Happy Valentine's Day

And here is another 'Sometimes' that has been playing in my mind during all the recent Holidays. It was going to be my Happy Thanksgiving Day card but it works just as well as a Happy Valentine's Day thought.

Years ago, my roommate of two cities, Don, taught me this song which we would harmonize on in the kitchen(s) and we even sang it at his brother's Annapolis wedding. I'd never known it to be performed and even had the composer wrong though I think the story is the same. If I'm correct now, Henry Mancini's little daughter wrote this slightly awkward though touching poem for her father and left it for him on his piano. He set it to music. (I've been telling people for years it was Andre Previn and daughter) Anyway, just Googled and discovered that my head must have been turned when the Carpenters performed it. They have a lovely version on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT1ptfnX3nY

Let Karen sing it to you....and thank you for being my Valentine :)



SOMETIMES

Sometimes, not often enough,
We reflect upon the good things
And those thoughts always center around those we love.

And I think about those people
Who mean so much to me
And for so many years
Have made me so very happy.

And I count the times I have forgotten to say,
"Thank You", and just how much I love them.

-Mancini & Mancini-

A Poem for the Election and New Year and heck, Life.

Several years ago, my brilliant, fun, tasteful and well-travelled friends, Jules and Linda created a Christmas card from a poem they'd seen on a poster in the London Underground. It spoke to me and I framed it where it still hangs in my livingroom. I've since found that this poem has spoken to a lot of people...see Wikipedia - Sheenagh Pugh.

The poem is entitled 'Sometimes'.

Sometimes things don't go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail,
sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.

A people sometimes will step back from war;
elect an honest man; decide they care enough,
that they can't leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.