For Christmas music!
Since the tender age of 5 when I began taking piano lessons, which would last even into my college years, music has been a very integral part of my life. I love it, despite the fact I begged to give up taking lessons in high school (thanks mom, for telling me no, I am grateful!) Thoughts, feelings and emotions can be expressed thru music in a ways which the spoken or written word can only dream of. There’s just something about putting words to a melody that can touch you like nothing else.
I love all things Christmas; especially the music. There’s a feeling this time of year that just isn’t same any other time of the year. Not because of the shopping or the presents, but the actual spirit of the season. The lights outside brighten up the dark nights, the Christmas trees inside give interest to the otherwise unchanging landscape of boring living room furniture (or kitchen or bedroom in my house as I have more than one or two trees). The music though, warms my soul and brightens my world. Whether it be the traditional sounds such as “Silent Night” or something fun and upbeat like “Run Run Rudolph” there’s just something about it.
So, over the next few weeks until Christmas I hope you will indulge me by letting me share my most favorite Christmas songs and a little about why they are. I hope that you all will join in the spirit of the season and remember why it even exits at all. Without further ado, and in no particular order, I give you song #1!
“O Holy Night”
This song really says it all, the one an only reason for Christmas at all; the birth of our Savior. A night divine, indeed! The day when the hope of all mankind was born as flesh and blood and the chance of redemption for every person made possible. What an amazing night! I can’t even begin to imagine the Shepherds in the fields as they saw the Angel in the night proclaiming His birth. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an angel and I can only fathom that if I had at that time I would either 1) fainted immediately or 2) required a new change of clothes. Either way I would have realized something incredibly amazing was happening.
Here is my very favorite version of this song. Sung by Katharine McPhee, it is the purest and most beautiful arrangement I’ve ever heard. Something about just the piano and her quiet, clear vocals lend a grace to this song no others have matched, in my opinion. I also have a thing for using minor chords in an other wise Major key and the bridge of this song is amazing. I love to turn on this song, turn off all the lights, lay in the floor and let it just flood over me. Yes, I know I’m strange, but you should already know that by now! :) Just try it, I dare you, you’ll see what I mean!
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwvsWf25qIE&feature=related
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Don't tell me the odds...
2011. What’s there to say about this year, other than thank God it’s almost over! One freak thing after another it’s been for me this year, but that’s OK. I have survived and even more, survived with some sanity left and hopefully still with at least a little bit of grace becoming of a lady.
After a year like this one you have to believe that sometimes suffering and pain in life is “necessary” in a way to transform you into the person you were meant to be. Otherwise the concept that God is gracious and loving would be a lie and it is not.
I am sure all of us can point out and give ample reason to give up on hope, faith, love, kindness etc… But circumstances do not define us, happiness is not dependent upon people or situations. Rather, it is a choice made from a hopeful heart.
This time of year I have always been one who was anxious to see what the new year will bring and thankful for all that I was given in the past one. Perhaps many would say I didn’t have much to be thankful this time around. They couldn’t be more wrong. This year I am more thankful than ever for God’s grace, for strength for every new day, for the peace of knowing I AM strong enough to do this thing called “life.” Sometimes I may need a little help, reminders to get up and keep moving forward. That’s to be expected of all of us though, I think.
I admit I am the ultimate dreamer and eternal optimist. Hope is the soul of the dreamer. It only takes one true believer to believe you can still beat the odds. My wish for anyone reading this you also know that you have so much to hope for. Hope is renewable, forgiveness is the road of redemption, love is the heart of the world…and faith will beat the odds, and I’m just bettin’ you that so will I! Next year will be as astoundingly wonderful as this one has been unbelievable! I wish the same for you.
Just like the bee forever etched on my ankle. I don't care if science, physics, people or circumstances tell me I wasn't made to fly. I'm not listening. You can find me in the sky!
After a year like this one you have to believe that sometimes suffering and pain in life is “necessary” in a way to transform you into the person you were meant to be. Otherwise the concept that God is gracious and loving would be a lie and it is not.
I am sure all of us can point out and give ample reason to give up on hope, faith, love, kindness etc… But circumstances do not define us, happiness is not dependent upon people or situations. Rather, it is a choice made from a hopeful heart.
This time of year I have always been one who was anxious to see what the new year will bring and thankful for all that I was given in the past one. Perhaps many would say I didn’t have much to be thankful this time around. They couldn’t be more wrong. This year I am more thankful than ever for God’s grace, for strength for every new day, for the peace of knowing I AM strong enough to do this thing called “life.” Sometimes I may need a little help, reminders to get up and keep moving forward. That’s to be expected of all of us though, I think.
I admit I am the ultimate dreamer and eternal optimist. Hope is the soul of the dreamer. It only takes one true believer to believe you can still beat the odds. My wish for anyone reading this you also know that you have so much to hope for. Hope is renewable, forgiveness is the road of redemption, love is the heart of the world…and faith will beat the odds, and I’m just bettin’ you that so will I! Next year will be as astoundingly wonderful as this one has been unbelievable! I wish the same for you.
Just like the bee forever etched on my ankle. I don't care if science, physics, people or circumstances tell me I wasn't made to fly. I'm not listening. You can find me in the sky!
Monday, November 07, 2011
Just So You Know
GRATE-FUL adj \ˈgrāt-fəl\
Having a due sense of benefits received; kindly disposed toward one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay, or give thanks for, benefits; as, a grateful heart.
Some days I tend to get caught up in my own little world. I don’t see everything around me, don’t notice life in all the amazing beauty it is. However, I’m learning to be more thankful, whether the things, people or circumstances be small or large.
You would think that for someone like me, who was by the world’s standards unplanned and unwanted from the beginning, that I would remember more easily how “lucky” I am. After all, being an unwanted unborn baby in the 70’s could be a pretty dangerous place if the mind of the woman carrying said baby was persuaded by the convenience of a procedure made legal thanks to Roe v. Wade. If such were the case, you would not be reading these words at this moment. Thankfully, God had a plan, just as he does for every life, whether you were “meant” to be here or like me, got here by “accident.”
This time of year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, people tend to be more aware of the blessings around them, which is great; but I wonder sometimes why it is the other 10 or so months of the year we lose focus of those things. I am guilty just as much as the next person. Humor me though, at least for a couple of minutes as you read thru the musings of this odd peculiar girl. I would like to say something to every one of you
If you are reading this, you are somehow, someway a part of my life. For each of you, if you asked specifically (and please feel free to do so if you are wondering, I would love to let you know!), I could tell you what you mean to me, how you have enriched my world, how I am a better person because of you. Some of you may already know, but it’s always worth repeating. Others of you may not know, but trust me, you have made an impact in some way. Though I try, I am not always successful in letting people know what they mean to me. So, I am taking this time today to say THANK YOU!
I am grateful beyond words to be in this world, to be given the blessing of each day. To have wonderful people who have poured into my life through good, wonderful, amazing times and in difficult, trying, heartbreaking times. There is a season for everything, but I never want to leave the season of “grateful”. I am humbled and so blessed that not only are you a part of my life, but that you have allowed me to be a part of yours. I hope that I will always leave a positive impact on your life, that I am the friend that you have been to me, that when you need me as I have needed you, that I have the chance to be the one makes your world a better place. Whether that be finger puppets on the wall with a flashlight when the power goes out from a huge storm (yeah, so what if I was 22yrs old!), spiked hot chocolate, kick-your-butt-stress-releaving exercise or just sitting with you listening when you need it. I got ya’ covered!
To each of you I say that you mean the world to me. I am so grateful to be here in this world to experience it all: good, bad, happy, sad, amazing, incredulous, awesome!
Oh, by the way - I don’t believe in luck, every good thing is a gift, so I’m BLESSED, no “luck” about it!
~Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.~ C.S. Lewis
Having a due sense of benefits received; kindly disposed toward one from whom a favor has been received; willing to acknowledge and repay, or give thanks for, benefits; as, a grateful heart.
Some days I tend to get caught up in my own little world. I don’t see everything around me, don’t notice life in all the amazing beauty it is. However, I’m learning to be more thankful, whether the things, people or circumstances be small or large.
You would think that for someone like me, who was by the world’s standards unplanned and unwanted from the beginning, that I would remember more easily how “lucky” I am. After all, being an unwanted unborn baby in the 70’s could be a pretty dangerous place if the mind of the woman carrying said baby was persuaded by the convenience of a procedure made legal thanks to Roe v. Wade. If such were the case, you would not be reading these words at this moment. Thankfully, God had a plan, just as he does for every life, whether you were “meant” to be here or like me, got here by “accident.”
This time of year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, people tend to be more aware of the blessings around them, which is great; but I wonder sometimes why it is the other 10 or so months of the year we lose focus of those things. I am guilty just as much as the next person. Humor me though, at least for a couple of minutes as you read thru the musings of this odd peculiar girl. I would like to say something to every one of you
If you are reading this, you are somehow, someway a part of my life. For each of you, if you asked specifically (and please feel free to do so if you are wondering, I would love to let you know!), I could tell you what you mean to me, how you have enriched my world, how I am a better person because of you. Some of you may already know, but it’s always worth repeating. Others of you may not know, but trust me, you have made an impact in some way. Though I try, I am not always successful in letting people know what they mean to me. So, I am taking this time today to say THANK YOU!
I am grateful beyond words to be in this world, to be given the blessing of each day. To have wonderful people who have poured into my life through good, wonderful, amazing times and in difficult, trying, heartbreaking times. There is a season for everything, but I never want to leave the season of “grateful”. I am humbled and so blessed that not only are you a part of my life, but that you have allowed me to be a part of yours. I hope that I will always leave a positive impact on your life, that I am the friend that you have been to me, that when you need me as I have needed you, that I have the chance to be the one makes your world a better place. Whether that be finger puppets on the wall with a flashlight when the power goes out from a huge storm (yeah, so what if I was 22yrs old!), spiked hot chocolate, kick-your-butt-stress-releaving exercise or just sitting with you listening when you need it. I got ya’ covered!
To each of you I say that you mean the world to me. I am so grateful to be here in this world to experience it all: good, bad, happy, sad, amazing, incredulous, awesome!
Oh, by the way - I don’t believe in luck, every good thing is a gift, so I’m BLESSED, no “luck” about it!
~Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.~ C.S. Lewis
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Santa Baby...
Since on the very first day of November I was seeing Christmas commercials on TV, I would like to make known my wish list in case you should run into Santa, could you be so kind as to pass it on? And being the friend you are, I KNOW you aren’t gonna leave me hanging here, are you? What? Too soon to talk about the big guy? Not even Thanksgiving you say?? Oh well, it’s my blog! ;)
Dear Santa,
I would wish for world peace or something like that, but I’ve given up on that farce. If global warming were real I might wish you could end that as well, but since that’s just an invention from the imagination of Al Gore, I suggest you take that up with him (naughty list might be an appropriate gift for him if I do say so myself).
Now, I respectfully submit to you the top 10 on my wish list for this year. Please don’t feel that all 10 are necessary, one or two would tickle me pink. For your convenience I’ve prioritized them for you so you will know which are of most importance. I’ll leave my famous Scottish shortbread cookies in extra abundance this year, it’s worth the oven burns. Thanks!
Item #1
So, at the top of my list this year I’d really like a garbage disposal. Seriously Santa, this is no joke, quit laughing, I can hear that! I’m so tired of dumping old, stinky leftovers from the fridge in the backyard. It’s a pain in the butt! You think it’s not a big deal? I dare you, ask Mrs. Clause to go a week without using hers and I guarantee you’ll get it! At least she has reindeer to devour that stuff…who knows what kind of creatures I’m attracting back there!
Item #2
Right behind this is new brakes for my car, this is getting fun, right?? Yeah, when my daughter says, “Mommy why is the car screeching?” it might be time for a brake job. There’s nothing more I hate than having to spend money on cars – well, except maybe cleaning toilets….OH, and that leads me to my next item on the list.
Item #3
Santa, could you make my one small-ish child PLEASE flush the toilet every time she uses it, I would be forever grateful. Even making her clean it herself hasn’t worked so far. Thanks so much! (Perhaps it may take the Holy Spirit and the laying on of hands for this one, not sure, if you could just let me know…)
Item #4
Please make my kids stop saying “I don’t like that, I don’t want to eat that” when they haven’t ever tried it in their life.
Item #5
8 uninterrupted hours of sleep every night would be great, but if you could please make my kids sleep until at least 8am every Saturday, I’d believe in you forever!
Item #6
I would love it if you could make Sharpie markers invisible to everyone in the house but me. That way my Artist won’t be able to locate them to render “art” on mediums such as walls, towels and comforters that were not made for that particular kind of art.
Item #7
Could you please give me a will power of steel? That way all the time I spend exercising would not go to waste because I can’t resist that Twix sitting in the candy bowl or the chips in my parent’s house or whatever it is for the day I can’t seem to resist.
Item #8
Is there any way for you to provide that all lunches for the next day magically appear in the fridge for the next day without me having to prepare them? If not, maybe you could just send an elf for this purpose for a whole year. That would totally rock!
Item #9
Whatever that disorder is that makes me hit snooze every morning for 15 minutes straight. Could you fix that please?
Item #10
Last but not least, an endless supply of Excedrine – either that, or if you give me Items #1-#9 you can feel free to skip this one.
Thanks, Santa! You’re the best!
XOXO
Sincerely,
Sarah
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Who I Am
Failure. Betrayed. Disgraced. Expendable. Used. Hurt. Afraid. Robbed. Insignificant. Powerless. Fool. Broken. Unworthy. Unlovable.
You name it, I've felt it, especially this last year. If you know my entire story, consider yourself a close friend. If you don't, sorry, maybe one day. :) Life can hurt; really bad sometimes. More than I ever thought I would encounter. It sucks (yes, that is a technical writing term, thank you very much!) when the ways in which you've identified yourself for years, in one instant, are shattered right before your eyes. For me, even good memories are tainted with the skepticism of reality. Was there anything true or genuine? Perhaps I may never know.
It can all do a number on your heart and head, for sure. Remember that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the witch doctor rips out a guy's heart and you see it there beating in his hands? At some point, if you have any feelings at all, life is bound to do just that, rip them right out of you and stomp them to death. Leaving you a shell of what you once were and alone to pick up what's left to try to regroup and move on. We have no other choice, but easier said than done, I'm sure you know.
However, the silver lining is that when life sucks and I've listened to the lies of what my circumstances would have me believe about myself, I can remind myself that I am one of His redeemed. I am the on that He loves, that is enough. I refuse to be a victim. I will not be pitiful. sure, i will have my moments of weakness, of feeling less than what I am. I will fall into those lonely places where I can't see His grace. I WILL screw it up, a lot more than I would like to admit. I will always be a work in progress. But none of this really matters because I am who He says I am; beloved, redeemed, His.
A good friend reminded me recently that despite the fact that life has not gone as I had planned, that this is certainly not where I ever thought i would be, that God still has a plan. I am holding on to that like a fat girl with a KitKat (I can say that because that's what I used to be). We all live in this world, and we all face life in all its imperfections; for the good that it is, the bad that it can be and the potential that it holds. So, hold on to the good, let go of the bad, and let Him fulfill the potential He created in you.
I leave you with this song that I recently heard by Jason Gray. It's been on repeat on my iPod for days now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&ob=av2n
You name it, I've felt it, especially this last year. If you know my entire story, consider yourself a close friend. If you don't, sorry, maybe one day. :) Life can hurt; really bad sometimes. More than I ever thought I would encounter. It sucks (yes, that is a technical writing term, thank you very much!) when the ways in which you've identified yourself for years, in one instant, are shattered right before your eyes. For me, even good memories are tainted with the skepticism of reality. Was there anything true or genuine? Perhaps I may never know.
It can all do a number on your heart and head, for sure. Remember that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the witch doctor rips out a guy's heart and you see it there beating in his hands? At some point, if you have any feelings at all, life is bound to do just that, rip them right out of you and stomp them to death. Leaving you a shell of what you once were and alone to pick up what's left to try to regroup and move on. We have no other choice, but easier said than done, I'm sure you know.
However, the silver lining is that when life sucks and I've listened to the lies of what my circumstances would have me believe about myself, I can remind myself that I am one of His redeemed. I am the on that He loves, that is enough. I refuse to be a victim. I will not be pitiful. sure, i will have my moments of weakness, of feeling less than what I am. I will fall into those lonely places where I can't see His grace. I WILL screw it up, a lot more than I would like to admit. I will always be a work in progress. But none of this really matters because I am who He says I am; beloved, redeemed, His.
A good friend reminded me recently that despite the fact that life has not gone as I had planned, that this is certainly not where I ever thought i would be, that God still has a plan. I am holding on to that like a fat girl with a KitKat (I can say that because that's what I used to be). We all live in this world, and we all face life in all its imperfections; for the good that it is, the bad that it can be and the potential that it holds. So, hold on to the good, let go of the bad, and let Him fulfill the potential He created in you.
I leave you with this song that I recently heard by Jason Gray. It's been on repeat on my iPod for days now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKyY8zfjBMQ&ob=av2n
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