Musical Memories

Tonight I spent some time with my inner child. I pulled out old cd’s from some of my favorite musicals and danced around my living room singing along at the top of my lungs as if I was Annie, Sandra D, and Selena. I just let myself get lost in the musical . . . in the illusion of it all; like I did when I was a kid. It was fun; I laughed at myself and old memories and danced with my dog (who started hyperventilating from all of the excitement – oops, sorry Ajah).

And then I put in a few of my favorite CD’s from 1994 and I was amazed. After almost 10 years of not listening to any of the songs on these CD’s, I still remembered every single word of all my favorite songs. It struck me as odd that I would remember this so vividly. My memory didn’t stop with just the music; I remembered intricate details of the location that I first heard these songs and the events that were taking place in my life at that point in my history. Memories so vivid that I could actually close my eyes and feel as though I was there, experiencing it all again.

Music has a magical ability to weave together the past and the present. It doesn’t stay static like a photograph, but changes as life moves on. It wraps around your heart and warms your soul, allowing you to smile at the past while moving forward in the present moments of your life. It’s a rare gift to be treasured.

“Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.” ~Oscar Wilde

May you be blessed, be healthy, and be inspired!

Passion & Purpose

“It is my heart’s desire to Inspire Hope through singing and writing so that others can overcome their obstacles and live a life of freedom and joy.” – Mandy Anderson

It is both satisfying and confusing to finally discover your passion and purpose in life. Satisfying because in the blink of an eye the clouds disperse and a bright ray of sunshine begins to glimmer upon your heart; confusing because now what do you do with it? There seems to be loads of insurmountable responsibility that comes along with finding your passion and purpose. To ignore it would be to fail and miss out on everything your life was designed for; to go after it would be to begin the process of eventually succeeding should you continually muster up the courage to never give up.

So often the easy road is to simply acknowledge the discovery and forget the “doing.” To live a life of apathy and ultimately die wondering what could have been had you just taken that first step. The first step surely is the hardest. Don’t be fooled though, the journey is paved with gravel, potholes, smog filled valleys, and sometimes deafening silence. And then . . . sunlight; pure, radiant sunlight.

I don’t believe there are enough words in any language to adequately express the feeling of embarking on the journey of fulfilling your life’s passion and purpose. Joy, Exhilaration, Contentment, and even Thrilling encompass some of it, but they don’t do it justice. To know that you are a contributing piece to the giant puzzle that is this world, and to find the placement, in which your piece fits, is the most satisfying feeling one can ever experience.

I don’t have my exact placement in this puzzle figured out yet; but I’m beginning to discover the angles that make up my borders and who my aligning pieces might be. Believe my transparency when I say this is not an easy mission, nor is it exactly pretty all the time. Never in my life have I been in such inner turmoil, constantly aware of my thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Never in my life have I had more questions without answers. Never in my life have I had the patience to enjoy the process and rest while the pieces come into focus . . . until now. I’m learning how to take this all in and breathe through the process of living out my passion and purpose.

Let me ask you . . . do you know your life’s passion and purpose? Are you willing to take the first step and continue on the bumpy path to make it happen and live it out?

As always, be blessed! Be healthy! Be Inspired!