Kris Kristofferson, Episode 6, Ken Burns’ Country Music

About the depth of Kris Kristofferson…

Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey

On Monday night, 9/23/19, those on the PBS airwaves and streaming were treated to a glimpse of a musical giant. He stands at almost six feet, speaks in a commanding baritone and has loved poetry since his childhood. This was Part 6 of Ken Burns’ documentary. I believe the best part to date.

Kris Kristofferson was the Texas-born son of a general, an
honor graduate, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford who focused on English literature
and arguably the greatest songwriter of my lifetime. At one point in his life
he was an officer in Vietnam, followed by the recipient of an offer to teach at
West Point. The two most beautiful college campuses I have ever seen are at
Princeton and West Point.

Despite the grandeur of the West Point offer following a
remarkable career, he started at the bottom as a janitor at Columbia Records in
Nashville. Per Ken…

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Flaws, We All Have Them

Fernando Tatis, Jr. is the fresh face of baseball. He has the physique, speed, and power seen as the 21st Century, athletic ideal. 

And yet, he has a humble, gracious heart with a deep abiding faith in God, which he has expressed. When it sounded like there was a shooter at large inside a baseball park recently, he raced with his blinding speed to the stands to protect some children of his teammates. Later, security discovered the shooter was outside the stadium, a much lesser threat to life and limb.

He plays the game with a joy I have not seen since my boyhood when I watched the oldest living Hall of Famer, Willie Mays.

Like a tragic figure in a classic drama, he has an abiding flaw. He plays so hard he is prone to injury, particularly in his left shoulder. He injured it Friday night with the possibility, hopefully tiny, he will not return to the San Diego Padres this season.

The two sides of Fernando are central to our human condition. We are all flawed. Those flaws are painful. 

By the grace of God, life still has enormous beauty and value, particularly through those we love deeply.