What's Goin on?

 

The past week was an emotional roller coaster for so many. Boston was terrorized, Texas suffered a horrific accident and in China was literally shaken.  These were the headlines across the nation and the world in the past week. It makes a person wonder "What's Goin on?"

The bombing in Boston is a sad horrible senseless act done by some sick and demented individuals. I don't pretend to know their motives or their affiliations if any. I stick to the simple facts at hand. Two men murdered 4 innocent people and maimed and injured upwards of 200 people all in the name of their religious beliefs.  I don't want to write a big long blog about the act itself. My purpose here today is to share what I keep telling myself each and every day to get through. I read this tweet by a young Muslim girl.

Makes sense to me. I sure as hell wouldn't want the entire Christian community to be judged based on the actions of the crazies in the Westboro Baptist Church.

What the world is going through today is scary. It makes me want to give up on humanity. I want to home school my son and never let him leave the house. I think about every major sporting event and wonder is this going to be the next attack? Then I take a deep breath and remember that the actions of a few do not define the lives of billions.  Yes, there are bad people in this world but they are outweighed by the good. The generosity of those around the world who have performed selfless acts of kindness in Newtown, Boston, and Texas.  I read a link today on buzzfeed that showed 44 amazing acts of kindness throughout the world to help the victims or to at the very least show solidarity in this great country that we live in.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/images-that-perfectly-capture-the-american-spirit

We can not let the actions of bad people define our entire life. We can not let fear dictate our actions. We can not let the bad guys win. We are a nation of superheros.  When the Westboro Baptist Church tried to picket military funerals, off duty military personnel, bikers and citizens create walls to prevent them from disturbing the mourners.  That's a superhero.  When the children of Newtown were under fire by a madmen, the staff didn't run they protected their children and some died for it.  They are superheros. Millions of people donated to funds and other projects to help these families move forward from this tragedy. Yup, superheros.  When Boston became a warzone, runners ran to the hospital to give blood, spectators ran TO the victims to help. There images abound of people helping people. In Texas, volunteers from all over were making their way to the wreckage to help with the recovery. Children setting up lemonade stands to raise money. This is what we are about. This is what we should remember. We are not a nation falling apart. We are a nation standing strong against those who would do us harm.

This might sound hokey. I'm not naive. I know this world is in the crapper in many ways, but we can't give up. We can't give in. There is a whole lot of evil in this world and it gets covered 24 hours a day on television and can be accessed whenever you want. I think we tend to focus on the negatives and take for granted all that is good.  

Be kind, be generous, don't rush to judge or place blame before you have the facts. Stand up for what you believe in but think before you speak. It is the little things that make a difference in this world. It only takes the small deeds of the masses to impact the world. 

I hope we never see another tragedy like 9/11, Newtown, Boston, Texas and all those that came before, but if we do we will overcome.

We are strong!

United we MUST stand

I started to write about what happened today.  I have alot of feelings about it. As do you all, but I have decided to wait until we know more.  So with that said, I will say this.

Slow Down
Don't rush to judgement.
Before you facebook, tweet or whatever it is you do make sure the information you are sharing is credible.
Avoid the blame game. We don't know who did it.  "They" can be anyone and "They" are not everyone that looks a certain way or wears a certain type of clothing.
Talk to your children.  Your terrified, imagine how they feel?
Look at the positive.  The footage shows people, many many people running towards the explosion to help people they may have never met in their life.  Runners who were not at the scene at the time of the explosion literally ran to local hospitals to donate blood. That is America. That is what the human race does. With every evil there is good.  The impact of what an evil group of people does impacts us greatly but it does not define us as a people.
The next couple of days will be hard for us as a nation. Take a deep breath and remember to be kind to your neighbors, your friends, your family.

Don't let "THEM" take anymore than they already did today.

We are good, we are kind, we are grateful, we are loving, we are compassionate, we are caring. We are what this world is truly about.  Don't let today define us.

♫♫Oohh Ohh Ladies First Ladies First♫♫♫

I said from day one it would be a Woman's competition this year. I wonder if they got sick of the boys winning year after year because the choices they made for men this year could not compete with the talent of the woman. No way. No How.

A couple weeks back I did my American Idol Predictions and for the most part I was right but I do have some changes to make,but before I do I want to give my opinion on the last few weeks of the show.

Anyone who knows me knows my opinion of Nicky Minaj. I think she is talentless and has made herself a celebrity through her bad fashion and bad attitude.  Her whole shtick is being this hard ass who tells it like it is. Here's the thing. She has been right A LOT. It pains me to admit it but it's true.  AI has the judges who have the pedigree to back what they are saying, Nicky's opinions are that of someone who loves music and knows what the industry wants. She is not a great performer but she knows how to work the industry because look where she is. She made a "mistake" of sorts or maybe the producers did because when Burnell got eliminated they showed her talking to him behind the scenes and her guard was down. Her stupid fake accent was gone and she was teary eyed talking to him. She clearly cares about these kids.  Bottom line is she wants to be the "Simon Cowell" of the group.  No one does nasty like Simon.

Predictions

My predictions have shifted.
                                                        The Next to go home is:Amber Holcomb
Amber has a really good voice. She is beautiful and marketable. I have issues with her pitch still and her song choice is not always smart. She has definitely overcome some of her confidence issues but she isn't able to connect with the audience.  She reminds me of former Idol, Pia Toscano who had one of the best voices in the competition but she just wasn't winning over the audience.  Amber suffers from the same issue.  I would be pleasantly surprised if she were to succeed beyond her Idol experience.

Then we will say goodbye to: Janelle Arthur
Janelle has really blossomed in this competition. In her own words not wanting to be a "one trick pony". She has shown diversity, and some truly heartfelt performances. Her acoustic arrangement of "You keep me Hangin on" was her WOW moment. She will absolutely be welcomed with open arms into the world of country music and could have moderate to great success like the Kellie Pickler that came before

My Top 3 

Angie Miller-  I had originally thought she would win the whole competition, but she has some maturing to do.  She will absolutely be making a Christian Rock Album in the near future and former Idol Alum, Colton Dixon will probably write a better part of that album.  She has trouble connecting with songs and people.  She has a huge fan base with fans of Christian Rock and many young girls who probably don't even realize that may of her songs are religious in nature.  She will finish 3rd.


Here's where it is literally ANY ONE'S GAME


Kree Harrison and Candice Glover are two very different singers, with 2 things in common. They know what kind of singer they are, and they are confident in who they are as women. They are two of the elder women in this competition.  They have about 5 years on Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb.  At this point in the competition it is all about song choice. Last week Candice blew the roof off the theater with her rendition of Lovesong.  It was exactly what she needed to shoot to the top.  The arrangement and her delivery were flawless.  Kree has been solid each and every week and her choice to sing acapella in the intro of "What the World Needs Now is Love" was a stellar move on her part. She showed the world the true purity of her voice without the music setting the tone.

If I HAD to make a choice on who will win I am going to go with Candice.  I think the power in her voice is always received well by the general public. People like BIG voices because it's not common and and it leaves a lasting impression.

Who do I WANT to win? Kree.  I think she is ready to make an album today and just needs the machine that is American Idol to get her to the next level.  She is radio ready, Concert tour ready and best of all she is  truly grateful, and humble about her ability and new found fame. She is always the first to thank the band or the arrangers for her performances.  I hope she never loses that.

So there you have it. Let's see if I'm right.

Thanks for reading.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Keep it positive!

I know that sometimes its easier said than done, but in reality it only benefits you. I'm not going to preach about how you must be positive all the time and look at the bright side! There are moments in our lives that positivity is harder to see than other and as human beings we can't be expected to be positive all the time. When I lost my father, the first few days I saw nothing positive in that whatsoever, The perfect father was taken from me, the perfect grandfather taken from my son and the perfect husband from my mother. Where is the bright side in that? I'll tell you where it is.  My father didn't suffer. That is a positive. He went to sleep and never woke up. I spoke to him the night before and have no regrets in the relationship I had with him. That's a positive.  He was there for my son for 12 years. That's a positive. See? Sometimes the positives are not staring you in the face. Sometimes you might have to dig through the rubble to find them.

Financial woes weigh on my mind most of the time. I am a paycheck to paycheck kind of person and whenever anything "unexpected" occurs its a mad scramble to figure how to handle it. This is a source of stress for me most days. Like many other people in the world.   The positive? I figure it out. Somehow, some way, I figure it out. I am grateful for the friends who have bailed me out whether it be as a gift or a loan. I am grateful that I have a job, a home, a car, and food in the fridge.  Maybe it's not steak and lobster but there are people who are way worse than me. I stay positive.

Illness is a heavy burden to bear. Cancer, heart disease, depression, migraines, reoccurring illnesses like colds, flu, and all the other strange things that are out there plaguing us.  It's a challenge to remain positive when you are simply sick of being sick. Be grateful you are here. Be grateful that there are doctors, and medicines that can help with the symptoms. Be grateful for the loved ones that stand by you. Don't get mired in your own misery so deep that you can't see beyond it.

Do something! Get out of our own way. Look around you at all the wonderful things in your life that give you reason to be positive. It can be the obvious things like your family, friends, your pets, your job or your hobbies. Or maybe you have to dig a little deeper.  Maybe its the flowers in the yard, the bird singing in the tree, the vacation you have planned at the end of the year, the new outfit you can't wait to wear or the card that came in the mail from a friend. 

I know it's hard. I have been there. I have been down and out and wallowing in the misery, but did anything change? No. Do I want to pitied? No.  Do you think that by displaying your negativity and misery for all to see is going to inspire someone to jump up and help you if they can? No.  I have been supported the most during the toughest of times because people around me saw that above all I was trying. Trying to do the best I could with what I have.

You hold the Power to be positive. You can be strong. You can be happy. No one is going to "make you happy" and no one is has the power to "tear you down" unless you give it to them.

Today, take a moment and make a list of the positive things in your life and keep that list somewhere close and the next time you feel the power of negativity taking over your life or you are dealing with a challenge you don't think you can handle look at that list and go to that place of gratefulness. It may not change what you are going through but it surely will give you perspective.

♥