Talking Portraits Show

This is a Tribute to my wife, Sharon Rose Parish, with special thanks to Sara Eskew, owner of Music of the Spheres Inc., and to 3 special women from Houston who gave me a gift that lives on  ....

This podcast is unusual in that it's as much to be felt as heard.  Many of you know that my beloved wife, Sharon, died suddenly on May 31. The large chimes you'll hear and feel were a gift from Jeanenne Tucker, Jane Lawson and Lavita Marks, who came from Houston to attend Sharon's memorial service. The chimes hang on my patio and when the breezes nudge them, it's as though Sharon is talking to me.

We're going to start by listening to Sharon on a conference call she held this year for the Way of a Warrior course for the More To Life Program. I want to add that for those of you close to Sharon, this is not going to be easy to listen to. I found myself in tears as I re-experienced the quality of her voice speaking about life, and heard the beautiful way she brings herself forward to everyone on the call - and to us right here, right now.

The chimes are another way I hear Sharon.  They're very personal for me, but there is something else about them -- their presence--they way they speak--their effect on friends who hear them--you know, the mind-body-spirit connection.

I wanted to know more about these amazing chimes, so I went to the source (well, the people who made them, anyway). They're exquisitely handmade by a company here in Austin called Music of the Spheres. I met its co-founder, Sara Eskew, at their warehouse. The other co-founder was Larry Roark, Sara's husband who, it turns out, also died suddenly and unexpectedly, like Sharon.  These special chimes help me remember the grace and beauty of my wife, who gave me and so many others around the world so many gifts.

Sara took me on a bit of a musical mystery tour, which I would like to share with you. 

So take a few deep breaths, sit back and relax and let this podcast in ...