Songs & Memories - Music from the Heart

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spring"><U>Spring</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Summer"><U>Summer</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Breath of Winter, and Sorrow is not Fore"><U>Breath of Winter, and Sorrow is not Forever - Love is.</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Holidays Seasons Reflected yeararound"><U>Holidays & Seasons Reflected year-around*</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Years Resolutions"><U>New Year's Resolutions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts and Poetry"><U>Thoughts and Poetry</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts and Reflections "><U>Thoughts and Reflections </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Memories, and Expressions"><U>Thoughts, Memories, and Expressions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="forum.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Webrings, Yahoo Groups"><U>Thoughts, Webrings, & Yahoo Groups</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Art Expressions of Love Healing"><U>Art - Expressions of Love & Healing</U></A></div> <div> <B>Songs & Memories - Music from the Heart</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Essays Experiences"><U>Essays & Experiences</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gardens and Plants"><U>Gardens and Plants</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book review: Touching the Edge"><U>Book review:  "Touching the Edge"</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51_m.htm#my_thoughts" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Songs Memories Music from the Heart"><U>Poignant Moments: </U></A>Reflections of  "Songs & Memories </div> <div> back to  <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Poetry, and Reflections"><U><B>Thoughts, Poetry, and Reflections</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Minneapolis Chapter of The Compassionate"><U> </U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Minneapolis Chapter of The Compassionate"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="139a57c0.jpg" border=0 width="165" height="124" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Minneapolis Chapter of The Compassionate Friends</B></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Minneapolis Chapter of The Compassionate"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spring"><U>Spring</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Summer"><U>Summer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Breath of Winter, and Sorrow is not Fore"><U>Breath of Winter, and Sorrow is not Forever - Love is.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Holidays Seasons Reflected yeararound"><U>Holidays & Seasons Reflected year-around*</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Years Resolutions"><U>New Year's Resolutions</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts and Poetry"><U>Thoughts and Poetry</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts and Reflections "><U>Thoughts and Reflections </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Memories, and Expressions"><U>Thoughts, Memories, and Expressions</U></A>   |   <A HREF="forum.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Webrings, Yahoo Groups"><U>Thoughts, Webrings, & Yahoo Groups</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Art Expressions of Love Healing"><U>Art - Expressions of Love & Healing</U></A>   |   <B>Songs & Memories - Music from the Heart</B>   |   <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Essays Experiences"><U>Essays & Experiences</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gardens and Plants"><U>Gardens and Plants</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book review: Touching the Edge"><U>Book review:  "Touching the Edge"</U></A></div> <div> Songs & Memories - Music from the Heart</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A NAME="top_of_page"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><A HREF="id4_top_of_page.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thoughts, Poetry, and Reflections"><U><IMG SRC="1ff664d0.jpg" border=0 width="102" height="77" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Minneapolis Chapter of The Compassionate"><U>home</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Some time ago,at our meeting, we enjoyed a mutual sharing of</div> <div> "Songs and Memories" </div> <bR> <div> Here are some of them.</div> <bR> <div> "I shall be released" Bob Dylan</div> <div> "Dedicated to the one I love" performed by Mommas & Poppas</div> <div> "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" Beatles</div> <bR> <div> Where are you going, my little one?  - from a kodak commercial in the '60's</div> <bR> <div> To Everything - Turn, Turn Turn </div> <div> There's a Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven</div> <div> -The Byrds, words from Ecclesiastes</div> <div> Circle Game</div> <div> From Both Sides Now</div> <bR> <div> Brown Eyed Girl, Wild Night & Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison</div> <bR> <div> Danny Boy</div> <bR> <div> One Love - Bob Marley</div> <bR> <div> Mama Tried - Merle Haggard</div> <bR> <div> Danny's Song by Kenny Loggins</div> <div> Seasons in the Sun</div> <div> "City of New Orleans" Arlo Guthrie</div> <div> "Tears in Heaven" Eric Clapton</div> <div> "Mr. Bojangles" -Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</div> <div> "6th Avenue Heartache"  -Jacob Dylan</div> <div> "Do You Believe in Magic?" -Lovin' Spoonfull -John Sebastian</div> <div> "The Pretender", & "Runnin' on Empty" Jackson Browne</div> <div> "Let the Good Times Roll" , "Built to Last", & "Box of Rain" - Grateful Dead  </div> <div> "Sounds of Silence" Simon & Garfunkel</div> <bR> <div> When I was a little kid, I remember "Mary Ann" by Harry Belafante</div> <bR> <div> <B>Amazing Grace</B></div> <bR> <div> "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,</div> <div> That saved a wretch like me...</div> <div> I once was lost, but now am found</div> <div> Was blind, but now, I see,</div> <bR> <div> T'was Grace that taught...</div> <div> my heart to fear.</div> <div> And Grace, my fears relieved.</div> <div> How Precious did that Grace appear..</div> <div> the hour I first believed.</div> <bR> <div> Through many dangers, toil and snares...</div> <div> we have already come.</div> <div> T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...</div> <div> and Grace will lead us home.</div> <bR> <div> The Lord has promised good to me...</div> <div> His Word my hope secures.</div> <div> He will myt shield and portion be...</div> <div> as long as life endures.</div> <bR> <div> When we've been here a thousand years...</div> <div> bright shining as the sun.</div> <div> We've no less days to sing God's praise...</div> <div> then when we've first begun.</div> <bR> <div> "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,</div> <div> That saved a wretch like me...</div> <div> I once was lost, but now am found,</div> <div> Was blind, but now, I see.</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="my_thoughts"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><U>Poignant moments:</U>    </FONT>  <IMG SRC="1f441400.gif" border=0 width="65" height="64" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Poignant moments in one's life.  The song can be a link to a happier time.  Reflecting back, I found my self crying with joy at first listening to some of these songs.  I wonder if that were an intimation of the present time, when I am crying in gratitude that I have been blessed with a beautiful family & the 'Circle will be unbroken, by & bye..."</div> <bR> <div> Human achievment is perennially miraculous.</div> <div> I'm listening to a voice that is simple, but with soul...</div> <bR> <div> Music that you make yourself.  What kind of harmony, poetic, and rhythmic expression would be express if there were no mass recorded music?</div> <bR> <div> What associations prompt the above list?  Is it nostalgia for the past? or a sense of poetry, combined with the power of music to create an art that expresses the human angst, but shows triumph in Spirit.  What do these songs have in common?  I guess they express an heroic attitude of music & poetry, along with dance & community.  There's a touch of the dark side of pain & emotional suffering, expressed in the musical art, which allows one to conceive of tragedy without actually having experienced it.  Later on in life, one has to confront life's inevitable tragedies, with our human inclination to triumph with expressing our love.  </div> <bR> <div> Thinking of what song I'm closest to.  It's One Love.  Sounds like "Give Peace a Chance"</div> <div> What is my own song?  I don't know, but to me it sounds like "Second that Emotion" by Smokey Robinson.</div> <bR> <div> Refining the presentation for tomorrow's meeting.  I decided to print out the program and distribute copies to the group.  That way, when we break into groups, there'll be some topics of songs & memories to draw from.  I thought of bringing music to our meeting tonight, but what selections would I play?  Music is so personal.  The objective is to share our songs and memories to share our Stories, and maybe in doing so, will trigger treasured memories of our own.</div> <bR> <div> As I write, a Bob Marley tune, "Everything's Going to Be Alright", is playing in my head.  </div> <div> "Don't Worry, 'bout a thing,</div> <div> 'Cause every little thing's, going to be alright".</div> <div> Why?</div> <bR> <div> It's simple, like a nursery song.  Music, songs and memories are very personal.  To talk about it, maybe you feel like you are revealing much about yourself, perhaps more than you'd like. We Compassionate Friends all pledge together to make this a safe space where we can talk about personal things.  So  maybe by sharing, we can help each other capture and share some memories, that in the rush of everyday life, are elusive.</div> <bR> <div> Here, I've been talking about a lot of  popular songs from the sixties & early seventies.  What is it about certain songs that trigger the emotions?  Either Plato or Aristotle said "Know thyself".  Music, like photos and finding old toys in the attic, can be a bridge between our past & present.  Paul Simon, in his song "Old Friends", said, "Preserve your memories, they're all that's left (for) you."</div> <bR> <div> We humans have the gift of memories.  We love our families now, and we remember our children through the years.  We remember our wives and husbands, from before we were married right up to now.  We remember our own family, when we were kids.  It's a poignant gift God gave us.  We reflect on our stories, and music helps us remember, and feel.</div> <bR> <div> I was talking about popular tunes, but of course, the music of our lives includes everything from nursery rhymes, to the "Star Spangled Banner".  We could go on for hours naming tunes, jingles, hymns, campfire songs, as well as pop songs.  A lot of popular movies use old tunes.  It may be accurate to say that we create the theme music to our own lives.  At least that's how I feel.  The ironic thing for me is that (thanks to the skillful efforts of advertisers :-)), a lot of this music that can be a "magic carpet ride" to my past, I didn't like at the time, and only now, I grudgingly give it another listen...</div> <bR> <div> Songs and memories are inter-twined.  Some of us have more of a gift of memory, just as some of us can carry a tune a bit better than others..  </div> <div> As Compassionate Friends, We should explore songs and memories more in future meetings, because this topic is huge and powerful.  Just as tears and sadness are painful, we cry because we love.  There is no greater gift than Love.  Sometimes, memories and reflections are painful, because we are confronting our loss.  But our lives and our stories are who we are now.  Knowing ourselves and our richness is a gift, and music helps us know it.</div> <bR> <div> Types of songs that have triggered my memory:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">nursery rhymes</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">campfire songs</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">church hymns</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">advertising jingles</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">pep-rally & marching tunes</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">popular tunes (If you're a "fan", the story of the artist can trigger your emotions, for example, John Lennon, Elvis, Jimi Hendrex, Jerry Garcia, or Glen Miller -not Michael Jackson LOL!)</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Johnny Mathis</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#top_of_page" TITLE="Songs Memories Music from the Heart"><U>top of page</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>