Monthly Archives: December 2013

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

By | Music | One Comment
Water Night

Water Night

I received this link today to Eric Whitacre on Ted Talk.  I loved the  presentation. It was such a gift to hear about Whitacre and his music.  This is well worth your time to listen to. Whitacre decided to do a virtual choir and posted it on the internet and thousands of singers responded from all over the world.  There is part of the song on this Ted Talk.   Lux Aurumque means Light of God and the voices from all over the world singing together are the sound of God.

Here is the link to the talk.

http://tinyurl.com/vurtualchoirahh

The first song preformed is called Lux Aurumque’ which is a Latin word meaning Light Gold or Light of God. It’s a Christmas piece based on a Latin poem.  In English here are the words.

Light and Gold

Light, light
Light, light
Light, light
Warm
Warm
And heavy
And heavy
And heavy
Pure
Pure
Pure like gold
They sing and sing and sing
To the newborn babe.

Here is a youtube of the whole song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs

Fly to Paradise is the fourth virtual choir piece Whitacre did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8oDnUga0JU

Here are the words to the song.

And all she ever thinks about is being in any other place than this,

‘Cause she remembers having wings

But she’s forgotten what it’s like to feel a paradise of bliss.

And all I want to do is fly, just fly,

Just fly.

And all she ever thinks about is memories of soaring through the sky,

‘Cause she remembers having wings

But she’s forgotten what it feels like to fly.

And all I want to do is fly, just fly,

And all I want to do is fly,

Just fly!

Eric Whitacre has two albums out Water Night and Light of Gold.  I know they’ll be on my Christmas list.  Enjoy the holidays and the true meaning behind them.

Light and Gold

Light and Gold

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Fall at Lake Superior

By | photography | 58 Comments
Sunrise on Lake Superior

Sunrise on Lake Superior

This fall I went up to Lake Superior to enjoy the fall color.  The beauty of fall is really remarkable in Minnesota so I wanted to share it with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our house on Lake Superior

Our house on Lake Superior

 

Waves crashing into the shoreline

Waves crashing into the shoreline

A walk in the woods

A walk in the woods

 

 

Sunrise on Lake Superior

Sunrise on Lake Superior

 

Birch log

Birch log

 

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Gratitude Creates a Happier Life

By | Book Review, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

We all want to be happy and have a good life.  Some people seem to naturally be cheerful and others struggle with depression.  Regardless of what type of person you are, current studies show that one of the ways to be happier is to be grateful for all the blessings and good things in your life.  We learn to see and be grateful for even the little blessings like seeing a cardinal at a birdfeeder, getting a card in the mail, or having a good meal with your family.  By focusing on the positive things we experience each day we become more aware of the blessings in our lives.  Gratitude opens the heart to love.

Gratitude Works

Robert Emmons, a professor at the University of California, Davis, has done research on gratitude for eleven years and has done many studies.  Some of his studies show that people who keep a gratitude journal and write down five things they are grateful for every day are happier.  The benefits for keeping a journal are psychological, social, emotional, and physical. Psychologically people felt more alert, alive and aware.  Socially students found an increase in their grades.  Emotionally people experienced more positive emotions.  Physically people exercised more, their sleep was better and they awoke each morning more refreshed.

Emmons has a youtube on the gratitude studies he has done.  You might find this one of interest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRrnfGf5aWE

Words of Gratitude

 

Emmons has also written books on Gratitude such as Words of Gratitude and Gratitude Works.

Here are several quotes on gratitude that I found uplifting.

Gratitude “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

John F. Kennedy

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”

Thomas Merton

How have you found gratitude helps you?  Have you ever kept a gratitude journal?  If so what benefits did you notice?

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