Abbye West Pates

We set out on a perfect and sunny November Saturday, headed toward the longest trail in Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. When my friend Nathan asked me if I was interested in hiking the 8-mile, one-way trail, I was excited to…

Written during the Autumn of 2020, when it was hard for many of us to feel good about our work and our art. I'm posting now because, well, I'm always needing the reminder that I matter. The work matters. Every…

Have you ever planted a seed and forgotten about it? It took so long to grow that you thought it was a dud and wasn't going to grow at all. But then, a whole year later, a little plant pops…

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…

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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