Song of the Day - Bird Set Free - Sia

Sometimes you meet a person who touches you in some way or another, and though you may not consider that person a real friend, you are happy that person is there in your life in whatever capacity.  I'm talking about a person who makes you smile when you see them  and who's company you love to be in, no matter what the circumstances.  I think we've all got those kinds of people in our lives, those in the extended family of friends whom we cherish.  I most certainly do, and today's song is dedicated to one such person who has been suffering for a long time and has finally been set free from her pain.  

Though it is a relief that she is gone, her loss is still painful.  My heart goes out to her family, whose own combination of relief and pain must be so hard to deal with.  I only hope that they, too, will find peace in the fact that she is now in a better place and no longer continues to suffer.  May they let go of all of the anguish they've endured at watching her suffer all of these months, and now finally begin the long, slow process of healing.  Rest in peace my friend.  You will be missed!  

Song of the Day - Chiquitita - ABBA

Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong

You're enchained by your own sorrow

In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow

How I hate to see you like this

There is no way you can deny it

I can see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

On my way home from work yesterday, I put on my ABBA playlist, just because I can never go too long without listening to them, and suddenly this song came on.  I heard it like I've never heard it before.  You see, yesterday was two months since we lost my sister Chrissy and she'd been on my mind all day.  Without even really paying attention or knowing why, I began to cry, and I cried all the way through the song, my sobs ebbing and flowing all the way until the end.  The release was something I needed.

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

I'm a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on

You were always sure of yourself

Now I see you've broken a feather

I hope we can patch it up together

As I moved on through ABBA Gold, a sense of relief came over me.  My heart's been mending and the tears in the car were the first I'd shed for her in a few weeks.  I guess I was afraid the sorrow had dissapated and I admittedly have been feeling somewhat guilty about it.  But it's still there...I'd just put it on the back burner, as I'm supposed to.

Moving on is a conscious decision that needs to be made, because halting one's life entirely is no way to heal.  It's important to keep living, and still equally important to never forget.   My sister lives on in my heart and in my mind, and even though I've been feeling a lot better than I was even a month ago, I know there will be days and moments, like yesterday, that will bring her spirit rushing back and the sorrow will visit me again.  That's how it's supposed to be!  No guilt because there is no reason to feel guilt.  The way I've been dealing with her loss is normal and healthy.

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving

You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end

You will have no time for grieving

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Try once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

After listening to a few more songs, I found myself returning to Chiquitita.  As I read through the lyrics this morning, I realized why the tears had come so out of the blue.  Yeah, the sad anniversary brought Chrissy into my consciousness, but it was the lyrics that brought me to the release of my tears.  In many ways, she was Chiquitita, and I know that in many ways she was so sad and so quiet, with little hope for her own tomorrow, but she is dancing once again and her pain is gone.  In a way, that makes me happy.

I love you Chrissy and I miss you! 

  So the walls came tumbling down

And your love's a blown out candle

All is gone and it seems too hard to handle

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

There is no way you can deny it

I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

Song of the Day - I'll Remember - Madonna

It was just recently that I had to be reminded about today.  Not that I forgot, mind you, but I just met a person for whom this day, 17 years ago now, holds a special place in his soul.  Listening to him talk about it reminded me of how I felt that day, and how passionate I was about it in the years that followed.  But as with most things, with time the memories, and the rawness, faded, and this is something that I need to keep alive in my mind somehow, some way.  Never forget!

The kids in my school are among the first generations of people to not have even been born when it happened and I need to remind them today, to talk about it, to make them know what happened on that terrible day in my city.  I'm pretty sure I'm just going to talk about it from my own point of view.  I still remember that day vividly, where I was when it all unfolded, how I personally dealt with the aftermath.  So I take a moment here to remember and never forget the horrible events of September 11th, 2001 with a song...

Here are a few pieces I've written about the day over the years.  I found that reading them really brought it back to life for me and I hope it will for you too.  Please check out one or two of them:

     

Remembering 9/11

How September 11th Impacted My Life

A 9/11 Song of the Day, With Commentary

Working to Remember and Never Forget

Song of the Day - Sunshine (The Knocks Remix) - Powers

Sunshine is gonna come now, rain down

All over you

Good times are gonna come now, look 'round

Baby it's true

Sunshine is gonna come now, rain down

All over you

Good times are gonna come now, look 'round

Baby it's true

Nine years today.  As they say, time has a way of making hurt go away, and the pain felt in my family in these nine years since my dad passed away has surely dissipated.  That doesn't mean we haven't forgotten, though.  The void that has existed in my family since his passing still exists, and we live with it.  We have to.

Solemn anniversaries such as this give us time to pause and to remember, and reflect, which is something my brother and sisters and my mom will all be doing today.  Remembering my dad's life, all of the good times and the bad, too.  I love to listen to the types of ethereal and inspirational songs in times like these.  They help me to reflect in a clearer way.  I'm not so sure if my dad had such sunshiney days as the ones promised in the Powers' song, but I hope the sunshine he did experience in his life was realized.  Happy 9th Anniversary in Heaven dad! 

A Song of the Day In Remembrance - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

nbcnewyork

Another turning point, 

a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, 

directs you where to go

So make the best of this test and don't ask why

It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

As we mourn for a third day the 50 lives tragically and senselessly lost on Sunday, I'd like to dedicate this classic tune to whatever time these pour souls had on this Earth.  The incident is yet another sobering reminder that life is precious, and we need to make the most of how much or how little we have.  Many of those killed were babes.  Twenty and thirty-somethings who had lives to live.  

It's something unpredictable,
but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

abcnews

So take the photographs and still-frames in your mind

Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time

Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial

For what it's worth, it was worth all the while

Vigils were held in places all over the world in solidarity to those who were massacred.  That's the wonderful part of the human spirit, the compassion and the brotherhood of all...gay, straight, black, white, whatever.  We all have a right to live our lives how we choose to, and with whatever cards we've been dealt, and no one should ever have the right to play God and take that away from us.

bbc

It's something unpredictable,
but in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

It's so difficult to look at these pictures without crying.  Now that all of the victims have been identified, we now know a little bit about each and every one of them and it makes it all that much sadder.  I only hope that these 50 souls did have the time of their lives while they were here and that they are somewhere out there feeling all of our love.

My Pulse Still Beats - Facebook Page

It's something unpredictable, 

but in the end it's right

I hope you had the time of your life