Abbye West Pates

Why do some of us need to come to the solitude of the forest? Time away from responsibility, away from being needed, away from accomplishing. I can let go of worry when I am here; contentment and rest find me…

If I don’t recover the act of writing for JOY,
writing for myself again,
writing because I want to,
I fear I will never again write fruitfully. 

I listen and watch other artists talk and post about the discipline of…

When I first started running about 8 or so years ago, I worked up to a place where I could run a 10k (6.2 miles) without stopping to walk. Now, though, I find that a run/walk combo on most of…

I just released a 6-song collection of hymns that I'm really proud of. Listen here. I hope you like them!

Musically speaking, I've sometimes described myself as living in two worlds: the singer-songwriter americana-ish world and the worship leading…

This morning I recalled a line from a hymn (one I've tried to re-work for some time now), "There's a wideness in God's mercy/like the wideness of the sea." I love that. It stirs my imagination. For me, it takes…

This is for Jeff and Larry Ray and Weston everyone who knows the pain of a friend moving away. Of quieter evenings. Of a little less laughter. Of things you once shared now being yours alone to enjoy and never…

If you saw the acoustic iPhone video of my unreleased song, Different Like Me, over on Instagram or Facebook, you'll find the lyrics here. I don't have much to say about the song; perhaps it can speak for itself. 

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One month ago, in June, I released a new song called Long Year. And then I wrote this poem. I hope you like them both.

Love is always becoming. What it becomes remains to be seen, depends on the work,…

A friend of mine recently experienced the deep darkness of loss, where someone died whom she loved dearly. She was young, the death was unexpected and quick. Tragic. 

My friend and I exchanged text messages as we watched…

If you're reading this, you probably know that I host a weekly Facebook Live from my living room. Or dining room. Or from the side of the road in the middle of Virginia. You can see today's live video…