Yesterday I was introduced (not physically) to Alan Jackson, American country singer and song writer. I tuned him in on You Tube, heard this song, and thought it would be nice to share some music again.
We are all getting older but some of us are counting the few years we have left rather than the many years we have lived. Alan sums it up in his song, “The Older I Get.” It made me feel better about the older I am getting. (Alan is sixty years young.)
A friend shared this with me last Saturday morning because I had used the words, I can see clearly now as the finishing touch on a post, The Plank In My Eye on March 9th. I have always loved the song. The following is indeed another life lesson in itself, again taken from the song, I Can See Clearly Now written by Johnny Nash in 1972.
Have you ever realized that your perception of life is the lens through which you view your life? Our perception truly shapes our reality. Is your lens clear, and do you like what you see? Or have you allowed circumstances in your life to cloud up your lens and change your viewpoint and perspective?
“I can see clearly now the rain is gone.”
I love this lyric. Here is a person who has cleaned his lens. The rain was blocking his vision of life. When the “hard rain” is pouring down all around, it’s easy to miss the beauty around you, the opportunities open to you.
“I can see all obstacles in my way.”
This person has arrived at a moment of clarity. Now that the rain is gone, he can finally see the obstacles preventing him from the goals and dreams he has been pursuing without success. Once you define and acknowledge your obstacles, you can create a compelling plan of action to turn these obstacles into tangible opportunities.
“Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.”
Wow, this is such a powerful use of words! We have all experienced “dark cloud” moments in our life. We have been hurt and disappointed. We have experienced losses and unexpected moments of sadness. We have been this close to a major victory only to fall short and have to start over. To me, these powerful words represent a message of hope. The dark clouds in our life will disappear. We will maintain our faith and belief that things can and will work out in the end.
“It’s going to be a bright bright sunshiny day”
Beautiful optimism! What an inspiring and positive outlook this lyric projects. This person has cleared off the lens, recognized the obstacles, removed the dark clouds, and replaced his blindness with a powerful vision. The road ahead is bathed in bright sunshine.
Johnny Nash’s words are open to interpretation, but I believe the rain could have been a series of negative emotions. The obstacles could have been the source of that (rain) pain. The dark clouds could have been the acceptance of those negative emotions causing blindness to the possibilities. The bright sunshiny day could be the moment the person said, “No more! From today forward, I will take hold of my life and choose to look through my lens with the hope, faith, and confidence that a bright future brings.”
Clear your lens and embrace your future – every day. What song has a lot of meaning to you?
Make A Difference Today,
~Paul
Recently I was asked where my blog material comes from and it comes from everywhere; an overheard or general conversation, certain books and authors, TV and radio programs…life itself.
Today it’s from a radio program I listened to on CBC yesterday, about apologies and how effective they can be in healing people and the world.
One segment was about a drunk driver killing two young ladies in a car crash in 2002. The mother of one of them wanted only to see the twenty-two-old young man face to face and hear a sincere apology from him. And she did. It was replayed on radio and I had tears in my eyes and in my heart. These two people, the mother and the killer of her daughter became friends in the end. How? Because forgiveness was asked for and given.
It’s not only a drunk driver who can affect someone’s life. There are many ways of doing that and perhaps with some soul searching, we may see where we have been just as guilty as this young man and say, “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
This song of Brenda Lee’s talks about being too blind to see and not seeing the wrong that’s been done. It’s meant to be a romantic apology but it was played on the radio program and was very effective…it too, brought forth a few tears because of, like the young man, the genuineness of her voice. You can hear both apologies right here on this page.
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen Then click on “A drunk driver apologizes…”
In this Season of Lent, it is comforting to realize that the Cross was not for nothing…true to His word, Jesus, after his death, sent the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16 New International Version (NIV). And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever…
I’ve always believed it to be the Holy Spirit who is the wind beneath my wings. I still do. Happy Sunday.
Do you sometimes think, with all the goings-on in the world today, that a new world would be preferable? Roger Whitaker must have had some inkling of what was to come when he recorded this in 1970.
Every once in awhile a song comes along that can move us to tears…joyful or otherwise…in my opinion this is one of them. How fitting for this time of Lent. How wonderful to believe. Thank you, Jesus.
Look what I found on You-Tube! One of my granddaughters has a German Shepherd named Champ. I’m dedicating this song to him. I hope they get to see it.
Everyone has their favorite thing, favorite people, favorite song, favorite season, etc. Last night one of my favorite people sent me one of my favorite quotes. It has been my motto for over forty years; not only my motto but my truth; and here it is:
Time is an intriguing subject, don’t you think? It is always with us to do with as we will…fill it, spend it, waste it, look at it forwards and backwards, but capture it? Uh-uh. It is so fleeting that the second you try to live in the moment, the moment is gone. But live in it anyway…it is a great way of learning to become more aware.
Have you ever thought about how much time it takes to walk down memory lane? Or how long it took Perry Como to record the song, Till the End of Time in 1945?
And what about the songs written about clocks: My Grandfather’s Clock that ticked away it’s owner’s life from the day that he was born until the day that he died…ninety years. And The Syncopated Clock written by Leroy Anderson in 1945; a fun and lively piece of music.
Time is spoken about throughout the Bible, but the best time passage (pun intended) is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. It is good reading to be sure and a wise use of words by King Solomon.
Time can be fleeting, or hang heavy on your hands, but it does not stand still…no matter what…time marches on.
No, this is not about The Lord’s Prayer. It is about a love song which I first heard at the wedding of one of my God-daughters in 1987. Here are the words, sung by Randy Travis, that have played in my mind over the years since that time. I’m posting it for all the loving Valentine people who are still celebrating their love whether for one year or sixty. Happy Valentines Day.
Forever and Ever, Amen
You may think that I’m talkin’ foolish
You’ve heard that I’m wild and I’m free
You may wonder how, I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be
But you’re not just time that I’m killin’
I’m no longer one of those guys
As sure as I live, this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Oh, baby! I’m gonna love you forever, forever and ever, Amen!
As long as old men sit n’ talk about the weather
As long as old women sit n’ talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
I’ll be happy to tell you again
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
They say that time takes it’s toll on a body
Makes a young girl’s brown hair turn gray
But, honey, I don’t care, I ain’t in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I’d love you anyway
They say time can play tricks on a memory
Make people forget things they knew
Well, it’s easy to see, it’s happenin’ to me
I’ve already forgotten every woman but you
Oh, darlin’! I’m gonna love you forever, forever and ever, Amen!
As long as old men sit n’ talk about the weather
As long as old women sit n’ talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!
Twenty-nine years later my God-daughter and her husband are still living their wedding song.
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/randy-travis/forever-and-ever-amen-lyrics/#6GPAkquB8DPfsAdU.99
My Precious Life 