thoughts on the news of the day: love songs

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            A good question to ask on Valentine’s Day is:  What is your favorite love song?  I’m not talking about break-up love songs like “Someone Like You”  by Adele.  I am thinking more of classic songs – the ones you think of as “old school” but somehow have endured the test of time.

            What are the ones you still hear … in jewelry commercials and when you are hanging out in the dentist’s office?  Stevie Wonder’s got a couple:  “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and “You are the Sunshine of My Life”.  Then there is one that especially comes to mind as we remember Whitney Houston’s musical career:  “I Will Always Love You”.  That song was actually written by Dolly Parton, who does a not half bad rendition of the song herself.

            Willie Nelson’s ‘You Were Always on my Mind” qualifies as a love song, although, given the lyrics, I wouldn’t want to be loved by someone who just thought about me, but took no action.  There’s two classics that are hard to forget:  "Are You Lonely Tonight” and “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley. 

            “You Are So Beautiful”  was first sung by Joe Cocker but my favorite version is by a Texas Hill country artist: Stoney Larue.  You can find it on you-tube or probably iTunes.

            I am guessing that you have your own favorites, just depending on the generation you come from … but no matter what you favorite, share it with your sweetie today – guaranteed they will love it!

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thoughts on the news of the day: whitney houston

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            “So good-bye …” Whitney Houston sang those words in the song, “I Will Always Love You” at the Grammy’s in 1993.  She waved her hand as she sang it as if it was a premonition of things to come.  It was a stunning performance and crowned her as Top Diva, if she wasn’t that already.  And now Whitney Houston is gone.  Early reports say drugs and alcohol took her away from us.  When you watch her sing on the videos recorded when she was at the top of her game, she seems so full life; she looks as if nothing could ever bring her down.  But it did. 

            I don’t know about you, but I have missed Whitney.  I missed her a long time before her death.  Tragically, while claiming on an interview that “crack is whack”; she found out that crack as well as many other illegal drugs are powerful and menacing even to those who seem to be bigger than life itself.  Whitney tried many times to make a come back.  I believe that she truly wanted to kick her habit; I have to believe that, otherwise drugs and the evil they bring wins.

            But Whitney lives on.  Her music will always inspire us.  We can always watch her sing her stunning version of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl.  Her Grammy performance of “I Will Always Love You” is available on video any time we want to see it. 

And, Whitney, we will always love you!

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thoughts on the news of the day: mardi gras

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            Mardi Gras would probably not be nearly as popular – or as much fun if it was called “Fat Tuesday” which is what it means in French.  You probably don’t need this mini church history lesson, but long ago, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday all of the sugar, butter and spices were taken out of kitchens and used to make cakes, pancakes and other goodies.  The idea was that all of the things that could not be eaten during Lent were finished up the day before Lent, so as not to waste them.  “Fat Tuesday” came the day before “Ash Wednesday”.

            Today, Mardi Gras is all about parties, parades and celebration; plus a few things we won’t go into right now.  It occurred to me that it is interesting that two of the main locations of Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana and Galveston, Texas have been hit by massive hurricanes in the fairly recent years.  I guess if you were wont to say so, there might be a case for the Almighty to be punishing the celebrators for their misbehavior in much the same way that he punished many Old Testament tribes and peoples.

            I actually do not hold to that theory.  To me, it is just too simple.  I don’t think the Divine Creator works that way.  If that were the case, then we would all be washed away into the salty brink.  None of us escapes sin.  We are all guilty of some misdemeanor or shortcoming and to single out one group or location just doesn’t work. 

            Celebration is good; it only goes south when we get carried away … so to speak ….

            hmmm…..

             

thoughts on the news of the day: purity

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            Dogs drink out of toilet bowls, right?  But it would be unheard of for a human being to drink out of one, agreed?    Well, southern California has completely destroyed that particular concept.  Through a series of purification and reclaiming processes, wastewater is now being used for other things besides well, wastewater.

            Actually, this is not a new concept; it is just new to be accepted by American consumers.  When you think about it, the dry and arid areas of California and Nevada would never have been developed without some kind of irrigation.  Sure, wastewater was used for this, but for drinking water? No way.  The thing is though; California is running out of water.  More and more, water is becoming scarce, especially clean drinking water.  Something had to be done.  So, scientists have developed ways to make wastewater safe to drink again.

            Purity; we all want it.  We want it in our water, and we want it in a myriad of other places, too.   One of our favored expressions in the Presbyterian Church is that we protect the peace, unity and purity of our faith.   But we have a hard time making it crystal clear what we actually mean by purity.

            Seems to me, if we think about what we want in terms of purity for our drinking water, we can easily determine what it is that purity means in our lives.  First of all, pure water means water that is free of undesirable elements.  Pure water is clean and clear, without the cloudiness of dirt or scum.  Pure water is tasteful, cleansing and refreshing.

 Clean, clear, tasteful, cleansing and refreshing -- if we want to have purity in our lives, wouldn’t these things come first?

            hmmm…..

             

thoughts on the news of the day: soup

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            As I write this the Super Bowl is on national television. The Giants and the Patriots are pretty busy right now, but most of us who are watching the game are probably lying around, eating snacks and enjoying a warm cozy living room.  In a few short hours, there will be a winner and a loser and life will go on for all of us viewing the show.  I am guessing that for most of us, the game will not be more than a passing memory in a day or two. In a year when the next game is presented, we will probably not even remember this one.

            But something that is actually much more important happens on this day also.  Many years ago a tradition began to celebrate Super Bowl with a collection of money and/or soup cans for those who are hungry – those who might not even have a bowl of soup to eat today.  The tradition has grown and now expands to many days before and after the big event.  There is a national group that coordinates the “Souper Bowl” but it is very loosely organized.  They get the word out, but encourage those who contribute to give their money and soup to local organizations and agencies who can then distribute them to folks who are in need.

            I think it’s safe to say that for most of us, we have not much more than an emotional stake in the outcome of the game.  But for those who are hungry, a can of soup could mean a whole lot more.  Tomorrow won’t be too late to write a check to a food bank.  It won’t be too late to take a case of soup there.  You might not be on national television, but you will be a hero.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: ground hog day revisitied

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            I wrote this email yesterday, but didn’t post it. What a difference a day makes.   

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            Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow.  That means six more weeks of winter ….maybe…… Phil, the infamous ground hog, is watched every year on February 2.  Legend has it that if the ground hog sees his shadow, then the cold will linger for six more weeks.  That’s the legend; however, Phil hardly ever gets it right.  He has seen his shadow way more times than not.  But sometimes it warms up early anyway.

            Isn’t it funny how we get things stuck in our head?  Things like, a ground hog actually knows something about the weather.  Or, that the Susan Komen Foundation will always put women first in its decisions.  There is a pretty big flurry right now about the fact that a foundation and organization that all of us have heard about and have supported in one way or another has arbitrarily decided to cut out funding for an agency that provides mammograms for women who are in most need of the assistance.  It makes me want to never buy anything pink ever again.

            Surely the Foundation will rethink this decision.  Surely they will see the error of their logic. The Susan Komen foundation does a lot of good for a lot of women – and even a few men.  But its demise could come quickly without some serious damage control.  Maybe the Board of the Susan Komen Foundation could get a clue from Punxsutawney Phil – take its head out of the sand and look around. 

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: balance

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            There’s a story today in the news about the effects of wearing high heels.  Now anyone who has ever worn them knows that they can’t be good.  Women of the fifties, who wore them when Marilyn did, sometimes exclaim that they are more comfortable in them and that they had gotten used to them over the years.  Actually, you don’t see them wearing heels much; women of that age seem to lean more toward SAS’s and other low heels with good support. 

            But back to supersonic heels; you know, the ones that seem to reach for the heavens.  Six and seven inches of stick and steel come between the Achilles tendon and the ground.  They seem to appear everywhere there is a super model or a celebrity.  The funny thing is, have you looked around lately?  No one, of any age seems to be wearing them on the street.  Now, I am not really surprised about that in our Ozark mountain town.  Even on young girls, we are more likely to see hunting boots, especially during hunting season, than stiletto heels.  But recently I went to the big city and even in the malls and restaurants, only a few gals tottered along on the streets looking down over the crowds in their skyscraper shoes. 

            I wonder where all the heels go that are sitting on shelves waiting to go home with some stylish young fashionista.  Do they go anywhere besides the sale rack?  And I guess the question in most folks mind would be, do we care?  Fashion will always be news.  Some will ooh and ah over the next new collection of this and that and some of us won’t even care. 

            And, in the grand scheme of things, that’s all about balance whether your feet are on the ground, or somewhere far above.

            hmmm…..