Did someone here in this Philadelphia suburb just not know how to spell? Bryn Mawr. Really? Okay, it is a Welsh spelling. And what was the miracle? Read on.

50 or so years ago there was a little, inconspicuous coffee house on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. It was called The Main Point. If you blink while driving by, you could easily miss it. In those days, more than a smattering of upstart musicians would play at the Main Point. Mind you, there were maybe 45 or 50 seats in the place, but it was a known location for budding musicians to play.

They would sip coffee back in the kitchen and yuck it up with the help. Their names weren’t all that recognized back then, but unbeknownst to the kitchen help, they were mixing it up with a miracle. Performers at the Main Point included Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Jim Croce, Arlo Guthrie, Don McLean, Janice Ian, Tom Paxton, Gordon Lightfoot, Billy Joel and a pack of others.

Then there was a miracle of a different sort. You’ll remember the kitchen help, two cute little teenage girls, one of them named Judy Harding. Years later, Judy would become my wife! In my opinion, there’s no better miracle than that!

To this day, Judy reminisces over the days of her chatter with the stars. But then she married a farmer. To this day, I thank the stars for having had a sobering effect on Judy.