Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: Norm Morris

  • Jingles and Hopeful 2026

    They were both still processing their son’s death and he was again retracing some of the trails they had hiked over 25 years ago, when Adam was eight years old. As her husband was leaving to hike this time, his wife told him, “Adam is going with you. I’m praying for signs and experiences for you to feel his presence.”

    He was once again on the Appalachian Trail in 2026 — fifteen years after he did the through-hike just as he had promised they would, but with his son in spirit. Norm Morris, whose trail name is Jingles, recounts his faith-affirming experience:

    While I was trying to find the parking lot for access to the trail where I was going, I got lost. I was out of the loop for about 15 minutes before another hiker came by in his car and I was able to follow him.

    I went to the location of the shelter where Adam and I had camped when he made me promise we would hike the whole trail together after I retired. And lo and behold, that shelter wasn’t there anymore! Our shelter had been replaced, due to the flood. This was a great shelter, but it wasn’t the memory I had. The lesson I got from it is that you have got to move on in life. Things change. So, as I’m walking back I see this old man sitting on the trail. He is wearing a Vietnam veteran hat and I am compelled to sit down and talk to him.

    The guy is 79 years old and he’s been hiking the trail on and off for years and years. I told him I had previously hiked the trail in 2011 and 2015. We figured out that while we had been on the trail at the same time in 2011, we had not seen one another because he had started later than I had. “It gives me hope that you can still hike at 79 because I am hoping to do another run when I am 80.”

    “Well, it’s funny you should say that because my trail name is Hopeful,” he told me before asking me my trail name.

    “I’m Jingles,” I tell him and continue, “and when I started out in 2011 I was so scared of the bears I had about 10 bear bells. They kept falling off.” Hopeful tells me his hiking buddies were finding bells along the trail. He had gotten upset because they were really neat and he never got one. I began mentioning names of other hikers I had met in 2011, asking him, “Did you know Swamp Dog or Rainbow?”

    “Wait a minute. You’re Jingles!!!” Hopeful bursts out, “All of those hikers are my buddies. We’re still buddies…. Circuit Rider told me the story of what happened to you when you hiked Mount Katahdin. He came back for you and hiked back up and did a prayer service for you when you spread your son’s ashes.”

    I am shocked. “I can’t believe that you know about that!”

    Hopeful exclaims, “Yeah, I know about it. And Circuit Rider is here. If you stand right here and just wait with me, he is going to be coming up the trail.” Sure enough, 10 minutes later, Circuit Rider, the minister I met on Mount Katahdin that did the service for Adam is standing in front of me and we greet each other. I couldn’t believe it. I was crying because it was such an emotional thing back then. And to see him now, I only knew — I knew I was in the presence of God. Circuit Rider was here!

    We spent some time and caught up with each other. It was just fabulous seeing him.
    Because how could it be that he had been there on Mount Katahdin to do the prayer for Adam and now our being here in the same place at the same time after having met him 180 months ago? I realized that must have been the reason I got lost. And I don’t know how I got lost because I had really good directions. But if I wouldn’t have gotten lost, I wouldn’t have met up with Hopeful and Circuit Rider.

    I knew what I wanted to do for Hopeful. “I don’t have any more bear bells, but I have my special Japanese prayer bell that was given to me by my best friend. And I’m going to give it to you. I want you to have it because it’s going to keep you safe on your travels on the trail.” Circuit Rider took our photo.

    After I got home from the trail I had a vague sense of recall of a hiker with the trail name Hopeful. Might we have been on the same team? Sure enough, Hopeful and I had been together on Team Indecision in 2011….

    For us to be in the same place now at the exact moment and meeting up with Circuit Rider confirmed for me: it could only be God and Adam’s doing. One of the things I remember saying to Circuit Rider when I was just hugging him and thanking him is, “You gave me back my faith in God.” My faith in God was reinforced. My faith in God had never been lost. Just as our son Adam had never been lost….

    “Jingle’s Promise: Asking for a Sign” was posted on Yellow Brick Road February 16, 2023.

    (ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF Jingles’ Promise: A Father’s Quest for Truth on the Appalachian Trail WILL BE DONATED TO HELP PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA AND LOSS.)

  • 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)

  • Jingles’ Promise: Asking for a Sign

    Source: Jingles’ Promise: A Father’s Quest for Truth on the Appalachian Trail shared as a Sacred Story with permission from Norm “Jingles” Morris and Rochelle “SherpaShell” Morris. (p. 86-87)



    (ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO HELP PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA AND LOSS.)

    Adam was a poet. The last poem he wrote was titled “DragonFly”. The day we picked up his ashes, I asked for a sign, anything to let me know that he was still with me. Something I could believe in and get comfort from… something that Jingles could also recognize.

    That day, when I got home, there on the back door knob what was the biggest dragonfly I’ve ever seen. It’s translucent purple wings had a five-inch spread. I felt Adam’s smile envelop me with warm, love and kindness. I let go of my fear and longing and out. I was at peace. I asked the dragonfly to stay where it was until Jingles got home to see it. It did! Adam was always a good boy like that.

    Spiritual teachings describe dragonflies, butterflies, birds, electrical events and other phenomenon of nature as signs that our loved ones from across the veil may be present.

    When you get a sign, instead of brushing it off, lift your gaze and open your heart. What’s the worst thing that can happen… someone standing next to you in line thinks you’re crazy? It just may be the beginning of a beautiful conversation.

    About Jingles’ Promise: A Father’s Quest for Truth on the Appalachian Trail : This is a true story from authors who are soulmates and mental health therapists. It is a tale of love, sorrow, forgiveness, mystery, and perseverance that celebrates life and the human spirit. Jingles tells the story of his Appalachian Trail hike from Georgia to Maine while SherpaShell provides support from the backroads in her camper van. Together, they reflect on their experiences and insights with the hope of helping others recover from loss and trauma.