Blog Challenge Day 16: A Song That Makes Me Cry

Greetings Humble Readers!

Today hasn't been anywhere near as productive as I had hoped, but I kind of overdid it yesterday.  I woke up in a lot of pain and decided that the rest of the painting would have to wait.

The plan is, we are going to finish painting the bookcases tomorrow.  So, today I spent the morning resting (aka being a lazy ass), and this afternoon, I've done a bunch of baby laundry.  I don't normally enjoy doing laundry, but I have to say that this has been kind of fun.  I know I won't always feel this way about it, but it was great folding all those little blankets and outfits.  I just can't imagine having something that small to hold. 

Today's assignment for the blog challenge is to talk about a song that makes me cry.  I think I've talked about this one before.  The first song that comes to mind is "Dance Little Jean" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  (The video isn't of them, but it was the best version I could find on Youtube.) 



But one that I don't hear all that often (thank goodness!), but still makes me bawl like a baby everytime I hear it is the Academy Award winning song from Return of the King, "Into the West"  by Annie Lennox.  Especially when you know the story behind it... about a young man associated with the film who died after along battle with cancer.  It also makes me think of my angel girls... waiting in, as Gandalf says, 'a far green country, under a swift sunrise'. 



I hope I didn't make you cry... ;)

October ICLW: Kicking Off A Month Of Posts

Howdy Humble Readers!  And welcome ICLW visitors!

In an effort to improve my bloginess (which has been pitiful of late) I am going to attempt the 30 Day Blog Challenge that several others have done over the last few months.  It will give me something to blog about every day, and I should finish up right around the time that the Halfling makes his/her appearance.

This may mean that I will have more than one post a day (gasp!) or have rambling potpurri type posts where I'm talking about unrelated things.  Please bear with me...  Below are the topics I will be covering (so that I can keep track of what's coming up).

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of your favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where you live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - your worst habit
Day 28 - what's in your handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

*****
So, day 1... my favourite song.

Hmmm...  Music isn't as much of a part of my life as it used to be.  I equate music with driving a lot, but because I don't drive much at all anymore, I don't really listen to a whole lot. 

All that said, I am a die hard Beatles fan.  I love love love 'Dear Prudence'.  But for the sheer coolness factor, I have to go with this version of  'I Am The Walrus' as sung by Jim Carrey.

Music & Thoughts of Grandpa

Good evening Humble Readers... tonight's post is a little different, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

I think I've indicated before that my family is more than a little odd. I've had biological parents, step parents, and foster parents. Now, when your number of parents increases, so does your number of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and especially cousins. There are many people in my family that I wouldn't recognize if I saw them on the street.

But many of my favourite preschool memories (yes, I can remember back to when I was 2) involve my Grandpa B. I remember 'helping' him build a set of concrete steps and him threatening to stick me in the middle of the cement and leave me there. I remember tramping with him through the Ontario bush tapping maple trees, and then going back and collecting the sap to make maple syrup. I remember playing in his office where he kept spare parts for the chainsaws he repaired (the adult in me freaks out at that!).

Mostly, I just remember feeling safe with him. With the chaos that was my family, having his calm gruffness was a blessing.

He's the one who is adamant we are Irish, even though I'm seventh generation Canadian through his part of the family. When he's had a couple beers he gets this incredible brogue that is a combination of Irish and eastern Canadian (with a minor hint of French Canadian thrown in for good measure). He is a fabulous storyteller, and can out BS anyone. He's funny, sweet, and blunt.
I'm not sure why he's been on my mind so much lately. Maybe it's because I've been on an eastern Canadian music kick recently. (Please make sure that you click over to this link... this song makes me think of Grandpa like no other. The Mull River Shuffle) Maybe it's because I'm thinking so much about our trip to New York coming up... daydreaming about fall colours and it brings him to mind.

Of all my biological family, he's the one I wish I lived closer to. He's the one I miss. And I think he's part of the reason why I want so much to be a mom. I want to share his stories with a new generation.

One Song... Joy

In the last year or so, after dragging my feet and fighting it just a bit, I have bounded forward into the twenty-first century, and have entered the wonderful world of technological gizmos.

I am, most recently, the proud new owner of a beautiful shiny red Blackberry Pearl. It's gorgeous. It's very handy for text-messaging my better half in the middle of the day, and for playing a dangerously addictive game called 'Brick Breaker'. Oh yeah, and it's a cool phone too!

And who knew that I would enjoy a Wii quite so much? It was only supposed to be a birthday gift for my darling one, but I have reaquired an intense interest in those two wacky and zany guys, Mario and Luigi.

But the best little gizmo in my posession is my mp3 player. How does it work? I have no idea. I mean, I know how to load music onto it and I know how to use it to listen to music... but I have no idea how the technology works that allows me to take all my favorite music everywhere with me. I have had other portable music gizmos in the past... my first Walkman (the size of a small European nation) entered my life on my 9th birthday, a double cassette-playing battery operated boom-box when I was 11 (that made it all the way to college with me), my Discman that made many journey's between home and work with me over the years... but none of them have given me as much joy as this little three inch piece of plastic and metal.

So, you're probably wondering why I am rhapsodizing about my mp3 player. Especially in light of recent happenings in my life, it may seem odd to be extolling the virtues of something that is just a chunk of plastic, metal and gigabytes.

Well, maybe you aren't wondering, but you should be.

The reason I'm having a love-fest for my mp3 player is simple.

Joy.

Music brings joy.

The first smile that I've smiled in weeks... my first real spontaneous smile anyway... was in response to hearing a favorite song. The first surge of truly happy energy I've experienced since the beginning of September came the other day as I was walking home and felt like dancing to the tunes filling my brain.

A favorite song, no matter how frivolous, has the power to change an attitude, alter emotion, and brighten an outlook. I have no illusions... I know that music cannot heal the painful place in my heart. Only God and time can do that. But joy is a powerful gift.

But joy is something that I am not willing to live without, even in the midst of grief.

So here's to the crazy mix that I am loving right now... from Atlantic Canadian Celtic party tunes to Broadway show tunes, from retro 80's pop to twangy country, from contemporary Christian melodies to power ballads sung by bad boy rockers.

All is joy... and my friend, joy is a good thing!