ARCHIVES SECTION C: HUMAN RELATIONS   9.   8-03-08: "Friendship Day" 8.   7-04-08: "The String and the Journey" 7.   6-15-08: "Hope on Father's Day"♫ 6.   5-11-08: "Hope on Mother's Day" ♫ 5.   2-15-08: "A Prayer for the Children" 4.   1-21-08: "A Misunderstood King" 3.  12-22-07: "The True Meaning of Giving" 2.  10-28-07: "Fire and Grace: Malibu Presbyterian"   1.  10-03-07: "Please and Thank You and Urban Neo"  _______________________________ ♫ Music-related content. Bay Heart Music Blog is best viewed using Internet Explorer Browser. Bay Heart Music is a registered trademark. Established 2004. As a matter of courtesy and the law, please do not copy Bay Heart Music files.

	Topic of the Day C.9. “Friendship Day!” August 3, 2008   “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”                                                     —Bernard Meltzer*   Hope is found in good friendships. Knowing that someone cares for you fuels optimism in your outlook and interactions. Whether you call him or her an “old chum,”  “pal-o-mine,” or “best bud,” a good friend can make all the difference in the world. I am blessed to have friends who are there for me, and I’m there for them.   As it turns out, there’s an official Friendship Day. It’s celebrated on the first Sunday of August. This year, on August 3, 2008. Even though such days are boons for greeting card companies and florists, this occasion has great merit. Search engines provide referrals to friendship sites, full of ideas to express your care. Here’s a suggestion: email, call, or write a friend who’s been there for you when few others were around.   Send a message to the person who fills in the blank for you:   “When I need to know that today will be a better day,  (Name here) always has just the right words.”   I will send my friends a link to the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room on the subject of friendship. I will whisper their names in prayer. I will re-commit to being a friend to them.   May you find hope in the expressions you give and receive on Friendship Day this year.   *Meltzer quote found at www.thinkexist.com Bay Heart Music Prayer Room, Friendship page: http://www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id42.html Topic of the Day C.8.“The String and the Journey” July 4, 2008   I recently received a terrific email from a dear friend on the matter of life’s journey. Her story touched me greatly. It puts the journey message into clear perspective. Please enjoy this, and share it with anyone who may need to hear from you while on their journey.    EXCERPT FROM A FRIEND'S EMAIL ON THE SUBJECT OF ADVENTURE:   My mother-in-law’s cousin was a beautiful spirit who died at 92. She was a joy to visit in Napa. When [my son] was little, she would greet us at the door and give him the end of a piece of yarn and tell him to follow it. He would follow the yarn across the room, up the bookcase and down the bookcase, under the sofa and into the bedroom, and finally when he got to the end of the yarn, she would have a little present for him. She would wave her finger at him and say, “It’s not about the prize, it’s about the adventure!”  Adventure or journey, that is what counts. That is such a great thing.     Have a safe and happy 4th of July!     --Cheryl Farrell   Topic of the Day C.7. “Hope on Father’s Day" ♫ June 15, 2008   A father is a true blessing. Whether your father is your biological dad or a father figure, there’s something uniquely special about his good-hearted influence in your life. I look forward to Sunday, June 15, 2008 as we designate the time to acknowledge the gift of fatherhood. I’m grateful for the father of my children. For some of us, our fathers have passed on. Yet, their guidance and direction lives on with us today.    I have three recommendations for sending hope-filled greetings on Father’s Day. These are not sponsors that I plug. I share them because of the work they provide in sending e-messages of hope. The first is Day Spring Greeting cards. The second is the Daily Word magazine. The third is my own Bay Heart Music Prayer Room. However you celebrate the day, I wish you peaceful times.   Day Spring Greeting Cards  http://www.dayspring.com/ecards   The Daily Word (June 15th Message) http://www.dailyword.org   Bay Heart Music Prayer Room (Topic: “Direction”) http://bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id.38.html   Topic of the Day C.6. "Hope on Mother's Day"♫ May 11, 2008   Understandably, there’s much fanfare on Mother’s Day. Cards, candy, and flowers abound. As a mom, I look forward to this time to be with family and friends. I actually prefer quiet understated activities on these occasions. A simple meal will do. Whatever way you celebrate the day, I hope it creates lasting memories full of good feelings.   I recently added a Bay Heart Music Prayer Room topic, “Love.” It features the song, “He Loves You More,” written by a dear church friend, Gwen Cathey. It’s a catchy tune that talks about a love even bigger than a mother’s love. I hope you enjoy and are inspired by it. The link is below. Have a grand day!   http://www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id43.html "Love"  Topic of the Day C.5. "A Prayer for the Children" February 15, 2008   As a parent and as a citizen of the world, I cannot comprehend the horrific events at Northern Illinois University. I ache with sorrow. It’s too much to take in, and it’s unnecessary. My prayers are extended to all affected. I pray for a brighter day. I pray for children to be able to go to school to learn, have fun, realize dreams, be loved, and to be safe. I pray for parents who send their children out into the world so they will not fear the worst. I pray for the lost and lonely to be comforted so that their rage is properly channeled. I pray for the innocent. I pray for peace.   www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id22.html Topic of the Day C.4. "A Misunderstood King" January 21, 2008   It’s easy to take a Federal holiday for granted. It takes conscious effort to recall why businesses shut down, mail service ceases, and department stores promote special sales. Despite growing up during Dr. King’s latter years, I find myself scheduling assorted errands on King’s holiday. That’s not right. So, my act of remembrance is to take time to read a bit more about Dr. King. I’ll talk to my children about him—en route to their piano lessons and in between studying for mid-term finals.   I found a thought-provoking AP article posted on MSNBC today. It’s entitled, “Historians: MLK’s Complexity Largely Ignored.”  It addresses the distortion of Dr. King’s legacy over time. While his iconic “dream” speech is often quoted, his broader activism is footnoted in popular culture. An insightful quote comes from Richard Greenwald, professor of history at Drew University:   "We're living increasingly in a culture of top 10 lists, of celebrity biopics which simplify the past as entertainment or mythology… We lose a view on what real leadership is by compressing him down to one window."   The article appropriately positions current culture against the backdrop of history-in-the-making Presidential elections. We can view current leadership options through the lens of how time has treated Dr. King’s legacy—and, not by his words packaged for campaign consumption. That in itself is worthwhile celebration of the King holiday.   I wish you a thoughtful day.   I encourage you to read “Historians: MLK’s Complexity Largely Ignored” in full at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22758159/ Topic of the Day C.3. "The True Meaning of Giving" December 22, 2007   I was a bit stuck on what to write today, which is unusual for me. With Christmas and other holidays in full swing, I knew it would be about some aspect of giving. Open to whatever would come, I found inspiration in an essay I wrote a few years ago:                                   “I’ll Take Amazing Travel for $2,000, Alex”   It describes my Clue Crew travels that relate to Civil Rights and black history. (You may read the full article at www.bayheartmusic.com/id17.html ).  I was reminded of the contributions of tennis legend, Arthur Ashe. In my personal research, I found a profound quote attributed to Mr. Ashe:   True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.                                                  –Arthur Ashe   As we consider last minute gifts, what about the gift of ourselves? It doesn’t have to be a lavish brand of giving. It can be something that only you and a recipient know about. A phone call or email to long lost friend; an errand run for a shut-in; or a book read to a child. If we apply Ashe’s competitive spirit to serving others, it would truly yield an abundant season of giving. My hope for you is the gift of abundant days.   Citation from The Arthur Ashe Foundation:   “Arthur Ashe was a top ranked tennis player in the 1960s and 70s. Raised in the segregated South, he was the first African-American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament… His commitment to social justice, health and humanitarian issues left a mark on the world as indelible as his tennis was on the court." [www.arthurashe.org] Topic of the Day C.2.  "Fire and Grace: Malibu Presbyterian" October 28, 2007   With all the heart wrenching images of the recent Southern California fires, there’s not much I can add to describe the trauma sustained by thousands of families. My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected. With recovery efforts underway, there’s worthy commentary about families who were near the fires but not required to evacuate. This is the case with my family.   I recently drove the re-opened highway that ran through the Malibu Canyon fire. It’s one thing to see the flame consumed terrain on television and another to see its destruction first hand. I’ve never been in a war zone but the area looked like photos I’ve seen. The World War II phenomenon of scorched earth came to mind as I saw the blackened mountain slopes. I was lightheaded from the acrid odor of burned vegetation and wildlife.   The image that shook me most was the former hilltop church that had burned to the ground. Malibu Presbyterian had become a beacon for me en route to work. I always looked for its clever messages on the church sign inviting a passerby to worship there. It seemed like a friendly place to visit one day.   On the recent drive by, the church was leveled except for the signage. The sign’s message was “Come up here.” That’s right, “Come up here.” It was a prescient reminder that when the building is gone, God isn’t. I’m waiting to hear how I can help the church’s re-building efforts.   As I descended the mountain I wondered why not me? Why was my world not completely turned upside down as many others had been? What could I assign to the gift of being able to drive to work from a fully intact home? My reflex was to answer, “By the grace of God…”   This popular expression is often used to give spiritual credence to good luck or fortune. I was corrected on that notion about ten years ago. It was then that a wise man put me in check by asking: “Did God’s grace not fall on those who are in trouble?” The wise man was John Hitchcock, Executive Director of Hillsides Home for Children. He was referring to the foster care children in his care.   After days of struggling with his question, I met him to tell what came to me as a proper response. It was that God's grace manifests itself in many ways. Even though valuables and lives were lost in the recent fires, God’s grace never faltered.   For those of us who have homes to go to tonight, I suggest we give a wave and smile to our neighbors and be thankful for them. Take a slow stroll through the living room and really look at the photographs on the walls. Hug our kids and pets a little longer than normal. Pray for those who are struggling right now and waiting to see how God’s unceasing grace manifests in their lives.