Second Sunday of Easter, 2008

Barcelona in December 1991.
John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir. This performance
was filmed at the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

I don't know if Mozart's Requiem is appropriate Easter Season music. But the Hostia is about passing from death to life, a suitable thought after Lent. Mozart's Requiem is arguably the finest piece of music ever composed, and like the Divine Comedy, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, King Lear, the Gettysburg Address . . . and the injured Kirk Gibson hitting a ninth inning home run in the 1st game of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A's . . . a glimpse through the dark glass.

Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
laudis offerimus.
Tu sucipe pro animabus illis,
quaram hodie memoriam facimus.
Fac eas, Domine,
de morte transire ad vitam,
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti
et semini ejus.

Sacrifices and prayers of praise, Lord,
we offer to You.
Receive them in behalf of those souls
we commemorate today.
And let them, Lord,
pass from death to life,
which was promised to Abraham
and his descendants.

Good News -- Bad News.

Larry Wright / Detroit News

The good news is that the Dallas and Fort Worth area saw an increase of 160,000 people in the last ten years; the product of a good local economy, sunny weather, and relatively low real estate prices. Number 1 for growth of all United States metro areas. That projects to over one and one-half million in 10 years. That's a lot of folks.

The bad news is that real estate prices in Fort Worth are down 14% from their peak and are expected to fall another 7%, at least, before an upturn. How do you get an increase in population and a decrease in home values? Because you still have more sellers than buyers due to tighter credit, lower credit scores, and the psychological deterrent of buying into a sinking market. People are jittery about the economy.

Old friend, John Mauldin, has an excellent, chart-filled, assessment of the real estate markets on his website (free, by the way): http://www.frontlinethoughts.com/gateway.asp

XTO + YMCA.THX.

I have been a member of the downtown YMCA, off and on, for over 25 years. I chose the Y over other workout complexes for several reasons besides the obvious one of it being a great location.

First, it has a sunlit, hardwood-floor, basketball court. At off-peak times you can grab a pickup game with other guys and girls that are just playing for fun and a little competition. Plus, they have a friendly, helpful staff, good aerobic equipment, and a great weight room.

Now, the locker rooms. I don't think they have seen much renovation in the years I have used them. But, thanks to donors like XTO the downtown YMCA will have a completely renovated facility. So says the Star-Telegram. XTO is donating $500,000 towards the $2.9 million cost. That means a lot of other people have pitched in, too. But $500M is a big check.

The other reasons I like the Y have nothing to do with my activities, it has to do with the history and tradition of the place. It's a not-for-profit corporation that does a lot of good for children and adults as well. And they do it without telling everybody how great they are.

The YMCA is trying to raise 2.9 million for renovation; many thanks to all the donors who give and make Fort Worth a great place to live.