Monday Morning Musings

"Mary just loves to sing!" said my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ruppenthal. I think what she was nicely telling my parents was that that was ALL I wanted to do! As a kid growing up in a tiny Wisconsin town, I never dreamed that I would sing in Chicago with some of the best talent of the day! What makes me think of this is that I was blessed to share the stage with the great Mavis Staples of The Staple Singers. Mavis, very deservedly, received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Columbia College over the weekend. "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself" are two of my all time favorites! Oh, yes, back in the day, I opened for Garth Brooks and Patty Loveless, but that's another story...