Saturday's Songs for the Soul: Beth Nielsen Chapman Songs, Creativity & Therapy

Thought for the Day: I hinted yesterday in #FF Friday's Fabulous Finds that I had a treat in store for you on Saturday's Songs for the Soul. I have had the honor of getting to know Beth Nielsen Chapman when she taught at one of the songwriting retreats I organized a about ten years ago. Since then our paths have crossed several times & I consider it a gift to know her personally. On Beth's website they note that in addition to writing hits for other artists, "Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nashville based singer-songwriter,... breast cancer survivor, environmental activist, teacher of workshops & lecturer on the magic of creativity, which she believes is a birthright of everyone." Beth writes straight from her heart & soul.  Her songs usually come to her as melodies to which she adds nonsense syllables. Even though she has no idea what the song will be about, miraculously, the words, when the song is completed, usually match the vowel sounds of the original nonsense syllables. Many of her songs were written when challenged by illness & loss as her own therapy. Her inner strength & spirituality have inspired countless others as they confront life's challenges.

      Her songs have been covered by many top artists in multiple genres including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, The Indigo Girls, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Keb Mo’, Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Faith Hill, Willie Nelson, & many more. 

         I chose three of Beth's songs for your Saturday listening enjoyment & inspiration:

 

Sand & Water was written following the death of her husband from cancer when her son (who is now grown) was only 12 years old. Elton John covers this song in concerts in honor of Princess Diana. It captures the essence of grief from a time when Beth reports that she thought she would never sing again. It was such a personal song that it was hard for her to make minor changes so that a man could sing it. (This version is live with Kieran Goss)

Happy Girl, which became a Country hit for by Martina Mc Bride, represents coming out of the dark of mourning & back to life.

The melody from Every December Sky came to Beth before she even knew she was diagnosed with Cancer. She speaks about this melody as a gift from a higher power (like many of her songs) that strengthened her & helped her through the process of treatment & recovery.

I encourage you to listen to these & other inspiring songs (there are great love songs, This Kiss, a touching visit with an ailing friend in the hospital, Emily, & a song about a woman with Alzheimers, Child Again)  by Beth. I hope you will come back for Sunday's Comic Strips & Motivational Monday's posts. Next week I will be participating in some exciting events at Capital Hill when I join a nonpartisan group, Moms Demand Action. I will be one of 250 Moms (and dads) from across the USA that will Take the Hill. I will be blogging from Washington DC. So I look forward to sharing some great experiences with you. Have a great weekend!

It Takes A Cell Phone To Raise A Child

See How Your Cell Phone Can Become Part Of The Village & Help Save Lives!

Thought for the day: It used to take a village to raise a child. Today, it takes a cell phone to raise a child.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure to finally meet Sherry Friedlander, founder of A Child Is Missing.  I have spoken to Sherry & worked with her remotely for about two years.  A Child Is Missing is one of the amazing Dream Nonprofit organizations featured in & benefiting from my book. Visiting their headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale gave me a new perspective on the dreams that Sherry's organization is fulfilling & it's future goals & aspirations. 

Sherry Friedlander with Dr. Lavi in Ft. Lauderdale

The new office is not fancy or spacious, but it is filled with a dedicated staff that is on call 24/7 protecting every child (including Autistic and Down Syndrome), disabled or elderly person (often with Alzheimer’s) in the United States of America. It is the modern day village helping to keep children safe. When I arrived, I was taken down a short hallway decorated with walls of pictures of Sherry with famous supporters of her mission from Barack Obama to Senators Orrin Hatch, Utah; Robert Menendez, NJ; Rep. Steve Chabot, Ohio;  Rep. Ted Deutch, FL;  Senator John Cornyn, TX; Rep. Allen West, FL;  Former Rep. Ron Klein, FL;  State Reps. Sharon Beasley- Teague, GA;  Barbara Ballard, Kansas to name just a few. In a small office with a computer, I was given a demonstration of how the missing person alert system works. As soon as a call comes in from a police department from anywhere in the United States, information is collected about the missing person. The person on call enters information about the missing person into a sophisticated computer program which generates an alert that includes their description, what they were wearing & where they were last seen. The computer produces a map & can facilitate a phone call to 1000 phone numbers per minute within a specific radius of where the person disappeared. They have made over 1,196 safe assisted recoveries at present.

I'd like to share with you two critical pieces of information that will help you become part of this modern day "village" & help save lives that I learned yesterday:

1) DON’T WAIT! You should not wait to call the police when someone goes missing. The sooner you notify the authorities, the better the chances of finding them safe & sound.

2) Register your cell phone & YOU CAN  HELP SAVE LIVES!  I learned that this amazing network needs everyone in the United States help. The system was developed before cell phones began to replace ground lines. As people switch from ground lines to cell phones, A Child Is Missing needs access to cell phone numbers to call in an emergency to help find a missing person. If a child, elderly or disabled person goes missing your cell phone might help find them.  You have to opt in with your cell number. Just go to www.achildismissing.org and register your cell phone number. You can help save a life.

You can also support A Child Is Missing's dreams to expand the village by buying The Wake Up and Dream Challenge. Go to this link & when you check out, put the words, “A Child Is MIssing” in the comments section. On half of the profits will be contributed to A Child Is Missing.