It doesn't take some big monumental thing to appreciate the moment I'm living right NOW. In fact, as it's been said over and over again, now is truly all we have. Right now I'm warm on this chilly winter night. Right now I can sit down at the piano and play to my heart's content. Right now my parents are still on the planet and I can talk with them, throw my arms around them, tell them how much I love them. 

Who knows what may happen tomorrow? All I know is, I am grateful right now for the smallest things that add up to an incredible moment. A month ago it was hard for me to even take in a complete breath without pain, and yet tonight that same breath is effortless. What a gift! 

What are you grateful for? If you have a hard time coming up with something, remember...it might just be the smallest thing.

Wishing you Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

I'd never heard of Ben's Bells before and decided to go to the website Gary had posted, 

After watching the video I was so moved that I just had to tell you all about it. Started by Jeanette Mare-Packard, Ben's Bells began as a project to honor her late son but has blossomed into something that has touched thousands of lives in a gentle, subtle way. I highly recommend learning more about it by clicking on the link above.

During this holiday season it's nice to be reminded that simple acts of kindness can be the best gift, after all. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, "Because of your smile you make life more beautiful". And so it is.

Much Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

We all are well aware of what happened that fateful night at the Dakota in NYC. Instead of rehashing that horror, I'd like to focus on his incredible music, humor, activism and humanity. 

Here's one of the many gifts John Lennon gave to the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okd3hLlvvLw

Bob Dylan called him, "The best ballad singer I'd ever heard in my life".

Recently, The Swell Season has been paying tribute to Liam during their performances while on tour in the U.S. To watch their moving performance, please go to :

To listen to Liam Clancy sing, "The Parting Glass", do yourself a favor and go to :

Tonight I'm feeling so grateful to all the incredible musicians who have made our world a better place. Thank you Liam. Goodbye and blessings to you. Long may you live.

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

Thanksgiving Eve I sang for an event in Overland Park, Kansas. On the drive over, I began to notice that my vision seemed a bit blurry in one eye. I shrugged it off as a symptom of fatigue and dry eyes. As the evening wore on, however, my vision worsened until finally I was seeing mostly a blurry, foggy smoke out of one eye. Crazy. By the time I got home, I called my eye doc who asked a series of questions to rule out something extremely serious, gave me a couple of helpful suggestions and that was that. In the morning, he called to check on me & asked if I could meet him at his office (on Thanksgiving, no less! Is this guy great, or what?!). By then I was feeling so crummy that I was happy to do so.

It turns out that I had sustained a chemical burn on one of my eyes and it was causing pain, irritation, loss of vision, just to name a few things. How had this happened?! 

Well, this is why I am writing about it here, so that it might help you from experiencing the same thing. I was exposed to hairspray, believe it or not, (not being used on my hair) where I was getting my hair cut. It wasn't even sprayed directly at me, but the particles were intense enough that it actually burned the cells off my eye. Can you imagine that? Of all the countless times I've been in a hair salon, NEVER have I had that happen. But, it did, and I'm telling you, it was NOT FUN. It took a while for the effects to kick in, but when they did it was awul.

Anyway, after being treated and loaded up with antibiotic drops, numbing drops, artificial tears and a clear "bandage" contact to protect my eye while it healed, we headed off for a Thanksgiving meal with the family 90 miles away. (I might have felt yucky, but by gawd, I wasn't about to miss out on Thanksgiving!)

As I sat at the table with my loved ones, barely able to see them, wearing sunglasses & feeling like I had a log in my eye, a feeling of thorough gratitude washed over me. Here were the people I love the most, all together, sharing a delicious meal, laughing and telling stories. My family has been through a lot these past couple of months, including the deaths of 2 of my dear Aunts, yet we'd survived it and were living life to its fullest that day. I didn't need clear eyesight to see that I was the luckiest woman on the planet. I could hear their voices, touch their hands, taste the meticulously prepared food and feel my heart swelling with gratitude.

Several days later, my sight has fully returned. I've had the final check up from my doc and everything's healed beautifully. To say I'm thankful is an understatement. To say I'm blessed is true, eyes or no eyes. 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving & that you can truly see how fortunate you are to be on the planet. 

I'll be back soon...

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

As it's turned out, my parents are still with me. My dearest Aunt Dorothy, however, is not. She unexpectedly passed away yesterday morning. Here one moment, gone the next, just like that. To say that we're in shock is an understatement. 

Dorothy was such a shining light. She flew airplanes (she got her pilot's license when she was 64!), was a history of fashion expert, an astute business woman, mother of 2 righteously strong, creative daughters (my rockin' cousins...both artists, one a pilot), generous, classy and my dear Godmother. She was also a world traveler. In fact, I remember while riding in her tan VW beetle when I was 12 years old, she told me she had "the wanderlust" and got antsy if she didn't have a trip planned on a regular basis. As most of my adult life has been spent on the road, we had that in common. She always made me feel so special and loved. This morning, just as I was waking up, I heard her distinctive voice laughing, saying, "Kel?" I both laughed and cried.

As I write this, I am on my way to Colorado to perform 2 shows; one solo, one with my band. Part of me didn't want to make this trip, but like my Mom said, Dorothy would want me to do what I love to do....sing, play my heart out and have FUN. 

Monday we'll all gather to tell stories, celebrate, grieve and give my Godmother the send off she deserves. I keep picturing her in an airplane, smiling & waving, singing "off I go into the wild blue yonder..."

With a temporarily broken heart,

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

♥

In that spirit, I offer one of my favorite songwriters singing an achingly beautiful song. All is well tonight. May it be so for you, my friends.

Nothin' but

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

I'm up and at 'em & thought you might enjoy something fun from the incredibly talented, brilliant artist, Sarah Jones. Check it out:

Lots going on around here, more later...

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

I'm hitting the road in a bit, heading south to Ft. Scott, KS, performing with my band at the historic Liberty Theatre. It feels so great to have this day ahead of me.

What are you doing this weekend? I know winter has already begun in lots of places & will here soon, too. But today, it's one of those gorgeous Autumn days that you dream of. Ahhhhh....

Have a rockin' weekend, my friends. I'll be back here soon.

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley

I grew up in a home where my parents encouraged my brother, sisters and me to live our dreams. Really. They knew when I was very, very young that I was born a musician and never once discouraged me from following that path...a path that hasn't always been easy, in many ways... Music, art, literature, life long friendships, humor and big heartedness was not only valued but modeled by them. 

At my Mom's birthday party friends & family gathered to celebrate and have FUN, showering her with the love she's given so freely to all of us. There was lots of delish food (and a gigantic chocolate cake, thank you very much), good wine, great stories, music and dancing and I loved it all. I love her.

This bodes well for my future, 'cause longevity is in the genes. From the looks of it, she & Dad have set the bar mighty high. I'm okay with that.

Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Happy life to you all.

Love, Peace & Mercy,

Kelley