The Spiritual Danger Of Procrastination

by Kevin Burton    Twice on Page 7 I have taken a light-hearted look at procrastination, in essence winking at the practice.    No real harm if all we’re talking about is cleaning out the garage.    In the spiritual realm however, putting off important decisions can go from the comedic to the tragic. And …

The Apostle Paul Says “Dress For Success”

by Kevin Burton    Some of us, as high school seniors, went to classes called “College Prep.,” and what an honor that was. Somebody thought we were “college material.”     One of my teachers, can’t remember which one, clued me in on what might be coming just around the corner by getting creative with my …

More Musing On Life, Baseball And Pete Rose

by Kevin Burton    One day I answered the phone and instead of a typical getting I heard, “Your boy’s in jail.”    Baseball was one of the few things that my father and I could talk about peacefully. But we had a disagreement about Pete Rose.    I loved Rose, who died Sept. 30 …

Cincinnati Baseball Icon Pete Rose Dead At 83

by Kevin Burton    This is a story about baseball cards and the souls of men.    Or maybe it’s about crime and punishment and fleeting youth.    Or maybe this is a Joni Mitchell song in the making; I’ve looked at Pete Rose from both sides now, from glory and shame and still somehow …

Happy Birthday Little Sister, I Love You

by Kevin Burton    There was a day in the 70s when my younger sister Patricia asked me a question. I knew the correct answer to the question, but I lied to her.    We were in the basement of our father’s house in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Nobody else was around.    “When am I …

Embrace Your Mother While You Still Can

by Kevin Burton    Hug your mom.    Hug her today if you can. Hug her tomorrow because tomorrow is Mother’s Day, but don’t wait for a prompt from the greeting card companies. Hug her any time.    Hug your mom.    You see this on Facebook all the time. Hug your mom because you will …

Gerry Rafferty Was Born 77 Years Ago Today

by Kevin Burton    The headline to an article in The Independent called Gerry Rafferty a “bipolar alcoholic industry misfit.” His biographers including his daughter Martha dispute none of that.    The article was printed on the occasion of the 2021 release of “Rest In Blue” an album of Rafferty demos polished and completed by …

What’s Going On? New Marvin Gaye Music?

by Kevin Burton    There might be some court wrangling first, but there is a chance the world will get to hear some new Marvin Gaye music.    According to multiple reports, a collection of  tapes of previously unheard Gaye songs has been discovered in Belgium. The troubled genius moved there in 1981 to get …

“No Hard Feelings” By Eric Carmen Is A Gem

by Kevin Burton     You remember Eric Carmen for “All By Myself” and for the Raspberries’ “Go All The Way.” But it’s one of his B-sides that resonates most with me.    We got word last week that Carmen had died at age 74. The news sent my mind to several places, including to a …

50 Years Ago, Terry Jacks’ “Season In The Sun”

by Kevin Burton    When you move into a house, you see it and feel it in a way all your own. You inhabit that space with your special vitality.    The way others see that space, if they see it at all, may be interesting, but it lays no lasting hold on you.    …