Is began as a simple abrasion between two toes. The resulting infection would prove resistant to any antibiotics Paul’s doctors would prescribe. For the next five months dad moved back-and-forth between the hospital and a rehab facility called the Maples. During this time he went through four surgeries, including amputation of both legs. Eventually dad could no longer swallow. He lost weight to the point he weighed barely 100 pounds. On June 13 he was approved for hospice.
We made arrangements to travel to Springfield to see dad. Lauren booked a flight to arrive in San Antonio June 19. We planned to leave the next morning for the two day excursion. Brian called the evening of June 18 to tell me the pneumonia dad had been battling finally got the best of him.
After spending several hours in the Detroit airport on June 19 Lauren returned home, her flight canceled. Thus began a series of unfortunate events. The next day Lauren booked a flight from Detroit to DFW and we picked her up at the airport. Due to construction and our unfamiliarity with Fort Worth and the DFW Airport we made several wrong turns. This set us back about one hour and increased our stress level. In the meantime my brothers, David and Brian were busy drafting his obituary (Paul Hickman obituary) and making plans for the visitation and funeral. Visitation: Thursday 6 to 8 PM, Funeral: Friday 2 PM
Despite all these setbacks it was a beautiful God filled week. At Thursday night’s visitation guests related numerous stories about dad, the majority of which I had never heard. Mom’s grieving seemed to dissipate with all the encouragement she received from her friends.
At the funeral papa’s sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren played and sang a gospel version of Any Day Now.
Brian told a story about how dad met two musicians on a business trip to the UK. These two gentlemen were in a band called Judas Priest. Unfortunately he did not get any autographs, guitar picks, concert tickets or anything else. He also talked about how we always said that, like a cat dad had nine lives, but that he had used them all up about 20 years ago.
David gave a few examples of dad’s business life and how he was a man of integrity in all his business dealings. He talked about dad’s love of crossword puzzles and his dominance in Trivial Pursuit.
I talked about interviewing him last Fall for a blog post and how I found out several things about him I never knew. He lived with Porter Wagner his first year in college. He tried out as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He turned down a full scholarship to Drury College because they did not offer a chemistry degree.
I have heard it said that “Who you are speaks far more eloquently than anything you say or do”. Though he was far from perfect, his courage in dealing with the constant pain and suffering of rheumatoid arthritis inspire me. Dad was a quiet, humble man and I strive to follow his example.
Your assignment for this week: Call your parent(s). If you don’t have a parent call a sibling, aunt or uncle, or other family member. Find out something about them that you did not already know.
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra or Thus Spake Zarathustra) is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical novel of the same name. The composer conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt. A typical performance lasts half an hour. The work has been part of the classical repertoire since its first performance in 1896. The initial fanfare – titled “Sunrise” in the composer’s program notes[3] – became particularly well-known after its use in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Así habló Zaratustra, op. 30 (título original en alemán Also sprach Zarathustra) es un poema sinfónico compuesto por Richard Strauss en 1896. El autor se inspiró en la obra homónima del filósofo Friedrich Nietzsche. El estreno tuvo lugar el 27 de noviembre de 1896 en Frankfurt1 y desde entonces ha formado parte del repertorio clásico. La fanfarria inicial, titulada “Amanecer” en las notas al programa del compositor,2 alcanzó gran popularidad con su uso en la película 2001: Una odisea del espacio de 1968 de Stanley Kubrick.3 A esta célebre inclusión de Así habló Zaratustra en el cine, le siguieron muchas otras tanto en el ámbito cinematográfico y televisivo como en otros muy diversos.
1 In The Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.8 God called the vault “sky.”And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.7 Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d]and onyx are also there.)13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e]14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found.21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh.22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The sun has returned and daytime temperatures now top 90°.
As we head into Summer thoughts turn to vacation, barbecues, or trips to the beach. Perhaps you prefer to stay inside where it is air-conditioned and curl up with a good book.
I invite you to participate in a more interactive Brad’s Music Room experience. Three new programs invites you to do just that.
SOS –Summer of Smiles 😉
I will be conducting an experiment this summer on the power of smiles.
This interactive topic will feature music and videos designed to put a smile on your face. With each post you’ll be given an assignment. As you complete your assignments, I hope you will report back and share your experience with other subscribers. At Summer’s end I will post a summary of the power of a simple smile.
Moses Meet Mozart
When was the last time you read the Old Testament? If it has been a while, you are in luck. I am going to make it easy for you to read 50 essential Scripture passages of the Old Testament without even having to pick up a Bible. Starting July 2 you will receive a bi–weekly email with that week’s prescribed reading.
Relive the familiar stories like those of Adam and Eve, Noah and Moses. Remember the murders, stolen identities, oppression, adulterous behavior and other failures of a stiff necked people. Be reminded that no matter how badly God’s chosen people behave His grace always prevails.
Experience these stories with a soundtrack of some of the greatest classical music of all time. Featuring music from familiar composers like Beethoven and Mozart plus pieces from lesser known artists and contemporary composers.
¿Prefiere el español? No hay problema. Cada publicación contendrá una descripción en español de la música y los compositores. Se incluirá un enlace a la escritura usando la Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI)
Coming Fall 2017–Brad’s Music Academy
School is back in session. Join me for the first course toward the Master of Music History (MMH) degree. Offered exclusively through Brad’s Music Academy this two year degree program will cover the entire spectrum of Christian music history.
As Christianity spread from the Holy land throughout Europe and across the ocean to the new world, Christians brought their music with them. As the young religion evolved so did the music. Learn about the influence of people like Beethoven, Elvis and Bob Dylan. Discover new artists like Blind Willy McTell and the Crusaders. Experience some great Christian music and a bit of history.
@Bradmusicroom Is Now On Twitter
If you don’t already have a Twitter account you can get one here:
Is began as a simple abrasion between two toes. The resulting infection would prove resistant to any antibiotics Paul’s doctors would prescribe. For the next five months dad moved back-and-forth between the hospital and a rehab facility called the Maples. During this time he went through four surgeries, including amputation of both legs. Eventually dad could no longer swallow. He lost weight to the point he weighed barely 100 pounds. On June 13 he was approved for hospice.
I talked about interviewing him last Fall for a blog post and how I found out several things about him I never knew. He lived with Porter Wagner his first year in college. He tried out as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He turned down a full scholarship to Drury College because they did not offer a chemistry degree.
on your face. With each post you’ll be given an assignment. As you complete your assignments, I hope you will report back and share your experience with other subscribers. At Summer’s end I will post a summary of the power of a simple smile.
