"For all that has been, thanks."

I started this blog in mid-January of this year. Sometime today or tomorrow, the "page views" ticker is going to go over the 15,000 mark, which to me is just unbelievable. It's not "Whispers in the Loggia," but it does go to show the power of social media to unite people with common interests. Writing the musical and liturgical stories down has helped me articulate my heart better, allowed me an apologia pro vita mea musicali. 

Instead of writing about that, though, I thought today I'd just tell you what you seemed to like. These are the top ten posts since day one by the number of page views.

Pretending to play Frank Lloyd Wright's piano at
Taliesin West, before the cops caught me

1. "If You Can't Say Anything Nice" - the most popular entry was a post about the way we talk about each other and the music with which we choose to worship.

2. "Ten Songs that Made a Difference to Me: 1-5" - these were liturgical songs from the first decades after the Council (1965-1985). I wrote this reflecting on NPM's Pastoral Music survey article "Songs that Made a Difference." The second half of this piece didn't quite make the top ten, but it is here. Don't want it to be a cliffhanging source of consternation.

3. "The Privilege of Our Calling" - this was a reflection on life as a parish musician over a period of twenty years in a single parish.

4. "Ten Songs that Influenced Me: 1985-2005" - a follow-up to #2 above, this article was part one of two dealing with the second two decades after the Council.

5. "Ten Songs that Influenced Me: 1985-2005, Part Two" - unlike #2, you seemed to be just as interested in how this second top ten came out. I'm guessing because you didn't remember the older songs. :-)

6. "Who's in Charge Here?" This was some notes I'd written a few years ago about Holy Week in the parish, when serendipity (or the Holy Spirit) changed the outcome for the better from my plan.

7. "Believing Is Seeing 2 - the Dark Night of the Liturgical Soul" was the second of a series of reflections on the gospel of Lent 4 in year A, the story of the healing of the man born blind.

8. (tie) "Word of the Day: Triduum" - a public service announcement about a bit of our jargon.

9. (tie) "Anniversary - My Half-Life as Music Director" - my little "paschal mystery" story of how I got into this work thirty years ago, getting fired from my "real job" on Holy Thursday, 1983.

10. "Acknowledging Impostor's Syndrome" - confessing that nagging feeling that I don't know what I'm doing and have no business pretending that I do.

In addition, I've done a couple of series that I will be continuing. In case you haven't seen the entries yet, here's what I have so far in my "SongStories" and "Albums" postings.

SongStories - what kills me here is that there are 7 entries and 6 numbers because there are two #2. Math, at least ordinal numbering, is clearly not my strong suit.

Safety Harbor

Psalm 34: Every Morning in Your Eyes

Jerusalem, My Destiny

Precious Blood

Psalm 22 for Palm Sunday

Toward a Family-Friendly Easter Vigil

Heart of a Shepherd (Agape for Breakfast)

Albums

You Alone (1983)

Do Not Fear to Hope (1986)

Mystery (1987)

Lost and Found (1987)

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog over the last three months, and for all the affirmation, correction, reminiscence, and other kinds of feedback you've given me. More to come. See you in church.