Saturday's Songs for the Soul: "She Misses Him" in Memory of Tim Johnson, Hit Songwriter

Music lifting the veil between heaven and earth

Thought for the Day: When I start working on my Saturday's Songs for the Soul, I often begin by remembering a song that I have found inspirational. Often, I have heard the songs both on the radio and by the hit songwriter at a songwriting retreat either in Nashville, run by NSAI (Nashville Songwriter's Association International) or that I organized several years ago in New England & Florida. I have not been running any retreats since just before 9/11. I held a retreat in New Hampshire in August of 2000. One of the teachers was Hit Songwriter, Tim Johnson. At the time, he told the story of how he came to write the song, "She Misses Him." Today, I wanted to share this wonderful song. Sadly, I learned that Tim passed away in October of 2012 from colon cancer. Although it made it even more importance to share the song that has helped many people dealing with Alzheimer's here, it changed this post significantly. Therefore, I am sharing another video with you today of how songwriters are missing Tim and helping his wife and family.

Saturday's Songs for the Soul: American Pie, Don McLean & George M Cohan

4th of July NYC 2014

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