I am a pianist/vocalist/songwriter, with the heart of a gypsy, who has traveled many places to play my music. A recent trip to “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen” Denmark reminded me, with great clarity, of the young woman I was when I first experienced this fabulous city in 1984. I was a single mom and had been offered a job at the Sheraton Copenhagen to play piano in their lounge for three months. At the time, my kids were young and I, being the adventurer I am, decided to just “go for … [Read more...]

I was journeying back to Sri Lanka, my second trip there in one year as a humanitarian worker. On a personal level, I needed this trip to meet the people who, unknowingly, were instrumental in setting the course of my spiritual journey. Since the day I said "yes" to a Joy of Life (JOL) meditation class in Colombo one year back, I am not the same person I was, and even though the road that stretches ahead will one day tell me who I am, I know myself to be more joyful and more present than ever … [Read more...]

I've lived in the Twin Cities my entire life. I've been looking for me since I can remember. Then in 2005, just before I turned 33, I snapped. The contraindications were too much. I remembered my promise to my friend. That if all was lost - and all was lost - that I would really do it. I would try to work with Prince to write some songs that could help put an end to some of the "shenanigans" here on earth, once and for all. I promised to try to get to Prince because I believed he was part of … [Read more...]

I first encountered Savannah, GA, on a two-week family road trip. I may have been an opinionated kid at the time, but I was intrigued by this lovely gem of a town. With its elegant architecture and lush squares replete with live oak and Spanish moss, one could imagine a more graceful era, a more genteel frame of mind. As a relatively uncouth northerner, I'd never seen anything like it before; it was charming and very special. "Savannah," I thought, "someday, I'll come back to you." Many … [Read more...]

I always wanted to do more traveling, but it always seemed so out of reach between the expense of time and of money. One day, I decided...this is it! I'm going, no matter how impossible it seems! Several weeks later I found myself on a flight to the Caribbean coast of Mexico for my own personal spiritual retreat. In the Tulum the ocean is ultra, ultra blue and the sand fine and white. The scrub jungle is filled with birds and mystery. A lovely paradise, indeed. Walking for miles down the … [Read more...]

I still recall descending on a small plane into Ithaca, NY, in 2001. It was a business trip that brought me to this destination, where I would meet with a number of law faculty at Cornell University, some long-time authors of the academic publishing company I worked for at the time. I hadn't wanted to make this trip, which required troublesome connecting flights. In fact, I came only at the urging of my manager who thought I might enjoy the area. It turns out, she was right. As my plane … [Read more...]