I Have Loved You for a Thousand Years - Love is Endless

Angels on Duty - Fridge Magnet

Most of us have heard 'I Have Loved You for a Thousand Years' by Christina Perri. If the song sounds familiar, it's the final song in the Twilight Series.

Today's Review isn't about Music, It's about Love

What do I know about love? Well I know what you know and what we've all heard; it's what makes the world go round, it's all there is, and of course, it's all we need.

In an increasingly cynical world where people gather in their corners defending positions, ideas, beliefs, what's right and what's not, love patiently waits for us to call it 'one step closer'.

You and I know that this life is fleeting, and whether we belief it's our one and only existence or that our consciousness/soul returns to master it's lessons is irrelevant to this particular life we're living as us - In the end, at our end, one question requires an answer, 'did we love'.

It's the love we give that travels with us and nourishes the earth. That same love imprints itself on those left behind, and they in turn pass it along. Like the tiniest seed buried deep in the earth, love grows.

Questions we might ask about our own love

After the storm, did we find our way back to love? 

When hope slipped through our fingers, did we find our way back to love? 

When the ones we love died, and a piece of us was taken with them, did we find our way back to love? 

When we suffered an illness that scared us to our core and thought, why me, did we find our way back to love? 

When our TV told us why to hate, and who to hate, did we find our way back to love? 

When people took positions that opposed everything we stood for, did we find our way back to love? 

When dark thoughts tried to infect us, did we find our way back to love? 

When we hated ourselves for our own mistakes and choices, did we find our way back to love? 

When we were hurt, did we find our way back to love? 

When someone we love was hurt, did we find our way back to love?

Most of all, when we caused someone pain, did we find our way back to love? 

Did we do this all unconditionally? Did we find our way back to love without expecting anything in return? Did we just decide to love our neighbor?

Here we are, the size of a piece of sand, all together, living on a giant ball that hangs in the middle of the universe questioning ourselves, and perhaps even questioning what it means to have faith. Our mere existence on this spinning ball is a testament to faith.

Yet, we are born with the greatest gift, the capacity to love ... and after centuries still have yet to harness it's power.

This unseen power can't physically be measured, it only exists if we declare it, and the more of it we give the more of it we have. It's the greatest energy yet to be weaponized, for good.

How Do We Get There

Our love for each other is the road home. That's it. There isn't another road that takes us there.

We can spin our wheels til the cows come home, it won't make a spit of difference ... it's the gift of love, even when it's the toughest to give, that takes us there. Test yourself - Think of the hardest person there is to love, and try to love them, to pray for them, to genuinely wish them well.

Planting love in places that need planting, is one of the best uses of love.

For my Dad, Happy Birthday - I have loved you for a thousand years and will love you for a thousand more.

Through it all, love remains
Barbara xxoo

The Heart of Country Music

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How to Make Changes in Life - A Famous Quote that Gives Us the Answer

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A Famous and Wise Quote about How to Create Change in Life

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality; to change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete” by R. Buckminster Fuller

Despite the fact that Richard Buckminster Fuller isn't from our time, his wise words still resonate deeply. Also known as 'Bucky' he was born in 1895 and passed away in 1983 at the age of 87. His extensive resume includes American Architect, Systems Theorist, Author, Designer and Inventor.

In Today's World of Challenges, Buckminster's Quote Applies More Than Ever Doesn't It?

In situations that seem hopeless or all consuming, there’s really only one way out:

'to create a new situation that makes the existing situation obsolete'

This logical approach applies to every area of life:

• Relationships - We aren't getting along? Stop fighting the situation and person, and build a new road
• Work - We have problems, have gotten laid off, or the Boss is on our case; instead of going into fight mode, we build a new road
• World Conflicts - Solve the problems by developing new ideas that make the existing problems obsolete

Best of all, while we're creating that new model, we're also creating a new focus and purpose.

Instead of thinking of a way to change the current situation, Fuller's suggestion is to take the focus off the problem. If it's possible to forget it, forget it, and begin anew by building that new plan, that new approach.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we put down those spinning wheels and simply decide to build a new path.

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Stop for Me, by Carolyn Dawn Johnson - 'I Always Thought This Train Would Stop For Me'

Stop for Me, by Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Upstairs just finishing up some of those much 'loved' household chores with the country music channel playing in the background, I hear these heartbreaking lyrics:

"I had big plans
More powerful than a locomotive
Innocent as a flower growing
In the middle of a barley field
I didn't understand
That you could have pockets overflowing with determination
Give it all you got with no congratulations
And still be at the bottom of the hill
Waiting at the station
With the rails laid out before me
Trying to be patient
Hoping it didn't leave"

I stopped for this song:

Quietly I perched myself on the edge of my bed, and stared at my TV. The

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melancholy words cried their way off the screen and I found myself shedding tears for anyone, myself included, who had moments of  doubt that their work, their dreams, their songs ... all of it..would land in that giant void of 'so what'.

Life is flying by and we have such a short time to leave our mark, no matter what that mark is, our time is limited.

The lyrics continued, and the message of this song, which I further expand upon here, brought about conflicted feelings of  'in the end, we all get to where we're going' to 'it hasn't been easy getting there'

"I had a ticket
That was paid for with my hard earned money
I thought that maybe that would count for something
Wasn't looking for a free ride
But nobody mentioned
ohhh sometimes all the passenger seats are taken
The cars are full and it's a rude awakening
When you're left behind
So disappointed... yeah
I never even got to try
Instead of living in the moment... ohhh
I've been wasting all this time

I always thought this train would stop for me..."

The journey is where we find the joy, but we all know the journey isn't always easy. It isn't about adulation, accolades, fame, or even money (although let's face it, money is a necessary part of life) - It's about 'our contribution while we're here'. If we can do something to improve the human condition, we're making a contribution: A smile, a blessing, seeking hope, laughter, a hand-up to someone who needs it ... anything where we're impacting something or someone for the positive.

During a recent conversation with my 22 year old son, in typical mom fashion, there I was emphasizing the importance to encourage good in this world; he's in a local band 'ColdFront' ...and he's in a position to affect people with words. Being 'Mom', I never hesitate to point that out!

When I talk to my sons, I'm reminded just how young they are, and all they have to learn and go through. My biggest hope is that when they're sitting on the edge of their bed 30 years from now, and lyrics like this song begin to play, they can smile knowing the words don't apply to them.

In the end, I do believe we all get to where we need to be, and that no matter how difficult our path becomes, we'll be O.K.  Everyday we wake up, is another chance at life, another shot at getting it right to fulfill our purpose.

So, although this song is a little bit sad, it's a reminder that nothing is permanent, even sadness. As the famous quote says, 'Without the Rain, there Would be no Rainbow'

Here it is: 'Stop for Me'



To Your Success,
By Barbara Tremblay Cipak, Country Music Reviewer
Drageda.com - 'Don't Drive Alone Get Emotional Daily Assistance'

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