Mix Tape Memories – Letters to Rachel

They… Pray!

Dearest Rachel – I realize just how silly this statement sounds as I’m preparing to type it, but it has to be said; there are times when I have no idea what my mind is thinking. That would seem completely oxymoronic on its face; it’s my mind, I’m inside of it, I am it, inContinue reading “They… Pray!”

Ready (Already) For the Weekend

Dearest Rachel – I’ve gotten accustomed to the gym I go to these days to the point where I think I could scribble up the playlist I hear as I walk uphill for an hour. Maybe not completely, and certainly not in order, but there are a number of specific songs I’m guaranteed to hearContinue reading “Ready (Already) For the Weekend”

You Never Asked That of Me

Dearest Rachel – The other morning, as I was waking up to the stillness of the empty bedroom (which, after over a week of sharing hotel rooms and a ship’s stateroom with Daniel’s, ought to be a bit of a relief, but there you go), an earworm burrowed itself into my mind. You know theContinue reading “You Never Asked That of Me”

Freedom in a Land of Plenty

Dearest Rachel – This morning, I was just heading out from the gym (and having to turn back after passing the office complex behind the strip mall it’s in because I left my cap there; it was bright and sunny when I left, which caused me to forget that I’d worn it in the drizzleContinue reading “Freedom in a Land of Plenty”

I Don’t Think I Try Sometimes…

Dearest Rachel – I’ve said enough about Memorial Day festivities for one year (at least!) already, honey, so I’ll set the day itself aside for now. I will say that getting together at Jeanette and Ramón’s place is still a little surreal. It’s like attending a family reunion where I’m not actually a part ofContinue reading “I Don’t Think I Try Sometimes…”

It Can’t Rain Forever

Dearest Rachel – While I might point out that I’m still sleepy this morning from having stayed up later than usual with Daniel watching videos last night – and I may have gotten a little too smug about dropping my weight down to two-oh-six after yesterday morning’s workout (had leftover salad to serve as myContinue reading “It Can’t Rain Forever”

When the People Are Dying

Dearest Rachel – This is definitely not one of the tunes we swapped between us when we were courting after I graduated from college, but it’s true that at least one of Tonio K’s songs was in that lineup. This one has way too much social commentary to be considered a love song, to sayContinue reading “When the People Are Dying”

Same Singer, Different Songs

Dearest Rachel – At the moment, I’m short on both inspiration and time, when it comes to talking to you this morning. The former is probably due to the uniformity of midweek; when days look the same every time you open your eyes to the not-yet-dawn, what’s to tell you about? The latter has toContinue reading “Same Singer, Different Songs”

Not Quite All Night

Dearest Rachel – I hardly need to remind you that we were never exactly what you’d call “party people.” We didn’t hit the town to go clubbing but once every few years, and those times that we did, we found the atmosphere too dim and too loud. Even in college, I probably attended more fraternityContinue reading “Not Quite All Night”

Where Do We Go Now?

Dearest Rachel – For all the mixtapes we sent back-and-forth during the long distance portion of our courtship, neither of us were really on top of the popular music of the day. Most of your stuff came from your parents’ collection that you listened to and liked; if you wanted something more recent, you’d recordContinue reading “Where Do We Go Now?”

Jumping Into the River

Dearest Rachel – This is one of those titles where the contents actually tie in, but they don’t tie together all that well, so bear with me. It’s an ongoing occupational hazard of having to give a title to each of these letters; I start with an idea, usually based off of current experiences, andContinue reading “Jumping Into the River”

Singing Promises I Can’t Make

Dearest Rachel – Another day, another song pops up in my algorithm that gets under my skin. This time, it was a group that you and I had heard of, at least (albeit not until we were long since together, so it was never a part of our mix tape collection), but a song fromContinue reading “Singing Promises I Can’t Make”

from Rachel: To Live Happily Ever After

What has God done in your life that has exceeded anything you had seen, heard or imagined? “He has blessed me with a wonderful husband with a great extended family, a wonderful son, a nice house, parents who are both healthy, and many good friends.” Read Isaiah 61:1-3, and fill in the blanks: “The SpiritContinue reading “from Rachel: To Live Happily Ever After”

What it Means to be Home

Dearest Rachel – I’ve told you before about how I’ve been trying to expand the assortment of music I’m exposed to, if for no other reason than that to dilute the frequency I have to deal with songs that we would have considered ‘ours,’ whether or not they were part of our mix tape collectionContinue reading “What it Means to be Home”

Blue Sky and Memory

Dearest Rachel – I don’t exactly have a dream to tell you about this morning, only a piece of music that was running through my head upon waking up at three in the morning. It was a song that I would claim that I’ve never heard before my iTunes algorithm brought it to my attentionContinue reading “Blue Sky and Memory”

Too Many Moments, Too Many Left

Dearest Rachel – On the way to the restaurant this morning, where the men’s group was meeting – honestly, you’d think as many would show up for food as study, but we rarely even manage half the crowd of a normal Saturday morning – I was listening to John Ondrasik’s “100 Years” in my car.Continue reading “Too Many Moments, Too Many Left”

The Song That Fits

Dearest Rachel – So last night, Kerstin came over. It was all we could do; getting all the girls together just wasn’t in the cards. It’s part of why it’s taken so long to arrange your final send-off – Erin needs her schedule together for the following year by the previous November, while Aaron (theContinue reading “The Song That Fits”

A Treasured Toy

Dearest Rachel – I was on my way to work the other day, listening to whatever tunes the algorithm on my phone decides to play, when it came across this old song which I’d never heard before, but which seems a first blush like a fair question for one member of a couple to askContinue reading “A Treasured Toy”

Lonely Works of Art

Dearest Rachel – I’d relate my dreams to you from last night, but even at this relatively early hour (as I need to finish dressing and head off to the Bible study), the only image I can remember from last night was that of you, sitting across from me at some outdoor cafe, sucking onContinue reading “Lonely Works of Art”

The Illusion of Choice

Dearest Rachel – I’m not entirely sure how it is that my mind found itself pondering this concept throughout the course of the last night. Quite possibly, it was due to the video I saw that was reviewing Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse Five. I had read the book (and watched the film, for that matter)Continue reading “The Illusion of Choice”

Seventeen and Other Tunes

Dearest Rachel – I have to confess, I’m trying to find a style of music that I can listen to without being reminded of the many mix tape memories that we shared throughout our college and courtship days. Even stuff that grew on us by way of anime music videos can take a psychic tollContinue reading “Seventeen and Other Tunes”

#NoFilter No More

Dearest Rachel – You may not believe this, but I do have some rules that I try to adhere to with these letters I write to you. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I try to aim for about a thousand words with each letter (give or take a few hundred); enough to giveContinue reading “#NoFilter No More”

We Need Something New, Though the Truth’s Always True

Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure why, but I woke up this morning with the tune of “He Lives” running through my head. I can’t be quite sure of which lyrics, but I think I recall hearing the first (“I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today.”) and third (“Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,Continue reading “We Need Something New, Though the Truth’s Always True”

The Way of the Wayward Son

You know the rules. Driver picks the music; shotgun shuts his cakehole. Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) to his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki), as they begin their adventure, in Supernatural Dearest Rachel – I never got into the series; it was something you would watch as you were doing your chores or whatever it was youContinue reading “The Way of the Wayward Son”

The Curtain Can’t Come Down Soon Enough

Dearest Rachel – In a different context, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I’m about to break my promise to myself and you about keeping politics to a minimum with a title like that – it’s the sort of sentiment anyone with our belief system (or even dealing with the struggling economy) has to beContinue reading “The Curtain Can’t Come Down Soon Enough”

If You Said That’s the Way it Ought to Be

Dearest Rachel – You can’t escape music when you’re out and about it the world. Retailers in particular have decided that we need a soundtrack in order to encourage us to stay and buy, I guess. And restaurants seem to think we’d rather listen to tunes than talk with each other, judging by how loudContinue reading “If You Said That’s the Way it Ought to Be”

Three ¡Alarma! Fire

Dear Rachel – The irony of this letter is that, while the mix tapes we sent each other back in the day included songs from each of the albums from which I’m referencing, I’m not touching on them at all today. You see, this letter isn’t about our relationship with each other, but our (inContinue reading “Three ¡Alarma! Fire”

Here We Go Again

Dearest Rachel – This will probably not come as a great shock to you; it didn’t to me, although I was nevertheless disappointed to see it happen. After all, Ruby had gone so long without being too clingy (I tended to chalk up her contacting me on a daily basis as being a case ofContinue reading “Here We Go Again”

The Twelfth Pain

Dearest Rachel – I remember your calling me at some point while I was at the ‘office’ last year on this day. “Do you know what’s going on in Washington?” To be sure, I was keeping up with the news feed, but there’s always a lag between the activity and the written word describing it;Continue reading “The Twelfth Pain”

Eleven Months Home

Dearest Rachel – I had to save the most painful secular song for today, since it’s been eleven months since the accident. You didn’t think I’d forget what the twenty-third of the month was so soon, did you? It’s hard to think about it that way, since none of us on this since think ofContinue reading “Eleven Months Home”