Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: Jingles’ Promise

  • 12-20-2025 Do You Hear What I Hear

    It’s still dark as I lie in my bed with words coming through my head. These words have to do with Bonnie Makepeace, singer songwriter, and beloved friend. I’ve written about her music before. Today John and I are driving 150 miles to the home of Norm and Rochelle Morris, in San Antonio, Florida. They authored the book Jingles Promise I have also written about. The book is their story of the loss of their adult son.

    Bonnie shares their loss of an adult son.

    As does the Mother of Jesus.

    Today we are attending a by-invitation-only launch of music by Bonnie and Rochelle. Music that has been birthed within this past year. The admission is a donation of non-perishable foods for the local food pantry. In my heart, it is so significant that Bonnie is bringing this new music through. It’s music I’m savoring, and I think it’s music the world is hungry for — even those who don’t know they are.

    You see, the lyrics Bonnie is receiving as downloads are revealing to the world the Christ, not just the man Jesus that is alone worthy of love, but to The Christ, the energy that is the bedrock of what is good in every religion, and in all of life.

    Words of religion can end up working as swords, causing an unintentional gap built of labels. These “new” gospel songs create a bridge among all peoples of this world. This music is built on the pillars of love, peace, and clarity. This music is truly transrational. (See Drama Triangle)

    This has been a blessed week of music.

    We were at a jam on Tuesday night with lots of Christmas songs. Thursday evening, we attended the Christmas concert at Sacred Heart Catholic Church here in Punta Gorda, Florida. We went with Jim and Mary, our landowners of Blue House, where we lived for the last two winters. We love them and we loved the concert last year and this year did not disappoint. The sanctuary seats 1500 people, and Father Jerry herded a dozen or more who were standing in the back of the room up onto the chancel, saying, “These are the best seats in the house.”

    I have heard several Christmas songs for the first time. You see, I don’t think Bonnie Makepeace is alone. And, yes, that is her actual (married) name. I think Bonnie is among others writing what is coming through their hearts onto this planet, bringing more love and more light into the world with words we’ve been able to speak (or sing) before. It’s funny how your words change when your heart is truly open. The kindness, the awareness, the love pours forth in words that don’t come from your head. These words come directly from your heart.

    I don’t think it’s an accident that today’s concert is happening on December 20th and tomorrow is December 21st. Here we are, poised between the darkest day and the coming of the light. Collectively, humanity is also poised between the darkest day and the coming of the light.

    I’m really not looking forward to the drive in Florida’s notorious high season traffic, but I am sooooo looking forward to the music.

    I’m looking forward to experiencing it with others that we love: Ed Bennett and Teresa Palmer and her beloved Patrick. We are praying that Ed’s wife, Dee, will be physically well enough to be able to attend today. I know she’ll be there with us in our hearts, along with the sons of Rochelle and Bonnie and Mary….

    Obviously we don’t know what the traffic will be like until we have made the trip, and we don’t know what our world is going to encounter as we travel on down the road of these last days of 2025 and into the year 2026 and beyond. We know that these are very chaotic and volatile times (like the traffic in Florida in high season), but, oh, Dear Friends, the trip is worth it.

    I’ll be taking all of you with me in my heart today. I hope you love the music. I hope it touches your heart. Do you hear what I hear?


    Note* Here are a few of the “new-to-me” Christmas songs from the Sacred Heart concert:

    Francesca Battistelli: “Be Born In Me (MARY)”

    MercyMe – Joseph’s Lullaby

    Amy Grant – Breath Of Heaven (Mary’s Song)

  • Blessed Coming In and Going Out

    Our niece sent us an unusual door mat as a “housewarming gift” for our seasonal home in Florida. It is a religious-themed retro sunburst that reads: “I Am Blessed Coming In” from one direction, and “I Am Blessed Going Out” from the other direction.


    Shortly before the package arrived, I had told John we needed to get a nice rug for the kitchen door since we were unable to use our front door. After Jen’s gift arrived, I loved walking in and out of that kitchen door and feeling the blessing, but after only a couple of trips in or out — although the message was still precious — it bothered me this meaningful mat would quickly become soiled.

    I have moved it to the front door to keep it pristine. I am not sure where it will end up!

    Initially I was touched so deeply that the Holy Spirit inspired Jen’s gift. She had ordered the gift before my thinking the mat needed to be replaced…. As the message worked more deeply in my heart, however, I saw the bigger picture as it relates to what we call birth (coming in) and death (going out).

    “Birth” is more often seen as a blessing. “Death” can sometimes be seen as a blessing when old age, sickness, or pain and suffering are present. We have several very dear ones on this latter path right now. For some, no amount of pain or suffering generates a welcome mat experience of feeling blessed by going out.

    Last week John and I stopped over in Zephyrhills to make music with dear friend, Ed Bennett. Rochelle Morris and Bonnie Makepeace were at that jam. We had met Rochelle “Sherpashell” Morris several years ago. She is co-author of Jingles’ Promise, a book about the death of their adult son, written with her husband Norm “Jingles” Morris. It has been a soul connection, meeting them, and we love making music with Rochelle.

    We had met Bonnie through Rochelle last year when we were here visiting with Ed and his wife, Dee. The harmony of Bonnie and Rochelle is spectacular. Hearing a couple of Bonnie’s new original songs, and the sharing she and I had afterwards have left a deep yearning in my heart for more. I want to see the lyrics written out. I imagine being able to say, “Alexa” shuffle songs by Bonnie Makepeace and hearing: True love doesn’t fade; true love doesn’t die; here in my heart, Mother’s alive….

    Your heart can hear in Bonnie’s new lyrics a transformational world view I pray daily for humanity to experience fully. This world view was expressed precisely in November 17, 2025 podcast with Ky Dickens called The Telepathy Tapes – Our Paranormal Afterlife: Finding Proof of Life After Death. (Shared with me by Claudia.)

    We are blessed coming in and going out. And we are blessed going out and coming in.

  • The Birds Still Sing

    We wake up to snow flurries this morning…. so grateful one week ago today we arrived home in Michigan in gorgeous sunshine. We had beautiful warm, sunny days all week. Until yesterday…. and now snow today. But the birds still sing!

    Yesterday John and I went to St. John UCC in New Buffalo where I was guest pastor. When I spoke with Rol about coming I asked him if there was a theme he would most like me to reflect on, and he said he would like an update about our time in Florida. The title was Reflections from Florida: No Victims, Only Volunteers. Here are some notes from the sharing.

    According to Merriam-Webster, “suffering” implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

    I did not cry a lot, but I did cry often.

    In some ways I am perhaps the least prepared, and in other ways I am perhaps the best prepared for sharing a talk.
    o Easy drive home
    o Most pleasant week of weather we have ever returned to
    o John’s getting sick right after we arrived home (stomach bug)
    o My having a histamine storm a few days later (eyes swollen nearly shut and face on fire)

    For all that has been — thanks. For all that shall be — yes.
    ~ Dag Hammarskjöld, Grateful Living Word for Today, Gratefulness.org

    Opening Music: “Our Thoughts are Prayers” by Eric Hansen

    Nothing is the same. Disorienting. Collective loss. Hard to stay in the present moment.
    o The view
    o The thoughts
    o The feelings
    o The actions

    For all that has been — thanks. For all that shall be — yes.

    Reading from: When a Loved One is Suffering

      I will continue to try to help where I can.

    Fortunately “suffering” implies CONSCIOUS endurance of pain or distress.

    o Work day volunteers (each left work on their own damaged or destroyed home to come help at the Civic Center)
    o Cajun Navy (group of boat-owner-turned-first-responder post Katrina that now respond to other post-Hurricane)
    o Christ in Action (demolition of damaged homes free of charge, including removing debris and cleaning site)
    o Nancy’s going with us to make deliveries/buying baked goods and juice (her need to also GIVE)
    o Linda Higbee making dinner for us our last day of deliveries (undergoing cancer treatment this winter as they work to repair the previous rental home that was severely damaged but they purchased post hurricane)

    For all that has been — thanks. For all that shall be — yes.

    All solutions breed new problems – because both problems and solutions are simply arising and ceasing out of conditions.
    o Linda and Larry creating meals for a family of 8 who still had no stove (or beds) after 4 foot of water surge
    o Birthday blog resulting in the purchase of a stove for the family
    o Joan (owner of Molly, the dog I met) donating a gift certificate, blankets, pillows, canned goods, dry goods
    o Beth and David (Linda’s sister and brother-in-law) buying linens for three of the younger children
    o Basham Bargain Bazzar – not giving away but giving back (awareness when I dropped off precious Indian Tree pattern china I had used and loved for ten years to a friend who’s family had that pattern)

    For all that has been — thanks. For all that shall be — yes.

    Ed’s gifting me a copy of Jingles’ Promise – meeting Norm and Rochelle. Ed calling this week with the story of Norm’s hiking in Japan.

      Posted April 14, 2023 in Sacred Stories
      Hiking in Japan
      By Debra Basham

      The conversation about traveling to Japan started decades ago when his best friend for over fifty years asked him to accompany him to Japan. He had always said no, but as the years went by it became evident that the challenges of getting older would limit their ability to travel the world, and the chance may never present itself again, so this time he said, “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

      While in Japan he went for a hike and came across a woman on the trail who had taken a spill. A seasoned hiker himself, he had supplies in his pack so he stopped to offer her some first aid. She was not seriously injured.

      He told her he was from Florida, USA. She said she was from Holland – not the city, but the country.

      When he mentioned having previously hiked the Appalachian Trail, she quickly added that she had just read a book about a guy who had done that. “What is the name of the book you read?” he inquired before continuing, “My wife and I recently wrote a book about my trip.”

      “Jingles’ Promise,” she said.

      Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a copy of their book, Jingles’ Promise: A Father’s Quest for Truth on the Appalachian Trail.

      “This is our book,” he was holding up a copy of Jingles’ Promise. “I am Jingles,” he said broadly smiling. They were both so moved by their having made this connection!

      “How did you find out about the book?” he asked.

      “A friend from another country in Europe told me about it.”

      What are the odds these two individuals — he from Florida and she from Holland — would be hiking at the same time and in the same place in Japan?

      They were standing on holy ground. They saw the significance. Even if they had been hiking there at the same time they likely would never have made the connection if she had not taken the spill.

      They could both see clearly there is no “chance” experience….

      Though he and his wife had done nothing to promote their book, here he was hiking in Japan and meets a woman from Holland — not the city but the country — who had learned about Jingles’ Promise from a friend in another country in Europe.

      Amazing….

      (ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF JINGLES’ PROMISE WILL BE DONATED TO HELP PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA AND LOSS.)

    Closing Music: “This is My Father’s World” by Amy Grant

    Let us pray. “Suffering” implies conscious endurance of pain or distress – knowing there are no victims, only volunteers – remembering there are no “chance” experiences – continuing to try to help where we can – for all that has been, giving thanks, and for all that shall be, saying yes. Mark Nepo said joy is the transformation of our suffering, not the escape of all we have to face. Amen.

    So today is cold and snowy. The weather conditions of our lives change. We navigate challenging conditions, pleasant conditions, neutral conditions. It is not what happens to us that is most important. It is how we respond to what happens.


    The birds still sing….