How was Nashville, you ask? About that… Toward the end of January, I packed my family into our minivan for another annual roadtrip down to Nashville. We planned on staying for the month of February, exploring the city and her musical community. Turned out, we were driving right into the big ice storm that shut down the city and surrounding areas. We were huddled in our AirBnB in the dark wee hours of the morning as transformers and trees exploded around us (yes, trees explode), losing power, losing heat inside while the temperatures were dropping into the teens just outside the door. It was quite the sight around town, trees and powerlines down everywhere, traffic lights darkened, gas stations and grocery stores shut down, everything covered in a thick coat of ice. We had just a few days’ worth of rations, wondering how long we’d be stuck in this situation — — with two littles and an infant, no less. Our family of five was a small share of the nearly 500,000 without power in the city for days (in some cases, weeks). I didn’t take many pictures. Here’s one:
Inglewood neighborhood iced over in East Nashville.We found a hotel nearby with a generator — The Inn at Opryland! — and holed up waiting for power to come back on at our AirBnB. Long story short, it took a week, and by that time, we’d burned through our budget and decided to cut our losses, and trek back north to Martha’s Vineyard — just in time for a blizzard! That storm, we enjoyed. What else? An endless string of colds and flus woven throughout the trip and return. What a winter it’s been! I found myself musing on the story of Jonah. I am a rather rooted fellow these days; it can take a lot to pull me away from the Island I now call home. It can feel like abandoning my post. I weighed the possibilities that the storm clouds formed over my head precisely because I left behind the place where I sing and preach the Good Word. Then again, far be it from me to compare Martha’s Vineyard to Ninevah, or myself to a prophet! Pulling into Vineyard Haven on the ferry, it felt like we’d finally returned from exile to the Promised Land. In the words of Dorothy, “there’s no place like home.”
The Ag Hall in West Tisbury.ICYMI: New Album “Hymns & Homilies” Out NowI invite you to download and listen to my new album: “Hymns & Homilies” — an eclectic collection of songs for worship and musical sermons. This is not your grandaddy’s Christian music. Name your price — your support for my work of music ministry is a blessing!
Upcoming Appearances:
You're currently a free subscriber to Seán McMahon. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
|
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
How was Nashville?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment