Lullabies & Legacies

I received an email in the spring from Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall that caught my attention. The subject line was "Help share a lifetime of memories. Donate to the Lullaby Project today".

The word memories always catches my attention. I had missed a few earlier emails that described it: "The Lullaby Project pairs expectant parents with artists to write, record, and perform a personal lullaby – a bond and connection to last a lifetime."

I couldn't resist donating to the campaign since music is a large part of my life and my memories. I loved the idea of composing a lullaby and wish I had when I was expecting. Interestingly, the first songs I composed were 11 months prior to the birth of my fist child, but they weren't melodies that I would sing or hum to my kids. They would have heard me play them on the piano though.

I remember singing Yellow by Coldplay to my daughter. 

🎵Look at the stars; look how they shine for you

And everything you do Yeah, they were all yellow

I came along I wrote a song for you

And all the things you do And it was called Yellow🎵

It's memorable because I had a friend over who liked that I wasn't singing typical "baby" songs but songs I loved. And my daughter liked it so why sing songs I don't like to her?  It's funny looking back that my daughter's favourite colour was yellow for a while and it still is one of her favourites. Coincidence?

I love lyrics and have often used lyrics to introduce my blog posts. Since I donated to the Lullaby Project, I received Supporter Newsletters. A few weeks ago, the newsletter highlighted the Lyrics & Legacies Project. This project pairs songwriters with seniors in a long term care home for them to write their life story in a song. I had goosebumps and happy tears reading about this project and listening to the songs they composed. You can hear them by clicking here. The lullabies can be heard here.

I donated to this project without hesitation. During the summer, I was participating in a Passion & Purpose Summer Series hosted by Brenda Jasmin where we were reading the book Passion To Purpose by Amy McLaren. I donated to Lyrics & Legacies after the 4th week of our 7 week series. The following week on our zoom call with the theme "Make an Impact", I told the group about this project and how it excited me. With two weeks to go before our last zoom call that would have the theme of Legacy & Vision, I decided to write a song to share with the group. 

I will write more about Passion To Purpose in another post but for now, I will just say that finding what moves us makes our lives more meaningful. Happy tears are a sign that I have found something that is meaningful to me. In her book, Amy believes that channeling our gifts and our giving (whether donating time or money) with causes we're passionate about will have a bigger impact.

It has me wondering about how I make donations. I like that I have automatic monthly donations set up so that my giving is more proactive, but I'm not passionate about many of the causes that I donate to. I believe they are important issues but they're not what I'm passionate about.

What if rather than having given my "regular" amount to the Lullabies & Legacies projects, I had given a more meaningful contribution?  Sometimes, we can have a bigger impact and involvement when we give more. Reading Passion To Purpose has me re-evaluating my donations.

Music and memories move me in so many ways and finding projects to support that include both made my heart sing.

Thanksgiving Themed Playlist

In my last post, I wrote:

"A Thanksgiving playlist is something fun to do, whether they are songs that are about giving thanks or just songs that you're thankful for. Creating and listening to a playlist you love can add enjoyment to your weekend."

I started a playlist of songs that relate to giving thanks, getting together, autumn and some songs that kind of  stretch the theme - like Washing Dishes. I started with songs I already had, then searched for suggestions on Google and Apple Music. When I was done (the first time), I loved that there were 55 songs in the playlist for my Revive55 Thanksgiving Playlist.

I then removed ones that I didn't like when I listened to them or read the lyrics.  As I removed some, I added some to keep the number to 55. 

Here are some of my favourite lyrics about giving thanks or being grateful. I'm actually copying these from my 2009 blog post on my original blog My Life Is Like A Song.

I want to thank you

for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
(Thank You by Dido)

Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you thank you silence
(Thank U by Alanis Morrissette)

Some call it faith, some call it love.
Some call it guidance from above.
You are the reason we found ours,
So thank you stars
(Thank you, Stars by Katie Melua)

Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me
(Thank You for the Music by Abba)

Didn't expect any of this
But it's really nice,
Didn't want you to cause a fuss
But it feels alright.
So thank you very much,
It's really nice to know
That you enjoyed the show
(Thank You Very Much by Kaiser Chiefs)

And I thank you for choosing me
To come through unto life to be
A beautiful reflection of his grace
See I know that a gift so great
Is only one God could create
And I'm reminded every time I see your face
(To Zion by Lauryn Hill)

Got my dreams, got my life, got my love
Got my friends got the sunshine above
(Happy by Natasha Bedingfield)

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
(Lucky by Jason Mraz)

And I thank you for bringing me here
For showing me home
For singing these tears
Finally I've found that I belong here
(Home by Depeche Mode)

Well tonight
Thank God it's them instead of you
(Do They Know It's Christmas by Band-Aid)

Who will rise?
It would be so nice to hear you say
"Thank you for the good times"
Before the good times fly away
(Thank you for the Good Times by Oasis)

Oh its such a perfect day,
I'm glad I spent it with you.
Oh such a perfect day,
You just keep me hanging on,
You just keep me hanging on.
You're going to reap just what you sow,
(Perfect Day by Lou Reed)

Generosity is the key
Yeah
Thank you very much
(15 Minutes Away by K'naan)

Nothing is perfect man
That's what the world is
All I know is I'm enjoying today
You know cause it isn't everyday
That you get to give
(Take A Minute by K'naan)

Outside the sun is shining,
seems like heaven ain’t far away
It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day
(Exitlude by The Killers)

Ah la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life is meaningful
Ah la la la la la life is full of
Ah la la la la la life is so full of love
(Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz)

I'm thankful for the blessings

and the lessons I learned

with you by my side

(Thankful by Kelly Clarkson)


And finishing with a song of the beauty in the world...

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see 'em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty...in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people going by
I see friends shaking hands.....saying...how do you do
They're really saying......I love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
(What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong)

Here are some of the songs on my playlist:

The Thanksgiving Song by Adam Sandler
Crowded Table by The Highwomen
Washing Dishes by Jack Johnson
Thank You For the Music by Abba
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Perfect Day by Lou Reed
Grateful by Jewel
Look For The Good by Jason Mraz
Thank You by Dido
Happy by Natasha Bedingfield
Thank U by Alanis Morrissette
Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz
Thank for the Music by Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!)
Beautiful Day by U2
Better Together by Jack Johnson
Autumnsong by Manic Street Preachers
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
A Thousand Suns by Hey Rosetta!
Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Harvest Moon by Neil Young
Give Thanks and Praise by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Autumn in New York by Billie Holiday

etc.

For anyone interested, click here my full Thanksgiving playlist on Apple Music.

90 Days to go - Playlist Shuffle

It's 90 days to July 20th; the official end to my Revive55 Project.

I am trying to focus on writing this post but the television is on near me. To try to drown it out, I put my headphones on and shuffled all my songs on Apple Music - I have 3000 songs on the playlist.

I think the playlist is also distracting me, but I am reminded of a quiz shuffle I used to play.

The rules were:

1. Put your music library on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. You must write that song title as the answer to the question, no matter how silly it sounds! Most of the time they seem to work though, strangely enough.

I used to post my lists on my blog because I loved them so much. Some of my favourite answers in the past were:

• What is your life's purpose? Wasted Little DJ's (love it!)
• What do you think of your best friend? Club Foot (we loved that one since my husband had broken his foot the year before) (posted in 2009)
• What would best describe your personality? Hot N Cold
• What will they play at your funeral? She's A Genius (hahaha)
• What is your biggest secret? Tears Dry On Their Own (😢)
• What do you think of your friends? Silence Is Talking 
• What will you post this as? Love, Love, Love
• If someone says "is this ok? you say?" You can do better than me
• What do you like in a guy/girl? Flowers and Football Tops
• How do you feel today? Lost? (yes, question mark is part of the song title)
• What is your biggest secret? Kaleidoscope Heart (my love of hearts isn't a secret)
• What do you think of your friends? All I Need
• How is today going to be? I'll Take Everything 
• What is in store for this weekend? Lazy Days 
• How is my life going? Writing to Reach You 
• How will I be remembered? Last Request 
• What is my signature song? Summer Sun 
• The next time I'm in front of a crowd I'll say: Turn Up The Sun
• My innermost desire is: You Love Us 
• Happiness is: Song 
• What makes you laugh? Shine On 
• What makes you cry? Don't Look Back In Anger 
• If I could go back in time, I would change: Mysterious Ways 

So while reminiscing of the song shuffle quiz, I'm going to write this blog post while listening to my shuffled playlist and seeing what catches my attention.

I love lyrics and since I started my first blog My Life Is Like A Song, lyrics have been a major theme.

When I put the playlist on, I wasn't wanting to listen to what was on TV, but now my husband has put SGN on (Some Good News by John Krasinski) that I am tempted to watch but I really want to get this blog post published today. If you haven't been watching SGN, click here. It's amazing!

I initially was going to write about my project while listening, but in some ways, the lyrics are speaking for themselves...
(lyrics are in italics)

Back from the dead of winter
Back from the dead and all our leaves are dry
But every seed dies before it grows
(Enough To Let Me Go by Switchfoot)

Perfect lyrics for spring time.

My father said never give up son...
Yeah, you could be someone special
You've got bright in your brains 
and lightning in your veins
You'll go higher than they've ever gone
In you, I see someone special 
You've got fire in your eyes and when you realize
You'll go further than we've ever gone
Miracles (Someone Special) by Coldplay

This is so perfect with our daughter receiving a university research grant today...well I guess it could be better if the lyrics were "never give up girl/daughter"...but that's okay.

My husband just interrupted to show me that Brad Pitt was on SGN. How am I supposed to focus with SGN playing?

Help me make up my mind

Should I blog or watch the show?

Tracing back the thread

This caught my attention because one of the quotes I heard on a podcast or read in a book was "follow the thread"...meaning that life takes you this way and that and although we don't understand the meaning, sometimes following the thread is the way we're meant to go. I have since adopted the quote "Follow Your Bliss" as one of my mantras. Following your bliss meant more to follow what you love than following this way or that...follow the way you love.

You have to swing the bat

Don't you wish the Blue Jays (or MLB) were playing right now? and NBA, NHL, EPL, MLS, Olympics, etc.

(above 3 lyrics from Save You by Matthew Perryman Jones)

Just you and me love, we are almost home
(Almost Home by Alex & Sierra)

Thoughts to travellers who were or are trying to get home.

With glowing hearts 
(O Canada by Daylight for Deadeyes)

Couldn't help but sing to the whole Canadian anthem.

I had a dream of my own
Just walking out of my home...
...And I would love it sometime
If you would walk at my side
(On The Road by Keane)

I'm all dressed for a party
And, man, I'd like to go
The streets are filled with echoes
And there's a half moon above
I don't feel much like talkin'...
...And maybe my skies are empty, 
maybe my birds have flown
And I'm scared as hell to walk out
through this door
I can't stay here anymore
(The Party by The Strumbellas)


She lives in daydreams with me
(She by Harry Styles)

If only in my dreams
(I'll Be Home for Christmas by She & Him)

I've blogged before about dream lyrics so they catch my attention. In my Grade 12 yearbook, they had questions we answered like ambition, probable destination and usually found. I answered that I was usually found "daydreaming". As a side note, my ambition was cruise director and my probable destination was Love Boat.

Bear with me man
I lost my train of thought
I fantasise, I call it quits...
...Oh just as the apocalypse
Finally gets prioritised
And you cry some of the 
hottest tears you ever cried...
...This stunning documentary
That no one else unfortunately saw
Such beautiful photography
It's worth it for the opening scene
I've been driving 'round
Listenin' to the score
Or maybe I just imagined it all
I've played to quiet rooms like this before
Bear with me man
I lost my train of thought
(One Point Perspective by Arctic Monkeys)

Arctic Monkeys lyrics are always so brilliant. This one was perfect for this blog post.

I'll give you my opinion
It's the only one I got
They'll turn you into something
Whether you are it or not
Through a microscope lens
Dissecting your whole life
But they'll never get you right
(Never Get You Right - by Brandon Flowers)

More science lyrics for my daughter (and I).

You're faking a smile with a coffee to go 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a coffee to go? Hoping our coffee shops and restaurants open up again soon.

Sometimes the system goes on the blink and the whole thing it turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know that you could be well all that strong
And I'm not wrong
So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie
You work on a smile and you go for a ride
(Bad Day by Daniel Powter)

These lyrics are giving me a new meaning these days.

Don't let your heart get hardened into stone
Or lose yourself in looking at your phone
So many so-called friends
And still you feel alone
You should spend more time with the do's 
than with the don'ts
Don't worry if you don't know what to do
I don't know what I'm doing
No one has a clue
But you'll figure it 
And I might too
(Don't Worry by Frank Turner)

At the start of the news day, the fires begin
In words and in pictures, but I'm not listening
I'm not taking it in
I'm going to go to the country, where nothing goes on
Going to bury my head, where I can't hear the sound of bombs
Playing along
I'm going to go to a bar, where the jukebox is on
Shut out the noise with a rock 'n roll song
Playing along
(Playing Along by Keane)

Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I've found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it's all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now
(Breathe by U2)

So many people going out and singing on balconies and on the street to thank and bring hope to people in these tought times. Locally, the Raptors anthem singer went out on his street to sing O Canada this week.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
(Let It Snow by Kacey Musgraves)

It snowed a few times today in Toronto. Not enough to stay on the ground but it was coming down quite heavily for a few minutes. This also makes me think of my parents in my hometown who still have lots of snow.

E equals MC squared till it's safe to come home
I'll come home
I'll be there when you make it worth my while
(I Guess...I Suppose by The Fratellis)

Holding my photograph up
To the window
Through the paper 
A refracted sun
(Better Than This by Keane)

I always love lyrics about photos; this reminds me of people putting drawings, rainbows and hearts on their windows and loved ones seeing each other through windows during social distancing.

Pictures framing up the past
(sounds promising)
eek...it doesn't stay happy (I don't want to write the lyrics)
This used to be a funhouse
(Funhouse by P!nk)

Maybe time to put an end to this blog post? Although that's not like me to leave it with a negative ending...have to wait for a happy ending, but I am actually sweating listening to this song. Can I skip? Normally it wouldn't affect me, but while being inspired by lyrics...I really need a happy song right now....

and here it comes...

Oh-ho, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere
And the sound of children laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing, I hear those sleigh bells ringing
(All I want for Christmas Is You Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey)

This is the 4th Christmas song tonight...how many Christmas songs do I have in the 3000?

I just made a smart playlist with Christmas/Holiday as a genre to answer that question. I have 180 songs of the 3000 with a Christmas theme (6%) so from the 25 songs in this playlist, there should be 1.5 Christmas songs. I was thankful for that 4th one to end this post on a happy note.

If I had decided to write a blog post while choosing lyrics, I'm not sure that I could have done as well as shuffle did tonight. I used to write blog posts with themed lyrics, but it would take me much longer than this one did today. I wasn't that familiar with some of these songs so am thankful to shuffle for pointing them out to me.

Here's the full playlist. Not every song caught my attention, depending on what I was writing or doing while it was playing.

Full playlist:

1. Enough To Let Me Go by Switchfoot
2. Miracles (Someone Special) by Coldplay
3. Last Christmas by Taylor Swift
4. Heart Attack by Roz Bell
5. Save You by Matthew Perryman Jones
6. Almost Home by Alex & Sierra
7. Off I Go by Greg Laswell
8. O Canada by Daylight for Deadeyes
9. So Far Gone by James Blunt
10. On The Road by Keane
11. The Party by Strumbellas
12. She by Harry Styles
13. I'll be home for Christmas by She & Him
14. One Point Perspective by Arctic Monkeys
15. Never Get You Right  by Brandon Flowers
16. Bad Day by The Shady Ukulele Band (original by Daniel Powter)
17. Attention by Charlie Puth
18. Waste by  Foster The People
19. Don't Worry by Frank Turner
20. Playing Along by Keane
21. Breathe by U2
22. Let it Snow by Kacey Musgraves
23. I Guess..I Suppose by The Fratellis
24. Funhouse by P!nk
25. All I want for Christmas Is You by Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey