Impressive Fortitude

Hello and belated Happy New Year…
 
I am delighted to be back after a brief break, with this first post for 2026. 
 
The world is changing fast, and in ways that challenge our thinking, our health, and likely our faith.
Having just returned from a two-week, cross-country, choral music tour of Cuba, among other things, my sense of gratitude for life has been renewed. 
To travel, is to learn deeply. I give thanks for the warmth and resilience of the Cuban people. Simultaneously, I wrestle with the ironies, paradoxes, and raw realities that characterize the present day - in a beautiful country which has experienced decades of difficulties from internal and external forces. In this tension, I resort to putting pen to paper. Here is an extract from a piece that is ‘under construction’ -  in honour of the people of Cuba and their indomitable spirit…


RICHES IN POVERTY (EXCERPT)
 
Still the poor laugh hard midst their suffering 
For somehow, they have come to realize
That material wealth and possessions 
Do not constitute life’s ultimate prize
 
As they reach out and lend a helping hand
Unto the lonely, the lame, and the lost
Joy resonates, even in doom and gloom 
Yes, regardless of the physical cost
 
See, their bright countenance is not defined
By earthly experiences, all told
For with minds fixed on things otherworldly
There is richness in the hope that they hold
 
They seek to rise above futile thinking
Indeed, their song and dance will never cease
And with grateful hearts, the poor shout for joy
Then lay their heads down in heavenly peace
 
David McAdam - www.davidmcadam.ca
©2026

#Cuba  #Havana  #music