Did I mention Ted Yoder is awesome?

If this week turns out okay, Ted Yoder will deserve significant credit. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned him before. Or maybe I haven’t (I can’t find him on my site search). If not, that’s a serious oversight on my part that must be remedied.

Ted Yoder is one of the best hammered dulcimer players in the country, and perhaps the only one doing what he does. His specialty is taking tunes from all over–traditional, Christian, Pop, classical, what-have-you–and “yoderizing” it for the dulcimer. He’s got a few albums out, and I saw him live in concert in my brother’s front yard a few months ago. He’s a terrific guy making a living from his music.

Well, this week started off as it often does, with Monday. And, like a fool, I started my day off with news and commentary, as I far too often do. Before long I developed what can best be described as a heavy heart. The world can be such an inhospitable place sometimes, you know? Fortunately I opened my drawer to get my glasses cleaner and found my Ted Yoder CDs. I popped his album “Hymns” into my player. For some reason on my player it always skips to the fourth track, which is his arrangement of “All Creatures of Our God & King”. Pretty soon the weight in my heart began to lift, and the rest of the album continued to uplift me to the point where I was actually ready and willing to start on a particularly nasty (and dull) documentation project I have staring me in the face.

It’s a little ironic. In my fourth novel my primary villain was a hammered dulcimer player. This week a hammered dulcimer player is my hero. Ted, thank you for doing what you do, and not just the music. The world is a little easier to bear knowing people like you are out there, quietly doing the Lord’s work in your own, unique way.