Wake Up and Dream Catalyst: Short inspirational thoughts for the day. Raising questions & hopefully opening a dialogue with people interested in learning how to turn their dreams into plans and start navigating their way towards them.
Thought for the Day:As we continue to celebrate the two year anniversary of the blog and over 83,000 page views, here are the Top 4 Saturday's Songs for the Soul posts from the blog. This is a busy weekend and I am completing this post on metro north on the way to NYC. I created the above photo on an app called InstaCollage. Here are the most viewed post last year in this series. Have a wonderful weekend!
#4 The Luckiest Guy From The Magnetic Fields 11/2/2013is a very funny song that made me laugh out loud was included because I know that laughter extends our lives and helps us cope with the challenges in life.
Thought for the Day: Today, I could really use some relaxing music. As the free download of the e-Book version of my book quickly approaches, I keep remembering additional things I need to do. I had planed to just post a sneak peak at one of the photos from the campaign today, but realized that I had a more musical one that I could share with you. The only problem was that I only prepared tweets for this series & I needed some Photo signs to go along with it. You will be the first to see this "Over the Rainbow" series. It feels a bit improper to use the classic song in this way, but it is all for a good cause & with a dose of #BurmaShave humor. Let me know what you think. The first verse actually aired on the press release that went out yesterday, but here it is with visuals. The link at the end of the last verse will be active on Sunday at 12 AM (PST) till Tuesday at 11:59 AM (PST). I hope you will download a copy & share this offer with friends, family & colleagues as well! Thanks & I promise I will return to normal blogging after this promotion is over!
Thought for the Day: I've had a very busy weekend so today I am posting for Saturday & Sunday! I am bringing a wonderful recording which is part of the Playing for Change project. The organization records the same song with street musician from around the world & then mixes the performances together. It is truly a worldwide effort to connect the world via music & creativity. The proceeds from the sales go to music programs around the world. The song I chose is John Lennon's "Imagine." Hear it like you have never heard the song before & imagine the possibilities for change. It is helping keep Lennon's Dream fro peace alive.
The free e-book download of The Wake Up and Dream Challenge is a part of a similar endeavor to help change the world one person at a time by helping them reach their dreams while helping 21 Dream Nonprofit organizations help others reach their dreams. It is just a week away so come back to find out how to download my book for Free.
Thought for the Day: I have been trying to take it easy this summer & am reposting a 4th of July post from 2013 today. If you missed it last year, I hope you enjoy my selections and have a great weekend! I just added another video that I found on YouTube of Kate Smith introducing what almost became the National Anthem. We took this photo last night from a roof top in Brooklyn (Dumbo section). Happy 4th of July!
*Photo credits
Thought for the Day: Songs can capture the mood of a nation. When they do, they become classic hits. My 1st choice for today is a video which also tells the stories behind one such song. "Bye Bye Miss American Pie,"written & performed by Don Mc Lean, captured the emotions of the troubling events spanning the 50's and the 60's. This video shares some very interesting images & explanations of the meaning behind the song that is as American as apple pie. It is also remarkable that the song somehow is uplifting despite the difficult subject it addresses. Read on to hear the songs I picked
Thought for the Day: Today I am at a corporation helping employees deal with the death of a colleague and therefore I decided to repost this from last year. It is a wonderful story and an inspiring song. Thought for the Day: Today I am sharing 2 songs & an 11 minute audio recording. Please click on a link to listen to the recording 1st & come back to hear the music. The audio is from The Moth (True Stories Told Live) which I heard on public radio last week on my way home from Boston. I don't usually listen to hip hop or rap music, but the story is truly inspirational & as Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels spoke about feeling suicidal, I got pulled in. I don't want to ruin it for you, so please just CLICK on this link & click on the listen button. After you hear the story, come back to this post to hear the music. Many of you know the song, "Angel," by Sarah Mc Lauchlan, but you will never hear it the same way again.
Now that you have heard DNC's story, take a listen to "Angel."
Mother's Day is especially hard for both adopted children & for their birth mothers. Birth mothers make a very difficult decision in the best interests of their children. They hope that their children will have a chance at a better life if they are adopted. These 2 artists & their music can change lives & even save lives.
Have a wonderful weekend & a Happy Mother's Day to all!
*2 Photo of Sarah McLachlan from Creative Commons Wikipedia
{{Information
|Description ={{en|1={{Information |Description=Sarah McLachlin
after her live performance at the Jet Blue terminal at JFK International
Airport on July 29th, 2010. see more at [http://www.quintanomedia.com
www.quintanomedia.com] |Sourc
*3 Photo of Darryl "DCM" McDaniels from Creative Commons Wikipedia
== Summary == {{Information |Description=Darryl "DCM" McDaniels at the
Billboard-Children Uniting Nations after-party red carpet.
|Source=self-made |Date=Sunday, February 24, 2007 |Author= Photographer JessicaPinney, [http://www.mod
Thought for the Day: After 2 days of listening to thoughtful academic papers on all aspects of motherhood, I came home & started thinking about preparing a second week of my Songs for the Soul on Motherhood. When I began to look for a version of My Yidishe Moma, I found a wide selection of the song in multiple languages by some well known & some new artists & decided to post them all. It is a soulful lament of a child who has lost his mother & appreciates her in ways he may not have when she was with him. I will share some of my impressions from the conference, however, the tendency of men, women, & society to undervalue the worth of mothers around the world was evident in much of the research. Perhaps we should all pay attention to the moving words of this song that has touched people the universal mother & a child's realization of how much he misses his mother, values her & wishes he had let her know.
This post is dedicated to my daughter, Lee, single working mom, who is graduating this weekend with a Masters in Special Education! I am so proud of her accomplishments!
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1) My Yiishe Moma in Russian as a Tango, 2) Salim Halali-Ma Yiddish Mama-album d'orin, in Arabic from Morocco, 3) Charles Aznavour, La Yidishe Mama in French, 4) Tom Jones, My Yidisha Moma In English, 5) Neil Sedaka, My Yidisha Momma in Yiddish & Englis, & 11 year old, Daniel Pruzansky, A Yiddishe Mame in Yiddish.
All Photos in Montage found on www.FlickrCC.com:
Clockwise from Top:
Mothers: flickr.com/photos/44124372363@N01/8050434183
Mother with Child in Red hat: flickr.com/photos/41000732@N04/3774557104
Mother with infant in pink blanket: flickr.com/photos/44124425616@N01/2634681982
Mother with child in brown shirt (Sweet): flickr.com/photos/32946633@N00/7181798970
Mother wearing black shirt with red trim: flickr.com/photos/14214150@N02/7510288842
Center photo
Mother & infant laughing: flickr.com/photos/79576592@N00/125710155
Thought for the Day: Next week I will be focusing on new faces of motherhood. I will be speaking at The Museum of Motherhood on the importance of mothers pursuing their dreams, not only for their own mental health, but also as role models for their children. Therefore, I decided to start the week by sharing some songs about mothers, letting go & empowerment of women & mothers. Women, who in the past few years have broken into the "good old boy" network in Country music have been strong role models for women. I may share some more songs like these next week from other artists & genres.
"How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" performed by Grammy award winning singer Patty Loveless is the touching story of how follows a mother helps her daughter deal with losses. This beautiful song was written by Karen Taylor-Good & Burton Collins.
Suzy Bogguss performs "Letting Go," a song about the transition from childhood to adulthood when mothers (and fathers) need to let their children go. She wrote the song with her husband songwriter Doug Crider.
This video of Mary Chapin Carpenter who wrote & performs, "He Thinks He’ll Keep Her," includes a short portion of her speaking about the song's message of empowerment of a wife & mother who realizes that she must change directions in her life to live her own dreams.
"Wide Open Spaces" is another coming of age song performed by the Dixie Chicks. I love the lyric & the soaring melody that captures how important it is for parents to give their children room to make their own mistakes. The song was penned by Susan Gibson. Natalie Maines, the lead singer from the Dixie Chicks has a new solo album coming out on May 7th ironically called "Mother." I will have to check it out when it is released.
I hope you enjoy these songs & will come back this week to read about the changing roles of mothers. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thought for the Day: Yesterday was another busy day for me & I did not have time to prepare a new post. In addition to continuing on the building project, I went into NYC to see my nephew in concert for the last time for a while. It was also to wish him well as he embarks on a new chapter in his life as a musician in Los Angeles. The performance by Myra Flynn (who will be moving to Australia) & Gregory Douglass was a CD release party at Rockwood Music Hall for Myra Flynn's self titled new CD. The CD was produced by my nephew, Matt Bogdanow. It was a wonderful concert by talented young singer songwriters. (You can check them out on their websites.)
I am, however, a bit tired, since we got back home in the early morning hours, so I decided to look back at earlier posts. I chose one I wrote in March as spring began. I decided to repost it now as we move into fall. Fall is a reflective time as children return to school & we begin a new year. Here's the earlier post:
Thought for the Day: This week marks the first day of spring & another significant anniversary for me. As a psychologist, I know that anniversaries related to loved ones no longer with us, sometimes catch us off guard. March 25th would have been my oldest brother Bill's birthday. Bill died many years ago at the age of 31 in the spring of his life just before finishing his doctorate in sociology. Bill was an activist during the 60's & believed in standing up for his ideals. Hopefully, the snow at the beginning of last week was the last of this winter's storms. Spring brings with it rebirth & change. In Bill's honor of Bill's memory, I chose four songs that help us to recover from the storms of life.
My first pick is one of the most eloquent love songs I know. The words are simple, yet profound. It shows how love can be shown without words. I never tire of listening to "When You Say Nothing At All." It was written by a great singer songwriter, Keith Whitley, who sadly died in the spring of his life at the age of 34 from alcohol poisoning. I've posted two versions of the song, one by Keith Whitley & the other produced posthumously with Whitley in a duet with Alison Kraus. Both versions are a chillingly beautiful testament to the power of love.
The second song, "I Hope You Dance" (written by Tia Sillers & Mark D. Sanders), epitomizes the joy of life encouraging us to choose to live life to the fullest. I had the honor to take part in an informal songwriting workshop in a hotel room at the Frank Brown International Songwriter's Festival in Florida with one of the co-writers of this song Mark D. Sanders several years ago. Mark has had 14 number one hits. In my search for a clip of this song, I found an interview with Tia Sillers on how she was inspired to write the song & how luck brought her to collaborate with Sanders. I met her once in Nashville around when the song came out. It is performed by Lee Ann Womack. The sweet photos are of Allie B. (on YouTube) 's sisters.
The third song, "Turn, Turn Turn." was adapted almost word for word from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (with the exception of the last line) by Pete Seeger. The song's wisdom & inspiration has stood the test of time. I found a video of Seeger talking about the song & about the hit version by The Byrds. Pete added his hope that the time for peace will come & that it is "not too late." This spring I hope he is right as the seasons turn.
Finally I chose a song of hope that I have loved since I was a child, "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. I somehow forgot that the song came from a musical, since it seems like an old gospel song. It is befitting song to help us come out of the storm of violence our nation experienced this winter. We must find ways to come together, find ways to overcome our fears & search for creative solutions to the problems that we face. The very powerful version I chose is from American Idol on Fox with Kelly (Clarkson), Ruben & Fantasia. It has been covered by Gerry & The Pacemakers, Elvis, Tom Jones, Barbara Streisand, Patti Labelle, Alicia Keys & countless others.
I hope you enjoyed these selections & the rest of the weekend. Please come back tomorrow for Sunday's Comic Strips.
Thought for the Day: I am enjoying finding great songs by songwriters that I have met & learned from. Today, I picked songs by Steve Seskin, a hit songwriter & amazing songwriting teacher from California. His songs have been covered & become number one hits by a variety of country artists. The subject matter that he has succeeded in conveying in the hits is often surprising for country music. He can make grown men cry. Don't Laugh at Me (Written by Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin) was 1st a a country hit, by Mark Wills. Then, as a hit by Peter, Paul & Mary it became the centerpiece for the Don't Laugh At Me Operation Respect. All of the proceeds from the song go to programs in schools across the country to teach children to respect differences & prevent bullying. The 1st time I heard the song, I Think About You, written by Steve Seskin & Don Schlitz, on a country radio station, I was surprised. It became a hit for Collin Raye. Pay attention to the words & you will see why. The third song, Use Mine, written by Steve Seskin & Lisa Drew, will pull at your heart strings as it weaves the story of a relationship between a father & his son. I'll Always Be There for You, the fourth song, written by Steve Seskin & Odie Blackmon, is heartfelt look at a very difficult decision for any woman & her family. Life's a Dance, which I did not include is another beautiful inspirational song. You may want to check it out as well. All of the clips are of Steve performing them live at house concerts. I hope you enjoy listening to the music of one of our nation's great songwriters. Next time you hear one of his songs on the radio, you will know who the man is behind the music. Come back tomorrow for Sunday's Comic Strips taking a lighter look as psychology & on Monday for Motivational Mondays post about my experiences in Washington DC. Have a great weekend!
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.
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!
#3 American Pie With A Twist 11/30/2013 
#1 The Song Remembers When By Trisha Yearwood 10/19/2013
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