Just Because

What’s YOUR Valentine for the World?

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So, I am breaking into my queue. For a post unlike most of the ones I normally provide.  Because it’s been on my mind.

Friday, 10 February, was the 48th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Civil Rights bill of our era.  You probably don’t know that- because there was virtually no mention of this anywhere.  And, given the propensity of our government to play ‘Calendar Roulette’, there was no mention that Sunday was Lincoln’s birth date 203 years ago.  Given the propensity of both parties to claim this mantle, I found that omission surprising. as well.  Instead, the news was still reverberating with the death of Whitney Houston, a (formerly?) talented singer who died after 48 years of life. A life that held much promise, but was squandered with drugs, alcohol, and a tragic marriage.

Which made me counter the thought with another recent, early death in the pop music world- that of Michael Jackson. Another soul with much promise, but squandered with drugs of a different sort and perhaps, some other problems.  Who died at 50, three years ago.  (I know there are many others I could add to this list; I’m not.)

What brought these two into focus were their “theme” songs.  Michael had written “We are the world” at 27, but the song- in my mind- that epitomized his life was written for him-  “The Man in the Mirror” by Ballard and Garret, when he was 40.  (By the way, the song that epitomized Frank Sinatra- My Way- was also written for (and not by) him- literally- by Paul Anka, when he was 52.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWAX_-FlIg

Whitney Houston had more than a few hits, too.  But, the two that stick in my mind- “Didn’t we almost have it all” (Masser and Jennings) and “The Greatest Love of All” (Masser and Creed)- explain plenty.  Not that “I will always love you” by Dolly Parton (yes, really), used by the Grammy’s to honor her, isn’t another great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YqIYqSGx3Q

So, think about your life.  Where you are going.  Where you want to be.

Are you able  to “heed that certain call”? Help insure that  “the world must come together as one”?  Or will you be singing “Didn’t we almost have it all?”  or “Bittersweet memories, that is all I’m taking with me”?

Isn’t it time to be “looking at the man [or woman] in the mirror”?  “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change…” Because, by now, your thoughts should be “I learned to depend on me”.

We really are rooting for you- and you- and you- and, hopefully, me…

Develop and complete  your valentine to the world…

 

Lyrics:

We Are The World

The Man In The Mirror

Didn’t We Almost Have It All

The Greatest Love Of All

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28 thoughts on “What’s YOUR Valentine for the World?”

  1. Has to be the most resonating post this Valentine’s. We all are going somewhere with our lives and I don’t know how well I am moving ahead but I try my best each single day. But yes, I always believe that change begins right here, with me. I might believe I will change the world for better some day; and I will live to see the day we have peace all over; but I fight with my neighbor because their trash made a mess one day. Or that I couldn’t get up to offer a seat to someone in the bus.

    We need to see what we can do; I see it that way.
    Hajra recently posted..Old enough for the online world?

  2. I am embracing this message today Roy! <3 Happy Valentines day, my friend. The world is a much more beautiful place with you in it <3

  3. Hi Roy,

    This is a great post. Funny that you should write about it this week. Because of the untimely death of Whitney Houston, I have been thinking about this very topic for me as well.

    So I am taking a look in the mirror and making every effort to make that change for me and others.

    Thanks for the reminder and Happy Valentine’s Day too.

    Cindy
    Cindy Murphy recently posted..Don’t Let These 2 Powerful Words Keep You Stuck!

  4. You really hit the ball out of the park with this post, Roy. There were tears in my eyes as I read this post.
    Yes, it is time to take a look in the mirror. We only have a limited amount of time to make a difference in the world. Will we squander the time we have left with self-indulgence or will we change our lives with a focus on others?
    Happy Valentines Day, Roy!
    Janette Fuller recently posted..Handmade Collage Valentine Card

  5. A great post, Roy. I did think about Honest Abe this week. It seems President’s Day has robbed us of remembering him and turned our thoughts to President’s Day White Sales and other nauseating things. And, though I love the way she sings, in some ways it is not surprising that Whitney is gone. Her life as of late has been more than sad.
    Bonnie Anderson recently posted..Forty Years of Dating

  7. You really got me on this one, Roy. Being so old has made me forget sometimes that I want to be able to leave the world a little better than when I found it. I had to think about the songs that are what I want the world to think of when it thinks of me. Then I realized I have had them with me for 30 years (it is really that long?). They are three church hymns that might not be familiar to most folks. The first is “I am a Child of God”, the second is “Love One Another” and the third, “I Know My Father Lives”. Anyone interested can look them up on http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,8763-1,00.html. These three hymns represent the lowest level of self–knowing who we are, the middle part–loving others, and the penultimate–love of God. I don’t live up to all this all the time, but I do my best.

  9. Oh Roy, you know I’m loving this post. It was sad for me to hear about the passing of two people that I used to love to listen to growing up. Sadder still to understand that despite their fame, fortune and success they still were so immeasurable unhappy that they used drugs/alcohol and god knows what else to try to find or numb something.

    You are so bang on with the ‘man in the mirror’. Nothing in mine, yours or this world will change until more people look honestly at themselves and quit the crap, stand up and stand in truth.

    Very much enjoyed your post and your message.
    Bonnie recently posted..Your Past Does Not Define You

  11. Happy Valentine’s day to you, Roy. I have been thinking about Whitney Houston this week and especially the “Greatest Love of All” which according to her lyrics is to “love yourself”, which she seemed to struggle to do. I am always especially sad to see such gifted people go down these paths and really do feel that the bigger the talent, the more troubled the soul. But I know that was not the point of your blog. I am trying each and every day to improve my soul and my quality of living. I hope it helps me make the world a better place. A great post for this day – thank you!

    1. Ah, Suerae, therein lies the rub. Some gifted folks rise to acclaim, thinking they can ‘walk on water’, only to find that trick is reserved only for the truly deified individuals. And, then, it’s harder for them to recognize that the acclaim will only help them so far. Others find that acclaim strangling them- so they seek the wrong sort of relief.
      May we find the approbation we need, understand its limitations, and achieve our missions in as trouble-free approach as possible.

      Roy

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