Happy New Year! What a wonderful reminder that we can reinvent our lives. Things do not have to look the same. By changing the story we tell, we change the way our lives turn out. Maybe. I do love the celebration of newness and life, knowing that it comes after a death. We are always leaving something behind when we are moving ahead. Creativity is related to destruction; wherever the front of the hand goes, the back of the hand follows. And if you can follow all that, you're ready for philosophy 101.

I spent Christmas morning at the breakfast table with my mother and father in Ft. Worth. My dad, the good doctor Pillow, waxed philosophical as he said, "You know, cartoons can speak about truth in many ways. Oh, I don't like some of the new cartoons, but many of the standards really have a lot to say about life." I love being from a family where we continue to talk about the meaning of life. In fact, I love being from a family that still talks to each other. Christmas Day was a gathering of the five Pillow children, minus one. We gathered at another Dr. Pillow's house in Dallas, my brother David. This season has always been about love, family, giving and celebration to me.

Music, as Mandy Mercier reminded me one morning at the Taco Express in Austin, can be a shamanic experience; it can lead us to other experiences of life. One of my fondest holiday experiences is the annual Christmas pageant of North Richland Hills Baptist Church. Once led by Paul Paschall, this brilliant musical not only told the traditional story of Christmas, but led us, the audience, into a place of worship deep inside ourselves. I missed that pageant this season.

I did have a great drive from San Antonio to Ft. Worth, even taking Highway 35, even experience a blinding rainstorm. The music in my CD player kept me entertained. I listened to the 2000 MCA album of Kelly Willis. I listened to some Bob Dylan (of course), and I listened to Angus Finnan, who will be playing the Schreiner Texas Music Coffeehouse on Wednesday, January 22. His CD is a collection of traditional folk songs from his Irish background. Angus will be touring through Texas from Canada during January, and his stop at Schreiner will also include a classroom visit. Remember, this musical experience is from 7p.m.-9p.m. in the Cailloux Student Center, open and free to the public. Join me there.

Ruthie Foster and Cyd Cassone will be featured the first Wednesday in March, and Oliver Rajamani (Indian music) will be featured the first Wednesday in April. February is still in the planning stage. Schreiner offers me this opportunity to showcase music in Kerrville. I'm glad I'm at Schreiner, teaching a creative writing class on Monday nights beginning in January.

Dr. Gary Hartman, history professor at Southwest Texas State University, is also the founder and director of the Center for Texas Music History. One of their projects is an annual CD of Texas music. Volumes one and two were outstanding. Volume 3 is another compilation of songs representing the many facets of this Texas music diamond. Containing 21 songs in 79.02 minutes, the CD begins with a song by The Flatlanders, that group from Lubbock reunited for an album and tour after years of being a West Texas legend. Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Gilmore couldn't sound better.

The next song reveals the heart of Texas music. Gary P. Nunn sings "What I Like About Texas." He played the Schreiner University Recall (homecoming) last year, and the program used that song as a theme. He will be returning to play Recall again this year. Gary P. Nunn is "Mr. Texas Music" himself.

Lavelle White, who also played the February 2002 coffeehouse, is the third performer, singing "Wootie Boogie." This woman carries a legacy of jazz, soul and blues integral to the history of Texas music.

Jerry Jeff Walker sings "Keep Texas Beautiful." We know his birth certificate does not say Texas, but his life and music do! Toni Price sings "Tumbleweed," one of my favorite songs on the album. I'll be at the Continental Club in Austin some Tuesday night to hear her regular Tuesday night show.

I don't have the space to reminisce on all 21 performers but a few more I have to mention include Rosie Flores singing "Speed of Sound," Pat Green singing "Take Me Out To a Dancehall," Rodney Hayden (who played the Easter Festival here for two years) singing "Heartaches and Highways," Django Walker (Jerry Jeff's son) singing "Texas Blacktop Highway," The Lucky Tomblin Band singing "Sense of Wonder," our own Beth Williams (she lived in Kerrville when I moved here) singing "A Ladder I Can Climb," and more. Whew…..what a collection. Inside the CD cover the websites of each performer are listed, perfect for further research. E-mail Gary for ordering or information at gh08@swt.edu or call him at 512-245-3749. Hmm. I wonder when he has time to teach history!

As you read this I'm leading another group of road warriors around San Miguel de Allende for a course on global issues and writing. This course was the brainstorm of Rufus Hayes, a Schreiner trustee. I'll give you the highlights in the next column. Having fun in San Miguel de Allende. Free Leonard and down the road. (e-mail me at kathleenhudson123@hotmail.com to reach me in Mexico with your music story to share.)

Visit the THMF website:  www.texasheritagemusic.org

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