The Prayer

I fall in love with this song every time I hear it! It is so beautiful and touched my heart as I look around and see the struggles in our world.

The world is not a very happy or calm place right now. The entire world is dealing with a pandemic. Right here in our own country there is arguing instead of compromise, fighting instead of handshakes or hugs. Families are struggling to find places to live and put food on their tables. Our children are being tossed about in a school situation that is awful (from personal experience – I was a teacher for 36 years). There is the feeling of being afraid of the future and being out of control. We have children shooting other children, parents abusing and abandoning their children, and discrimination aimed at anyone who is different that “us”. How did we get here?

There really is only one answer – and this of course is my personal belief – and that is FAITH. I have to believe that there is a God who sent His Son to help us through all of the horrible things that will happen in our lifetimes. No one is immune from struggle, but I believe there is a loving God who really is in control. If I can find that place of peace in my own heart, and trust that all is well I can make it through anything.

I have had my own personal struggles, from personal relationships that failed to overcoming cancer twice! I have always had a positive attitude and I do believe that came from my Mom whose motto was “Everything Changes”. The bad times will happen but they will go away and faith is what sustains me during the rough times.

I wish you that faith in tomorrow, that things will be better. This song is my prayer for all of my family and friends.

I have shared two versions of this song – enjoy!!!

I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go
And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know

I pray we ‘Il find your light, and hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night,
Remind us where you are
Let this be our prayer, when shadows fill our day
Help us find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

A world where pain and sorrow will be ended
And every heart that’s broken will be mended
And we’ll remember we are all God’s children
Reaching out to touch you
Reaching to the sky

We ask that life be kind, and watch us from above
We hope each soul will find another soul to love
Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Who needs to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Need to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

Advent 2021

Well, in just a few months it will be a full two years since the pandemic began. I must confess that with the pandemic and moving to Texas, I have not yet found a new church home. So, today on this first day of Advent 2021 I will practice “Forgiveness” on myself. Not attending a brick-and-mortar building does not mean I have moved away from my faith, on the contrary I still remain faithful in my beliefs but I do not yet have a faith community to share that with.

I have decided to use this Advent season to return to daily reflection and prayer. In my life music is very important for me so I will blog each day a seasonal song to share with you.

Today, the first Sunday of advent I have chosen the hymn “O Come, O come Emmanuel”. The term advent in Latin means “coming or arrival”. How appropriate those words are as we have spent almost the last two years waiting on an end to this pandemic and if you are like me feeling not at all in control of what is happening in the world.

Advent is a time of waiting and a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Before the birth of Jesus, the Israelites were waiting for a Savior to arrive! The arrival of this Savior was a child and that was not what they were expecting. The Son of God became a man like you and me. God did not have to do this – but He did. Those words strike a chord for me – He did not have to do it but He did! He did it for us so He could also become the sacrifice for our sins.

It took me listening to quite a few versions of this song to decide which one I would share. I wanted the pure sound of the lonely melody and the feeling of mourning and longing as we wait for the coming of a Savior to rescue us from all the ills of the world. Maybe this Advent we can remember that God saw our situation and sent the Christ Child. What we can learn from His birth and life is to wait patiently and know that God is in charge.

Forever Young

I first fell in love with the lyrics of this song when my high school science teacher, gave each one of us in his class a copy of the lyrics as a special gift. This was in 1976 and they were the lyrics Bob Dylan wrote and recorded. Joan Baez recorded the song a year or two later. That gift hung on my mirror for years and still holds a dear place in my heart.

My mother always had a forever young spirit. My best and most vivid memories of her are when she was being playful, laughing and doing something fun – like riding the indoor slide at the restaurant on the hill in Phoenix. My Mom passed in 1997 but I sometimes channel her when I want to feel young again.

Being young the whole world is at your feet. You can choose your path and go where you want to go and. I felt this way leaving for college in the 70’s – I could do anything and live forever. I thrived on that feeling! As I got older I went through many ups and downs but I believe this “forever young” feeling is what has kept me positive about life. As we approach May of this year, my oldest son will be getting married and these lyrics remind me of what I wish for him!

Bob Dylan wrote this song for his son in the early 1970’s and also recorded it but it was a melancholy tune. Joan Baez recorded it on her 1977 album. I think most people remember the version recorded by Rod Stewart – it is much more upbeat! I always wondered were they the same song? The lyrics are similar and the melody is close to the same but different. Well, today I searched and found out a bit more……

Answers.com

“They are different yet alike. The writer’s of the Rod Stewart song — Jim Cregan, Rod Stewart, Kevin Savigar — subliminally plagiarized Dylan. It’s best explained by this paragraph for Answers.Com:

Rod Stewart recorded a song titled “Forever Young”, which was released as a single and included on his Out of Order album in 1988. The song was remarkably similar to the Bob Dylan song of the same title, sharing not only a similar melody but many of the same lyrics. Upon threat of a plagiarism suit, Stewart acknowledged that he had subconsciously plagiarized the older song, and agreed to share his royalties with Dylan.

The credit for the song now includes Dylan with the other 3.

So, which is your favorite??

Here are the bob Dylan lyrics:

“Forever Young”

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

Here are the Rod Stewart Lyrics:

May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
surround you when you’re far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you’d have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you’ll always stay
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain
and in my heart you will remain
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young
Forever Young

And when you finally fly away
I’ll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

But whatever road you choose
I’m right behind you, win or lose
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young ,Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
For, Forever Young, Forever Young

Here Comes the Sun!

January 2, 2021

Here Comes the Sun………….

Goodbye long lonely 2020 which felt like an endless winter……I have not written in awhile, I have been getting life back on track and organized after a move halfway across the country in the middle of a pandemic.

I have a habit of singing songs when I hear people say certain things. We were visiting on zoom with friends yesterday and one friend remarked how she feels better when the sun is shining, especially after the rainy days we have had here at the end of 2020.

So, this song was stuck in my head all night long.

If the sun is shining I feel so much better. I know some people have had a horrible year and 2020 has not been good to them. I can say for my family it has not been a bad year but it has been fraught with stress. I began the year in my first month of retirement and I was a bit apprehensive about what I would do with myself. Here I am 12 months later in a new home in a new state halfway across the country!

To those of you who have been more negatively affected by the events of the past 12 months, please use this time of the new year to begin to heal. There is sun after rain and hope after despair just keep looking for it and you will find it.

The eternal optimist,

MJ music lady

“Here Comes The Sun”

Written by George Harrison

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo, here comes the sun
It’s all right
It’s all right

We need Inspiration!

Chaos in our nation!

America is a country born from protests. Remember the Boston Tea Party? Perfectly good tea sunk in the ocean to get our point across. We have been given the right to free speech and to protest to get our point across. We cannot stop the outcry that is all over our nation right this minute.

If I were 30 years younger I probably would be out there marching peacefully (but my feet hurt and I probably would break a hip if I fell). I was only 10 in 1968 – but I do remember the riots and I look now and wonder how did we get here today?

Those that look only at the looting and violence “do not get it”. People are frustrated and are not being heard. Peaceful protest was tried by taking a knee during the national anthem – but those people were ridiculed and not listened to. So here we are – is anyone listening now? Warning personal opinion coming – There has been a spark of hate ignited in this country and I believe it is fueled by our nation’s leader and his twitter account, his speeches and the lack of trust he inspires in many of us.

That is not the kind of inspiration we need right now.

We need someone like JFK who can inspire us with his speeches.

We need someone like MLK Jr. who can point to injustice and address it peacefully.

We need someone like Abraham who knew that slavery was dividing our country and fought to protect the whole Union with freedom for all.

That is why this song inspires me to look beyond these turbulent times and hope for the future that someone, anyone will stand up and INSPIRE this nation!

Abraham, Martin and John

Kyrie Eleison – Lord Have Mercy

Do we need this now! I grew up reciting these words in church not paying too much attention to what they meant. The song was popular in the 80’s but I didn’t think about the religious implications then, but I sure do now. I heard this song on the radio yesterday and I thought “how timeless those words are”.

I am a Christian and I hold dear to my faith but I try not to close myself off from the world. There are gems like this out there that speak to me and others about life.

Not too much else to say about this song, so listen, enjoy and “Kyrie Eleison” on your journey through this day!

Kyrie eleison definition, the brief petition “Lord, have mercy,” used in various offices of the Greek Orthodox Church and of the Roman Catholic Church.

The wind blows hard against this mountain side
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road

My heart is old it holds my memories
My body burns a gem-like flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again

*CHORUS*
Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I’m going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the night

When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be

How Can I Keep from Singing?

My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth’s lamentation,

I hear the sweet, tho’ far-off hymn

That hails a new creation;

Thro’ all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

What tho’ my joys and comforts die?

The Lord my Saviour liveth;

What tho’ the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that refuge clinging;

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smooths,

Since first I learned to love it,

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All things are mine since I am his—

How can I keep from singing?

Today is my 62^nd Birthday and I can hardly believe that I have lived over 6 decades. In so many ways I still feel 20, and optimistically I still have my whole life ahead of me! Reality is….I have lived a full life and am beginning to look back as well as ahead as I live day to day.

I hear some people talk about things they regret in their lives and I really do not regret a single thing. Most of my life decisions turned out to be good ones and even those paths I chose that may not have been the best, I can still see how they helped me grow and taught me things about myself and life.

This song is almost a mantra for me…I first fell in love with it when Enya sang it on one of her albums in the 1990’s. I fell in love with it more when my Mom was in hospice and the tune kept running through my head so I sang it to her in her hospital room. Even though we were so sad at the prospect of losing her, the fact was because of my faith I knew she would be in a much better place of peace.

We are living through a very strange time right now during the Covid Pandemic. I do not want to get into particular issues here but I can say with all my heart “How can I keep from Singing? And I have found that music has been a constant companion to me during this pandemic. I hope you enjoy this song.

“How Can I Keep From Singing?” (also known by its incipit “My Life Flows On in Endless Song“) is a Christian hymn with music written by American Baptist minister Robert Wadsworth Lowry. The song is frequently, though erroneously, cited as a traditional Quaker or Shaker hymn. The original composition has now entered into the public domain, and appears in several hymnals and song collections, both in its original form and with a revised text. Though it was not originally a Quaker hymn, twentieth-century Quakers adopted it as their own and use it widely today.

Learning How to Say Goodbye from My Mother

Learning How to Say Goodbye from my Mother

May has ended up being a tough month for me since my Mom passed. My Mother’s birthday is May 5^th and it is followed closely by Mother’s Day. It has been over 20 years since I last held her hand but it seems like yesterday and the sting of sadness stays forever.

I was a new Mom, Richard was only 3 ½ years old, My Mom, Mary Antoinette Fonte Brogna, was 78. She had ongoing health problems and had just started dialysis but it proved too much for her. We were all with Mom when she died, Dad, Anne and Pat, Carla and myself. It was 1:27 am and I saw the last pump of her blood thru her neck, she went peacefully. We all hugged in her hospital room and I remember my Dad crying and his tears were so big they splashed on the floor and got my toes wet. I knew that the love they had was rare and I wanted that kind of love in my life and the life of my son.

Mom wanted to be a nurse and planned to move to Buffalo to go to nursing school but Dad proposed to her so they got married. I didn’t come along in their marriage until they had worked out all the kinks so things were pretty peaceful. Mom went thru a depression and I saw her bring herself out of it thru her own will – that was a lesson! She also was a kid at heart, we both got our drives license’ at the same time, I was 16 and she was 56! She showed me happiness and sadness and the advice I can still hear her give me was “Remember, everything changes”. I give her credit for allowing me to go off to Arizona for school but the miles never kept our hearts apart. I was closer to my Mom across the country then some of my friends who had their Mom’s across town.

My greatest fear was losing my Mom – and yet her greatest lesson to me was in her death. This song always helps me remember the lessons she taught me, how to be strong, stand up for myself and know how to say goodbye and still survive.

I love you Mom! Happy Birthday! Happy Mothers Day!

Through the back window of our ’59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slipping further away
I kept on wavin’ till I couldn’t see her
And through my tears I asked again, “Why we couldn’t stay”

Mama whispered softly
“Time will ease your pain
Life’s about changin’
Nothin’ ever stays the same”

And she said, “How can I help you
To say goodbye, it’s okay to hurt and it’s okay to cry
Come let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye”

I sat on our bed he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling we both were cryin’
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away

I called up mama and she said
“Time will ease your pain
Life’s about changin’
Nothin’ ever stays the same”

And she said, “How can I help you
To say goodbye, it’s okay to hurt and it’s okay to cry
Come let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye”

Sittin’ with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes and then squeezed my hand
She said, “I have to go now my time here is over”
And with her final words, she tried to help me understand

Mama whispered softly
“Time will ease your pain
Life’s about changin’
Nothin’ ever stays the same”

And she said, “How can I help you
To say goodbye, it’s okay to hurt and it’s okay to cry
Come let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye”

Teach Your Children Well

This is a time of such fear and uncertainty. It is not easy to keep the fear from rising up and overtaking all of our daily thoughts.

I would like to view this time as a time of inter-generational bonding.

I hope this time brings good change.

Some people want to go back to the way we were, but no, that is not what we will do – we will be forced to create a new normal.

Remember 9/11? Before 9/11 there was only a few ways to get the news – the morning paper, the 6:00 or 11:00 pm news broadcast, the radio on the hour. My perception is that only after that event on 9/11 did we begin to broadcast 24 hour news programs. Those programs went over and over the same news all day long. Some people tune in, get the headlines and tune out back to daily life but for some their daily life is watching the news all day long.

What will be our new normal after this pandemic? Your guess is as good as mine. I know some things I hope it is.

I hope this time we spend with our families keeps happening. Our families are spending more time with each other, talking, listening, reading, playing, laughing. That is one priceless gift during this time.

I hope the connection between generations keeps happening. I hear of grandparents helping with childcare instead of a stranger in daycare. I hear of Grandparents talking and spending time with parents who are talking and spending time with children and learning about each other.

I hope new respect is gained for some of our neighbors and the jobs they do. The nurses and doctors, the teachers, the truck drivers, the store employees. We all contribute to society but lately it seems we honor those with money more than the hard worker.

I hope the older generation will teach the younger generation the value of these professions.

I hope the younger generation teaches the older generation the value of these professions.

I hope we all learn that we must work together as a society to solve problems.

I hope we all learn that words spoken to divide different groups are destructive.

I hope the older generation teaches the younger generation the value of our history, that we have come together in the past to solve problems. Sometimes it was hard but it was worth it.

I hope the younger generation teaches the older generation that we are all different and just because I don’t look like you or think like you we can still work together to solve problems and make our society stronger.

You, who are on the road
Must have a code
That you can live by
And so
Become yourself
Because the past
Is just a good-bye

[Chorus]
Teach your children well
Your father’s hell did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked
The one you’ll know by

Don’t you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

And you of tender years
Can’t know the fears
That your elders grew by
And so please help
Them with your youth
They seek the truth
Before they can die

[Chorus]
Teach your parents well
The children’s hell
Will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked
The one you’ll know by

Don’t you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

Parents need to take back Parenting

Cat’s in the Cradle—Harry Chapin

This is a timeless classic, a heart-wrenching one written in 1974 by Harry Chapin about the opportunities that are lost when a parent can’t make time for their child. It attempts to teach a time-earned lesson sooner rather than later and is both a haunting and a cautionary tale.

Lyrics to listen for:

When you comin’ home son
I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then, Dad
We’re gonna have a good time then

Parents need to take back parenting……

I do not know why it bothers me but I see communities scramble to provide food for those children not in school, because, “if we don’t feed them who will?” Well, isn’t that the parents’ job? I hear the argument against closing schools because, “a child needs a safe place to go?” Well, isn’t that what a parent is to provide? Yes, some students will miss out on learning math and reading but maybe, just maybe this will make parents take back their job as a parent.

I have said for years that society keeps asking more and more of our public schools and this coronavirus pandemic is shining a light on that fact right now.

When I began teaching in 1981 it was a really different world. Students were expected to act in ways that would invite them into society and if there were problems the family was brought in to help solve the problem. There were no free lunches, there was no free breakfast – the parents were EXPECTED to take care of the children they brought into this world! There were always families that needed help but there were fewer back then and the community would jump in and help to provide a safety net for the children – neighbors, grandparents and even aunts and uncles.

In the late 80’s early 90’s I witnessed a shift in that thinking. I was teaching in middle school and distinctly remember a meeting where teachers were very vocal about student behavior and the principal tried to help us see the change in the wind. There had been a change in behavior from the elementary school and it was moving our way – back then we attributed it to “crack babies” – children born while the mother was on drugs and how it changed behavior in the child as they grew up.

At the same time all the teacher training began to change from teaching our subject matter to how to help these children be ready to learn. I remember the big campaign – children cannot learn if their stomachs are empty – thus we began to provide free and reduced lunches. I cannot remember when we began to provide breakfast but now, we are feeding these children two meals a day (in some schools’ dinner too!) and taking over responsibilities their parents should be doing.

Soon after there concern about student behavior and so we introduced “character” education. Shouldn’t the parents be teaching their children how to treat people, how to act in public, how to be a responsible citizen? So, here we are shaping the character of children and again taking that responsibility away from the parents’ shoulders.

Why are people having children if they cannot care for them? Oh, wait that is an entirely different rant….

So, here we are with schools closed and parents having to take over the responsibility of being a parent to their children. Feeding them, clothing them, teaching them and spending time with them instead of handing them over to the school teachers who are drowning in a classroom of children who have behavior problems and learning problems.

Maybe, just maybe some of the families who are now at home with their children all day every day will take back their jobs as parents. To feed them, to teach them, to love them and spend time with them.

This song I chose today is Cat Stevens song “The Cat’s in the Cradle”. Children learn what they live.