Another one of those Hansel and Gretel breadcrumb trail experiences as I write a review for a newly released book, ‘written through’ troubador, minister, singer-songwriter, humorist, stand-up comedian Scott Kalechtstein Grace. The colorful paperback treasure is called Teach Me How To Love and it came to me as a result of atttending Glassboro State College from 1977-1981, where I met two friends named Laurie Zankman and Alison Weiss who introduced me to author and inspirational speaker Alan Cohen whose weekend workshop I attended in 1979 and whose work I absorbed into my soul. At another of his retreats, arrived a dazzlingly energetic, enthusiastic young man named Scott Kalechstein. As I soon learned, Scott is an irrepressibly and sometimes irreverently creative soul. Spirit has used him as a channel for Its wit and wisdom for years. One of Scott’s talents is allowing Song Portraits to come through him. He sits with a person and senses what would benefit them to hear and then steps back and voila! the music and the message pour forth. Poignant, sweet and beautiful. At other times, I see Scott as a ‘spiritual Weird Al Yankovich’ who parodies other people’s songs.
Teach Me How To Love is a combination carnival ride and soulful slide into awesome adventure as Scott invites the reader to witness his life path from Brooklyn boy to California man. The chapters bear clever titles such as A Friend Beneath My Wings ( this particular friend of Scott’s is also a dear friend of mine; Stephen Feig) which shares the ways in which he showered a rather uncomfortable Scott with unconditional love. If You Meet Your Soulmate On The Road explores the love-is-never-wasted learning experience of the search for partnership. The Greatest Love of All, praises the necessity for Scott to love the man in the mirror before he could open his heart to allowing in the fully flowing love from another and co-creating a family, which includes his sweetie Venus and their delightful daughter Aysia.
Scott’s vulnerability with candid discussion of his recovery from addiction, sharing of the healed relationships with his parents, as well as his challenges with romantic entanglements, makes him and this book so accessible and genuine. Inspired by A Course In Miracles, Scott’s journey is all about forgiveness over blame, love instead of fear and miracles by the score. He infuses humor into even the most painful places, shining a light on the shadow; en-lightening up.
Bonus bliss is that the book also includes a CD of Scott’s best loved songs including Follow Your Heart, Never Again, Freedom Child and the one that is the parallel to Cat Stevens’ song Father and Son, aptly called Mother and Son. It is a goosebump and tear inducing piece.
If you are in any way inclined to enjoy your spirituality spiced with silliness, your heart infused with awe, your path peppered with priceless gems, your soul speckled with wonder, then this book is for you.
And a taste of Scott’s music http://youtu.be/5gz8AgVMjJ4
Read Previous Post