magical musical moments that just appear randomly and left me feeling so incredibly lucky that I have music in my life.

I lay my head down on a pillow at 1:00 a.m. Tired but happy.

These moments are precious and have, in many ways, defined my life, a life of gratitude.

There are far too many instances of the magic of music but here are a few standouts.

. Performing “Let It Be “with 16 young novitiates in India on International Women’s Day in front of a crowd of 500 Indian women dressed in colorful saris.

. Finding a guitar in an alburgue on the Camino and singing “Country Roads” with people from every corner of the globe. It seems like everyone knows this song.

. Singing spiritual songs with elders in Kangiqsujuaq, Quebec. I was singing in English. They joined in singing in Inuktitut. Many of the women were moved to tears.

. Performing with my brothers at St.Peter’s Hall in Ingonish Beach as part of the Escorts band back in the late 60s.

. Playing for one of countless kitchen/beach parties at our summer homes in Bayfield.

. Singing in choirs and being in the presence of musical royalty such as Raylene Rankin and James MacPherson.

. Sharing my music and stories with my students at St. Andrew Junior School.

. Performing at the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, most notably in the Alzheimer’s unit, watching people who have lost so much, come alive when they hear an old familiar tune.

The most magical moments of all are when I watch my 4 children perform. When they were teenagers, they played at concerts and festivals. They shared the stage with the legendary Bruce Gouthro and took part in Celtic Colors International Festival as part of The Next Generation concert. They have sung at funerals for family members and friends. Some of the best times are when they’re just hanging out and they decide to do some tunes.

It’s hard to rank the very best musical memory but it would be hard to match the gig at Piper’s Pub on my 70^th birthday. All of my children and grandchildren were there and at the very end, we all got on stage and sang the last song together.

Material wealth is highly overrated.

Most of us know where true wealth resides. It’s in our hearts and being in the company of loved ones.

Music has given me so much joy. I feel incredibly lucky.

Music moves the soul.
Have a great weekend.

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back this weekend.

Posted on October 22, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

Knock on wood

“Hello darkness my old friend,

I’ve come to talk to you again.”

Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel

It won’t be long now before we are thrust into darkness. In the wee hours of November 2^nd, Daylight Savings ends, gifting us with longer, darker days. Yes, we will receive an extra hour of sleep, but the joy will be short lived as we adapt yet again to the realities of the coming winter.

Take one’s medicine.

“To accept something that is unpleasant because it is necessary and cannot be avoided.” Merriam-Webster

There was a time that I took pride when filling out medical intake forms. For most of my adult life, I didn’t have any aches, pains, or illnesses that required medications. Oh my, how the script has flipped. The aging process eventually takes its toll and now I might have to build an extension on the medicine cabinet. On a recent visit to my family doctor, I commented that I had seen her more in the past five years than I had seen my previous family doctor in 35 years.

Indeed, we must take our medicine along with the half cup of pills many of us take on a daily basis.

When a group of seniors get together for coffee these days and lays out their litany of medical issues, we call this an “organ recital”.

I returned to the classroom a few weeks ago. Day 1, I had a rocky start. I was teaching French. “Est-ce que tu parles francais?” I was summoned part way through the day as one of the teachers had a family emergency that needed immediate attention. As I get older, I’m finding it more challenging to pivot quickly and arriving unprepared is not ideal.

I found the first class very challenging. I couldn’t seem to get the students settled. The thought crossed my mind that maybe time had finally caught up to me and that it might be time to fully retire. At lunch time, I felt a bit battered but was soon reassured by my colleagues that I wasn’t losing my touch. Everyone was having a challenging day. There was a full moon the night before. I was also informed that the first class that I had taught was a challenging bunch.

The next day, I substituted for the Gaelic teacher and on the third day, I filled in for the art teacher.

I saw this quote which nicely sums up the life of a teacher:

“Teachers who love kids teach elementary school. Teachers who love their subject matters teach high school. Teachers who are crazy teach middle school.”

Enough said!

Are you afflicted with Blue Jays fever? The Toronto based baseball team seemed to catch the imagination of the entire country in their attempt to get to the World Series. During the divisional series with the New York Yankees, my brother and his wife hosted a game watching gathering at their house. By the second inning, the living room was full. It brought back many memories of the Summit Series of September 1972 when a group of NHL stars defeated the Russian Red Army in a nail biting 8 game series.

World Series, here we come!

A pleasant distraction from wars and tariffs.

My 8^th book, my autobiography, will be sent off to the printers any day now. I will be doing a book launch at the Antigonish Heritage Museum on Saturday, December 13^th at 2:00 p.m.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. If you want to pre-order a book, drop me a note.

Posted on October 21, 2025 under Poetry with no comments yet

 

 

Fallen Leaves

 

It’s fall, and the days are shorter,

Darkness is creeping in,

This time of year, I’m a big supporter,

Summer has left, that’s not a sin.

Seasons come and seasons go,

They pass quicker every year,

Before you know it, we’ll see snow,

We’ll be wearing different gear.

I love the fall, in all its glory,

The leaves they are a turning,

The changing colors, tell a story,

Lessons we keep on learning.

On sunny days, the leaves they crunch,

When they’ve fallen from the trees,

I hike in the woods, I have a hunch,

The calm before the freeze.

When it rains and the sky is foggy,

The leaves they make no sound,

Red, yellow, orange, they’re now quite soggy,

On their journey to the ground.

Life is a little bit like fall,

We live our lives in quarters,

Summer, winter, spring, they’re all,

Part of nature’s mortar.

The leaves are falling from our family trees,

As aging takes its toll,

Our seasons have passed, it’s plain to see,

The calling of the roll.

We’ve had our summer, winters, springs,

And suffered the occasional fall,

We’ve had our time, we’ve lived like kings,

We gave it our one and all.

Do not lament the fallen leaves,

For surely spring will come,

We’ll rise again, so do not grieve,

There are better days to come.