The Daily Word for July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thoughts about Michael
It's a sad day for my generation. Michael Jackson has died.
Jackson was such an enourmous talent. The talent was self-evident the first time America saw him with his brothers in "The Jackson 5". But he was more than the talent that you saw. He was iconic. You knew him as "Michael". He was idolized beyond imagination. I would argue that this an "Elvis" moment for a generation of people between 40 and 50.
When Elvis died in 1977, it shocked the world. Elvis was 42. A life of superstardom and self-abuse through drugs and alcohol took its toll. Michael's life was so very public and yet at the end, shrouded in mystery. Denying until the end having ever had plastic surgery, is there any doubt that he did? Not that it was a contributing factor, it's the same self-abuse type of behavior that took it's toll in Elvis' life, so perhaps that is the correlation.
Can anyone forget middle school dances with "I'll be there"? See him "moonwalk" for the first time and trying to imitate it? Do you remember listening to "Thriller" for the first time? Ironic that "Thriller", the song, contains the lyrics "...you see a sight that almost stops your heart..." and you wonder what Michael was thinking in his final moments.
Do you think it was the fame? The glory, the travel, the money? Or do you suppose he wondered what would happen to his children? The man, who created the soundtrack for a generation, perhaps asking himself "Why is this happening to me?"
One can only hope that his soul finds peace. In our media obsessed culture, we're not likely to give it to him here.
Jackson was such an enourmous talent. The talent was self-evident the first time America saw him with his brothers in "The Jackson 5". But he was more than the talent that you saw. He was iconic. You knew him as "Michael". He was idolized beyond imagination. I would argue that this an "Elvis" moment for a generation of people between 40 and 50.
When Elvis died in 1977, it shocked the world. Elvis was 42. A life of superstardom and self-abuse through drugs and alcohol took its toll. Michael's life was so very public and yet at the end, shrouded in mystery. Denying until the end having ever had plastic surgery, is there any doubt that he did? Not that it was a contributing factor, it's the same self-abuse type of behavior that took it's toll in Elvis' life, so perhaps that is the correlation.
Can anyone forget middle school dances with "I'll be there"? See him "moonwalk" for the first time and trying to imitate it? Do you remember listening to "Thriller" for the first time? Ironic that "Thriller", the song, contains the lyrics "...you see a sight that almost stops your heart..." and you wonder what Michael was thinking in his final moments.
Do you think it was the fame? The glory, the travel, the money? Or do you suppose he wondered what would happen to his children? The man, who created the soundtrack for a generation, perhaps asking himself "Why is this happening to me?"
One can only hope that his soul finds peace. In our media obsessed culture, we're not likely to give it to him here.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Jumping through hoops
Unemployment ... it's a dirty word that most people will experience in some form or another in their lives. I was laid off from my job on Monday, and have now gotten all of my paperwork from the state to begin the process of collecting benefits. There's all sorts of forms and checks that have to be done, so it's a drugery. Why anyone would voluntarily want to go through this pain and suffering is a mystery to me. But answers to the mysteries of life come in unexpected places, so there's lessons to be learned here. I think the biggest lesson is taking care of business. There's no one here to do this for me, this is something I have to do myself. So, I'll dot every "i" and cross every "t" and see what comes of it.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thoughts on another year gone by...
Today is my 47th birthday. Normally, for all of us, 47 is not exactly a benchmark, but for me, it's a signifigant event. My father never saw 47. When I was 17 and a senior in high school, he suffered a coronary and passed away suddenly. I have considered this day ever since and what this day would mean to me. My Aunt Marilyn in Chicago shared a particularly touching bit of wisdom about the event:
"I know what you mean about the age thing.....Mom died at 68....I'll be 68 in Sep. I think once that b'day passes and a person feels that now it really is their own life, they aren't walking exactly in the other's shoes....it's a new day and an uplifting of mind and spirit."
An uplifting of mind and spirit. What a wonderful thought. We so often go through our daily routine by rote, and don't take the time to appreciate what we are blessed with. I've recently gone through several life changing events and with each there is a learning moment. The most important lesson to learn from each is the lesson of kindness. If you cannot be kind to yourself, to the others around you who are suffering or celebrating, then the experience for you is going to be diminished. The lessons that are inherent in any life-changing experience won't get through. So, as the times in your life come that test your strength, your faith, your understanding of the human experience, it's important to understand kindness. Say hello to a stranger, help a fellow in need, hug the people around you that you love and send kindness out into the world.
(As I write this, I'm listening to the songs in my iTunes and I've got them on shuffle. The song that has just shuffled to play is a song by Josh Groban from his album "Awake" called "You Are Loved (Don't give up)". Sometimes I just think that there are messages of hope and kindness all around us. )
Today is my 47th birthday. Normally, for all of us, 47 is not exactly a benchmark, but for me, it's a signifigant event. My father never saw 47. When I was 17 and a senior in high school, he suffered a coronary and passed away suddenly. I have considered this day ever since and what this day would mean to me. My Aunt Marilyn in Chicago shared a particularly touching bit of wisdom about the event:
"I know what you mean about the age thing.....Mom died at 68....I'll be 68 in Sep. I think once that b'day passes and a person feels that now it really is their own life, they aren't walking exactly in the other's shoes....it's a new day and an uplifting of mind and spirit."
An uplifting of mind and spirit. What a wonderful thought. We so often go through our daily routine by rote, and don't take the time to appreciate what we are blessed with. I've recently gone through several life changing events and with each there is a learning moment. The most important lesson to learn from each is the lesson of kindness. If you cannot be kind to yourself, to the others around you who are suffering or celebrating, then the experience for you is going to be diminished. The lessons that are inherent in any life-changing experience won't get through. So, as the times in your life come that test your strength, your faith, your understanding of the human experience, it's important to understand kindness. Say hello to a stranger, help a fellow in need, hug the people around you that you love and send kindness out into the world.
(As I write this, I'm listening to the songs in my iTunes and I've got them on shuffle. The song that has just shuffled to play is a song by Josh Groban from his album "Awake" called "You Are Loved (Don't give up)". Sometimes I just think that there are messages of hope and kindness all around us. )
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
I'm hoping that someone has come across my recordings of The Daily Word. I find them inspirational and motivational and want to share them in a way unique to me. So I record them, and post them here. It's a process that I've just begun, a way for me to active with my vocal art and to share a special message.
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