Blessings - Laura Story

Once in awhile a song will strike her in its melody or lyrics (or both) and this is one such song. A dear friend shared it with her and she is compelled to share this beautiful message of hope. If there is someone out there who is not in the best of spirits, who is going through a rough patch and on the verge of breakdown, know that you are not alone, and never will be, when you place your faith and trust in the Lord, who knows what is best for each and every one of us. Take comfort in Him.

"Cos what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the achings of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise"

The Piano Guys - Story Of My Life

How could anyone, or any team, be so talented. She concludes that it must be because they did so with immense passion. Nothing comes close to their videos and the heartstrings that they tug in her heart. 

An amazing video. A masterpiece. They just get better with each rendition.

First they have made her cry. And then they made her cry some more...

Salut Salon "Wettstreit zu viert"

Didn't you said you loved music? And a good laugh? Plus a little acrobatic stunt? Here's the perfect concoction. :) 

She absolutely loves this, to the core.

Let It Go - ThePianoGuys

She has been waiting for this since the teasers came on. They have not disappointed her. She revels in the beauty and sound of their instruments. The cello was a bore to her once upon a time. This opinion has been thrown into the trash, leaving her in awe of the majestic (yet sometimes quirky) sound it produces by one the finest cellists she has known. She has known piano music for decades, they had a love-hate relationship, but this piano accompaniment has brought new insights. She was, in her instructor's words "a typist you are, a pianist you will never be" and had this internalized in her until she believed herself to be that typist trying to enter the musical realm. But who cares about the old witch now. All she wants to do in this moment in time is to freeze a little, and let the spectacular music sweep her off her feet into the magical world...

If you do not know ThePianoGuys, you have been in a well. Period.

Jon Schmidt - composer and pianist

Steven Sharp Nelson - cellist

No prizes for guessing who she might be madly in love with.

Behind The Scenes.... ALL THAT EFFORT from a highly talented and creative team!!!

http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/let-go-bts/

Les Miserables 25th Anniversary: Stars - Norm Lewis

She wishes you could see Norm Lewis singing "Stars" instead of plainly listening to him. She used to think that Philip Quast was the one and only worthy to play Javert, but she was completely blown away when she watched Norm Lewis on screen. He is born and made for this role. Justice be done, Philip Quast was good, no, he was excellent on the 10th anniversary, but 15 years later he met his opponent in Norm.

Her one dream: To catch Norm Lewis, live on broadway...

(p/s: do not mention the name "Russell Crowe, sil vous plait...)

Hold On To Our Dream

"Hold on to our dream of peace, don't stop believing,

Our hearts and hands, ever seeking, ever serving..."

In My Daughter's Eyes

A mesmerizing performance by Alfie Boe.

She loved him as Valjean in Les Misv (25th Anniversary), and love him here. 

In my daughter's eyes,

I am a hero,

I am strong and wise,

And I know no fear,

But the truth is plain to see,

She was sent to rescue me,

I see who I want to be,

In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes,

Everyone is equal,

Darkness turns to light,

And the world is at peace,

This miracle God gave to me,

Gives me strength when I am weak,

I find reason to believe,

In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger,

How it puts a smile in my heart,

Everything becomes a little clearer,

I realize what life is all about,

It's hanging on when your heart is had enough,

It's giving more when you feel like giving up,

I've seen the light,

It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes,

I can see the future,

A reflection of who I am and what will be,

And though she'll grow and someday leave,

Maybe raise a family,

When i'm gone I hope you see,

How happy she made me,

For i'll be there,

In my daughter's eyes

I Don't Want To Live On The Moon - Sesame

This song has a special place in her heart. She loved it as a kid and now her kids love them as much.

The moon was a special country she yearned to sink her roots in once upon a time, having spent some months there in a stint, but God had His plans and she has grown up accepting that 

"Yes I'd travel under the sea, but I don't think I'd like to live there"

She wonders if God will, in His time, send her to the moon ever again, just for a little while...

Disney Frozen Medley

A pair of charming and talented siblings creating beautiful music... :)

Les Miserables Medley - A Talent Pianist

So many talented pianists on YouTube! She enjoyed this rendition immensely (despite that he overlooked one of her favourites, "STARS"), and hopes he will someday be spotted, or has he already been? :)

"Master Of The House" is perfect!

Frozen - Let It Go

She loves his rendition of Frozen - Let It Go.

Enjoy watching him. Some day soon, she is sure, he will be famous.

About Her Christmas

The time of the year descends upon all again. A reminder of the gifts that baby Jesus brought to the world on his birth; Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

Tons of merry cheer as the little ones count down with their advent calendar and look forward to the day when they can tear their gifts open. But there is no Christmas without Christ, and He is the reason for the season, so amid the merrymaking she managed to find the peace and silence to share with her little ones about the story of nativity. They were in awe of the rich and strong history, and she knew she had made an impact by being an instrument of her Lord.

Her favourite music this season...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HER FAMILY TO YOURS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One By One

O Holy NIght - Celine Dion

A Mother's Prayer (Jackie Evancho with Susan Boyle)

A faraway friend sent this to her, and she just had to share it. The sweet voices of angels on a lovely rendition of "A Mother's Prayer". She was mesmerized, spellbound, and hypnotized. This is the kind of music that speaks what cannot be expressed. Close your eyes, let the duet take you to places faraway...

"...guide us with your grace,

give us faith so we'll be safe..."

 

Children Of The Night - Animation of MLP

http://firstnightmarenight.blogspot.ca/2013/07/there-we-go-folks.html

(Please click on photo or HERE to enter official blog of COTN)

She was excited to find this from nowhere, literally nowhere. It just popped up one day and she clicked on its blog, a blog of a highly talented team of animation creators, whom she figured are huge huge huge (x10000) fans of MLP.

She watched this animation, scrutinized it, and decided that if she would ever get a chance to meet the makers she would ask them some questions, which might one day be answered...

That music, that hauntingly beautiful music and lyrics, it gave her the shivers.

If you are not a pony fan, please stay away, this ain't no place for you...

1. Who is the stone statue and why is it crying?

2. Why did Luna go against the wishes of Celestia?

3. Why did Luna take only the 3 ponies from the (supposedly) orphanage, leaving the other 3 on the lower bunk?

It seemed like Luna took only the pitiful and homeless young foals as the lyrics implied they were in "pain and sorrow". Seemed like it was for a good cause, and yet it seemed wrong, like it was kidnapping the foals from their homes (although they might not have been in their homes, as one was clearly sleeping on the street, and 3 others from bunk beds that implied either an orphanage or a boarding house for abandoned foals). Something perhaps Celestia would not understand and thus forbade her to give it this shot in the beginning. Perhaps Luna knew of their pain as she was always watching over them in the night, and decided she could give them a better rest where they were. Hopefully that "rest" she was referring to is not luring the foals to death...

So many more questions to ask indeed, for now she will simply enjoy the perfect animation of the seamless and fluid flying ponies...

Listened to it enough to know the song inside out. Here are the lyrics for your enjoyment:

Children Of The Night

Come little children

I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children

The time's come to play

Here in my garden of shadow

Follow sweet children

I'll show thee the way

Through all thee pain and sorrows

Weep not poor children

For life is this way

Murdering beauty and passions

Hush now dear children

It must be this way

Too weary of life and deceptions

Rest now dear children

For soon we'll awake

Into the calm and the quiet

花は咲 - Flowers Will Bloom

Chanced upon this song. A song that was dedicated to the Japan Tsunami Victims in 2011. The melody first caught The Other Half's attention, and he insisted I go on a hunting mission for it. I did, and found out soon enough that it is a simple yet compelling song that tells of flowers that will continue to bloom even in the face of adversity, about the strength and tenacity of mankind in her survival. I am not a Japanese, and thus had to  trouble native Japanese peeps (thank you! you know who you are!) to translate the song to understand its profound meaning. Was worth all that effort, as it is, indeed, a strong message of inspiration, that life goes on, all one has to do is reminisce, with fond memories...

花は　花は　花は咲く

Below lyrics taken from http://stage48.net/studio48/hanawasaku.html

KANJI & KANA

真っ白な　雪道に　春風香る
わたしは　なつかしい
あの街を　思い出す
叶えたい　夢もあった
変わりたい　自分もいた
今はただ　なつかしい
あの人を　思い出す
誰かの歌が聞こえる
誰かを励ましてる
誰かの笑顔が見える
悲しみの向こう側に
花は　花は　花は咲く
いつか生まれる君に
花は　花は　花は咲く
わたしは何を残しただろう
夜空の　向こうの
朝の気配に
わたしは　なつかしい
あの日々を　思い出す
傷ついて　傷つけて
報われず　泣いたりして
今はただ　愛おしい
あの人を　思い出す
誰かの想いが見える
誰かと結ばれてる
誰かの未来が見える
悲しみの向こう側に
花は　花は　花は咲く
いつか生まれる君に
花は　花は　花は咲く
わたしは何を残しただろう
花は　花は　花は咲く
いつか生まれる君に
花は　花は　花は咲く
わたしは何を残しただろう
花は　花は　花は咲く
いつか生まれる君に
花は　花は　花は咲く
いつか恋する君のために

ROMAJI

masshiro na yukimichi ni harukaze kaoru
watashi wa natsukashii
ano machi wo omoidasu
kanaetai yume mo atta
kawaritai jibun mo ita
ima wa tada natsukashii
ano hito wo omoidasu
dareka no uta ga kikoeru
dareka wo hagemashiteru
dareka no egao ga mieru
kanashimi no mukougawa ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
itsuka umareru kimi ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
watashi wa nani wo nokoshita darou
yozora no mukou no
asa no kehai ni
watashi wa natsukashii
ano hibi wo omoidasu
kitsutsuite kitsutsukete
mukuwarezu naitari shite
ima wa tada itooshii
ano hito wo omoidasu
dareka no omoi ga mieru
dareka to musubareteru
dareka no mirai ga mieru
kanashimi no mukougawa ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
itsuka umareru kimi ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
watashi wa nani wo nokoshita darou
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
itsuka umareru kimi ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
watashi wa nani wo nokoshita darou
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
itsuka umareru kimi ni
hana wa hana wa hana wa saku
itsuka koisuru kimi no tame ni