Each year, the philanthropic arm of the Grammy organization that helps musicians struggling with addiction known as Musicares, honors a musician as Person of the Year. In 2013, that person was someone who is an extraordinary musician, artist, and songwriter, person and American, whose music and lyrics inspire me each day: Bruce Springsteen. His acceptance speech was extraordinary, expressing the most poetic sentiments about music, with one of those sentiments in the above photo of a tree in Lake Placid, NY. I hope that the photo and words lift you up a bit during this difficult time where we all feel displaced, anxious, scared, and overwhelmed.

Music heals, taking us back to long lost memories with one melody, bringing us to a place of exuberance, motivating us to reach for the stars, stimulating our senses, energizing us to get up and move and to keep moving, lulling us to sleep, calming our minds by helping us to concentrate and/or relax, providing us joy, soothing the soul, and transforming the spirit.  Music truly has the power to save lives.

So listen to some music today & make this rainy Monday (at least here in New York City) a musical one. It will help to bring harmony in your home & to your soul. Even the sound of silence can be music to your ears if you just sit still and listen. Who knows, you might even hear something you have never heard before, find a new rhythm, and even create a new soundtrack to your life with unexpected harmony. Wouldn’t that be something?

Take care of you and remember…No Retreat, No Surrender

BettyintheUSA