J. Philip Cox-Johnson

jphilip
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/52988603@N00/.

Now, here is somebody I've not talked about much...Philip Cox-Johnson, known to some of you as Mr. Gospel Colors www.gospelcolors.com ---known to us as "former husband" (we agreed a long time ago we would never be "ex") and "dad". We were married for 14 years, and have been divorced for eight; the huge amount of all of that time, we have not only acted like we care deeply for one another, but, gosh darn it, we actually have. We creatively consistantly have co-parented, and I think rather well, indeed. Last year had its rough patches, let me tell you what (but not here, not now). However, since around the first of November, Philip has come back to us...actually he never left, but we now have a kinder, gentler JPC-J than has been around for some time. And I love it. Really. I really love it.

Philip acted as the one-man transformation of my own knowledge and appreciation for the beauty of liturgy, the significance of symbol, radical incarnational worship, and musical literacy since the time I met him lo, those many years ago, at Scarritt Graduate School--he had a free ride for his masters degree in choral conducting because of a vocal scholarship (he is still a tenor, you know). I was working on my second masters, this time in Christian ed. Philip's sensitivity to the narrative of scripture (which began in the Free Will Baptist Church, even more lo, those many years ago), his artistic "eye" and "ear," and a whole lot of hard work, have allowed him to be an artist who makes a living at his art--and employs I think four persons now, not including our daughter who has begun to work for him as well. We live about 4 minutes a part, and if they have to, and Caleb does it willingly often, the kids can walk back and forth. (Can't anyone around here say "learner's permit"???)

If it weren't for Philip, I am not sure I would be so into the "ancient-future" thing---and know the truth of it. If it weren't for Philip, I wouldn't have as many gray hairs beneath the auburn locks. If it weren't for Philip, I wouldn't have Cana and Caleb; if it weren't for Philip, my blood pressure would not have peaked several times over the last year, in particular. If it weren't for Philip, I would have missed terribly his sweet and true tenor voice at my father's funeral in 1995, and my mother's funeral in 2000.

And because of Philip, we all (all four of us) are going to really make hay tomorrow and get this apartment organized, Cana's room moved, my messiness turned into something Martha Stewart would admire, and there will be no more cat hair anywhere. We can always hope.