I recently got the chance to speak to singer Joan Osborne, who–even if you aren’t a fan–you probably know from her hit 1995 single, “One of Us.” [Oh, you know the words: “What if God was one of us/Just a slob like one of us/Just a stranger on the bus/Trying to make his way home.”]
Well she hasn’t disappeared. She’s actually out in full force with a new album, “Little Wild One,” which I highly recommend you check out. My favs are the title track, “Hallelujah in the City” and “Sweeter Than the Rest.” I’ll have a complete interview with Joan up on Beliefnet soon, but for the time being here is a sampling:

What are you most thankful for this year?
My daughter is always at the top of my list of things that I’m thankful for, since she was born a few years ago. She’s always the number one person on that list. But, I guess I would probably broaden that to include my family in general.
I [left] my hometown and came [to New York City] years ago and was very focused on thoughts about my career and what I wanted to accomplish and what I wanted to contribute as an individual in the world.
And a lot of my attachments to family seemed very easy to leave behind. And perhaps since my daughter was born, or perhaps just because I’m getting a little older, I feel that pull of family and that awareness of family and how important it is and how precious it is a lot more than I use to.
Do you have any special holiday traditions?
I try to take my daughter to the Big Apple Circus right after Thanksgiving every year. That’s kind of become a new tradition. It’s great to sit beside her and watch her experience this kind of a show, through her little 3-year-old eyes. It’s really beautiful. .
And also, in Kentucky [her hometown], we have a Christmas Eve tradition. Usually we’ll do a big Christmas Eve dinner at my cousin’s house, and then one of the older cousins will get dressed up as Santa Claus and come down the stairs–not the chimney, but the stairs.
The little kids are just squealing and totally beside themselves and he gives out some presents. To see that through your own child’s eyes is pretty special.
Stay tuned for the complete interview, where Joan talks about her Catholic upbringing and her spiritual life now.