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The magic of excitement brews as the lights going down in the theater. The swell of the music fills our ears. Then, on the screen, rushing colors and images fly by. We become mesmerized, hypnotized by the expanse before us.
A great film is compelling. It captivates us.
A great film is never an accident.
Will you come with me into the theater for a few minutes and watch the film? Are you ready to find out what happens in there?
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A campfire under a night sky blazing with stars. It is both an opportunity to find your littleness and your bigness in the universe and to contemplate the significance of you – from a distance.
Music Credits:
From A Distance: James Galway, Vincent Fanuele & The Galway Pops Orchestra
From A Distance: The African Childrens Choir
About the Song: From a Distance
At a small concert I was at in Boulder, Colorado many years ago, songwriter Julie Gold shared the story of how she created the song “From A Distance”. She explained to her audience that she had been composing on a small electric keyboard with poor sound quality during the years she had been living in New York, since she had left Philadelphia. But for her 30th birthday, in February 1986, her parents arranged that the piano she’d grown up with, an upright piano, be delivered to her apartment.
The day after her piano arrived, Julie sat down to her treasured reunion. And, as if in celebration of two dear friends rediscovering the synchronicity of each other’s sounds, Julie and her beloved piano brought forth that very day the ballad “From A Distance”.
She wrote it in one hour.
But when music publishers and record companies did not seem especially interested, Julie’s close personal friend, quick, witty performer and talented singer/songwriter Christine Lavin, shared the song with a close friend of her own, folk songstress Nanci Griffith. Griffith, liking the song very much, chose to record it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind. It quickly became a favorite of Griffith’s fans worldwide.
In 1990 The Byrds released a boxed set and chose to record only four new tracks as additional material for the compilation. One of those tracks was “From A Distance”.
Later that same year Bette Midler recorded it. Within weeks it hit #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and then went on to win the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991.
“From A Distance” has been translated into numerous languages including German, French, Cantonese and Spanish, to name just a few. It continues to be translated and sung the world over and has, as of this date, has been aired over 4 million times.
And here are links to everyone’s versions of From A Distance:
Julie Gold’s version of From a Distance
(Amazon) and (iTunes)
Nanci Griffith’s version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
The Byrds’ version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
Bette Midler’s version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
James Galway’s version of From a Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance (iTunes)
African Children’s Choir’s version of The African Children’s Choir (Amazon) and at the African Children’s Choir Website Store
I am one who seeks my self outdoors.
Nature is gracious in its sharing with me. And, I am appreciative.
Its gentle spontaneity, capricious temperament, easy conversation and ceaseless energy offer me respite.
When wandering in fields and meadows, through forests and deserts, along shorelines and foothills I know I will hear inner sounds of my own.
I have learned when I am in the open spaces I can see beyond my physical world to my internal world.
For it is here the quiet journey of a breeze tripping through leafy tangled branches causes me stop. There is so much to know in catching the play of that tiny breeze — a whisper, a rustle, a languid hush.
The nimble tap dance of the talented creek along the pebbly stones. If I close my eyes for a moment too long I have to push down the urge to applaud the performance, every time….
Last night though, it took a long, long time for a grin to leave my face. You see, a fat raccoon decided maybe he needed to wrestle me for just whose piece of apple it was he was scamperin’ away with, his or mine. Well, I’ll tell ya’, I looked at his clear-eyed determination behind his tailored ebony mask and had to chuckle. ‘Cuz, dang! I knew I’d lose that wrestlin’ match, even if I’d wanted that ol’ apple!!! So, he’d better just hurry, scat off and have his snack. But, as he left, I offered him a little smile of respect for his wily ability to make his way in his rangy world.
But, I’ll tell ya’ there’s nothing in this whole world that pulls me
closer to center than looking up at the sky through the majestic magnetic silhouettes of huge powerful trees spiring upwards. Taking in the vision of the tops of an immense forest scraping the sky allows me to breathe with the peace of knowing how large and small is my passage on this voyage we are all taking; it reminds me how quickly it docks and helps me remember we will each disembark….
Oh, but that same sky at night, well now, that’s just such a different space. A huge shadow land above, deep, dark, black, blue and that inky canvas is freckled with tiny illuminated dots we call stars. From our very first mesmerizing childhood gaze at them they sparkle our imagination and light our dreams. And, on these fireballs, so far away, we lovingly wish for all manner of magic we long to twinkle in our lives.
I guess sometimes we forget our lives are the magic.
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Where do you find your inspiration? Who are your heroes? Can you count yourself a hero in your own life?
Have you ever found yourself in love with someone who does not love you?
This is a painful place to ponder, for no matter how many people surround you in your life, on this wounded wayfare you are forced to wander alone.
Rejection.
Loss.
Hurt.
Pain.
And these rips and tears in the private papers holding the ruminative stanzas that define our inner self can leave us scattered and crumpled.
Love is a mystery.
Love is perhaps, the greatest mystery.
When love pours into us, we brim until we overflow with its airy elating lightness.
When love infuses our vision, the colors of our world reflect a surreal bright trueness.
Love is the story woven into our lives and the definer of our world.
Moreover, all we can do with this glorious mystery is rejoice when it enters our lives, even if it disappoints us.
It is a gift given to us, in whatever form it comes to be ours.
Whether offered by us to another or offered to us from another.
Whether given to us or felt from within us.
For we can never, never forget, love is a gift and gifts are to be given.
So give. Give. Give. Give. Love.
And….receive, receive, receive…..LOVE.
Give it to the person who brought it to you, if only as an offer of ever kindness in your heart.
Now, give it to all the others who can benefit from your gift.
Your love is a gift for the world; please do not keep it to yourself.
Love does not have one purpose in you, or one person.
So reflect, be thankful and celebrate yourself. For you possess the warm heart and openness of spirit to embrace the love that moves within you.
You feel. You feel deeply. This is magnificent. You are magnificent.
Embrace the feelings of high that come with understanding that love came to live in you.
Hold this close in your heart and remember…..you do not choose love. It chooses you.
TheLastStation.com
