A Romantic New Year

This Ulkranian  song is based on a traditional folk chant. It was associated with the coming New Year which, in pre-Christian Ukraine, was originally celebrated with the coming of spring in April. (This explains the reason why the original Ukrainian text speaks about a swallow returning and lambs being born.)

With the introduction of Christianity to Ukraine, and the adoption of the Julian calendar, the celebration of the New Year was moved from April to January,

The original Ukrainian text tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful and bountiful year that the family will have.^[ The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful". The period for the birth of animals and the return of swallows to Ukraine, however, does not correspond to the current calendar season of winter.

In Ukraine, the chant is currently sung on the eve of the Julian New Year.

   So to all who wish to smile and celebrate the Joy that love brings, Happy New Year !!! 

I LIve for You

The  translation of the Italian title of this song, "Vivo Por Lei" is  "I  Live for You". This song can have a double meaning. Surely, it describes the love of a woman. But the musical metaphors abound, so it can also I mean I live for  music.
         "I live for her because she makes my soul vibrate so strongly."
   When you love someone, all your thoughts are filled with that person.  Your life of waiting for the right person is now fulfilled. Listen to this song.
   He sings in Italian, she sings in German.
This duet is bursting with happiness and joy. EnjoyI 

Don't Know Why

   The eyes remember what the hands have held. ~ Diane Ackerman



You will be on my mind forever sings Norah Jones. I  think those we love are always around us, whether  we are kneeling in the driest sands or sailing across the infinite ocean.
What a beautiful song to remember all the love we have been given in this world.

  The song asks a question, "I don't know why I left you?"  Nor are there any clear answers  in this poem by Conrad Aiken below.  The beauty of these words and images will be everlasting. Our heart can understand these beautiful blessings.   The soundscape experienced with all the senses of love "is more than music."


Bread and Music
by Conrad Aiken

Music I heard with you was more than music,
And bread I broke with you was more than bread;
Now that I am without you, all is desolate;
All that was once so beautiful is dead.

Your hands once touched this table and this silver,
And I have seen your fingers hold this glass.
These things do not remember you, belovèd,
And yet your touch upon them will not pass.

For it was in my heart you moved among them,
And blessed them with your hands and with your eyes;
And in my heart they will remember always,—
They knew you once, O beautiful and wise.

The Three Gifts

"Life is the first gift, love is the second, understanding is the third."    ~Marge Piercy


 When the three wise men came to celebrate the birth of Jesus, they brought with them three gifts. Maybe that is the right number we should give to each other. The greatest gift is love. Love comes unwrapped and in all the colors of the world.
    
Look at the puzzle below. What are the first three words you see. I saw:

                          Love , You,  Time.
More time with the one you love. I guess that says it all.

Simply as the title says. The first three words you see are what you want in life. What do you see?

             

My Country

    The tragic events of the mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut remind me of the sudden ways that love can be taken from us. Our greatest gift is our children. The death of a child reminds us of the brevity of life and the importance of love.  In the aftermath of unspeakable horror, some experts say we should tell our children that we love them. That seems obvious. But what I think we should tell them is that we are listening. That we have had enough of these senseless and violent acts and that we intend to do something.
    Can we make our schools safer?
Should we outlaw ownership of multiple weapons?  How do assault weapons enter into the United States?  Who are the sellers of these guns?  Where are they bought and sold?  These are some of the early questions.

   If we learn to listen, we may be able to change the world.  When I first heard "Ma vlast" (the title means "My Country") written by the composer Smetana,  I was moved by its massive beauty and lyricism.  It is a musical interpretation of the path of the Moldau River, that runs through the city of Prague, Czechoslovakia.  He uses "splashes of melody and musical devices to evoke the brooks and creeks." I later read that this musical piece is one of the 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. During the years he spent writing and scoring Ma vlast,  Smetana completely lost his hearing.
   Our country, The United States of America, must no longer be deaf. We should hear the cries of those poor children and do something to change the world. Not just for them but for all the children in our future. Then, and only then, what comes out of deafness can be transformative and beautiful.

26 Angels

There are no words of comfort to ease the pain of America and the death of little innocent children and teachers by a violent madman. The insanity sickens me.

    Maya Angelou has written a poem of grief and loss called "When Great Trees Fall."

And the artist Jenn Bostic sings about the death of her father in "Jealous of the Angels". Tonight I can only think about the death of 26 angels at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and the parents and families who loved them. They must carry that pain for the rest of their lives. Perhaps with time they will remember with grief and gratitude. ( Read the poem here).

Two Hearts

The Japanese word for heart in the romantic sense is kokoro.
In the medical sense, the Japanese word for heart is  sinzou.

   Each of has two hearts within us - the one that beats and the one that loves. Listen to this beautiful and relaxing  piano music called "Koko" by the artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.


"The original title was meant to be kokoro (heart). Sakamoto himself said that at a concert."

The Native Americans also believed there are two hearts within us. Read this story below about the Two Wolves.

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, discontented one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate, happy and contented one.” The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?” The grandfather answered: “The one I feed.”

Flowers in December

   When  you find the person you love, it is like receiving a gift of flowers in December. Suddenly, the darkness vanishes and a more bright and beautiful world appears. Flowers are an unexpected gift in  December. They are wonderful symbols of love and add a welcome warmth to the frosty season.
You cannot grow flowers in the ground in December, so they are also symbols of love that will survive the freezing  cold.
 
     The December birth flower is the Poinsettia. The story of  how the  Poinsettia became associated with Christmas is described below.

    Also known as the Mexican flame leaf or Christmas star or Noche Buena , the poinsettia, is a plant known for its striking red displays at Christmas time. It is often used as a floral Christmas decoration because of its festive colors. Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and Central America, where they may reach heights of sixteen feet. They are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825.

A Mexican legend explains how poinsettias came to be associated with Christmas. Apparently, a child who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When brought into the church, the weeds bloomed into red and green flowers and the congregation felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

     Look again at the person you love. That love began as something special and now is as beautiful as a poinsettia. I hope you always have flowers in December.

 

   

Simple Things

This time of year and really everyday, it's important to stop and look at the things we take for granted in life. For me this romantic piano music is one of the ultimate love songs. The song is Simple Things written by Jim Brickman and Beth Nielsen Chapman.

    Beth is a survivor of breast cancer.  This song is a form of emotional medicine (Chapman's words) that can help you heal through the start of winter.

Take the time to appreciate the simple things that are right in front of you.. "The first leaves off the tree/ The way you look at me."

Lyrics to Simple Things

SIMPLE THINGS (Jim Brickman / Beth Nielsen Chapman)

Hey, time won't wait
Life goes by
Every day's a brand new sky
Every tear
Comes to dry
All that really matters in this crazy world
Is you and I together, baby
Just remember

The first leaves off the tree
The way you look at me
A thousand chiming church bells ring
The simple things are free
The sun, the moon, the stars
The beating of two hearts
How I love the simple things
The simple things just are

So here we go
Let's just dance
Teach my soul to take this chance
Put my heart
In your hands
Out of all the moments that we leave behind
Turn around and tell me baby
We'll remember

The thunder and the rain
The way you say my name
After all the clouds go by
The simple things remain
The sun, the moon, the stars
The beating of two hearts
How I love the simple things
The simple things just are

Oh, the ocean and the sky
The way we feel tonight
I know that it's the love that brings
The simple things to life
The sun, the moon, the stars
The beating of two hearts
I love the way the simple things
The simple things just are
I love the way the simple things
The simple things just are
The simple things just are
The simple things
Just are