Hi Everyone –
Warm greetings and blessings to you all!
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe and protected from all inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
As I hold the intention to create more SIMPLICITY and SPACE in my life, new thoughts and new experiences are flowing into it. Last month, I talked about EASE and GRACE;
this month, it’s about FOCUS.
Anybody that knows me will tell you that I’m a “detail guy”: I’m at my best when I can move slowly and thoroughly. The challenge with living that way is that I can (and do) lose my perspective on things… This week, I had to look through an old calendar to get more information on a past event, and it turned into a wonderful opportunity to notice how much my life has changed in the last three years – to notice how much more focused my life has become. What a blessing!
Last Sunday, I was in a prayer circle before Sunday service with the ministerial team at CSL White Rock. My dear friend Rev. Terry Shea invited each of us to step more fully into our calling, and his words felt like they were aimed squarely at me. SO – I hereby publicly accept his invitation and commit more fully to my calling – creating and performing music that inspires and heals – with FOCUS. AMEN!
With this in mind, I offer you these quotations as routes into YOUR exploration of focus:
“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape”
– Unknown
“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.”
– Ben Stein
“Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it.”
– Brian Tracy
“Keep focused on the substantive issues. To make a decision means having to go through one door and closing all others.”
– Abraham Zaleznik
“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’”
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“If you can’t live through adversity, you’ll never be good at what you do. You have to live through the unfair things, and you have to develop the hide to not let it bother you and keep your eyes focused on what you have to do.’”
– Maurice “Hank” Greenberg
May these words inspire you as deeply as they inspire me.
(THANKS to www.LeadershipNow.com/quotes.html for inspiring me to deepen MY exploration of FOCUS. If YOU have suggestions for inspirational media to share in a future newsletter, please drop me a line at NathenAswell@Me.com – I’d love to hear from you.)
REPORT
Here are my highlights from the last month or so:
– Performing at Give Peace A Chant with my very talented buddy Jerry DesVoignes. THANKS, Jerry – making music with you is a magical experience EVERY time. 🙂
– Performing at New Vision Center for Spiritual Living in Phoenix, AZ. THANKS to Musical Director Frank Smith & his terrific band, and to Mister Smith, sound man extraordinaire, for making me feel so welcome. (Special note to all of my drummer buddies: Steve Gadd was at the second service and had some very kind things to say to me afterward. Sorry that I didn’t get a picture with him to share with all of you!)
– Performing a House Concert at Jodi Floyd’s home in Scottsdale, AZ with my very dear and talented friend Marcy Baruch. THANKS, Jodi, for your hospitality and your generous spirit – being with you is ALWAYS a treat. And THANKS, dear Marcy, for the honour and pleasure of sharing a stage with you. 🙂 (SPECIAL THANKS to Jillian Fraser, who took over the P.A. and helped Marcy and I sound GREAT.)
– Performing at the Affiliated New Thought Network Conference in Scottsdale, AZ with my gal pals in the “Soul Co-Op” band: Rev. Pattie Weber, Rita Harrington, and Marcy Baruch. (We sound GREAT together, and we’re going to record together this summer.) THANKS, amazing women – it’s a GREAT pleasure to be a part of this team!
– Staying in AZ for another week and vacationing in Sedona with my beloved Sheila. (I am truly blessed!)
– Performing at Center for Spiritual Living in White Rock. THANKS, Rev. Terry; I treasure our heart connection, and it gives me great pleasure to “dance” with you on Sunday mornings. 🙂
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
BIG NEWS:
– As I continue to “plant seeds” and build connections and friendships everywhere I go, I’m getting more and more invitations to travel. My next stops are return trips to Edmonton (in June), and to new locations in CA, WA and OR. Details will be in future newsletters – stay tuned!
– On the home front: Canadian Memorial United Church, and Give Peace a Chant with Sandra Leigh. (Details below.)
SPECIAL EVENTS:
– It gives me great pleasure to announce that I’m returning to Calgary this month for performances at Casablanca Video & Sound and at Unity Church of Calgary (concert on Saturday night, and music AND talk on Sunday morning – !). (Details below.)
– Marcy Baruch and I are excited to be providing music for a Spirituality Seminar in CO at the end of the month. (Details below.)
– Sue Hodge, a nominee at this year’s Posi Awards, is coming to Vancouver on June 6th to perform with me at CSL White Rock and at an evening House Concert in Vancouver. (Details below.)
Here’s what my entire CALENDAR looks like in the next month or so. I’d be honoured to see you at any of these events. (AND please remember that I welcome any and all opportunities to serve you with my music; just e-mail me with your ideas at NathenAswell@Me.com.)
May
9, 10:30 AM – Canadian Memorial United Church & Centre For Peace (1825 W. 16th Avenue, Vancouver) – Church Service
14, 7:45 PM (doors open at 7:30) – Open Door Yoga Studio (2111 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver) – Give Peace a Chant, with Sandra Leigh, Meshe Dummond and Shawn Soucy – $15 / $10 for seniors and students with card
15, 5:45-6:45 PM – Casablanca Video & Sound (2101 33rd Avenue SW, Calgary) – In-store performance
15, 7:30 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM) – Unity Church of Calgary (2035 26A Street SW, Calgary) – Concert – $15 at the door, or 2 for $25 online through Sheryl at www.EvolvingDoors.ca / SGuillaume@shaw.ca / (403) 293-4952
16, 10:00 AM – Unity Church of Calgary (2035 26A Street SW, Calgary) – Church Service (Providing the music AND the talk: “Power and Surrender: Speaking My Truth”)
19, 8:30 PM – Lulu’s Lounge, River Rock Casino (8811 River Road, Richmond) – With Rachael Chatoor
20, 9:00 PM – Lulu’s Lounge, River Rock Casino (8811 River Road, Richmond) – With Rachael Chatoor
23, 11:00 AM – Unity of Vancouver (5840 Oak Street, Vancouver) – Church Service
28-30 – Westin Westminster Hotel, (10600 Westminster Boulevard, Westminster CO) – Integral Relationships and Sexuality Seminar with Marc Gafni, guest appearance by Ken Wilber – Music by Marcy Baruch and I – www.ievolve.org/event
June
4 & 5, 9:30 PM – Lions Den Sports Bar, Boulevard Casino (2080 United Boulevard, Coquitlam) – With The Hitmen
6, 10:30 AM – Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock (14600 North Bluff Road, Centennial Park, White Rock) – Church Service (Music by Sue Hodge, Browne Anderson and I)
6, 7:30 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM) – House Concert in Vancouver with Sue Hodge & Browne Anderson (http://SoundTouch.ca) and I – $20. (Space is limited, so please contact Nathen ASAP at NathenAswell@me.com to reserve your spot and to get details on the concert’s location.)
NEW WEB SITE CONTENT
As well as updating the blogs and calendars on my web sites, I’ve:
– added new comments (THANKS, dear Lisa, Colette, Felicia, Hannah, Tina, David, Douglas and Kathleen!) to my “Bio/Praise/Press” page;
– added photos from my second ANTN conference in Scottsdale, my visit to New Vision Center for Spiritual Living in Phoenix, my time with Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett in Vancouver, my concert in Kelowna, and a moment on the last day of the Vancouver Olympics to my “Photos” page and to my MySpace page;
– added links to two very inspiring books – “The Spiritual Significance of Music” (www.MusicAndSpirituality.com/editions_1004.html – interesting interviews with a wide variety of people, including me!) and “Three Cups of Tea” (www.ThreeCupsOfTea.com – the extraordinary story of Greg Mortenson, and his passion to promote girls’ education, literacy, and peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan) to my “Music Store/Book a Concert/Links” page.
Happy May, everyone. Go with love!
With love and gratitude,
– Nathen
www.NathenAswell.com
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www.ConcertsInYourHome.com/Artist/NathenAswell.html
www.Bruha.com/Music_Store/music_store.html
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