Charles van Heck
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When Reason Sleeps, the Monsters Emerge
The Times published a poem by Robert Palmer in 1916 that reads in part: From sodden plains in West and East the bloodOf kindly men streams up in mists of hate,Polluting Thy clean air: and nations greatIn reputation of the… Continue reading
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Searching with a Lantern
The summer of 1966 was a difficult time for me. In the spring, my father had died suddenly. My mother had decided I should attend Boy Scout camp for a week. In the weeks leading up to it, I had… Continue reading
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Friends, Strangers and a Chance Encounter
“When we walk our way and encounter a man who comes towards us, walking his way, we know our way only and not his; for his comes to life for us only in the encounter.” Martin Buber, I and Thou… Continue reading
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To Go By Music: Part Five
Monk’s Dream – Thelonious Monk Quartet Stan Rogers- Northwest Passage Mi Tierra Mexicana – Mariachi Aztlán (UTRGV) – 29th Annual Mariachi Extravaganza Simon & Garfunkel – America / Homeward Bound – 11/6/1993 – Shoreline Amphitheatre Joni Mitchell – Both Sides… Continue reading
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To Go By Music: Part Three
This piece is a prayer of the heart Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis – Tabita Berglund The Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tabita Berglund. Photograph by Karim MANJRA on Unsplash Continue reading
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To Go By Music: Part Two
Leonard Cohen “Hallelujah” A song in Ukrainian. Hallelujah: Trilingual Version [English, Hebrew, Arabic] – Nicole Raviv Hallelujah in 3 languages: English,Hebrew, and Arabic, in light of the October 7th Israel-Hamas war. This song is a dedicated prayer for peace for… Continue reading
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To Go By Music: Part One
This week I am doing something different. Rather than words, I am inviting you into my world of musical interest. I have eclectic taste. I hope you will enjoy the music and the short, well, mostly short videos. Diverse as… Continue reading
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Chanukkah and Advent: Dialogue and Hate in the Trumpian Age
Mixing Apples and oranges (or pomegranates). Readers may think I have been doing just that in these reflections on Advent and Chanukkah. Jews and Christians have distinct faiths and teachings. I firmly believe in ecumenical dialogue. Dialogue, to reach an… Continue reading
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A Poem
Walking from the BarnAt the pasture’s distant edge,Spines of twisted trees, branchesKnitting the waning gray lightfall sky.My breath vapors form cloudsIn the air smelling of snow.Crows, in curved flight, caw Their roosting hour notes,Rising as if released fromSheet music uplifted… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 