Life Through Music:”Before Your Time” by Krista Herring

Well, it finally happened...

You never know when exactly certain songs will connect with you. I have had my friend Krista’s new music for quite some time now, but it wasn’t till this week that I really connected to one of her songs. This is not to say that I haven’t enjoyed her music from the get go, but to really connect with a song for me sometimes it takes some time. 

It was on the drive to Sauvie Island with my sister yesterday when it happened. At some point during our drive I took over the music being played. I plugged in my iphone and just allowed my music library to play music on shuffle. I play music on shuffle most of the time when listening to music these days because I find it better to let the songs come to me rather than me trying to pick certain songs. 

First, my phone had blessed us with a few classic songs that we both like to hear in the summertime. Then the moment came when my phone played the song I picked for my song of the week. The song is titled “Before Your Time”. This song is written and sang by the lovely Krista Herring whom I have written about before (http://just-pure-d-lite.blogspot.com/2013/10/life-through-music-free-by-krista.html). The song I picked is from her newest collection of songs that came from her Kickstarter project from awhile back. A project that I happily pledged support for. 

I wish I had taken a picture looking out the sunroof of my sister’s car as we took the scenic route from the westside of Portland out to north Portland and beyond. Along the winding road of skyline we were so wonderfully tucked below the canopy of the lush green trees that are so well known in the Pacific Northwest. With a balance of forest green, sky blue, and a dash of sunshine to brighten all that was around us it created a moment to allow this song right into my heart. 

Let us look more closely at the lyrics to help explain this moment to you. 

“Before YourTime” by Krista Herring

We're all finding our way home 

Sometimes we feel so alone 

What's the right road 

We don't know 

All I know 

Is love will get us there 

(What a great way to open the song up. How true is this first part of the song. I know that it rings true for my heart.)

So, don't you hide those pretty eyes 

When the storm clouds cross the sky 

(Yes, I cannot allow these eyes of mine to hide no matter how hard the struggle gets.)

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time 

The tide goes out 

Don't be afraid 

It always comes back in again 

It's the beauty of the end 

In the emptiness 

Is where new life begins 

(I’m so impressed with how in tune this woman is. How true. One ending is another beginning. Be patient.)

So, don't you hide those pretty eyes 

When the storm clouds cross the sky 

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time 

We all fall beneath the weight of the world 

But it ain't easy making diamonds and pearls 

(Yes, it is not easy, but so worth the effort.)

So, open up those pretty eyes 

You make the sun shine when you smile 

(This part was really hooked me and brought tears of joy to my eyes and a smile to my face. Yes, your smile is greater than you know. Smile more. Do whatever brings that out into the world because lord knows we need more of it. = ) )

Get on those horses, babe, and ride 

So they don't call you back home 

Before Your Time

So that’s it peeps. Get on that horse and keep riding. We can keep the love alive for all of us. 

I encourage anyone who hasn’t heard Krista Herring’s music to seriously go check it out. Here is a link if you don’t know where to find her (http://www.kristaherring.com). She is one of us. Take a listen and breath it in. Love is all around us. 

As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )

Life Through Music: "You Make the World Go Round" by DJ Cassidy

It’s been a very emotional and weird week for me. Such a week that I don’t even think I have the right words to put together to help explain what it is that I mean by saying that. All I know is we had the super moon going on this week and boy did it effect me. So instead of digging too deep this week I wanted to pick a song that has been a bright spot for me over the last few weeks. Something a bit more up tempo and that is a bit more fun if you will. In a way the song I picked is kind of a pep-talk for myself during this whirl wind of change that has been going on in my life. It’s a song that really helps me remember that I have an affect on others by doing the things I do and keeping the positivity going for the rest of the world. In essence you (Derrick Heine) help the world go round.

Speaking of making the world go round thats exactly what the song I picked for this week talks about. The song is conveniently titled “You Make the World Go Round” by DJ Cassidy and is featuring R. Kelly. This song has a great dance feel to it that from the moment I heard it I was hooked. The music video has some beautiful strings to open up the song to get your attention, but trust me when DJ Cassidy hits play on the small boombox your ears are hit with a fantastic dance track that is far from the slow string intro it begins with. A dance track that I love very much and have already listen to many times since I found it. So lets get right at it shall we? To the lyrics we go!

“You Make the World Go Round” by DJ Cassidy

Featuring R.Kelly

When I'm going through, you seem to know just what to say

To turn it all around and put a smile a smile right on my face

To me you are a blessing and I sure appreciate

How you change negative to positive and brighten up my day

(I sure hope that I do that for anyone that reads my words. I try to put a positive spin on anything that I write about or in life in general.)

And we never argued, I can't lose my will to carry on

I just look at you 'cause you give me the reason to be strong

If it wasn't for you, I just don't know where I would be

So tonight I'm gonna celebrate your love for me

(You know what? Yes, let us celebrate love tonight or today because we don’t celebrate it enough.)

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Oh yes, it is

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Make it go round, and round, and round

(Not just me. I’m looking at you too. There is a reason you are here reading my words so you must be making the world go round too.)

Whenever I was cold, you knew just how to keep me warm

And you were my shelter in the middle of my storm

And whenever the mountains came crumbling down on me

There you were out of nowhere to lift me and set me free

And whenever I thought that I could not go any more

Girl, you came into my life and you opened up more doors

And now I don't have to look no more for women when it comes to love

‘Cause girl, you are a gift sent down to me from up above

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

It's people like you

That make the world go round

It's all I can find

Someone truly, truly real

A soul so divine

The love should not be based on color

Girl, take my hand

And tonight we’re gonna show the whole wide world how to dance

(Love is the truth. Lets show the world how to dance to that rhythm.)

Let it blow

(Love the trombone solo. Such a sucker for some good horn music in a song.)

You feel good, I feel good

So hot

We're gonna step around the world tonight and step into the light

It goes 1, 2, 3

(If you aren’t grooving to this song by this point then there is something wrong in your life.)

Step step step step to the side

Step to the left, and step to the right

Step step step step to the side

Step all night, and step to the light

Step step step step to the side

Step to the left, and step to the right

Step step step step to the side

Step all night, and step to the light

(I like the thought of stepping into the light. Lets brighten up this world!)

Step step step round and round

We gonna step all night to the funky sound

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night till the roof comes down

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night to the funky sound

Step step round and round

We gonna step all night till the roof comes down

Because

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Oh yes, it is

It's people like you

That make the world go round

Make it go round, and round, and round

(Yes, People like you.)

It's all I can find

Someone truly, truly real

A soul so divine

A love should not be based on color

Girl, take my hand

And tonight we’re gonna show the whole wide world how to dance

Party people

If you wanna keep the world going round and round now

Sing it now

Round and round, we go

Round and round, we go

Round and round, we go

(Thats right people lets keep this world going round and round.)

I hope that you enjoyed this song as much as I did or maybe you have another song that you have been listening to that does the same thing for you or maybe you have another avenue that inspires you. Regardless we got to keep the positivity going people. 

As always I send this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )

Life Through Music: “Sailing” by Christopher Cross

It’s funny to me how a song that I have heard many times over the years can still seem different. I have talked about music doing this to me before and I will probably never get over this kind of thing happening because it’s what I really love about music. 

One of the other songs I listen to many times during the month of June, besides last week’s song of the week, was this wonderful soft jam by Christopher Cross called “Sailing”. Some call his style of music “Yacht Rock” which I find hilarious, but I love the song anyway. The song I picked from him represents part of a new me that has come around recently. 

I don’t know if it was because of the process of me lightening the load (that is my life) last month so I could preparing to move out of the place I lived in for the last 5 years. Maybe it was the repercussions of just me changing my focus in life quite a bit since my mother passed on. Well, it’s probably been a combination of both and its setting me up for a much different path that I have ever thought myself to go down. That is the thing I have learned with the loss of my mother is that I have no idea what is next and because of that I have spent less time trying to figure that out.

I really have tried less to plan life out and instead find more peace with riding the flow of life. That is why I connected to this song so much recently because it has the similar sense of flow to it that matches how I have been feeling in 2014. Like a grain of sand blowing in the wind I am. 

I’m not a sailor by any means because quite frankly the deep ocean creeps me out, but something about being on the front of a ship with nothing more than the wind and sun on my face sounds so wonderful to me. That feeling of having a magnitude of openness that is right in front of me with the feeling I can go anywhere.

To be able to feel the openness and the unknown that life gives you in every moment of our lives. I feel my soul lifting just a bit more. This new found freedom is such a breath of fresh air. I need more of this. This feeling is the one thing that I will strive to get more of for the rest of my life. 

I have no idea what is around the next corner and for me there is some peace in that. The possibilities are so abundant and waiting. If the wind is right....

Lyrics:

"Sailing"

Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

(It is simpler and simpler for me to feel like I’m in paradise these days. To really appreciate what is here right now instead of what I think should be. If you want you can come along and find your peace as well. I believe. Do you?)

It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend

And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

(Sure I could wish and hope to go back to the good times all I want, but it’s more important to create more of what I miss from those past moments into the present.)

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(It’s more than a dream. I will be free.)

Fantasy, it gets the best of me

When I'm sailing

All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony

Won't you believe me?

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(The peace and joy that I have heard many talk of is possible and the winds of change are washing over me to show me that it is real.) 

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see

Believe me

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be

Just a dream and the wind to carry me

And soon I will be free

(Free)

Life is an open canvas...what will you paint next?

Thanks for coming along this journey with me. As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. =)

Life Through Music: "It's Just a Song" by Callie Moore

Wow. What a year 2014 has been so far. There is so much change going on around me that it sort of feels like I’m on the outside looking in. This is not really the case of course and I’m really right in the thick of things. I have been trying to embrace this change as much as possible instead of fighting it. There is much that will be changing for me in the near future and beyond. This doesn’t mean, however, that I haven’t taken a second to look back and replaying what was. In some cases that means thinking of things that were only a couple of months ago. These thoughts bring me to the song that I pick for this week and last week’s song of the week. 

I love finding new music as well as appreciating the ones I already know so well. I found this song in a round about way, but let me explain a bit for you. See, I follow a few Youtubers on youtube. One of those Youtubers is a guy named Shay Carl. Most of the videos that he makes are actually just footage of his large family. It’s actually, in the true sense of the word, a real life reality show that revolves around his family. I haven’t been watching his videos regularly for awhile now, but a few weeks ago one of the video titles caught my attention so I took a moment to watch it. In the video his wife (Katilette) has her sister (Callie) visiting the family. When his wife and sister were talking they mentioned that they didn’t get to record any music together because her sister was sick. Instantly my ears perked up. For one I didn’t know Shay’s wife could sing or that she had a sister who could too. I believe that they put a link in the description of the video I was watching so that you could go check their music out. So, of course I did and what I found was quite wonderful. 

What I found eventually was the music of Callie Moore and there is quite a bit of talent with this woman. After going through a few songs with both Callie and Katilette I wandered off to check out some of Callie’s solo work. I stumbled on a live set that she recorded in Seattle. I think it was the second or third song that I had stumbled upon when I found her live version of a song called “It’s Just a Song”. As the first line of this song hit my ears I paused and just let the song wash over me. Her voice is so wonderful and very powerful even in its delicate and gentle nature. I have since heard the album version and I have to say that I like the live version much better. There is so much rawness in her voice that I love in the live version that is missing with the album version. So from that moment on I listen to the song quite a few times. 

The song is in a way a look back and yet a look forward as well. Although the song doesn’t quite directly connect to anything going on in my life like she may have written it about. There is much in the song that I can relate to that made an impact on me of late. 

Lyrics:

“It’s Just a Song”

I'm so guilty of replaying moments in my head
And wondering what I should have done or said

(This is the line that hooked me to this song. I’m so guilty of doing this. SO, guilty of this)

But that one was perfect with your hand resting on my back
To calm my trembling breath
Before I walked away and swore that I'd forget
But I could not forget

(The problem with having a good memory like I do is not being able to forget things that you should or want to.)

And who can I tell it to?
Not you, love. Not anyone
No, some things are better left
Just bottled in the bottom of my soul
Or I could write it in a song
And all the crowd will sing along
And they might wonder if its written from experience or not

(Even now you could be trying to figure out if there is more behind my connection to this song, but really..."it’s just the song" of the week though... I promise. ;-)

I only dreamed of growing up throughout my childhood
But now I wish I owned the world again

(Don’t we all...)

And everyone I know is watching closely
"Is she gonna break?
She's resting on a hairpin trigger.
Everything's at stake."
But I'm so guilty of wearing my heart like a scarlet gown

(Well maybe not a scarlet gown, but I most definitely wear my emotions on the outside most of the time for sure.)

Sparkling in the lights for everyone to see
And this undivided audience
You know too much, you know too much
This guitar's gone and got the best of me

And who can I tell it to?
Not you, love. Not anyone
No, some things are better left
Just bottled in the bottom of my soul
Or I could write it in a song
And all the crowd will sing along
And they might wonder if its written from experience or not

And when will this song be just a song?
Oh when will this song be just a song?
It's just a song

I'm so guilty of replaying moment in my head

Again and again and again, love
I cannot forget 

(I’m so very guilty. I cannot forget, but I will do better not to dwell on what I cannot forget.)

My sister knows very well that I do this looking at my past situations too much.. It is part of how I process things in my life. Especially when we are talking about emotionally things. I have in the last few years tried to move away from this kind of process in order to help me live in the now and focus on the future. Enough of the “What if?”s or “Why didn’t I?”s because they don’t get you anywhere. It’s important to use your past as tool to learn from, but only to a certain point. Us humans can get stuck there and by being stuck there we miss out on the now and in turn shape a very different future than might be possible by being stuck in the past. This is very true to many of my past relationships. How can you invite something better in if you are still going in circles with the last person? The answer is that you can’t. 

The bigger picture connection to this song for me is that as I have had to let go of so much from even 2013 and now into 2014 that it’s hard not to take a moment here and there to reflect on what was just there not too long ago. It’s crazy how much my life and myself have changed from just this last summer to this summer. I think about this a lot as I prepare to end one chapter of my life and move on to the next. The chapter that is ending of course is the one about living in the apartment that I have lived in for over 5 years now and on to whatever comes next. More on this reflection will come soon. For now I will leave you to ponder your own thoughts about how much you think about your past? How much you think about your now? How focused you are on your future? 

Since it is World Cup time I will put my thoughts into soccer terminology for you. In soccer the term is called “ball watching”. It means that you are too focused on where the ball was instead of where it is about to go. By watching the ball you lose track of the player you were suppose to defend or should be defending from scoring a goal. 

Be careful good people on how much you look back.

As always I bring this to you will so much love and pure D-Lite. = )

Life Through Music: “Will You Be There” by Michael Jackson

Yes, I picked a song by Michael Jackson again, but trust me it’s for a good reason. This week my family and I went to release my mothers ashes to bosom of the pacific ocean as she had requested. It was a day that I dreaded since her passing. Nothing will ever prepare you for these types of days. I can only hope that you have a support group like I have had during this tough time in my life. On that day my support group was my more immediate family and for that I am forever thankful. There is so many more people in my life that sent me love on that day that were not there physically, but definitely there in spirit. Thank you.  

We spent the day doing something that my mother loved doing so much and that is being around people. Much of my early years on this planet were spent at the Oregon coast visiting my auntie and my cousins. The day we released my mothers ashes was no different with the exception that we were one person short. Well, at least physically we were a person short. Regardless we made the best of the situation given to us. We had a bonfire on the beach surrounded by chairs. In those chairs we sat and caught up with each others lives and ate some of the tradition foods that we had when we spent days at the beach as kids with my mother and aunt. The food items that were essential to represent past beach trips are as follows: soda, potato chips and Oreo cookies. There was other great food items added into the mix on this day as well. Namely my grandmothers potato salad and smores as some classic additions. She would have been proud.

The other difference this time around is that we are much more grown up now. Now I sit and watch my cousins children with the same wonderment that my mother must have looked at my cousins, my siblings, and myself when we were children. I wondered many things like what will they see in their lifetimes? What will they be like when they are my age? What joys will they bring to the world? What will they remember about this day? Just a few of the questions I asked myself as looked around me. I wondered if the same feeling of love I got when seeing the youngest generation of our family smile and laugh was the same that my mother had when we did that around her? All I know is it brought much joy to my heart on this tough day and it helped remind me this is how life goes. I even enjoyed seeing my grandmother holding our newest addition to the family Felix. The tough times and the good times are all part of life and as cheesy as it might sound it is the circle of life. The smiles and laughter on the face of the children won’t replace my mother, but that helped me be a little more at peace with her passing. 

Sorry I’m getting side tracked I just have so much to say about this day. The reason that I picked this song for this week is that it has always meant a lot to me before, but especially after this day. I still have to set the stage a bit more before you will understand. So back to the narration! 

Later in the evening we headed down to the shore to spread her ashes. My auntie wrote my mothers name so beautifully on the beach and then everyone filled it in with her ashes. Then we stood and waited for the waves to come and wash her away into the sea. All the while we took pictures and shared more stories about her. There is still a lot of shock in our family about the fact that she is gone. My cousins were great at helping us preserving the moment by giving great ideas on how we should spread the ashes and such. My siblings and I just sat there trying to experience the moment the best that we could. 

What I find funny is that after the ashes were all spread out and as we were waiting for the tide to take her away we got distracted. So while we were sharing a story between us the tide came up and took her away when we weren’t looking. Which if you know my mother like I know here she did not like to be the center of attention ever. I guess this event was no exception. Well played mom...well played. 

After my mom went into the ocean my sister did something that made so much sense like she often does. She pulled out her phone and play the Michael Jackson song from the movie Free Willy called “Will You Be There”. Why is this so perfect? Because Free Willy was a movie that my mother played so many times while I was growing up that I lost count. Even more than that my siblings were under the impression that because she had played that movie so much that Free Willy HAD to be her favorite movie of all time. I mean how could you watch it that many times and it not be? She said a few years ago that it was in fact NOT her favorite movie at all. This confused and baffled us so much that we made it a running joke about it from then on out. So here we were saying bye to my mother physically and playing a song from her favorite movie (*wink wink*) that is also a song about letting go. My sister’s phone had bad reception most of the day while we were at the beach prior to playing this song, but in this moment the phone managed to play the song all the way through as we stood together beside the sea. A moment I won’t soon forget. 

Lyrics:

"Will You Be There"

Hold Me

Like The River Jordan

And I Will Then Say To Thee

You Are My Friend

Carry Me

Like You Are My Brother

“Love Me Like A Mother

Will You Be There?”

Weary

“Tell Me Will You Hold Me

When Wrong, Will You Scold Me

When Lost Will You Find Me?”

But They Told Me

A Man Should Be Faithful

And Walk When Not Able

And Fight Till The End

But I'm Only Human

Everyone's Taking Control Of Me

Seems That The World's

Got A Role For Me

I'm So Confused

Will You Show To Me

You'll Be There For Me

And Care Enough To Bear Me

(Hold Me)

(Lay Your Head Lowly)

(Softly Then Boldly)

(Carry Me There)

“(Lead Me)

(Love Me And Feed Me)

(Kiss Me And Free Me)

(I Will Feel Blessed)”

“(Carry)

(Carry Me Boldly)

(Lift Me Up Slowly)

(Carry Me There)”

(Save Me)

(Heal Me And Bathe Me)

“(Softly You Say To Me)

(I Will Be There)”

“(Lift Me)

(Lift Me Up Slowly)

(Carry Me Boldly)

(Show Me You Care)”

(Hold Me)

(Lay Your Head Lowly)

(Softly Then Boldly)

(Carry Me There)

(Need Me)

(Love Me And Feed Me)

(Kiss Me And Free Me)

(I Will Feel Blessed)

[Spoken]

“In Our Darkest Hour

In My Deepest Despair

Will You Still Care?

Will You Be There?

In My Trials

And My Tribulations

Through Our Doubts

And Frustrations

In My Violence

In My Turbulence

Through My Fear

And My Confessions

In My Anguish And My Pain

Through My Joy And My Sorrow

In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow

“I'll Never Let You Part

For You're Always In My Heart.”

(Truth)

I put some of the lyrics in quotations, but left them to speak for themselves. The one exception was the last line of the spoken word part of the song. There are no right words to say to those that suffer a loss of someone that means so much to them. I can only give you these words of advice from my own experience. My advice for being there for someone going through a loss of someone is to listen closely, try to understand, and love unconditionally to those people as best that you can.

There are many things in life that we have no control over. My mother’s passing is one of those things. I will continue to see the light and the love in this world until the day that we are reunited. A day that I hope is a long time from now, but for you just a moment away. 

I would also like to mention that the weather at the beach on that day was perfect for such a hard day and for that I’m also thankful for. I will end my entry with the thought of me dancing to this song while standing beside my family on the shore with the sun and wind on my face surrounded by blue sky as my mother looked on with that wonderful smile of hers.

As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )