Recently I had the privilege to hear renowned pianist Brooks Aehron. If you ever get a chance to see him, you will have a good time, whether you like piano music particularly or not. He is quite a showman. He makes music fun!
One thing he asked the audience at one of his three concerts was: what is a pianist’s greatest fear? His answer was not forgetting the music, but the loss of a hand. Then he played an entire piece using just his left hand. You can imagine how difficult that is, especially if you are right handed.
This story of Hee Ah Lee takes it even farther. Born with serious birth defects, she has mastered piano with the use of only 4 fingers, some of which do not function as normal fingers. It makes many difficulties most of us might face seem very small in comparison.
It moved me to tears. I was also moved that her mother resisted family pressure to abandon her to adoption to Canada or the West. To her mother, Hee Ah Lee has always been beautiful and perfect.
She has given more than 200 concerts and loves to perform. If you watch the second video to the very end, you can see that she knows how to interact with the audience.
Here’s a short piece played by her:
And a longer story:
You can find other videos featuring her also.
The lesson here, to me, is find a way. If something seems impossible, yet our talents are leading us to do it, find a way.
There is a unique way for each of us to accomplish most anything, if we truly desire it, work toward it, and have our own vision that we keep in sight. It also helps to surround ourselves with others who will help forward our vision or even lead us to it. Eliminate naysayers! Work towards the end we are trying to achieve.
The world needs our music, whether we are playing music or living the music of our lives. Each of us is needed.
About Aziza Mustafa Zadeh Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was born 19 December 1969 in Baku (Azerbaijan). Education Her father Vagif Mustafa Zadeh was one of the founders of the azeri jazz music and a founder of the new jazz trend,...
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I know our son would tell you that his dad was the best. He gave his all and learned how to work the system to our son’s best advantage. He spent hours with him perfecting his basketball skills and worked with him to get him into the best college for him. This involved countless hours at ball games, making hours of demo tapes to take to college coaches, then taking him on a road trip to visit the coaches. All done for the sheer love of him.
Here’s another heartwarming story of a dad and son. I’m so glad they have the videos of Patrick Henry Hughes as a very young child! From an early age he showed musical ability which his father fostered.
Patrick Henry Hughes was born blind but plays in the University of Louisville pep band thanks to the aid of his father.
Patrick says that he feels blindness is not a disability, but being able to see is. He is not hampered, he says, by anyone’s appearance, their clothes or hair style. He’s sees the inner person. There are many videos of him on youtube. I have only shown a few of them here. I was unable to find one of him playing Amazing Grace at the Crystal Cathedral.
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This was shared at another group I’m on, and I thought it was inspirational!
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There aren’t many people who can hold a candle to Dorothy Dale Kloss, the oldest showgirl in the world. (But my aunt is still tap dancing in her 80s!)
It’s a lot of fun to research her name on the Internet, then see her in various videos and listen to the audio of her on a radio show.
Talk about inspiration!
Think about what it takes to rehearse for 8 hour stretches, pun intended.
She has beauty, verve and humor, not to mention grace, stamina and ability.
I wanna be her when I grow up. But to do that, first I’ll have to begin to take tap lessons (never took them, but took ballet and jazz.) Book Girl has a good start as she is taking up tap again.
What to do with her life
She wondered what she would do with her life when her son and his family moved cross country. She had been a professional dancer from the time she was 15 and even taught Bob Fosse when he was a boy. Imagine that! One of her students suggested she audition for the Follies in Palm Springs.
She won her spot when she was 71 (all them are 55 or older.)
And she has a 63 year old boyfriend. How about that!
Don’t you just love to hear of people who are still active and vital! I sure do.
And how come I didn’t know this was there when I was visiting Palm Springs! Now that I’m not visiting Palm Springs, I hear about the show! Where’s the justice in that!
But here’s the thing
When I grow up, I wanna be a little bit crazy; a little bit wild; a little bit zany, and whole lotta me. I want to be more me than the me I was and the me I am. LOL! And why not, when to get there, we only need to plan for it today.
I hope you put some fun in your life today! Amen to that!
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The dailiness of life brings many challenges. Often we think there is little we can do, or that anything we might do would likely have little effect. So we end up doing nothing. Or worse, we may fall into an attitude of mad-itude, constantly aggravated over even small events, largely complaining to everyone around us, adding another annoyance to their day. We then become the challenge!
I like this little poem for the truth it offers:
What if the little rain should say,
‘So small a drop as I
Can ne’er refresh a drooping earth,
I’ll tarry in the sky.’ Unknown author.
Each of us has a voice, and it is needed.
I was struck this morning by the power of one voice — then others joining with it.
What happens when a favorite teacher is laid off?
Rather than accepting the news defeatedly, when Christina Gutierrez (better known as Miss G. to her students) was notified in mid-September that she would be laid off due to low seniority, her students at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles rallied.
The last day she worked 500 students organized a sit-in protest. They wanted to voice their disapproval of the decision.
Prior to this 4 students and friends Noemi Rodriguez, Jimmy Biblarz, David Kamins, and Maya Festinger felt there had to be something they could do about it. They teleconferenced twice a week, investigated rules and regs, and thought about the logistics. Using word of mouth (I was surprised it wasn’t texting) they publicized their plans, and the day of the protest they handed out information for all that were protesting.
I won’t be surprised if any of them become lawyers.
They lined the halls the day of Gutierrez’ departure, careful not to block any exits or disrupt traffic flow in the building. When the principal asked them to be quiet, they started to snap. By day’s end, the students had gathered 300 letters of support.
This did not prove to be a solution, however. Rather than letting it end there, the students kept forging on.
Gutierrez took a substitute teaching job at an elementary school. Meanwhile her replacement wished to work at an elementary school. The simple solution was: why not switch the two teachers?
And I ask, since she had a replacement, why was she let go in the first place!
The students prepared to present their solution at a school district board meeting.
We want to create a legitimate student representation. We don’t want to be belligerent or bludgeoning. A lot of what we are about is proposing solutions, rather than listing grievances. Maya Festinger
The result? The board members conceded and allowed Gutierrez to return to Hamilton High.
What do I conclude?
It began with Gutierrez whose voice meant something to the students.
What does it take to have a voice that others rally to support?
I suspect she respects her students and genuinely likes them. I’m sure they feel this.
In a situation such as this, it would appear that those who are powerless (in this case the students) must accept without murmur the decision of the powerful (the school board.) But in this case, the powerless showed their acumen and ultimately that they were not powerless at all.
It’s inspiring! In the midst of seeming hopelessness, we don’t have to cave! Perhaps it is only rarely that we are ever powerless. With a little heart, we can accomplish a lot.
Where can you add your voice today? Don’t be silent! Let your voice be heard.
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Can you remember any of your favorite teachers?
I had a number of favorite teachers, starting with my kindergarten teacher. I just loved her. She must have had a lot of love too. Later I had wonderful teachers in high school and several professors in college who were terrific teachers — they filled immense lecture halls and had students standing in line in hopes of openings.
And I don’t remember any of their names. I can hardly remember what they looked like.
How about what they taught?
I don’t really remember anything that was taught specifically, but somehow a lifelong love of learning was either inspired or nurtured in me. For that, I am grateful.
And my love of reading was likely a reflection of having good teachers.
Scary times too
I had a third grade teacher who shook me once until my teeth rattled, literally. I don’t think a teacher could get away with that today. I doubt I ever told my family. It was bully tactics. I hated her before, and I hated her afterward — or at least I hated the way she acted.
A bad teacher can do immeasurable harm.
And now?
For a long time I wanted to be a teacher. My father felt it was not something I would want for a lifetime, and perhaps he was right. OTOH, to some degree I teach everyday, so that desire to share what is learned is still evident.
How about you?
Do you count your favorite teachers in making your life happier? Did you ever have a teacher who belittled?
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Lauren Luke aka panacea81 on youtube is an Internet phenomenon.
Who is she?
Somehow I came across her videos months ago. She has gone from a gawky young woman with a beautiful spirit, to a more polished young woman, traveling the world on the strength of her number of views on youtube, which is based on her ability to do makeup beautifully, usually using her own face.
She seems like a genuinely nice person whose joy and excitement are infectious. I’m glad I’ve been following her journey. Her humility shines through. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving person. She fell into her niche more than nicely!
Her background
Because she was not a conventional beauty, she was teased in school — bullied really, called ‘fat’ and ‘ugly.’ She has since had her teeth redone, and her videos explaining how that came about and the process make you root for her.
You go, Lauren!
She wants everyone to feel their own beauty and not be limited by others.
You just want to hit everyone up the side of the head who mistreated her. She has earned her place in the sun by following her dreams. Too bad they didn’t realize her talent! It’s a lesson to learn when we are in the microcosm of school. Where will those who teased her end up? And that she has not let the bullying stop her innate talent and intelligence is a tribute to the human spirit.
How did she begin?
She began by filming in her bedroom in South Shields near Newcastle, in the UK, and she has attracted a staggering 36 million [and counting...] hits on YouTube with more than 288,000 subscribers.
She has been the makeup artist featured for Barry M cosmetics, which we cannot get in the USA, unfortunately. I’d like all that glitter!
What’s her style?
She talks to you like a friend with no pretense. And her accent is adorable, though it is not educated sounding. You can speed through her videos to watch her techniques or listen to her patter.
She inspires trust.
Her eye makeup is exceptional, no matter what colors or brands she uses.
She now has a book:
You can see her talking a bit about herself and her latest projects here:
Her makeup line
She launched her makeup line not too long ago. Her videos have talked a bit about traveling to NY during the formulating of it. More about her palettes here.
Pick one of her videos here to see how beautifully she does eyes.
What do you think?
Have you heard of her? Do you follow her? Have you tried any of her colors? Which is your fave?
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Nicholas Winton, now 100 years old, was a 29 year old London stockbroker who traveled to Czechoslovakia in 1938, where he rescued hundreds of Jewish children from likely or certain death. Winton’s parents were of German Jewish descent.
Even his wife didn’t know about it until 40 years after they were married, he remarked in 1999.
Everything that happened before the war actually didn’t feel important in the light of the war itself.
Winton, alarmed at the time — and rightly — that Czechoslovakia would be invaded by the Nazis and Jewish residents sent to concentration camps, persuaded British officials to accept the children as long as foster homes were found and a 50 pound guarantee was paid for each child. He set about raising funds and organizing passage.
Eight trains carried the children to Britain in the months before the war. A few went to Sweden. Many never saw their parents again, because of the Holocaust.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the rescue, a vintage train carrying about two dozen survivors and their families pulled into London’s Liverpool Street Station this past Friday after three days journey by rail and ferry from Prague. They greeted Nicholas, frail though he was.
It’s wonderful to see you all after 70 years. Don’t leave it quite so long until we meet here again. Nicholas Winton
I never heard about him until today when the story of the kindertransports was retold in our paper.
It’s quite remarkable that someone in the heat of confusing times would be led to act decisively in a timely fashion without regard to himself to save others and give them life. It looks easy in retrospect, but I bet we don’t know the half of it or the persuading that needed to take place. And I don’t suppose that 50 pounds each was a small sum in those days, not to mention the cost of passage.
To me, he is a righteous man. The world would have been poorer without him. He’s another man I’d like to know. I was glad he lived long enough to be recognized for his part. And not to forget the part of all those who aided in giving funds, some of whom might have been their own families. May their memories be for a blessing.
Had you heard of him before?
Don’t be prepared in your life only to do no wrong; Be prepared every day to try to do some good. Sir Nicholas Winton
Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don’t steal my posts — you know who you are!
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Nearly every day I take my youngest to her elementary school. I enjoy spending this time spent with her, as I enjoyed spending it with her siblings. Some days it gives us the only real private time we have together. And we talk about anything or nothing, sometimes singing silly songs and being goofy.
One day last winter, against all odds, there was so much frost on the ground covering the golf course, that it looked like there had been a hard snow in the night. I don’t ever remember seeing it like that in all the years that we have lived here. If I hadn’t been driving my daughter, I would not have seen it, because later in the day it would have disappeared in the sunshine. I promised myself to take my camera with me this winter, so that I can snap a picture or three, if I get this opportunity again.
Fast forward to this year. The safety patrol is made up of a lot of good kids, as it is every year. They have to have good grades and good citizenship. They have to want to do it, in all kinds of weather (though not snow.) And they are pretty faithful, being on time and dependable.
These kids help the other kids out of their cars and make sure the car doors are shut. They usually say something like, “Have a nice day.” And it all becomes part of a ritual of good will without a whole lot of meaning, just a nice gesture and good manners.
This year there is a kiddo who is a little cherub. He reminds me a bit of pictures of my uncle as a young boy. He has the smile of an angel that just lights up his face, and when he says, “Have a nice day,” I feel that have I truly received a blessing. He’s someone I’d like to follow up with through the years to see him as a young man, to see what field of work he is led into.
It’s always nice to start out the day with a blessing.
And it’s good to realize we’ve received one, to be self-aware enough that we allow the blessings we receive to permeate our being, not just roll off us like water from a duck’s back.
Is it still a blessing, if we are unaware that we’ve received one? I think so. But being aware of a blessing might be the equivalent of giving us a double portion of blessing — the blessing and the recognition of it.
I don’t know about you, but I need all the blessing I can get!
And you know, I don’t think this boy has any awareness that he has given me a blessing. The difference in the words as he says them is he really means them.
There’s a lesson in there for me also. I don’t think we half know the times we have blessed someone else, unless they tell us, but perhaps intention and presence, being in the now, truly being with someone, with the words we say to them, takes the mundane and makes it divine.
Were you blessed by something or someone today? Or did you bring a blessing to someone else? I’d love to hear about it!
Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don’t steal my posts — you know who you are!
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I don’t think it is possible to keep a woman like this down.
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I’d like to meet this Captain, wouldn’t you! “Serve with passion,” — indeed!
Here’s a story to make your day happier:
When I wrote the book, Customer Love, I shared this story about Captain Denny Flanagan:
As flight cancellations and delays wreak havoc on weary travelers, and planes are fuller than ever, the Wall Street Journal has managed to find a bright spot – United Airlines Captain Denny Flanagan.
On a flight headed your way, there is a pilot who is literally a gift from the heavens. For 21 years now, Flanagan, a former navy pilot, has put the friendly in friendly skies.
With his sense of humor and personal touch, he individually welcomes aboard every passenger on his United Airlines plane.
A father of five, Flanagan has also been known to buy food for planeloads of passengers on delayed flights. He snaps photos of dogs in the cargo hold to show owners their pets are safe and calls the parents of children traveling alone.
“I want to treat them like I treat my family and it works. It’s like hospitality. You stand at the door and you greet people when they come in and you say goodbye on the porch and wave to them,” said Flanagan, who is 56 and lives in Ohio.
His unique brand of hospitality includes sending handwritten notes to frequent flyers and raffling off bottles of wine.
“How ’bout that? A bottled of chilled chardonnay from a pilot,” said a delighted Paul Schroeder, a lucky United passenger.
He has developed quite a following in the air and online. One of the many posts on FlyerTalk.com about Flanagan read: “His effort rubbed off on the crew too, they were great.”
Attitudes are truly contagious, and Captain Flanagan’s is certainly worth catching!
But here, as the late Paul Harvey always said, is…”the rest of the story.”
Not long after the book’s release, I received a call from Captain Flanagan, who said, “Mac, I loved your book about customer service and I just wanted to thank you for including my story.” we talked for about 15 minutes and when I hung up, I knew that Denny Flanagan was “real,” and very passionate about not only being a good Captain for United Airlines, but making a positive difference in the world.
The next day, I sent Denny a signed copy of the book, thanking him for making a difference and here is the letter I got back:
Dear Mac:
Thank you for my personal signed copy of Customer Love. I am honored to be included with the 24 other great stories of customer service. People try to make service complicated, but it’s really not rocket science. The recipe has two ingredients: choose your attitude each morning and anticipate your customer’s needs.
In fact, one of the things that I’ve enjoyed doing over the years is having dinner with my customers during my long layovers. It just gives me the opportunity to know their needs and determine ways we can serve them better. It also allows me to introduce my first officers to our customers, to show them how they can make a difference when they become Captains.
From a dinner with one customer I have now expanded it to having dinner with twenty customers. I frequently get asked by customers how they can book one of my flights. At first, I just let it roll off my shoulders as a silly comment, but when they kept asking, I posted one of my upcoming flights on FlyerTalk.com and 26 people booked it as a result of that post. I guess I’ll need a bigger table for this one!
Denny Flanagan is a wonderful example of customer love. In the book, I share his, and 24 other great customer service stories. My goal is to have you read them, have your team read them, and talk about them together. In fact, you may be inspired to write your own customer love stories while making your service culture all it can be.Also, if you’d like to thank Captain Flanagan for setting the example for the rest of us to follow, his email address is captdennyflanagan@gmail.com. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you!.
For more information on how to receive a free autographed copy of Customer Love or to look inside the book, just click here.
Serve with Passion,
Mac Anderson
Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths
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I had never heard of Leymah Gbowee until recently. She is a Christian from Liberia. Never let it be said that one person cannot accomplish the impossible, despite terrible odds and circumstances that most of us have never experienced.
Wisdom, beauty and peace shine out from her face in the portrait I saw that was made in New York.
One night she dreamed — in the midst of the hell her country had devolved into during civil war covering 13 years (violence, rape, murder) — that she should gather a group of women together to pray for peace. When speaking, she felt ordained by God. The Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a movement of Christian and Muslim women, came together in prayer as a result of that dream.
…sometimes the process is slow and painful…It takes the love of God to get you out of the bed every morning to face the perpetrators of injustice. It takes the love of God …it takes your faith … Lehmah Gbowee in the above youtube.
The new documentary feature Pray the Devil Back to Hell shares the story of how this interfaith group of women helped put an end to Liberia’s civil war.
Abigail E. Disney, producer, and director Gini Reticker used footage from archives, and current video and interviews to tell the story. The film premiered in Los Angeles November 14, 2008, and may be seen in some local film festivals.
The women’s rallying cry was:
Does a bullet know a Christian from a Muslim?
Early in the film, despite the obvious disapproval of men in the front row, Gbowee is shown urging her fellow Christian women in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia, to protest the war. A Muslim woman in the crowd, pledged to mobilize her community.
And from this small beginning, the interfaith group of women became their country’s conscience, convincing the warlords and the president to attend peace talks in Ghana in 2003.
You can read more about her here and read a conversation here.
Here’s a more complete account of how the documentary came to be.
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