Tragedy

I confess – I am a boomer so this song has been in my consciousness for decades. I have told myself to write a blog about this song but have put it off – maybe because the last three years or so have been a tragedy and it hit too close to home? Yesterday I heard the song again and it prompted me to wonder why the word – or the melody- or the song speak to me.

I have a few memories in my life that I feel this word fits. The loss of a love, a deep love that you thought would go on forever and it ends, “with no one to love you you’re going nowhere”.

I have been diagnosed with breast cancer – twice – “When the morning cries and you don’t know why?”

I have been there, but came back from there. How did I do it? I really don’t know but something inside pushed through the tragedy and I became an overcomer.

This song is not a sad song at all. The way the song keeps repeating that word – tragedy – tragedy – tragedy. The melody, the rhythm, the voices and the instruments all come together to remind the listener of something in their life that was a tragedy. At the same time this song is hopeful – its upbeat – to me it musically is pushing forward and gives me a feeling of overcoming tragedy.

Yes, that’s it, its not a sad song it is and overcomer song – put all this tragedy behind, get your soul back, wake up one morning NOT crying and feel in control again.

Maybe the tragedy is not the event that prompted those feelings but the inability to overcome those feelings and remain in the state of tragedy.

Verse 1]
Here I lie in a lost and lonely part of town
Held in time
 in a world of tears, I slowly drown
Goin’ home, I just can’t make it all alone
I really should be holding you, holding you
Loving you, loving you

[Chorus]
Tragedy
When the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on, It’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one to love you, you’re goin’ nowhere
Tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul, it’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one beside you, you’re goin’ nowhere

[Instrumental Interlude]

[Verse 2]
Night and day, there’s a burning down inside of me, aaah
Burning love with a yearning that won’t let me be
Down I go, and I just can’t take it all alone
I really should be holding you, holding you
Loving you, loving you

[Chorus]
Tragedy
When the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on, It’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one to love you, you’re goin’ nowhere
(Aaah) Tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul, it’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one beside you, you’re goin’ nowhere
Aaahhhh

[Instrumental Interlude]

[Chorus / Outro]
Tragedy
When the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on, It’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one to love you, you’re goin’ nowhere
(Aaah) Tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul, it’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one beside you, you’re goin’ nowhere
Aaahhhh, tragedy
When the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on, It’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one to love you, you’re goin’ nowhere
(Aaah) Aaah, tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul, it’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one beside you, you’re goin’ nowhere
Aaahhhh, tragedy
When the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on, It’s tragedy
When the morning cries and you don’t know why, it’s hard to bear
With no one to love you, you’re goin’ nowhere
Aaah, tragedy

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.

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 62nd 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.

Stop the World I Want to get Off!

Stop the World I Want to Get Off!

How many times in our busy, busy lives do we say this?  I know I have and now we have the perfect moment in time right here at our doorstep to do just that.   So take advantage of it!

Listen to this viral video going around right now of an Italian city, Siena, where one person begins a song and the rest of the neighbors from their own balconies join in and sing along with him.  Would this have happened months ago – maybe not because we WERE TOO BUSY TO STOP and listen and join in to something so simple and beautiful as that song.

The song, entitled “Canto della Verbena” (Song of the Verbena) — also known as “E mentre Siena dorme” (While Siena Sleeps) — is sung to show local pride in Siena.

Below are the lyrics translated to English:

Verbena is born in Piazza del Campo

Long live our Siena, long live our Siena

Verbena is born in Piazza del Campo

Long live our Siena, the most beautiful city!

 

This event, this pandemic, happening in our world right now is something a majority of the us have never experienced.  I will admit to being a bit fearful for myself but I tried to push that aside and kept on living a normal life the last few weeks.  I have only changed my habits because it has gotten apparent that to control this outbreak we must isolate ourselves to avoid a rapid spread of this virus so we do not overload the healthcare system.  I have spent most of my time at home, but I still will go out to shop if I need something.  I sit at home and hear the news (of which I turn off after I get the headlines) I think on how this might change our world a bit.

 

As a retired teacher I have dealt with families who are stretched for time and money and watched as the children suffer from the anxiety expressed by their parents.

Parents and children – maybe this is your wakeup call to reconnect with your children.   Take this opportunity to get to know your children again.   There are so many learning opportunities available on the internet spend some time with your children as they do their lessons. Then, take them on virtual field trips – go to the Louvre in France on a virtual tour and teach them about history, art, music.  Show them that the world is smaller than we think and that what happens in China really does affect us here in the US.

I know, finances will be hard especially those parents who work an hourly job.  Take advantage of the help you can get from the government but do not forget the help you can get from your neighbors.  Personally, we know such families and have offered help to them in anyway they will need it.

To the world out there – take care, take it slow and take advantage of how the world as stopped and you can SLOW down.

Is there a Perfect Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

 

It is December 23rd and I have been out and about today.  Aerobics class was fun we exercised to Christmas music.  As I ran a few errands after the gym I got the feeling that everyone was stressed out.  The drivers were aggressive and speeding to get to their destination, the checkout people were not as friendly as usual, the people shopping were not as polite as usual and I wondered why today was so different from the last few weeks where people were smiling and saying Happy Holidays.  I came home after completing my errands, glad to be home out of the traffic and ready to relax for the holiday but thoughts about the lyrics of this some came to my head.

On this night of hope and salvation
One child lies embraced in a dream
Where each man regardless of station
On this night can now be redeemed

Where every man regardless of his nation
Ancestral relations
On this night the past can fly away

And that dream we’ve dreamed most
That every child is held close
On this night that dream won’t be betrayed

All as one
Raise your voices
Raise your voices
All as one on this Christmas day

All rejoice
Raise your voices
Raise your voices
All rejoice, Anno Domine

On this night when no child’s forgotten
No dream sleeps where he cannot see
No man here is misbegotten
And this night’s dreams are still yet to be

Where every man regardless of his nation
Ancestral relations
On this night the past can fly away

And that dream we’ve dreamed most
That every child is held close
On this night that dream won’t be betrayed

All as one
Raise your voices
Raise your voices
All as one on this Christmas day

All rejoice
Raise your voices
Raise your voices
All rejoice, Anno Domine

 

This song stresses to me how the Holiday is about the Savior who cams as man to save us from the imperfect life we live now.

Getting closer to the holiday I believe puts stress on those who are wishing for the “perfect” holiday.  Well, if there is one thing I have learned in this life so far is that “perfect” holiday does not exist.  The decorations do not matter, the food does not matter, the gifts do not matter – the perfection in Christmas comes from within – from the absolute KNOWING without a doubt Jesus Christ was born and became man for me – He is the Savior of the World.  That is my perfection and how I choose to live as a Blessed Child of God.

I love the song I have shared with you – the melody, the voices but mostly the words.  As a public school teacher I have encountered far too many children who will not have a Merry Christmas. On this night of Hope and Salvation…. the dream of every child is to be held close – there will be children out there who are not held close, they are ignored or even hurt by the hands of their own parents.  That is what this song means to me that one day – one day when Jesus comes back each and every child will finally be held close and taken care of.  Jesus came on Christmas to redeem each and every one of us. That dream we have dreamed most every child is held close that dream won’t be betrayed.

My heart breaks as I remember just a few of the children I have had in my classroom these past 36 years.  One child who had finger marks on his wrist and arm from being held too closely by a father.  One child who had a bruise and scratches on her cheek., When I asked her, she told me “Mom did it” I wanted to cry.  Even closer to home a, 3 year old child left alone in an apartment for 2 days because Mom is involved in the drug world.  This Christmas will not be perfect – nothing will ever be perfect – until………..

Black and White

Black and White

Confession, I recently purchased a new car with all the bells and whistles and it came with SiriumXM and I have been glued to the 70’s on 7 channel!  I guess it brings me back to a time in my life that was fun and carefree.

Yesterday I heard this song by Three Dog Night “Black and White”.  I have heard and sang along with this song so many times over the years, but I never really knew what it was about.  You can read the specifics on Wikipedia but it was written in the 1950’s and referenced the Supreme Court Decision Brown vs. the Board of Education.  If you are not familiar with this landmark case look it up, also look up information about the Central High School Crisis in Little Rock.  All of it fascinating, some of it disgraceful but part of our history and every American should know about it.

I spent many years teaching in Little Rock and felt the remnants of the 1950’s crisis even 40 years later.  And as I write this, America is again struggling with the topic of racism and I wonder when will we learn from our past?

In one way we are only 4 generations away from this landmark case, but in another way shouldn’t we be light years away from the archaic thinking about race? I will choose to not make this blog about racism but I will urge you to listen to the song, and take a look around as you shop, work and live in your community.   We have come a long way, but we have a LONG way to go.

“Black & White”
The ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

And now a child can understand
That this is the law of all the land
All the land

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

And now, at last, we plainly see
We’ll have a dance of liberty
Liberty

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
A beautiful sight

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light
To see the light

C’mon
Get it
Get it
Ohh-ohhhh yeah
Yeah
Keep it up now, around the world
Little boys and little girls
Yeah
Yeah-eah, oh-ohhh

 

The song was inspired by the United States Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which outlawed racial segregation of public schools.

The original lyrics of the song opened with this verse, in reference to the court:

Their robes were black, their heads were white,
The schoolhouse doors were closed so tight,
Nine judges all set down their names,
To end the years and years of shame.

However, the version of the song recorded by Greyhound, and subsequently covered by Three Dog Night, did not include this verse – making the song more universal, but also less historically specific.

 

Facebook Friends

FACEBOOK

 

What is Facebook to you?

 

To me facebook is a way of connecting with friends and family.  I have spent my life in different places and I have made good friends everywhere I have lived.  But, life moves on and we go other directions.  I think about those people quite often and have many of those people on my facebook feed.  I love to hear about their lives and wish some of them would post more often (you know who you are).

 

Facebook is NOT a political forum for me, it is NOT a place venting anger and definitely NOT a place to just forward someone else’s ideas or jokes, (although I am guilty of some of that).  If you are my friend from a past life, keep posting, keep letting the world know about your life it is a way friends can keep up with you!

 

I was listening to old CD’s and ran across this song – I love it and am sharing it here for all of my friends!

 

“Friends With You”

What a friend we have in time. Gives us children, makes us wine.
Tells us what to take or leave behind.
And the gifts of growing old, all the stories to be told
of the feelings more precious than gold.

Friends I will remember you, think of you, pray for you.
And when another day is through, I’ll still be friends with you.

Baby’s days are never long. Mother’s laugh is baby’s song.
Gives us all the hope to carry on.

Friends I will remember you, think of you, pray for you.
And when another day is through, I’ll still be friends with you.
Friends I will remember you, think of you, pray for you.
And when another day is through, I’ll still be friends with you.
My friends, I will remember you, think of you, pray for you.
And when another day is through, I’ll still be friends with you.