Greetings!

Wow, have I been a travelin' fool. 13 days on the road in Montana, Wyoming and Utah... then 9 days in Florida. (In fact, to all of you who are new to my newsletter, WELCOME!)

Both tours were extraordinary, filled with incredible moments. My visit to Salt Lake City took on special resonance when I was asked at the last minute, on my last afternoon, to sing and speak for a group of juvenile sex offenders in a locked-down hospital.

Beautiful kids, just regular boys like me, but with unimaginably complex and painful stories, and scars both visible and invisible. The time we spent together was pretty deep, and pretty complex in its own rite, but truly, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. We talked about our favorite music (I got requests for the Doors and Tim McGraw), we talked about forgiveness, about hurt, about healing, about the joy of supporting and serving others, about the phenomenal capacity Gandhi and Dr. King showed for trusting and opening their hearts again and again, inviting their supposed 'enemy' to experience ever greater love and compassion. Moments like those truly remind me why I do what I do.

Florida was another amazing experience. Great communities all the way from St. Petersburg to Ft. Lauderdale and back on up to Jacksonville. i loved each and every stop along the way. Not to mention the tropical sun and warm rain, gorgeous beaches, palm trees... I even stopped by the Kennedy Space Center and walked the same steel bridge that Neil Armstrong walked as he boarded Apollo 11. For a science lover like myself, that's pretty cool :-)

To be honest, the very fact that I was physically ABLE to do a 9-day, 9-performance tour is a bit of a miracle... which I attribute to a man named Gerald White, a vocal coach extraordinaire based in Santa Monica (he's also a phenomenal studio vocalist and songwriter).

If you've ever heard me perform some of my more intense songs like "One Power" and "Everything New", you know that I really hold nothing back. I'm proud of that, of course -- I couldn't stop it if I wanted to! -- but I've been singing full-out for 8 years, thousands of performances, without proper technique. About 6 months ago, while performing "My Soul Remembers", I reached a point where I could no longer 'force' a note to come -- in fact, I missed it entirely. Scary stuff for a singer. But an important wakeup call: if I don't take care of my body, of my instrument, there will come a day, sooner rather than later, when I'm no longer able to sing my own songs.

And so I began lessons with Gerald. And 6 months later, using Gerald's techniques and exercises, I'm able to sing, full-voice, 9 performances in a row, including SEVEN 2-hour concerts. I can even talk the day after! :-) So Gerald, THANK YOU. (And if you want to reach him, his website is www.Music1On1.com.)

Finally, I'd like to offer a special gift to everybody reading this newsletter: I've posted about 50 photos of Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Tetons National Parks for you to view. (And, because I've had the notion to do so for several years, I've decided to make a few of the photos available as artist-quality prints -- email us for more info, or watch for details next month.) I do hope you enjoy.

And wherever your life is taking you, I wish you graceful travel -- and more than a few of those amazing, unexpected moments of connection and joy. The ones that make life so full and so meaningful.

With love, and thanks for everything.

Daniel