I LOVE SAD SONGS

i love sad songs. my comments today has nothing to do with the words of this song or its title. today i simply want to talk about my emotions and memories associated with this song. i was stationed on an air force base at bentwaters, england back in 1979. i fell in love with a young woman, who was also in the air force a year later. i believed that God was directing me to end my time in the service and return to college in the states. she and i were engaged and planned for marriage when she completed her tour and returned to the states. soon after leaving england and attending college-i received a "dear john" letter from her stating she had been living a lie, but she gave no explaination to what that meant. at the time of our "falling in love", this song made popular by maxell was originally made popular by its original singer: kate bush. the remake of this song brought back memories of a love once lived and lost. 29 yrs later:this song still can bring tears to my eyes, but not from anger or pain. but tears recalling a memory about the experience of love lost. i hold no grudge or ill-feelings towards her. i have always desired the best life for her and prayed for safe keeping with her health and in her journey. and my rememberance of love lost reminds me of the great feelings of falling in love-to only bring into my life new love relationships that has that same intensity to it. the death of one love brings life to another. and since that time....my love for my friends, family, creativity, life, God, and for myself-is always in my awareness. this song isn't just about the death of an old love, but the birth of new love relationships and the daily awareness of those i love right now.

FINAL THOUGHT: past hurts and memories of pain can become a place of comfort. it's not an easy concept to grasp or easy to explain. but sometimes our past (and current) "bad" experiences can help us to embrace those things in life we so often neglect or not appreciate. we all have been told to "learn from our experiences", but what an awesome place to grow into when you can "love" your experiences-even when they're not so-good. take notice of someone you love even more so today.

QUESTION: how have you dealt with past "bad" experiences?

EVERY WOMAN

wouldn't it be great men if women were just filled with laughter, dance, sex appeal, and you simply loved being around them all-the-time? a very close buddy and i were talking last night about our frustrations with the behavior of some women. this i will declare-despite my frustrations: i love the women in my family! they have their ways that are sometimes challenging for communication or to relate to. but all-in-all.....they are awesome! my sister is very independent and has never needed a "man" to feel valued or secure. my mom is loved by everybody who meets her. you instantly become family in meeting her. my cousin (who is like an older sister)thinks i am the most talented person in the family. all of them speak their minds, not into games, independent, love being who they are, and love me with great passion. and don't let anyone speak negative about me or with any of my brothers.....no comment (lol). and yet, i have difficulty (as most men do) understanding alot of women, as a whole. this has been a continued challenge for men since the days of eve. still, they are desired to be loved and treasured-despite any issues we may find in them (or i should say some). not every woman is the same.....but every woman are the same in the sense.....they are women (whatever that may mean for women of today).

WOMEN IN PIECES

WOMEN ARE LIKE PIECES TO A PUZZLE
THAT YOU CANNOT QUICKLY BE PUT TOGETHER
MATCHING THE PICTURE ON THE BOX

THEY MUST BE GENTLY HANDLED
NOT FORCED TO FIT INTO SPACES WE WANT THEM TO
AND HELD TENDERLY
AS TO NOT BEND EDGES TO THEIR BEING
CAREFULLY STUDIED
TO PICTURE THEM AS THEY ARE
AND TOUCHED WITH CARE
KNOWING THEY ARE VALUED
NOT OWNED

THEY MUST BE GIVEN GREAT THOUGHT
AS THE PIECES COME TOGETHER
AND WHEN THE PUZZLE IS COMPLETE
YOU ONLY LEARN THAT THE PIECES
YOU WERE GIVEN
HAS CHANGED DURING THE PROCESS

AND SO
THE MYSTERY OF WOMEN
CONTINUES IN EVERY WOMAN
AS EVERY WOMAN COMES TOGETHER
IN PIECES
TO COMPLETE THE PUZZLE
CALLED WOMEN

A PUZZLE
THAT IS NEVER EVER COMPLETE
AND NEVER EVER PUT TOGETHER
TO FINISH THE PICTURE
THAT WE THINK WE SHOULD SEE

GREGORY BOYER
06/28/10

FINAL THOUGHT: women can't be solved by anyone. they come in pieces and the pieces that are given to us-keeps us guessing at what to do or say to keep the peace between the two sexes. some women are great about being "approachable" and loved. if you know any woman that you feel that way about who is a friend, family member, co-worker, or spouse-let them know how much you appreciate them as women. especially if being identified as a woman is of great value to them....to own.

QUESTION: so do you have great women in your life?

LISTEN.....

ever heard someone say "time flies when you're having fun?" or how about "it just seems like yesterday i was a kid with not a care in the world." life will hand us heartaches, sickness, sad moments, angry times, doubt, and frustrations. some will experience these things more than others. but you learn that times waits for no one. so, it is up to you to make good use of time by being a seed that will allow time to teach you to love, forgive, endure, treasure, focus, learn, laugh, dance, pray, share, and listen.

THE SOUNDS OF TIME

THE SOUNDS OF TIME IS OFTEN NOT HEARD
IT’S NOT IN A WHISPER OR FOUND IN A WORD
WHEN LIFE IS A NOISE-SO MUCH MOVING ABOUT
TIME CANNOT BE HEARD-WHEN SILENCE IS OUT

THE TICKING OF HISTORY KEEPS MAKING ITS WAY
INVADING THE PRESENT WE KNOW CANNOT STAY
THE PAST OFTEN WRITTEN WITHIN MIND AND EYE
WE READ AND REMEMBER ABOUT TIMES GONE BY

TIME COMES TO US QUICKLY BUT SOON GOES AWAY
AND TAKES ALL OUR MOMENTS WE GET IN A DAY
AND IN A YEAR’S TIME-WHEN DAYS ARE COLLECTED
WE CAN’T SEE THE MOMENTS THAT WE ONCE NEGLECTED

FOR LIFE CAN BE MUSIC-SWEET SOUNDS TO THE EAR
WHEN CHOOSING TO LISTEN TO TIME WHEN WE HEAR
TO HOLD TIGHT TO MOMENTS WE SEARCH FOR AND FIND
FOR NOW IS THE TIME THAT WE LISTEN TO TIME

GREGORY BOYER
06/27/10

FINAL THOUGHT: listen for those times to appreciate and take notice of simple moments that make you feel good. make a decision to increase those times and hold on to them in your memory bank. make a choice to create a "nice moment" for someone else. maybe to a stranger or even someone you may not like at all. "NOW" is always the time.

QUESTION: when was the best time of your life?

One Republic - Marchin On [HD]

KEEP MARCHING ON

I discovered this song on YouTube and simply loved it! I love when music inspires me to dance, evaluate who I am and discover the world around me in a new light. This song has a great beat and simple thought. Nothing new about the message, but it’s a message that speaks to how I see things and I was encouraged by. There is a line in the song that says “For all of the times we’ve stopped….for all of the things i’m not”. I have had my times in life where it felt like I didn’t want to move forward, because I didn’t know where I wanted to go. I knew I couldn’t stay in the place I was, but I didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other to go in a direction towards “something” that was going to have meaning for me. It was during those times when I look back now and can see how critical I was of myself, not really knowing who I was, not understanding my purpose here on this planet, and focusing too much on what I wasn’t in the eyes of others. But that was then and this is now. I love the journey I have had (even with the tough roads that may have caused me pain). Because I can see how I have marched on and never really stopped…..only slowed down at times. God has taught me about my purpose. I have a ton of people I love and a ton of people that love me back. And there are a ton of others I have yet to meet. But it has never been about the “getting back” as much as it has been about the “giving”. The Beatles once sang a song called “All We Need Is Love”. God has been singing that song to us for centuries!

FINAL THOUGHT: Keep marching on if you feel discouraged because you’re in a rough place right now. It’s not about me not understanding what it’s like to be in your shoes or saying “easier said than done” statements. Standing still has it’s purpose, but putting one foot in front of the other and taking those baby steps to “somewhere” can take you to that blessing that just maybe right around the corner. MARCH ON!

QUESTION: Where are you going in life?