Valentine Shmalentine: Be Love

He was a martyr. One of many that we don't celebrate on this day. That's all I know about St. Valentine. But, not all I know about love.

It doesn't really bother me that this has become some sort of crazy superficial holiday that celebrates the idea that we should hold one person as special enough to be worthy of our love. It doesn't bother me but, that's not what I believe. I believe love should be shared universaly in as many expressions as possible. We should live for love. We should be love....in all our actions, words, thoughts, etc.

Am I love? Yes. Am I perfect in my expression? No. But it's my intention. An intention I have to remind myself of when that annoying person comes my way, my children do something that bothers me or that politician or pundit says something I don't agree with. 

So, if this is going to be a day that celebrates love, let it be a day of intention to love as perfectly as I can. Let me be love in situations that call for love. And, all situations call for love. Let me be patient with people in traffic. Let me be kind in my thoughts to that person who has been driving me crazy. Let me look beyond what annoys me, what disturbs me...let me leave some space for whatever love brings my way. 

 

 

I was going to post a new video but the song wasn't appropriate for this day. I'll do that on Monday now that my computer is fixed. <3

 

 -LM

 

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. - Rumi

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

 

We cannot give what we do not have: We cannot bring peace to the world if we ourselves are not peaceful. We cannot bring love to the world if we ourselves are not loving. Our true gift to ourselves and others lies not in what we have but in who we are. - Marianne Williamson

 

Posted via email from Laura Marie Blogs

A song a week (the low down)

I made a public resolution on a Thursday night @GoGirlsMusic Twitter chat during the holidays. The intention is to write a song each and every week this year. 

I know full well that by publicly making the resolution I run the risk of disappointing someone. I might disappoint myself. I might disappoint others. I might disappoint both myself and others because, let's face it, not all of them are going to be "hits". But, here I go resolving myself to follow in the footsteps of songwriters I love and not let life distract me from the only "job" I've ever been passionate about.  

It's the second week of the year and I have just completed song number two. Yay! Ok, so, song number two was really finishing a song I started last year and had forgotten about. Still, it counts! I mean, I'll continue tweeking it and the other as time goes on. But, yeah, done! Now, all I have to do is decide how I'm going to share my progress...

I'm open to ideas. I was thinking of blogging a video of my favorite of the month and then having an online review of all the monthly songs via Stageit.com or Google+ Hangout. Hmmmm...

I'll decide by the end of the month for sure.

Happy new year!!! 

Posted via email from Laura Marie Blogs

Heaven

The first time I heard this song I cried. 

It says something amazing. What does belief matter if we make no difference here? In a Billboard interview Matt Dennen said, "If the after life is something that we are going to have this faith in, something we all might look forwards to, better than what we have going on here, then why not work to try and recreate those conditions, here on earth." 

Kind of puts things into perspective. I don't talk much about my faith publicly for good reason. There are too many misconceptions about what each of us believes and sometimes we aren't even sure what we believe until we start questioning exactly what that is. And, in the midst of questioning, everything changes. One thing I do know, is when I really ask, from the depths of my heart, "How can I honor the love that created me?", the answer is never to judge another. It's always "be love" however I can be. 

 

 

- LM

Posted via email from Laura Marie Blogs

Mind over Matter (LM blog)

I think some people might wonder why I'm a bit of a health nut, why physical exercise and diet seems to be such a big deal to me, why I'm always looking for the new solution to a healthier me...it's times like these. 

Times like these when my body just quits. It's had enough. It doesn't want to move. Every joint and muscle hurts and walking, running, doing things seems like too much of an effort. If it were just that, I wouldn't be too concerned. I would just rest and wait it out. After all, I had a long week. Folk Alliance veterans will tell you it takes time to recover. But, I've been through this before and I know when my system decides to shut down, there's no reasoning with it. It gets to work on my mind  and starts telling me that it's not worth the trouble. If I persist, it insists, "What the hell are doing? You're not going anywhere." 

And right about then is when I get angry. 

Ask anyone who knows me. I have issues with the word "no". Tell me I can't do something and you've pushed the wrong button. So, it's the worst betrayal in the world to hear myself say, "I give up". But, I do. I give up fighting it. I give up crying over it. I give up. I'm telling my body right here and now, I trust you. I trust you to find your balance, heal and recover because I need you for something more important than a number on a scale or a certain dress size. 

This past year, after years and years of searching for reasons why, I found some answers. An autoimmune disorder. My body fighting itself. Exactly. What I've always done in spirit depicted in physical form....viola! There it is.  And I welcomed the diagnosis because this was something I could do something about. Eat the right things (bye-bye gluten), exercise, rest and take my meds. Yay! This I can do! Then, boom, another diagnosis. This time about something I can do absolutely nothing about. An acoustic neuroma. Just have to live with it. Accept "no" and that I can't do anything because there's nothing to do. Not now, anyway. And, be grateful that I'm really in the best case scenario as such things are concerned. Still, I wish it were gone.

Either way, it's still a matter of how I feel. And, right now, I'm a little unsettled. Over the last few months, I've witnessed people I admire in the music industry express their distaste for it, their animosity, their hopelessness in continuing the "fight" to make it. It unsettles me because I see these people as successful. They are doing what they want for a living and actually making a living doing it. I mean, they aren't financially dependent on anything but their music and, if that's a problem, I think I wouldn't mind having it. Which makes me think that there are probably plenty of people out there who wish they had my problems instead of their own. I get to make music. It doesn't feed me. It doesn't support my family. It just makes me happy and I hope it makes someone else happy too because it's times like this, when I'm tired and in physical pain, that I could see it as a fight too. And, fighting is something I can't do anymore. Besides, I have to believe that in some ways, because I get to do this, I've already made it. I've made it as far as the past me wanted to be and I'll take it as far as the future me really wants to go.

 

Cartoon pic of me gives the appearance of alertness. Yay!

 

 

 

 

Posted via email from Laura Marie Blogs

What the heck happened?

Sometimes things happen and sometimes things happen all at once. The beginning of 2011 has been eventful and I haven't really been sharing a lot of it because most of it is intensely personal and I needed a chance to get my head and heart in the right place before talking/writing about it. In truth, I've been waiting for things to subside but it seems like some things plan on being around a while so, I'm going to have to just get on with gettin' on. In answer to some of your questions:

 

I traveled to the midwest to spend time with family for the holidays. My husband is from Nebraska and that is where we spent Christmas and did not return until New Year's Eve. I usually get back to performing mid-January so, lack of shows does not mean I'm not performing. In fact, I have a show this week :)

 

Laura Marie @ Candlelight Coffeehouse

8pm, 3011 N. St. Mary's Street - SA, Tx.

More shows will be in announced in February including a trip to Memphis for the Folk Alliance conference with the GoGirls and shows with my friend and fellow songwriter, Vanessa Lively, along the way. 

Tah-dah!!! The only change in my regular performance schedule is that I'll only be performing at Candlelight once a month as opposed to twice and it will be on the second Wed. of the month. This means I'll be booking more weekend shows and likely spending more time performing outside of San Antonio. This also accommodates a new teaching schedule as I've accepted a position teaching voice and guitar for performance at Bulverde Academy of Music. Wow. That's a big one for me but I love that my students are interested in doing the same thing I do. It's actually thrilling to mentor someone in this way. 

Also, you may have noticed that I've announced a songwriting clinic with Chris Taylor at the Musicology LLC. I'm very excited about this and we may be doing more of them so be on the lookout. I love working with Chris and I love working with my friend Julian Escobedo who is both owner and bass instructor. We've known each other since kinder and he's accomplished a lot since then. Check out his bio. :)

Teaching is not something I planned on doing again but these were both opportunities that not only worked with my performance schedule, they offered me an experience to grow in areas that I've been wanting to develop. Yay, me! 

*************

On a personal note. Pete and I lost members on each side of our family over the last month. We each lost an uncle and our concerns have been for our family members.This has been another reason I've been kind of out of touch and I think it's self explanatory. I wrote a song for one of the memorial services and will be posting it to my mailing list this week. If you are not signed up, you can do so by hitting the link below and will also receive a free download of Love You Like Me.

Some friends and followers already know that I was ill for a while and that the symptoms have been attributed to an "autoimmune disorder". My diet has changed quite drastically. Again. I have now been gluten free for about 3 months and have seen a huge decrease in symptoms which is great. I am no longer vegetarian but, being a vegetarian DID NOT make me ill.  I was on a path to discover how I could help my body through diet. It turns out that meat wasn't a huge factor and, now that I know protein deficiency did not play a role, I'm giving my body time to adjust and heal before making any further changes. 

Lastly, this is a call for your love and support. For the last month I've had a significant loss of hearing in my right ear accompanied by a loud ringing. This is not due to loud music and it's also been confirmed that it is not due to fluid in my ear. It's a nerve thing. The cause is unknown at this point and, really, the only thing I care about is that it gets resolved and that my hearing returns. 

The doc says, "30% completely recover, 30% partially recover and 30% don't recover at all. " Thems the odds. So, I ask for your good energy, prayers, vibes, meditations. Whatever ya got! Send them my way. The next month or so, according to at least one doc, will be telling and I'm shooting for "full recovery". :)

 

click here

Much love, Laura Marie

P.S.

Stay tuned for commentaries on violence, body image and such and so forth...

 

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Posted via email from Laura Marie Blogs

Standing on a soapbox

will only make me a few inches taller. So, I'm not going to do it.

It wouldn't take you long to find out where I stand on the political front but I have no interest in trying to change your mind if you've already made it up. Nope. I have the ultimate respect for you having your own opinions, ideas, beliefs and agendas. They are yours. You are free to have them as I am free to have mine. I have friends and family on both sides of each issue and, when they care to share their opinions in a reasonable manner, I am open to hearing them. But then, I'm likely to share my own.

What disheartens me is when people come to me spouting "facts" that were passed to them via email. "Facts" with no credible sources (I'm sorry, I don't believe Google is a credible source nor your cousin's next-door-neighbor's sister-in-law who sent the email in the first place)

Just to be clear, let's look at the definitions:

Fact: a concept whose truth can be proved

Opinion: a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

For example:

Stating someone is 72 years old is a fact. A look at public records will prove it with a high level of certainty.

Stating someone is unqualified for presidential office on the basis of age, ethnicity, sex or religious affiliation is an opinion. There are many factors that may determine fitness for presidency but they would also be a matter of opinion.

See, call me arrogant but, I do believe I know the difference. I mean, I have to live with it everyday. I depend on a favorable opinion to keep my career going.

For example:

Fact: Laura released a CD.

Opinion: Laura's CD is amazingly wonderful. You must buy it!!!

Or this recent opinion about my music that came with some handy advice:

"Just try to write actual music and forget lyrics, because they are a prop for folks who are only have partial musical ability"

Um...opinion. :)



So, back to soap box I'm not supposed to be standing on. I just want to say this - If you are not already registered, you have less than a week to register to vote . And, you have about a month to make an informed decision based on facts.

How?

Why, I'm glad you asked.


First off, if you aren't sure if you are registered, visit the website of your Secretary of State's office. This is where Google comes in handy. Just search for "Secretary of State in (whatever your state is)" or type in "Am I registered to vote in (whatever your state is)" All types of links will pop up. Your best bet is to choose one that ends in ".gov". The Secretary of State office websites will have contact information and registration links.


Or, Click here:


and you can do it via myspace!

Or



It's easy

Remember, you only have until this Saturday, Oct. 4th to register!


So, what about the facts?

Take everything you read or watch with a grain of salt and consider the source if you can find it. If you can't find the source, ignore it. To be sure, the issues are complicated and very few news organizations are helpful in sorting out fact from opinion. So, look for sources that weigh both sides of the issue. But, either way you are going to have to...dare I say it...think for yourself. Here is one source I find helpful:

FactCheck.org


They name their sources and point out where both sides have stretched the truth or flat out lied. In the end, I hope you feel good about your decision. Your vote counts! But that's just my opinion.


************************************************


Please join me on Thursday, Oct. 2nd at Luna on San Pedro, San Antonio, Texas




I will be joining Chris on stage for a songwriter extravaganza
featuring music from both of us crazy musician types!!!





Much love, LM