Songs of Hope and Belief

Today, I'll let the following songs deliver whatever message I had in mind. It's all about hope good people, and the things that coupled with it, make a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts.

First, some nice words:

Hope is the bridge that connects you to where you want to go,
Faith assures you that the bridge will hold,
Love gives you a reason to cross it.

Now let's enjoy the music and be edified:

Dionne Farris - Hopeless



Faith Evans - Again



Daniel Powter - Bad Day



Twista feat Faith Evans - Hope



Commissioned - Believe



Cheers :)

 

* * * 

Always Rise Again and Move On

The only thing worth trying when all else has failed... is again.

This is a short post, featuring words that are not from my mind, but words that a essential for a healthy mind.
These words are so profound, that I see no need to add anything to them.

Check out the following videos:

Still I Rise by Yolanda Adams



Move On by Abba



Have a great day guys
:)

Africa Day: Something to Think About

"The city and the country,

Alarmed at one common danger,

Came forth to meet it."

- Barack Obama [on his Jan 20, 2009 inauguration Speech]

Today is Africa Day, the annual commemoration of the 1963 founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Currently known as the Africa Union with 53 member states, it seeks to bring together the African continent to collectively address various challenges. These include, but are not limited to poverty, armed conflict, disease epidemics, political upheavals, basic needs and poverty. More Africa Day info...

As an African, it saddens me to realize that many of the above challenges still face Africans. Even worse, not much is being done both at an individual and collective level to address these concerns.
For those who dare try, policy makers often fail to offer support or even become a stumbling block, thanks to corruption, bad governance, patronage and self interest.

One way we can improve Africa is through self realization, and strongly believing is our own ability to make things better. When we first believe in ourselves as individuals, and do the needful with the goal of amelioration, we can then collectively make Africa better.

A few years ago, Gidigidi Majimaji released the Ismarwa album. Prior to this, they had released Unbwogable and Many Faces albums.

Fikira is a poem is Ismarwa, which challenges Africans to wake up, stop despising ourselves and start believing in our ability to sort out our own issues.

Following is the full text:

FIKIRA

Afrika tumelala
Tuko kwenye ndoto, ndoto ya ajabu
Tutalala mpaka lini?
Amka Afrika, amka kumekucha.
Haujashtuka, haujagutuka

Hebu jiulize
Nimetoka wapi, na ninaelekea wapi?
Kila kitu si changu,
Sina ninacho, na ninacho, sina.
Gari ninalopanda, sikuliunda,
Nguo ninazovaa, sikuzishona,
Vitabu ninavyosoma, sikuvibuni.
Nikitaka amani, naomba msaada
Nikitaka fedha, naomba msaada

Tutaomba mpaka lini Afrika?
Tumekuwa watumwa
Tutajidharau mpaka lini Afrika?
Mbona hatujiamini?
Amka Afrika.
Kumekucha!

Listen to a preview of Fikira or get the entire Ismarwa album on iTunes.

So fellow African, what are you doing to make both your life and Africa a better place?

Moving On: To Remember, and to Let Go

Back in March 2009, The Walkabout, né Peter's Walkabout came into being. It was inspired by the ABC TV Show LOST, in a season 4 episode.

Over the years, I have changed URLs, tweaked the blog's look and even gone into necessary hiatus whenever necessary.
The blog ideals, purpose and intent have however remained unchanged.

That said, I came to realize that writing invariably remains etched in my mind and whenever I stop writing, I still keep coming back for more, even when I think I've had enough of it. I guess it has a lot to do with what my long time goals are, as far as writing is concerned.
I remember reading the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book some years ago, and in the Safe Haven personal story, that A.A. found that the process of discovering who he really was began with knowing who he didn't want to be. I just cannot imagine how I'd end up if I stopped writing.

That brings me to what today's post is really about. A close friend recently asked me why I haven't cut all links with them even after I quit Facebook, Twitter and online chat. In my reply, I explained that the future is always predicated on the past. In fact, I felt that I sounded like Christian Shephard in the LOST finale, when he explained to his son Jack why the Losties once again found each other long after their deaths.



Christian said,

The most important part of your life was the time you spent with these people. That’s why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they needed you…To remember, and, let go.

Looking at my life, I dare not lose sight of the fact that it has taken many others to shape me into something good. It takes other people for us to learn, to improve, to progress. And all that is every bit worth remembering.

So where does letting go come in?
You see, moving on is only possible when you embrace the new and relinquish the old. It doesn't always involve breaking ties or burning bridges. Letting go simply involves acknowledging that the old has passed and the new has come to take its place.

Interestingly, letting go is very rarely possible to those who have in any way given up. For the hopeless, Dionne Farris's Hopeless is a very deep song that addresses the need to let go.
She sings,

Goodbye morning, sorry it had to end / Goodbye morning, you just won't do me right / I stayed just a little too long / Now it's time for me to move on

Goodbye yesterday, I just can't stay around / Goodbye yesterday, I can't take you with me / You see I stayed just a little too long / No, no, no I can't ...

Therefore, beginning this Easter weekend, take time to remember all that has gone into making you what you are today. Decide what needs to accompany you as you move on into progress. And more important, take note of what you need to let go of, and do the needful.

Back to the Basics, Even as we Forge Ahead

"He who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they will be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building."

- Niccolo Machaivelli (The Prince)

We still need to leverage on our past in our quest to shape our lives.

Now that 2010 is finally taking its place in the annals of history, everyone is keen to see how long they can last before New Year resolutions are abandoned and old habits are embraced once again. Actually, the resolutions will not be forgotten that fast, what is most likely to happen is that many will be leading busy lives in the stead of disciplined lives.

That said, we often entirely lose sight of our past and thereby forget the good in it that brought us to where we are. In forgetting past encounters, we fail to realize that the people involved may have added value at some point. In forcefully erasing past activities from our routines, we fail to see that only by doing them then did would we learn that they are damaging, and thereby learn to avoid bigger mistakes and loss in the future.

Much has been written and sung in an attempt to address what was. In Larnelle Harris's song 'I miss my time with you', God asks,

it hurt's me when you say

you're too busy

busy trying to serve me

but how can you serve me

when your spirit's empty

Likewise, Nelly Furtado sings about an abandoned, forgotten love:

We forgot about love

We forgot about faith

We forgot about trust

We forgot about us

Now our love's floating out the window

Our love's floating out the back door

Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven

Where it began back in God's hands

In trying to shape an uncertain destiny, we need to go back to the basics, and carry on with those worthwhile things that brought us this far.



What things in your past, no matter how much you want to let go of it, do you give credit for getting you to where you currently are?

Defining Your Success. Make Your Own Kind of Music - Inspired by LOST

"You've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along."
- Mama Cass Elliot

Inspiration from LOST

All this week, we are featuring posts that are inspired by the TV Show LOST. The final Season of LOST premieres on February 2nd.

Make Your Own Kind of Music

Today, we examine how one can define their own success and thereby make their own kind of music.

[caption id="attachment_531" align="aligncenter" width="248" caption="Make Your Own Kind of Music by Mama Cass Elliot"][/caption]

Mama Cass Elliot's Make Your Own Kind of Music has been featured on several episodes of LOST, mainly in Season 2. Read more about this song on Lostpedia.

Following are the song lyrics:

Nobody can tell ya
There's only one song worth singing
They may try and sell ya
Cause it hangs them up to see someone like you

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

You're gonna be nowhere
The loneliest kind of lonely
It may be rough going
Just to do your thing's the hardest thing to do

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

So if you cannot take my hand
And if you must be going
I will understand

You've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

You've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Mama Cass Elliot. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Defining Your Sucess - a kinder, gentler philosophy

Alain de Botton gave a very insightful talk at TED:

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

Watch this talk, download the video and read viewer/reader reactions on the TED web site.

He examines our ideas of success and failure... and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. Is success always earned? Is failure?

Alain eventually makes an eloquent, witty case to move beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work. This too was outlined by Steve Jobs during his Stanford commencement address.

Ready to Shape Your OWN Destiny?

In a world that is increasingly shaped by popular opinion, many find themselves living other people's dreams and constantly succumb to what is acceptable by many.

When they don't measure up to what society defines as success, a lot of people get frustrated.

This should not be the case, if only we would become more decisive and seek to live purpose-driven, fulfilling lives.

So, go out and do whatever you love doing passionately, be very successful in it. Be all that you can be. It depends on you after all.

No more Missed Opportunities in 2010. Seize the Day!

The Years Gone By

Looking back in 2009, we all learnt a lot in life. Hopefully, we became better persons and are now looking forward to a richly rewarding year.

The walk into the future will not be without challenges and hiccups. There are new things to be done, new people to meet, new days to be lived. Informed by what we experienced in the last year, we can use that as a foundation for the accomplishments we endeavor to realize, as stepping stones into new horizons.

Seize the Day

The new year presents us with opportunities to make the most of every moment.

Otherwise, we may die regretting the time we lost when we already had the chance.

Carolyn Arends

From the Prince of Peace compilation gospel album, Carolyn Arends sings Seize the Day, a deep song that encourages us to make the most of the days we've been given, even as we seek God's guidance and favor.

Following are the song lyrics:

I know a girl who was schooled in Manhattan
She reads dusty books and learns phrases in Latin
She is an author, or maybe a poet
A genius but it's just this world doesn't know it
She works on her novel most every day
If you laugh she will say

Chorus:
Seize the day, seize whatever you can
'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand
Seize the day, pray for grace from God's hand
Then nothing will stand in your way
Seize the day

Well I know a doctor, a fine young physician
Left his six-figure job for a mission position
He's healing the sick in an African clinic
He works in the dirt and writes home to the cynics
He says "We work through the night so most every day
As we watch the sun rise we can say

Chorus

Well I know a man who's been doing some thinking
He's as bitter and cold as the whiskey he's drinking
He's talking 'bout fear, about chances not taken
If you listen to him you can hear his heart breaking
He says "One day you're a boy and the next day you're dead
I wish way back when someone had said

Chorus

Well one thing I've noticed, wherever I wander
Everyone's got a dream he can follow or squander
You can do what you will with the days you are given
I'm trying to spend mine on the business of living
So I'm singing my songs off of any old stage
You can laugh if you want, I'll still say

Chorus

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Carolyn Arends. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

The Challenge

For those of us who subscribe to the writings in the good book:

Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God, and give the Almighty all that you promised.

- Psalm 50:14 (Good News Bible)

Now is the time to make the most of every opportunity. Remember all those new year resolutions you made last week? 2010 is now here with us.

Seize the day... the clock is ticking...

Curtain falls on 2009. Welcoming 2010 sans Fear, Regret and Guilt

Lynette Scavo: Hey! Mary-Alice, are you okay?
Mary Alice Young: Yes, thank you. I'm fine.
Lynette: No, you're not. I can tell. Please, tell me what's wrong. Let me save you.
Mary Alice: You can't.
Lynette: Why not?
Mary Alice: Sweety, we can't prevent what we can't predict!
Lynette: Isn't there anything I could do?
Mary Alice: Yes. You can enjoy this beautiful day. We get so few of them.

- Desperate Housewives (season 3 episode 07)

Looking Back

This is the last day of 2009.

364 days have passed since we ushered in the new year on January 01, 2009. It's now time to look back, take stock and get ready for 2010.

2009 Highlights... or Otherwise

It is true that 2009 had many highlights in our individual and collective lives. In all honesty however, we must have done several things in the year that we are not very proud of. Additionally, several other things never went our way. Even the best laid plans sometimes fail.

Some of our 2010 resolutions may actually be inspired by, and predicated on guilt, regret, missed opportunities and worry.

Inspiring Music

Previously on The Walkabout, we have dealt with these on our inspiring music sections:

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we’re all OK
And not to worry ’cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these

- Jewel (Hands)

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right

... I’m in repair
I’m not together but I’m getting there

- John Mayer (In Repair)

From the Prince of Peace album, Carolyn Arends talks of someone who regrets that he did not "seize the day".

Well I know a man  who's been doin' some thinkin'
He's as bitter and cold as the whisky he's drinkin'
He's talkin' bout fear  'bout chances not traken
If you listen to him you can hear his heart  breakin'
He says "One day youra boy  The next day you're dead
I wish way back when someone had said...

- Carolyn Arends (Seize the Day)

The Way Ahead

The best way to look at the year that ends today is as an opportunity to learn and grow. And even if you missed the mark here and there, use the same as a stepping stone on your way to better days.

It is worth noting that things don't usually go wrong. Things usually start wrong.
Starting on the right track is a key way of ensuring things work out well in 2010. The first day of the year presents a perfect opportunity to get it right from the start.

For what it's worth, do not be held back by regret and guilt. As Mary Alice Young told Lynette Scavo in Desperate Housewives (season 3 episode 07), you cannot prevent what you cannot predict.

God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. Now is the time to seize the opportunities, effect the requisite changes, and make the most of every opportunity.

Let us all face the future with confidence in 2010.

Inevitable Change: Renewed Strength, Focus and Hope

The first episode of the fourth season of Grey's Anatomy is titled 'A Change is Gonna Come'. Following is an excerpt of the episode transcript:

"In the practice of medicine, change is inevitable. New surgical techniques are created, procedures are updated, levels of expertise increase.
Innovation is everything. Nothing remains the same for long. We either adapt to change...or we get left behind........"

CHANGE IS EVERYTHING



The above words got me thinking.
Yeah, it's true that we get inspired and hopeful whenever we envision change. We even get motivated when we encounter new people and situations that effect change and thereby enhance our lives.

But what about that transition period? That period of waiting as change happens? What keeps us going at the time?

I found my answer in a song I first listened to ten years ago - 'Until My Change Comes' by Commissioned. It's from the album 'Times and Seasons', which was released in the year 2000.

Consider the following:

UNTIL MY CHANGE COMES
By Commissioned

It's been a long time coming
But a change is gonna come
When the dark clouds pass away
Feel the warmness of the sun
I know that You love me, oh yeah,
I know that you care
I can't wait to be by Your side
In the middle of the air.

CHORUS
Until my change comes
Here's what I'll do
Renew my strength
Keep holding on
I'll wait on You.

(REPEAT)

It ain't gonna be easy
But I'll be strong. Some say if You
Really cared um,
It's wouldn't take so long for You to
Return for me
If with You is where I ought to be
But I'm gonna believe until that day
I will.... until...

CHORUS

BRIDGE

Gotta wait gotta wait on you
That's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna stand still
I just wanna be in your will
Just like David and Goliath
I gotta encourage my soul, yeah
Said I'm gonna stand still
Until um...

CHORUS * CHORUS * CHORUS

So back to the Grey's Anatomy transcript...

"Change. we don't like it, we fear it.
But we can't stop it from coming.
We either adapt to change, or we get left behind.
It hurts to grow. Anybody who tells you it doesn't is lying.
But here's the truth. sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.
And sometimes...oh, sometimes change is good.
Sometimes change is...everything."

Have a lovely, fruitful and blessed week ahead!

There's Fire on the Mountain, and Nobody seems to be On the Run

"Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers."
- Eminem (Like Toy Soldiers)

[caption id="attachment_471" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Fire on the Mountain: A Time of Crisis"][/caption]

A Time of Crisis

Reading news articles yesterday, I realized just how many things need our urgent attention.

World leaders are currently meeting in Denmark for the Copenhagen Climate Summit and bombings in Baghdad left at least 127 people dead. Even the rich and famous are not having such a good time, given that Tiger Woods is still not out of the woods yet.

Locally, I was appalled by the news that somewhere in Narok, in the Rift Valley, a man was found with enough military arsenal to power a police station for over a year. And just when House Speaker Kenneth Marende was praising China for hanging criminals and therefore ending impunity, it was being reported that Kenya is a major producer and exporter of pornography, especially to China. The Daily Nation has published an article detailing how young children are hooked to pornography. In an editorial, everyone is being urged to help save our children from greedy porn peddlers.

So what can we do?

Faced with the above and innumerable other crises, we need to rise up and upon realizing that many things have gone pretty wrong, get down to sorting the mess out.

In his Inauguration address, US President Barack Obama spoke words I can never forget, words that are both challenging and inspirational. He said:

...when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.

...in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter...

Fire on the Mountain

Many musicians have tried to highlight the social ills that bedevil our society, and the following song by Asa is so profound, that upon keenly listening to the words, you might wonder where you've been as many bad things happened all around you.

Be edified:

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
By Asa

CHORUS
There is fire on the mountain
And nobody seems to be on the run
Oh there is fire on the mountain top
And no one is a-running

VERSE 1
I wake up in the morning
Tell you what I see on my TV screen
I see the blood of an innocent child
And everybody's watching

Now am looking out my window
And what do I see
I see an army of a soldier man
marching across the street

Hey Mr soldier man
Tomorrow is the day you go to war
But you are fighting for another man's cause
And you don't even know him

What did he say to make you so blind
To your conscience and reason
Could it be love for your country
Or for the gun you use in killing

REPEAT CHORUS

Hey Mr Lover man
Can I get a chance to talk to you
Cause you are fooling with a dead man's corpse
And you don't know what you do

So you say you have a lover
And you love her like no other
So you buy her a diamond
That someone has died on
Don't you think there's something wrong with this

Tell me who's responsible
For what we teach our children
Is it the internet
Or the stars on television
Why oh why
Why oh why oh

So little Lucy turns sixteen
And like the movie she's been seeing
She has a lover in her daddy
She can't tell nobody
Till she makes the evening news

REPEAT CHORUS

On day the river will over flow
And there'll be no where for us to go
And we will run, run
Wishing we had put out the fire

REPEAT CHORUS (till fade)

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Asa. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

So, are you still not bothered?

Ponder the above lyrics to Fire on the Mountain, and honestly ask yourself if you are among the many who remain unconcerned, those who choose not to be bothered by whatever ills are happening all around us.

If we each do a little more, we all do a lot more. The time is now to do the needful.

Blind with your Eyes Wide Open? Then it's time for a Revival.

Dire Straits

Every now and then, we get to a point in life where a complete turnaround is all that can work.

Such a dire situation is often characterized by suffering, loss of faith, hopelessness and enduring guilt.

Grey's Anatomy

The following song by The Soulsavers was featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, where Dr Miranda Bailley had to operate on a racist patient who insisted on being attended to by a white doctor.



Revival

Following are the song lyrics. Be edified:

Said gonna be a revival tonight ooh
I wanna see a revival yeah
Gonna be a revival tonight
Lord, let there be a revival yeah

Forgive what I have done
It means my soul's survival, oohh
I need you so,it's sin
Put an end to my suffering oh

Why am I so blind with my eyes wide open? ooh
Trying to get my hands clean in dirty water

I wanna see a revival tonight
Lord, let there be a revival yeah
I need to see a revival tonight oh
Wanna see a revival oohh

Why am I so blind with my eyes wide open? yeah
Now I need someone
Let this dark night be done oh

I need you so,it's sin
Put an end to my suffering
I wanna see a revival tonight
Lord, there needs to be a revival

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Soulsavers. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

No need trying to clean your hands in dirty water. It's time for a revival.

All is Not Lost... It's Gonna Be Alright

"The only thing worth trying when all else fails is again."

Sweet words, but I dare admit, very hard to implement.

We all find ourselves in situations that look hopeless, where we feel damned and exploring our options, we find ourselves, much against our will, in 'Catch 22' situations.

The good news is that a way out ultimately exists. Only that we either cannot see it, are unwilling to go the extra mile and try, or are just overwhelmed by the gravity of whatever predicament we find ourselves in.

This post is dedicated to that close friend who shared with me their recent distress and anguish yesternight. I hope this post will be of help to my friend, and the rest of you in seemingly insurmountable and dire situations.

Following are lyrics to a very deep song (I think it's by Tramaine Hawkings). If you can, be sure to listen to it and you will surely be both uplifted and inspired.

ALL IS NOT LOST

"All is not lost when you lose a friend
All is not lost when it isn't your will
All is not lost when you can begin
to start all over again
All is not lost when you look around
All is not lost when God can be found
All is not lost when faith abounds
you can reach above the clouds
to Heaven's ground

It's gonna be alright
We walk by faith and not by sight
Receive the power of His might
For God is on your side
It's gonna be alright...
(mmmhhh yes it will)

All is not lost when you try to do good
All is not lost when you've done all you could
when He said that He would fight your battle
Trust Him, yes you should
All is not lost for Jesus is there
All is not lost He knows what went on
No no no one can compare
To the mercy and grace that He shares
(Oh yes) He knows He knows how much we can bear

It's gonna be alright
We walk by faith and not by sight
Receive the power of His might
For God is on your side
It's gonna be alright...
(mmmhh yes it will)

Thank you Lord
Yes it will, I know it will
Alright, alright, alright, alright
All is not lost with God on your side
Alright, alright, alright, alright
All is not lost with God on your side
Don't you worry no more, alright
It's gonna be alright, alright
Yeah, all is not lost, trust God in your life
Wipe all tears from your eyes, alright
Alright, alright, it's gonna be alright
All is not lost, I got faith by my side
Lift your hands, alright
It's gonna be alright, alright
All is not lost, trust God in your life
Just give it to Jesus
Alright, I know He's gonna work it out
Alright, All is not lost, with God by your side."

Never give up. It ain't over till it's truly over.

Learn, share and purpose to believe that it'll be alright eventually.

God Works in Mysterious Ways. And Miracles Do Happen

'Prince of Peace' is a compilation album by various artists. To date, it is my favorite gospel album.

'Prince of Peace' features great music by these accomplished artists: 4 Him, Carmen, Kim Hill, Kathy Troccoli, Carolyn Arends, Larnelle Harris, Michael W. Smith, Clay Crosse, Brent Bourgeois, Dallas Holm, Gary Chapman, Michael Card, Twila Paris, Glad, Kim Boyce, Wayne Watson and Wes King.

God Works in mysterious ways, no doubt. The song 'Mysterious Ways' by Kim Hill is an inspired and conscious reminder of that undeniable fact.
And a very relevant one, in view of recent happenings in my life.

MYSTERIOUS WAYS
By Kim Hill

Living in this game of chance
Driven by the wheels of circumstance
while at the hand of mercy
Balanced on a changing scale
How can life be strong and yet so frail
what is the deeper meaning?
In my feeble mind I try to find the reason
who knows why it's hard to say
God works in mysterious ways
Never show what just lies waiting round the corner
Feeling through this haunting maze
God works in mysterious ways
God works in mysterious ways

Knowing there's a greater plan
Believing still is hard to understand (I don't understand)
Uncertain things before me (I dont understand)
Dealing with the less I know
Learning that His ways are not my own
But still I keep believing
Making sense of consequences hard to fathom
Looking through this holy haze
God works in mysterious ways
Black and white could surely clear this clouded vision
But I live in a world of grace
God works in mysterious ways
God works in mysterious ways

Questions fall like showers of endless rain
Into oceans of the unexplained
Someday it all will be made known...

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Kim Hill. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

The thing is, God works in mysterious ways. And miracles do happen. Period.
That is my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Learn, share and experience the inexplicable work of God in your life.

Forever Young, The Good Old Days

Lately, I've had the chance to look back at days gone by, to those cherishable moments that truly add value and epitomize meaning in life.

It was then that I thought, "What if Pete was forever young?"

The following song by Alphaville, is a timeless reminder .  .  . Enjoy!

FOREVER YOUNG

Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad men
Can you imagine when this race is won
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune
The music's played by the madman

Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever
Forever young

Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young
It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading horse
Youth is like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever
So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true

Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever forever
Forever young, i want to be forever

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Alphaville. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Learn, share and maintain the spirit of youth.

You've got to Work Hard for it Sometimes

Life has a way of presenting situations that often seem impossible.

Such situations are usually appropriate for us to go the extra mile, try one more time, gauge our limits or even realize our potential.

And this only happens if we take the initiative. . .

The following song by Amerie is quite relevant during those times when you feel you have reached your tether's end.

Gotta Work
by Amerie

Sometimes it's gonna be days like this
Sometimes it's gonna be rain like this
Sometimes you're gonna feel pain like this
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it

Because when u feeling low
And u cant get no lower
That's when u know your close
Sometimes u gotta work hard for it

Woke up in the morning
It's another cloudy day
But that never mattered too much to me
'Cause it's still a new beginning
And I know I got it in me
Had my share of ups and downs
But now I know I can do anything

Some people think I'm aggressive
'Cause I know what I want
But that never mattered too much to me

Show me some body with no goal
Show me some body with no control
'Cause life is for living
So go and get it
When times get rough remember

[chorus]
Sometimes it's gonna be days like this
Sometimes it's gonna be rain like this
Sometimes you're gonna feel pain like this
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it

Because when u feeling low
And u can't get no lower
That's when u know your close
Sometimes u gotta work hard for it

Ohh gotta get it
Hey hey hey
Sometimes the road may seem too far
You never really know for sure
If you're ever gonna make it
Sometimes the end may seem so far
You never really know for sure
If u got the strength to make it

But u gotta remember

[chorus]
Sometimes it's gonna be days like this
Sometimes it's gonna be rain like this
Sometimes you're gonna feel pain like this
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it

Because when u feeling low
And u can't get no lower
That's when u know your close
Sometimes u gotta work hard for it

Days like this
Rain like this

Do it cause I love it
Feel like this
Gotta work hard for it

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Amerie. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Let us learn, share and believe in ourselves. That we can do anything. If only we try hard enough.

Pray. Deep from your heart, since the world has lost the way

Inspiration comes to us from many places. Nothing however, compares to what happens when we connect with God, in prayer and supplication. The outcome is invariably beyond comprehension.

At a time when countless bad things are happening in our lives, our country and even globally, we need to connect with God in prayer. Now is the time to pray, deep from our hearts.

Following is a very inspiring song by Celine Dion. Be uplifted:

PRAYER
By Celine Dion

Can we touch the soul of heaven
Can we unite a sacred lesson
Every child creates a skylight of beauty
Can you hear cathedrals falling
All the universe is calling
Cry a single cello from your heart
Since the world has lost her way
Loneliness journey endlessly
Yet the promised chance remains
Gifts of what could be

So let the children remember the sun
Let them dance let them soar
For their lives have begun
Let the children engender the rain
As the river runs through fields
Forever subsiding their pain
Prayer

Every voice along the shoreline
Standing still within time
Spinning unresolved the walking
As each season passes
Through wonderland and looking glasses
The secret garden shires beckons you
Gentle flower, don't fade away
Sweet innocent still harbors thee
In the faith of golden dreams
Where one love lives eternally

Let the children remember the sun
Let them dance let them soar
For their lives have begun
Let the children engender the rain
As the river runs through fields
Forever subsiding their pain

Prayer
Prayer
Prayer

Bless the children for they are the light
They are the truth of spirit in flight
Yes the children engender the rain
As the river runs through life
Healing their pain
If you could trust with your heart but for time
Sweet angels, conceive you have
Forever and always believed Prayer

Prayer
Prayer
Prayer

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Celine Dion. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Let us learn, share and stand in the gap to seek God's grace in overcoming the odds that are stacked against us.

Judging a Book by More than its Cover: Bigger than My Body

Every now and then, life presents us with situations that are seemingly insurmountable. We find ourselves in great disadvantage. At times, any attempt to do the needful only gets to remind us of our limitations.

At a time when the outcome of our actions is most in doubt, we need to encourage ourselves and strive to surpass our obvious and outward ability. Additionally, even if our efforts do not really bear the expected fruit, we should at least acknowledge the effort made and fully appreciate it. And be proud of the fact that we took the initiative and tried.

Once again, it's John Mayer with an inspiring song!

Following are lyrics to John Mayer's song Bigger than My Body from the album Heavier Things.

Be edified!

BIGGER THAN MY BODY

This is a call to the color-blind
This is an IOU
I'm stranded behind a horizon line
Tied up in something true

Yes, I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped
I'm surrounded (by)
All this pavement
Guess I'll circle
While I'm waiting
For my fuse to dry

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for

Why is it not my time?
What is there more to learn?
Shed this skin I've been tripping in
Never to quite return

Yes, I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped
I'm surrounded (by)
All this pavement
Guess I'll circle
While I'm waiting
For my fuse to dry

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for
Cause I'm bigger than my body now

Maybe I'll tangle in the power lines
And it might be over in a second's time
But I'll gladly go down in a flame
If the flame's what it takes to remember my name

Yes, I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped
I'm surrounded (by)
All this pavement
Guess I'll circle
While I'm waiting
For my fuse to dry
For my fuse to dry

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body
I'm bigger than my body
I'm bigger than my body now

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to John Mayer. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Let us learn, share and seek to rise above our outward, tangible and obvious limitations. Let us be bigger than our bodies.

Still in Repair? ...Are you Ready? ...Or are you Getting There?

I have always loved music by John Mayer, since my college days.
The other day, I decided to increase my John Mayer music collection, and added over 50 tracks to the dozen songs I already had.

And boy, some of the tracks are simply mind-blowing.

A clear favorite is 'In Repair', from John Mayer's third album 'Continuum', which won two of the three Grammy awards it was nominated for in 2007.
This is what John Mayer had to say about the Continuum album, "With any trilogy, the third in the series blows it open." And if you listen to the music, you will agree to that.

Following are the lyrics to 'In Repair' by John Mayer.

IN REPAIR

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right

Oh, it’s taken so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh, but if I take my heart’s advice
I should assume it’s still unsteady
I am in repair
I am in repair

Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new luck upon me

Oh, it’s taken so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh, but if I take my heart’s advice
I should assume it’s still unsteady
I am in repair
I am in repair

And now I’m walking in the park
And all of the birds, they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me

Oh, it’s taken so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh, but if I take my heart’s advice
I should assume it’s still unsteady
Oh yeah, I’m never really ready, yeah
Oh yeah, I’m never really ready, yeah
I’m in repair
I’m not together but I’m getting there (x6)

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to John Mayer. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

So, are you still in repair, or are you ready?
But then again, you may not be together yet, but let's hope you are getting there.

P.S: This post was initially posted on February 27 as a Facebook Note. Read other readers' thoughts and comments here.

Let us learn, share and continue rocking!

The Rain is Gone. The Sun is Bright. Can You See Clearly Now?

Life sometimes presents challenges and situations that blur our focus. Sometimes, these situations slow us down.

The good thing however, is that these setbacks never last, only tough, forward looking, hopeful and positive people do. These are the people who eventually get to see the bigger picture. Their reward is a crystal clear view in life. Thanks to their attitude and supplication.

The following song is an all-time classic, that I first listened to in an NBA playoffs TV promo way back in 1997.

Be edified:

I Can See Clearly Now
by Jimmy Cliff

I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

Oh yes, I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies

I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here's the rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day
Real, real, real, real bright, bright sunshinin' day
Yeah, hey, it's gonna be a bright, bright sunshinin' day

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Jimmy Cliff. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Let us learn, share and purpose to see the brighter side of things. Only then can we have a clear view of the bigger picture.

It's true. We live in a Beautiful Place

Reminisce

Sometimes, it really feels good when you look back at the good old days. When there was love in our hearts. Before our hearts became dark and evil.

That beautiful place.....

[caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="A Beautiful Place"][/caption]

Consider the following by Good Charlotte:

A Beautiful Place

By Good Charlotte

Mother can we start over?
I wanna be the boy I was back then
Before the world came, made me colder
I wanna feel the way I did back then
With love in my heart.

We live in a beautiful place
Let love take away all this pain
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh
We wasted so many days
Our hearts are as dark as the rain
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh

Father, can we start over?
Take me to the places that we lived
Before the days came, made us older
I wanna feel the way I did back then
Before my heart grew cold.

We live in a beautiful place
Let love take away all this pain
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh
We wasted so many days
Our hearts are as dark as the rain
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh, ah oh

Our hearts are as dark as the rain, ah oh
Our hearts are as dark as the rain, ah oh
It's a beautiful place if we make it
It's a beautiful place to be wasted, don’t you know?

We live in a beautiful place,
Let love take away all this pain,
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh
We live in a beautiful place,
Let love take away all this pain,
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh, ah oh
We wasted so many days
Our hearts are as dark as the rain
We live in a beautiful place, ah oh, ah oh

The above lyrics and artist names are copyrighted to Good Charlotte. They appear  here for educational and personal use only.

Let us learn, share and continue acknowledging and appreciating the best in our world.

Yeah, we live in a beautiful place.