CHERYL FARRELL

	Current Topics (Scroll down to read essays posted in date order.) 8-23-08: "Race, Music, and Resolution" 8-17-08: "Children Included Too!" ♫ 8-10-08: "You Had It All Along!" ♫ 8-03-08:  "Friendship Day!" 7-18-08: "Thoughts on Prayer" 7-04-08: "The String and the Journey" 6-28-08: "Divabetic--Makeover Your Diabetes" 6-21-08: "Making A Joyful Noise" ♫ 6-15-08: "Hope on Father's Day" ♫ 5-26-08: "Memorial Day 2008" 5-17-08: "Athletes, Bloggers, & Type 1" 5-11-08: "Hope on Mother's Day" ♫ 4-25-08: "What Does Hope Look Like?" 4-05-08: "Wedding Song and Prayer "♫ 3-08-08: "Happy Birthday!"♫ ______________________________________________ ♫ denotes music-related content. See navigation bar above to view ARCHIVES and COMMENTS pages. Bay Heart Music Blog is best viewed using Internet Explorer Browser. Bay Heart Music is a registered trademark. Established 2004. As a matter of courtesy and the law, please do not copy Bay Heart Music files.

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	Topic of the Day “Race, Music, and Resolution” August 23, 2008   Several months ago, my minister invited, or dare I say, challenged congregants to present a layperson’s sermon on the matter of race relations. Current events are rife with reminders that race in America continues to divide us. With shock jocks name calling innocent athletes, and a US Presidential race unabashedly polled along racial lines, it’s necessary to give spiritual context to the subject. We need hope in these times of no holds barred.   Granted, pulpits across America run the risk of becoming the news on the matter of race. Yet, it’s a risk worth taking, if appreciation for one another is the potential outcome. I’m not talking about mere “tolerance,” a begrudging acceptance of someone different. I’m talking about outright love for one another that happens when we compassionately talk about race. Love is well worth the risk.   As I approached my assignment, it came as no surprise to me that I would connect prayer and music to the topic of race relations. The premise:   Music originating from the African American experience is a metaphor for the good that comes from difficult times. Just as musical chord progressions must resolve, so too can human relations.   The full text of my presentation is found by clicking the link below. I “invite” you to read my perspective on the matter. I hope you are inspired and perhaps, intrigued by the message. I welcome your comments—click the link to the Comments page to share your thoughts.    ̶ Cheryl Farrell   Speech: www.bayheartmusic.com//id25.html    Reader Comments: www.bayheartmusic.com//blog/id23.html

	Topic of the Day “Children Included Too!” August 17, 2008   As a member of the mid-Boomer generation, I recall childhood holiday dinners when extended family gathered at our home. Both familiar and long lost cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents would cramp into two or three rooms for a meal that had been in preparation for days. The aroma from turkey and dressing would linger in the upholstery and drapes weeks after the holidays.   The ritual always included faux dining tables—known as the Kids Table. We spent many holidays in converted bedroom dining areas, sitting on folding chairs tucked under rickety card tables. At least modern card tables have metal legs. I recall tables with wooden legs that made the table lean dangerously close to collapse. It’s funny how the human psyche and body adapt—my tablemates and I would lean along with the table as we ate.   In all honesty, it was a better deal to be ensconced from the grownups, where we could talk about what we wanted to talk about. No need to smile politely at the same old stories heard year after year. We could “hide” food we didn’t like. (Amazing how Princess the pet dog could devour au gratin potatoes and not get sick.) We had our own community at the kids table. It was so much fun, that those who could graduate to the big table, never did.   At the kids table, we were loved right where we were. This principle applies today. Being loved no matter what age or circumstance is what I celebrate in a song I recorded for my Prayer Room. The Jesus Loves Medley is posted below for your listening and inspirational pleasure. It’s an a cappella compilation of “Jesus Loves the Little Children” and “Jesus Loves Me.”  These two songs were as much a part of my childhood as those family dinners.   I am sustained by the Biblical directive to care for the “least of these,” which covers children, the impoverished, the disabled, the homeless, the heartbroken, the disillusioned, the lonely, and any of us who struggle. We may be sitting at life’s proverbial rickety table, but we are full with abundant love and in excellent company!    ̶ Cheryl Farrell   For more information, please visit the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room Children’s Page: http://www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id45.html    Jesus Loves the Little Children, written by preacher Clare Herbert Woolston (1856-1927) Jesus Loves Me, written by Anna B. Warner (1827-1915) Melody added 1862 by William Batchelder Bradbury.   Click the play button to hear audio clip. [01:00]

	Topic of the Day “You Had It All Along!” August 10, 2008   Have you experienced times when what you're looking for was with you all along? A set of missing keys shows up near the place they’re supposed to be. A lost receipt is in the file where it belongs. The courage to start a business just appears one day. Sometimes things are so close, but we fail to see them.   This frequent occurrence inspired me to write the song, Where Were You? At first glance, it seems to be a question asked of a Sunshine Soldier. As it turns out, the comfort the singer desires was with her all along. There's help from a steadfast source of love—loyalty that never falters—come rain or shine. I invite you to take a listen. I hope you enjoy and are encouraged by it.    ̶ Cheryl Farrell   For more information, please visit the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room Loyalty Page: http://www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id44.html   "Where Were You?" © (2005)  Music and lyrics by Cheryl Farrell/Bay Heart Music Click the play button to hear audio clip. [02:14]

	Want to hear more good music? Visit Bay Heart Music Prayer Room www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom   (For best viewing experience, use Internet Explorer Browser.)

	Topic of the Day “Friendship Day!” August 3, 2008   “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”                                                     —Bernard Meltzer*   Hope is found in good friendships. Knowing that someone cares for you fuels optimism in your outlook and interactions. Whether you call him or her an “old chum,”  “pal-o-mine,” or “best bud,” a good friend can make all the difference in the world. I am blessed to have friends who are there for me, and I’m there for them.   As it turns out, there’s an official Friendship Day. It’s celebrated on the first Sunday of August. This year, on August 3, 2008. Even though such days are boons for greeting card companies and florists, this occasion has great merit. Search engines provide referrals to friendship sites, full of ideas to express your care. Here’s a suggestion: email, call, or write a friend who’s been there for you when few others were around.   Send a message to the person who fills in the blank for you:   “When I need to know that today will be a better day,  (Name here) always has just the right words.”   I will send my friends a link to the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room on the subject of friendship. I will whisper their names in prayer. I will re-commit to being a friend to them.   May you find hope in the expressions you give and receive on Friendship Day this year.   *Meltzer quote found at www.thinkexist.com Bay Heart Music Prayer Room, Friendship page: http://www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom/id42.html

	Topic of the Day “Thoughts on Prayer” July 18, 2008   A recent update to the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room includes the following "Thoughts on Prayer" section.  May you be inspired. Please visit the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room at www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom.     Quotations for "Thoughts on Prayer"*