Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Dreams Are Like Clouds

Personally, I think dreams are like clouds.  You look up and gasp at their beauty and their ominous presence. You wonder what it would be like to reach them.  To touch them. Experience them up close. It would be like walking on air, you think! 



Then you get up close and personal with them and they no longer feel like clouds....more like fog. They are ominous alright!  What were you thinking?



I've experienced that in an airplane. Up ahead I'd see some amazing cloud formations but once we'd enter into them, it was more like fog and we couldn't see anything. We had to trust the pilot to lead us through them. Sometimes we even encountered turbulence. No one likes turbulence, at least none that I know of. 

I'm experiencing the same thing as I pursue my dreams. They looked great from a distance. But sometimes I have to fly through the fog.  It's the passion that keeps me going.

Fill in the blank and answer this question (to yourself). "If I could just _________ then I would know I have reached my dream."  That's the white, puffy cloud you are viewing from a distance.  Once you start out to pursue that dream, remember there will be times you encounter fog and turbulence.  Financial setbacks, illness and fear are just the starters for turbulence.

The machine you built on the ground, before you took off for the clouds, must be built to sustain the journey through the bumpy, foggy times.  What is your plane built out of?

Here are a few things I'd suggest for materials to sustain you through the hard, less passionate times.

1.) Patience....there's no way to avoid it. You'll need lots of it.

2.) Prayer.....especially lots of 'listening' time.  

3.) Pictures....keep the pictures of the end result (the beautiful clouds) in front of you - it will help you remember why you're building the plane in the first place.

4.) People.....make sure you have surrounded yourself with people who believe in you.

5.)  Persistence.....you have to keep going. No matter what.

6.) Passion....you better have a good dose of this toward your dream!

I dream of having a red convertible corvette with white or tan leather seats. But it's not something I'm so passionate about that it's taking up brain space like the Christmas concert is. I'm really passionate about music and audiences.  Therefore, I make my decisions based on that priority. 

If I want a red corvette, then I'd need to set goals and work toward saving for one, but it's not a dream that matters that much to me. In fact, pursuing the dream I'm most passionate about means giving up some of the others...like this one....
So when you are reaching for the clouds, just know that though the sky is the limit, even the sky has some difficulties.  

Build your dream to last.

Friday, February 6, 2015

She Would Have Been 92


Today, February 6, 2015, my mother would have turned 92.

Bertha Mae Sollenberger Crider Heisey
February 6, 1923 - September 24, 2014
The day after her memorial service, I was driving home from the Baltimore airport after dropping off my brother and his wife.  I felt this overwhelming sense of loneliness and finality.  My mind began to walk through the events of the past week.  While my mind was walking, my heart began to sing a new song.....

5 yellow roses for mother

ninety-one birthdays
five adored babies
'Bert' (her nickname in high school)
two breathed their last so early
trials and sorrow
unsure tomorrows
still she lived life sincerely

sisters and brother
huddle together
blue mountain range in the distance
dirt, grass and shovel 
soft velvet covers
weary eyes water and glisten

three children saying goodbye
two children saying hello
heaven and earth joined together
by 5 yellow roses for mother

hero to neighbors
wife and homemaker
woman of faith, tears and passion
what do you give her?
simple, yet honored
what can a child imagine?
Each child places a rose on the wooden box
she was laid to rest in.  A granddaughter placed
one in memory of her deceased son, Nathan Carl and
her daughter-in-law placed one in memory of her
first-born, Douglas Paul.

three children saying goodbye
two children saying hello
heaven and earth joined together
by 5 yellow roses for mother

death and life pause for one moment
rain in the heart and the skies
simple wood box, earth is opened
but now she is free she can fly

three children saying goodbye
two children saying hello
heaven and earth join together
by 5 yellow roses for mother

It still needs some work, but I thought today might be an appropriate day to share what I have so far.

The idea for this song came from a blog post the day before we buried her.  So far, it has been the second top post of my blog read by readers.


I will be working in Nashville today as a way to celebrate her life and give me something to focus on as I continue to grieve.  The conductor and I will be working on reviewing the Dec. 6, 2014 Portraits of White concert.  Reviewing the past, looking at the present and planning for the future.  

I find that coming to Nashville on special days is becoming a tradition and one that I hope to keep for years to come.  Today, I remember my mother's life with a new song.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 66 Kindred Hearts

Today Tom had hand surgery.  It took longer than the doctor thought it would and was more difficult than he planned the doctor said.  I just wanted to be present with him for the day and help him over this hurdle.  Now both hands are bandaged up and he is resting under the influence of pain medicine.

Though I did work on music-related projects while I waited for him to wake up and feel well enough to go home, it wasn't Christmas stuff.  I am speaking in New York in April and spent part of the time working on the content for those messages.  I also read some of the textbook written by the live show producer that I plan to work with this year.

I was thankful that I could be with him all day. We are kindred hearts.  We're certainly very different in our temperament, but our hearts long for and value the same kinds of things.  I'm so grateful for his support on this musical journey.  He is my sounding board, my cheerleader and my biker buddy I might add.

I have another cheerleader and friend with a kindred heart.  Her name is Ellen.  We know each other because of my church position and I am thrilled to have the chance to see her follow her passion.  She is a beautiful dancer, singer and writer.  It is because of her participation in the ballet production of The Nutcracker this past Christmas that I met the conductor who will most likely be conducting the orchestra for the show I have in my heart.

After reading my blog last week, she handed me a beautiful card that was created with thought and care to encourage me in my passion.

 I'm so blessed to have people like Tom and Ellen in my life (and many others!).

Ellen after her dance in The Nutcracker

A beautiful card from Ellen