I was SO tired today. I dragged all day. I couldn't understand why I was so tired as I have been doing so much better lately. I didn't want to drink coke as I have been doing so well without drinking any caffeine so I felt that maybe my body was telling me to take an easy day as I had planned on working on replacing my garage trim and texturing the garage wall today. I ate and still was tired. I laid in the sun hoping to nap but all day long I had people coming to the door or calling me.
I soon realized that maybe the day wasn't meant for me or for work, that maybe today was a day for others. I had a good friend come with some personal struggles needing advice. I talked to a family member about some health issues. I had 7 different neighbor children come over asking to play in my yard at different times. One boy brought back his "prize" he got on Halloween from my pirates chest asking me to put a new battery in it for him, which I did. I had another neighbor come and share that she is planning a birthday lunch for one of my most generous neighbors this week.
I was able to call a company for a friend that owns a business and put in a good word for him sharing some ideas that I thought may help the two companies work out a better solution to the issues they have been having for a few years and gave suggestions on a product that one of the companies sells. I LOVE their product but think it would do well in a single use size rather than the one larger size it comes in. Hopefully my time and efforts will bless both companies.
I was able to set up a Dr. apt for myself in a town a few hours away hoping to get my back feeling better. I am working VERY hard on trying to simplify my life by getting rid of things I don't need and healing myself in any way I can. I know it is all in Gods time but I want to be ready when He is!
While on facebook today, I saw a mother of a missionary asking on a group for help finding songs to inspire her missionary and shared that the music can't have any drums in it and needs it to be "uplifting" and spiritual. I just happen to have a HUGE library of inspirational artists and am blessed to have been able to rub elbows with these people over the years in many ways. I personally have seen all of these people live in concert or have actually met and know them personally. I realized while writing a comment on her post that I couldn't in any way share it all on a comment on facebook so I started early today writing this post and finding links to all of these amazing artist. I got interrupted but the songs were playing through the day as I had my day of service to others.
Today, I was tired so that I could be "available" for others. If I had been on a ladder in my garage texturing the wall, I wouldn't have answered the door or the house phone. I KNOW that sometimes we are Gods hands on earth and felt all day that there was a reason I didn't feel full of energy.
Sometimes our trials are not for us, they are for others. Today, I was able to share in a VERY personal way about my struggles in my marriage and what I learned through those struggles so that perhaps, I could give advice to someone who is currently struggling with her marriage. I was probably the only person who could have helped her with that type of advice today. I am SO grateful that I was tired today.......
With that message shared, I am sharing artists that I love and have met. Cheri Call and a few of the others put on a benefit concert for my cousin who died tragically due to medical malpractice and the bills for life flight and the funeral etc were HUGE so they willingly gave of their time to help my cousins family raise money for bills. Thus, I have a huge place in my heart for her and will start with her. Another I must thank for doing the concert, is Nancy Hansen. I don't know if she is currently still writing songs but she is a gifted artist and we have two of her CD's if I remember right.
Cheri Call - "Passes All My Understanding" is the first song posted at the top. I shared why I love her and we have most of her CD's if not all. She has a gift! Here is a post I wrote where I talk about this favorite song by Cheri.
Kennith Cope - "Gethsemane" is the second song posted above. Kennith is an inspired man and a generous soul. He is truly one of my favorite artists of all time. He sang at my step-grandfathers funeral, but I have been familiar with his work since working many years before that in the music industry. He started writing young and his work has gotten better with time. I think I have a favorite off of each of his albums. I have seen him perform many times and he was kind enough to allow me to come to his home to get all the girls CD's signed for Christmas on year. He knows several of my family and I am VERY grateful that he shares his inspired music as it has inspired me and my girls many times over the years.
Hillary Weeks - "He Hears Me" - The third song posted with her in the red dress. This is her first song that was ever published and she has MANY wonderful songs, this one is so touching even though it is live and maybe not as polished as a music video I wanted to include it. There is another that she published about five years ago that I love and there is a great music video for it so I want to share it. "Beautiful Heartbreak" I heard her talk about what brought about the reason for this song. Truly a beautiful person in and out. This is me visiting with her after she performed. Here is a link to the post about that.
Jenny Jordan Frogley singing "His Hands" which is an oldie but she does a good job. I think we only have one of her CD's as she younger than most of these others and my girls were mostly grown as she is a bit younger. I saw her perform at a "Time Out For Women" day. Also performing that day was Jennifer Oaks Baker who is an amazing violinist and mother. You can check out her playing "Amazing Grace" on this link here. Both are amazing but may not have the variety of the other artists due to age but both are talented and have albums available that would be great for a missionary.
Julie De Azevedo Hanks - "Make Enough of Me" Many years ago, my brother thought he wanted to be a song writer and a motivational speaker. He wrote many songs, some of which I love, but they were so busy serving others and raising their nine children that his dream was pushed aside for reality. But, before he had children, he worked for a company that sold Christian music and he worked closely with Lex De Azevedo who is a VERY talented musician and is Julies father. Lex worked with many young artists and helped them get their music heard. Here is a version of one of my very favorite hymns. It is called "If You Could Hie To Kolob". It is mostly instrumental but has a beautiful choir at the end and is arranged by him. I have been blessed by his work for my entire marriage as I worked to sell music for the company to Christian book stores for a few years when I was first married so I had one of each album so that I could be familiar with the works as I sold them. That music has touched my life in many ways over the years!
Michael McLean is one of the most famed and long standing LDS artists. With his many albums and fame, one of his older songs is still one of my favorites. It is sung by Felicia Sorenson. Most of his music is appropriate for missionaries and there are so many albums. The song I am sharing is "From Gods Arms, To My Arms To Yours" it is about adoption and since I have had this situation in my immediate family, it touches my heart and I purchased this album for that family member who gave up a child for adoption. If you know anyone in that situation, this song will bring tears to your eyes and peace to your heart. Princess Two saw him perform in Taiwan during a tropical storm. We visited with him recently and he truly loves people and sharing himself. One thing I love about him, is that even though he isn't the best singer, he brings a side to his music when he sings it himself that even the most gifted singer can't give as amazing as they are. I am grateful that he overcame his fear of singing to share himself with us.
Jenny Phillips has been around for less time than some of these artists yet her reach has been felt probably more due to the fact that she writes a new cd each year for the young women. Yet, each one has priceless songs that build up young women giving them knowledge of who they are, where they came from and why they are here. My girls did a music camp with her many years ago and sang some of her songs with her in a production studio. It is wonderful that she can still put out such quality music being a mother etc.
One time, she met me at Costco while shopping to sign cd's for my girls and some of their friends. Truly a diamond on the earth! Here is her song, "Happily Ever After" which was our girls camp theme a few years back and we used her song. She doesn't make much if anything on her cd's as she sells them so inexpensively so each girl can have one. In this song, at the beginning of the video, she asks kids about "princesses" which is oddly funny because I call my girls Princess One through Five but maybe that is why I chose this song to share out of the many, many she has written. There aren't any favorites as they are all favorites as they are so inspired. You can't go wrong with any of her cd's.
Acapella group "Inside Out" has several CD's. One we own is for children called "Primary Colors" with all primary songs acapella. Fun, upbeat but does have acapella drum beats. The entire cd is now on youtube linked here.
Voicemail is also an acapella group - We have many of their cd's as well. They sing one of my favorite songs written by writer and singer Kurt Bestor.
Kurt Bestor - He has many good songs and I have owned at least five of his albums over the years. My favorite song that he has written is "Prayer of the Children" which is haunting when you know why he wrote the song. He talks of war between people he loved and served in the past and wrote it as a healing song of a sort. He has won awards for his music and is still working in the music industry. My father was honored at a concert for Kurt and I posted about that. Here is a link to that post. Another one of my favorite songs was one of his middle works from a score he did for a movie called "Rigoletto" and Princess Two sang this song when she was about 10. The song is "The Melody Within" linked here.
For instrumental music, there is one guy that has so many beautiful cd's of hymns and LDS music. He teaches at a University as well as a few select private students and taught my sisters children. Mark Geslison has many cd's and most of them are in partner with Geoff Groberg. It is mostly strings. They have many cd's with things like "Emma's hymnbook" songs from the original hymn book etc. They are kind of country sounding but many are truly touching. I have given many of these CD's as gifts as they are easy to listen to and bring a good spirit while playing and I have given them to new mothers as this is something that you could play for a baby that isn't harsh as some classical music can get loud.
Lastly, for instrumental, Peter Breinholt and the "Piano Guys" are SO talented and have a wonderful selection as well as just Peters albums before he linked up with "the piano guys" as he has been around for a long time. He gives an amazing show and is worth seeing live. Here is a link to their youtube channel. Here in the posted video, they are playing Hallelujah, I can't hear this song without emotion coming up, it is so beautiful. It doesn't matter who is singing this song, it truly is a classic song of praise to God.
I can't do this post without adding David Archuleta. We have enjoyed him in concert a few times over the years. My girls stood in a line for hours in the freezing cold just to get him to sign the CD's we own. Here is a link to that post. I walked past him in a hall once and he had a funny smile on his face, I smiled and said, "Hi" not realizing until after I passed him who he was. I then understood his smirk.
He has many songs that work for missionaries. His "Glorious" is amazing and I will link it here but I am going to post this song, "Be Still My Soul" as he sings it for the Tabernacle Choir. It is so raw and beautiful. He is such a tender soul and is a gift to the world during this turbulent time in earths history. He is amazing in concert and I LOVED that he wrote a "thank you" to so many people on his first album giving gratitude for even the simple things. What an amazing example of what "fame" can look like if handled correctly. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do as it is one of my favorite hymns.
I know if you listened to all these songs, you would be online for hours but maybe you can just have this page open while you are checking emails and click on a new one as you have time.
All these artists are so talented and worth hearing, enjoying and sharing!
Have a BLESSED and MUSICALLY Inspired Day!
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