Check out the projects at Kickstarter.com. This is a great site where you can go to pledge money for projects you find interesting and worthwhile. If the project doesn’t meet or exceed the fundraising goal, it’s a no-go and nobody who has pledged $ pays a cent. If the goal is met, you become a part of something really cool.

I like this model because it allows you to give what you can and still contribute to worthwhile independent projects (THEREBY CHANGING THE WORLD).

Keep it up, Kickstarter!

1. Bosquejo del año 2010

2. Partituras individuales de CN

3. Yo sé que me ama el Salvador (partitura-dos páginas)

**Yo sé que me ama el Salvador (letra y música)**

Yo sé que me ama el Salvador (música)

4. Venid a mí (partitura)

Venid a mí (Letra y música con coro)

Venid a mí (Letra y música con solista)

Venid a mí (música)

¡Que tengan un muy buen año!

I struggle with letting things go unfinished, unpolished, but I’m realizing how important it is to honor that need for Type 4 “perfecting” in some things while really letting it slide in others.

Good enough is my new mantra and I’m even asking people to tell it to my face. Hey you! Tell me that what I have done here is “good enough.” Hey you! Tell me that *I* am good enough. Might sound silly to those of you who don’t have this issue, but for my fellow Type 4s out there – you know who you are (you edit the cereal box) – let’s celebrate this week by declaring:

We’re not perfect. But we are more than good enough.

Para aquellos miembros de la iglesia que están buscando himnos arreglados en español, hay un recurso fantástico en el sitio de Ashley Hall. Hasta ahora tiene los siguientes himnos para coro:

Acompáñame
Asombromeda
Cristo ha resucitado [Pascua]
Cuando hay amor
Dulce Tu obra es, Señor
El Espíritu de Dios
En la Judea, en tierra de Dios [Navidad]
Himno de la Pascua de Resurrección
Jesús en pesebre [Navidad]
Noche de luz [Navidad]
Oh, creaciones del Señor
Oración de gratitud
Por la belleza terrenal
Qué firmes cimientos

También hay otras canciones para solistas y dos voces. Gracias, Ashley!!

Dressing Your Truth™

Over the past summer, I have been reading and studying a new system of self care that I like better each and every day that I use it. It’s called Dressing Your Truth™ and I think it has something to offer every woman.

I’ve always taken a very practical and low-key approach to my clothing and makeup, mostly because it was so hard to find things that I felt really great in. “Whatever,” I’d say to myself, “it’s just my clothes. People will have to look beyond my outer experience to get the real me.”

But with this system of Dressing Your Truth™, I’ve learned a profound truth: people see the real me much, much better when I am presenting them with a consistent message about who that is. That’s what DYT is all about. It’s about aligning your outer appearance with your inner experience. And it feels so good.

The results after just a few months of moving myself in this direction have been remarkable. I don’t have to explain myself to people. I can relax and feel understood. People respect me. I am much more comfortable in my clothes. I know EXACTLY what type of apparel to attract into my life. No more guesswork when I’m shopping. And most exciting and unusual of all, I’m actually enjoying putting myself together in the morning! Instead of viewing dressing as a kind of barrier between me and my goals for the day, Dressing Your Truth™ feels more like I am honoring all that is most beautiful and good about me. I’m setting the stage so that I can be truly available for the people in my life.

I would highly recommend this to any woman. Think of both Energy Profiling and Dressing Your Truth™ as a special gift to yourself. Show that gentle kindness toward your body, mind, and spirit that you deserve by dressing it in the textures, colors, design lines, fabrication, and patterns that honor the real you.

Check it out! Visit Dressing Your Truth™ to discover what your dominant energy is and then watch the three hour training module for that type. You will be thrilled with the results!

You can read more about Energy Profiling in Carol Tuttle’s book, It’s Just My Nature!

I’ve decided to start a new series of posts with recordings of some of the Argentine art songs I’ve been studying. Hopefully, some of these songs will pique the interest of musicians and listeners not familiar with the repertoire.

La silenciosa (The Silent One)
Poet: Tomás Allende Iragorri (1881-1954)
Composer: Andrés Gaos (1874-1959)

Mis transidas esperanzas
llorosas y sin consuelo
preguntan por la su madre
por la su madre que ha muerto.
Cuando lloran por el día
las campanas del silencio.

Enlutaré mis alcobas
hasta hoy tan florecidas
y agostaré mis jardines
y sus fuentes de agua viva
que la rosa más preciada
murió agostando mi vida.

Despedido ha todo encanto
y el monje del desconsuelo
dice a mi oído palabras
mas amargas que el pan negro.
La silenciosa no llega
y a la silenciosa espero.

–

My longing tears overwhelm me
spilling without a hope of consolation,
Yearning for my mother,
For my mother who is dead.
The evening bells cry out,
the bells of death’s silence.

I will drape my alcoves in black,
that once were in full bloom,
and I will starve my garden plants,
and I will choke the wells of living water.
My most precious rose
has died, extinguishing my life.

Life’s charm has disappeared
and the monk of sorrows
whispers words in my ears
more bitter than black bread.
The silent one does not come,
yet I wait for the silent one.

[English translation by Allison L. Weiss]

Soprano: Allison L. Weiss
Piano: Silas Bassa

–

For more information regarding the Latin American art song, please visit LAASA.org and the LAASA social network.

Once I get started, I can’t stop writing a song until it’s at a stopping place. So that is why it is 3 freakin’ AM on Monday morning. Anyways, here is my version of “Dona Dona”, quite different from the traditional folk version we know from Joan Baez. Please forgive the less-than-professional vocals and mic situation! (I’m doing this on my laptop with Garage Band ‘09.)

On a wagon bound for market
There’s a calf with a mournful eye.
High above him there’s a swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky.

How the winds are laughing, laughing
They’re laughing with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And laughing half the summer’s night.

Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don
Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don

“Stop complaining,” said the farmer,
“Who told you a calf to be?
Why don’t you have wings to fly away
Like the swallow so proud and free?”

How the winds are laughing, laughing
They’re laughing with all of their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And laughing half the summer’s night.

Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don
Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don

Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why.
But whoever treasures freedom,
Like the swallow must learn to fly.

How the winds are laughing, laughing
How they laugh with all of their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And laughing half the summer’s night.

Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don
Dona dona dona dona
Dona dona dona don

I need a real banjo instead of a Garage Band loop, but I think the sketch has potential… What do you think?

Ol’ Father Joe is hoping for that apple pie
That Mama Sal will bake he makes that apple eye
And Jane is headed down to bring another boy home
And James is goin’ to play outside with friends.

I know there is another story
All together, summer glory
Evening light, a bowl of cherries
All together, the porch is swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair
Swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair

Old Uncle Bob is bringing grandma home right now
And Auntie Liza swears she’ll shoot down all my cows
That Cousin Shane he’s made the army, going soon
And James is goin’ to play outside with friends.

I know there is another story
All together, summer glory
Evening light, a bowl of cherries
All together, the porch is swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair
Swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair

These pictures, they are memories that I never had
But still I’d like to tell you of the tiny shack
Where birds and hearts are whistling a brand new tune
And James is goin’ to play outside with friends.

I know that there’s another story
All together, summer glory
Evening light, a bowl of cherries
All together, the porch is swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair
Swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair

Swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair

Swinging a chair
And the wind’s in my hair

A Guide to the Latin American Art Song Repertoire

After more than eight years of collecting this stuff and one intense winter working with my family (‘06-’07) to input all 1243 individual songs (by 82 different composers), their ranges, tessiture, collections, publishers, dedicatees, etc., etc., ETC. into Excel, this information will finally be made available to adventurous singers and researchers the world over!!!

I know. It’s exciting. Just stay in your seat until the show’s over and you’ll get your very own autographed copy.

Dr. Maya Hoover has been great to work with on this project. I think all of us contributors are relieved, however, that we are on the home stretch. I sent my final edits in yesterday and if all goes well (knocking on every piece of wood within sight), this lovely reference will be available in December. Tell your local librarian to order this book!!

I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it available on the LAASA.ORG website.

Read more about the publication here. And check out the Table of Contents.

My sister’s birthday is today. Mom’s is on Tuesday. These are both amazing women who support me in a major way. Strength, laughter, and support are just a phone call or IM away and I’m so glad. I’d be living in the streets if it weren’t for family. My brother and I wrote songs dedicated to them over the holidays.

Yes, I’m a sappy sister. Yes, yes, yes. Kisses to California and Utah.

There are so many ways to say I love you.
so many ways to say I care.
With lunches, and bunches of roses on tables,
adventures in learning, the moments we shared.

Mornings unending, garage needs a cleaning,
the weeds need a picking, and my room does too.
A smile as sweet as chocolate in blenders
The wonders of blenders and motherly brews.

I love you. I love you. I do.

Floating like falling
Never if the water holds you up
Falling like floating
Didn’t think I’d have to drink this cup

Still the wind blows
Still the wind blows further
Still the wind blows.

Daughters never falter
Never when the water holds them up
Floating like flying
Winds that only carry me up

Never if the water holds you up
Falling like floating
Didn’t think I’d have to drink this cup
Still the wind blows
Still the wind blows

It’s good to ponder on all of the blessings that have come my way during the past 12 months. Last night, I purchased tomato soup and zucchini for my now annual tradition. And as I eat, I’ll be thinking this:

Thank goodness that I’ve been safe commuting back and forth to work on my bike each day. I’m so glad that I’m warm and protected from the cold. I had a great year at work. We accomplished a lot. I love the students and teachers I am privileged to work with at Lab. They are amazingly talented, generous, and good people that make my job easy and fun. I am glad to finally have a home “boffice” (bedroom+office) where I can access all my paper and things so easily. I am so grateful that my family has successfully made the transition to Logan, UT and that my three youngest brothers especially have been so courageous about the whole thing. I’m grateful for friends that support me, if even from a distance. I feel like I have sister- and brother-hearts all over the world, seen and unseen, that, in some small way, beat for me and send me good feeling. I’m grateful for heavenly guidance and protection and inspiration to help me on my way. I’m grateful for people here in Chicago that have looked out for me in small and meaningful ways. I’m grateful for children, their pure spirits and intent, which put me right back in my place when I need it. I’m grateful for Facebook =) for reminding me this year that we are all connected and directed to each other’s lives for a reason. I’m grateful for and humbled by the freedoms that I enjoy in this country to pursue my dreams, to set goals, to make something out of myself, maybe in a bumbling-not-so-elegant-sort-of-way, but still, I get to try.

2008 has been a good year. And 2009 is going to be so much better! Wishing all of my friends, contacts, and all of those faces that I encounter in my daily path a wonderful new year.

“I teach the process of creation in a simple five-step process. Understanding this process, and practicing it to gain mastery, allows us to become master creators.

The first step is to know what you want. To have a desire.

Step two is to ask for what you want. Ask God. Ask the angels. Ask the Universe. You are asking a power greater than yourself to assist you in creating it.

Step three is to believe you can have it, to have faith, free of any doubt, that what you desire and have asked for is going to be manifest to you. [This involves consulting with your higher power to find out if the timing for this blessing is right and good in your life. Getting a confirmation to the timing question will help free you of doubt. -aw]

Step four is to let go and allow. To basically get out of your own way and allow spirit to be in charge of bringing your desire to you. The only job you have at this point is to follow through with any inspiration regarding your physical actions on behalf of your manifestation.

The fifth and last step is to express gratitude. Gratitude actually starts the cycle all over. It is the completion and the beginning of the creation process. Gratitude energy initiates more things manifesting in your life for which you feel gratitude. The creation process is one eternal round.”

-Carol Tuttle, Remembering Wholeness

The folks at managarm sent out this great little round by Louis Hardin (moondog), written in 1979. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Audio: Tonight Santa Is Coming!

Tonight Santa is coming!

Tonight Santa is coming!

With a sleigh and eight reindeer!

To bed sleepy head!

So I’ve launched this project (yes, another project!) and who knows where it will go, but the idea is this: we learn best in groups. And by groups I mean two or more people who voluntarily share a question, need, problem, or challenge that is PERSONAL (as opposed to solely professional or educational or academic). I mean two or more people who enjoy each other’s company and have FUN together, who cultivate a spirit of PLAY as they gain new skills and knowledge. I mean two or more people who share a deep RESPECT for a diversity of opinions, are open to new ideas, and can admit to being at least partially wrong because the shared inquiry is more important than individual ego. And finally, I mean groups that have effective means and routines for SHARING what they are learning. These means and routines (the processes) are easily and quickly revised as needed.

Anybody who has ever been part of a learning team or group such as I have described will know how fulfilling this is. Why? For starters, I think it’s because we strike an important balance. We simultaneously respect individual agency (choice) while leveraging the potential of diverse perspectives and experiences. Individuals do not feel impinged upon; they are allowed to freely associate with others who create meaning from the similar questions, needs, and problems. They can also disassociate at will. Even the means or the process they use to share is flexible and can be adjusted at any time.

Now contrast this with what goes on in schools and businesses around the globe.

1) Where is choice? Do I get to chose what I study? Do I get to find topics that are personal and important to me? Do I get to choose who to study those topics with? Can the group freely adjust their means and routines for sharing information?

2) Where’s the fun? Observe any healthy group and you’ll see a lot of playing. If play is the work of the child, than maybe it’s play that nurtures within us a childlike engagement with the world. So many great ideas come from play!

3) Where’s the respect for difference? Just because a group of learners finds a topic interesting does not mean that they will *ever* reach consensus in their views. How good are learners at acknowledging difference while rigorously testing ideas and concepts. Where does that happen?

4) Where’s the sharing? Sharing loses it’s effectiveness when its form or content are mandated or assessed; sharing should be voluntary for it to be really effective. It needs to come out of each learner’s desire to improve and share or process what they are learning in an open, free way, confident that their ideas and reflections won’t be immediately “graded”.

Find me this kind of group and I will move my little fanny to be around you. I will put my kid in your school. Find me this kind of group and pay me to be there and I will likely never leave. Find me this kind of group and I will learn so much material and solve so many problems it will astound the world. If there are organizations, educational or otherwise, that are aiming for this type of learning experience, I want to know about them. And I want to learn how they encourage this kind of group work, in spite of the many pressures that exist in every large organization to do things as they’ve always done. Inertia: only smaller sized groups will pull us out of that rut.

From this view of the playground, these are groups that really learn.

===

Okay, I’m already hearing the shouts. “But will groups like this ever get anything DONE?” you’re asking. This sounds all fine and dandy, but we need productivity, we need measurable results, we need viability! My short answer to that is this: put a group that learns in front of a problem where there is a significant monetary motive to solve it, and you will get better results than if you put a loosely formed group of dead learners with twice that money as incentive. We’re talking demonstrable ROI. No, I don’t have studies to prove this but I wouldn’t be surprised if they existed somewhere. Problem solvers always win. We just don’t have the foresight to encourage and support problem solving on a regular basis, and the group dynamics like I’ve just described. And so we never get there. We never taste the wine *inside* formal organizational structures. We save all the good stuff, individually and collectively, for after work, after school. Why not bring it into our daily living/learning/working earlier in life?

[NOTA: Canciones del año 2010 están aquí]

Hay varias canciones para la primaria de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días que no tienen ejemplos grabados en Español, muchas de las cuales fueron publicados en La Liahona. Es por eso que he cantado algunas de ellas junto al acompañimiento que nos ha dado el sitio web lds.org. No es profesional pero sirve como un comienzo. Como advierten las canciones editadas, se pueden hacer copias de estas grabaciones para usarlas en la Iglesia o en el hogar, siempre que no sea con fines de lucro. Haga “Right-Click” o “Ctrl-Click” en el título de la canción para bajar a su computadora.

BOSQUEJO COMPLETO de 2009

La familia es de Dios (PDF)

(con letra)

(sin letra)

Mi familia eterna (PDF)

(con letra)

(sin letra)

Si niño yo fuera (PDF)

(con letra)

(sin letra)

TEXTOS

Esta canción es extra. No sale en el bosquejo pero sí tiene que ver con la familia, y es linda..

La Familia (PDF)

(con letra)

(sin letra)

También, les invito a todas las personas que tienen algo para contribuir a la primaria de los SUD de formarse parte de esta comunidad en línea dónde pueden compartir ideas y ayudas con otras primarias del mundo de habla español.

Calling all instances
this question of why you are pasted
here next to my bathroom mirror
I know
I know it will never work

But why why do the toasted crumbs
stick to my thumb
we had loads of fun
don’t know
don’t know
don’t know
don’t.

Back at the table I stare where it’s written
you were coming back
in forty-five
I know
I know it will never work

But where where am I stuffing
this part of my heart that belonged to you,
what will the turkey do?
don’t know
don’t know
don’t know
don’t know

can you please
explain this show to me
as I pretend to drink
this nice cup of tea

There are many ways to do things. Here is one way to sync your status life, if you believe in Twitter, Facebook, iChat, Adium, and Skype.

1) Send last Tweet to Facebook status. Download Facebook app here.

2) Send last Tweet to Adium. Use this trick.

3) Send last Tweet to iChat. Download this little app.

4) Send last Tweet to Skype. Download Twitterrrific and under Settings, System Tab, select Skype radio button.

The upshot of all this is this: if I update in iChat it will use method 3) to sync with Tweet. And the Tweets will go out to Facebook, Adium, and Skype automagically using methods 1), 2), and 4). I hope my buddies don’t get sick of all of my messages flying everywhere!

They don’t call me a Power User for nothing.

Every time I go to the University of Chicago Graham School for another Translation Studies course, I am reminded how much I enjoy Julius Meinl fruit teas. Made in Vienna, there’s just something about these blends that I adore. Maybe they use real fruit, or something. There are only four flavors (see page in English), but I liked them well enough to visit one of their North American stores here in Chicago. Yes, I’m that crazy about these fruit teas. The Apple Cassis and Wild Strawberry are so right on. And they’re good cold, too. I hope they get more widely distributed, so I can purchase them at 7-Eleven in the middle of nowhere, at midnight.

For those of you who are as easily impressed and bored with music as I am, check out this streaming radio station for something old, new, and different. To stream in iTunes, expand the “International” heading and double click on Radio Déliro. You’ll find everything from the Doodletown Fifers to Jazz and Blues to French pop to Bach. Tout autentique!

I was at the health food store a few Saturday’s ago and stumbled on a yellow book by Stanley Burroughs that I think I had seen before somewhere, I’m not sure, but I picked it up and started reading about this liquid fast where you drink a kind of lemonade all the time to help your body detoxify. Since then I’ve found tons of sites and YouTube videos on the so-called “Lemonade Diet”.

It’s really simple. And I like simple things, so I decided to try it. I’m on Day 6 and feeling good. It’s been a gentle detox and I’m rarely hungry. The drink really does satisfy your body’s basic nutritional needs, though you might not guess it from the recipe.

Here’s what I’m doing. I bought 3 glass bottles 30 oz. each (artisan yogurt) with good lids. If I had to start it over again, I’d buy four and use one for the salt water cleanse (below). To make one 30 oz bottle of lemonade:

Fill the rest of the bottle with good pure (filtered) water

Shake, chill, and serve!

So for my daily regimen, I’m making 3 bottles every night and putting them in the fridge to chill. I usually take two to work with me and drink the third when I get home. You can drink peppermint tea to break the monotony. I’ve added a little Maple Syrup to the tea as a sweetener sometimes.

And then last, but not least: the sea salt cleansing drink. You need to do this at least once a day, preferably in the morning, but a lot of people like to do it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I’ve started using my empty Maple Syrup jar for this drink because it is exactly 32 ounces or 1 quart. I warm up the pure water on my stove while I put two flat teaspoons of unrefined sea salt into the bottle. Pour the warmed-up water into the bottle and then let sit until the salt is totally dissolved. This stuff is not fun to drink (I have to take small sips to get the whole thing down) but it is a really important part of the program because it forces the body to flush toxins out from the digestive system that it wouldn’t otherwise (since there’s no food in you to stimulate regular bowel movements).

Some people do the Herbal laxative tea instead of the sea salt cleanse, but others complain that the sea salt cleanse works quicker and more efficiently. You do it 90 minutes before you go to work and you’re done. You don’t have to be running to the bathroom all day long!

So that’s it. Pretty darn simple. The first three days, I had a little detox headache, but I found myself sleeping really well. Now, I’m doing great. Energy is up and I can feel that my body is in deep-cleaning mode. I’ll let you know after the 10th day how I feel.

p.s. Consult your doctor and your inner wisdom before doing a cleanse like this.

]]> http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/09/16/the-master-cleanse/feed/ 1 allisonweiss http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/30/anybody-need-a-nightclub-singer/ http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/30/anybody-need-a-nightclub-singer/#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:34:01 +0000 allisonweiss http://allisonweiss.wordpress.com/?p=117 ]]>

I’m trying to figure out what my jazz style might sound like.

[lyrics]

]]> http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/30/anybody-need-a-nightclub-singer/feed/ 2 allisonweiss http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/17/why-arent-you-married/ http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/17/why-arent-you-married/#comments Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:28:29 +0000 allisonweiss http://allisonweiss.wordpress.com/?p=106 ]]>

Not a week goes by without somebody asking me about my love life. “Why aren’t you dating? Why aren’t you married? No news in the love department?” And when I’m not asked outright, it’s a subtext to other conversations too loud for me ignore. I wonder sometimes at the frequency of these questions. Maybe it’s so important for us people to “belong” to other people, that if you aren’t formally attached to somebody, it’s somehow harder for others to categorize you in their head. Maybe it’s just like that, and that’s okay.

There are times, however, when I wish I could answer these subtexts with some of my own.  But subtexts can be misleading, so I’m going to go with the real thing here on my blog.

First off, I don’t have any really good answers as to the why and when of romantic relationships. Timing. Timing in life is something I have little control over. When I have least expected it, beautiful people, including many strapping young men, have come into my life and then we have parted, for one reason or another. You just take what comes gratefully, learn what you can, and try to make the things you *do* have some control over a little better every day.

I’m remembering something my Dad said recently. I’m not exactly sure the source of this distinction, but basically he said, “there’s the love thing and the trust thing and they’re two separate things.” We’ve all got the love thing going for us. We’re all love-worthy, no matter what we do, say, think, or become. There isn’t a soul in our midst who doesn’t deserve our deepest love and appreciation and kindness, including our own imperfect selves. But not everyone is trust-worthy. We are not always trust-worthy. Trust is a different thing, which develops over time. There are no short-cuts to trust and it isn’t a given, even (or especially?) in familial relationships.

I like that distinction, because I can say that I have fallen in love before, but I don’t think I have fallen in trust before, or better said, developed the kind of trust sufficient for our relationship to continue blossoming. Again, timing and life seasons have a lot to do with this relationship thing, but it brings me back to these questions:

What makes us trust another person? What makes us trust ourselves? What can we do to build trust in ourselves and in others?

A few thoughts.

1. CONSISTENCY. Trust thrives when two people know that there are at least some parts of the other’s belief system and behaviors that are somewhat predictable and have a small chance of changing any time soon. The chance is always there—there’s always risk involved—but the probability of change in key areas is low enough that you are willing to move forward and take the chance.

2. FORGIVENESS. It is so easy to trust people who are quick to forgive and work problems out. You get the sense that you could do no permanent harm and so you are freed up to try out being your best self. This can really boost the trust and confidence you have in yourself. And being this way with others will boost their self-confidence as well.

3. HONESTY. This goes along with consistency. There’s nothing like knowing that the person you are dealing with is the real thing and not a temporary fabrication. Being honest with ourselves is a lifelong challenge, but it is the key to being honest with others.

4. SERVICE, COURTESY, & KINDNESS. It’s amazing how far little things can go toward building trust between two people. The real challenge and adventure is figuring out what those little things are! Here’s a news flash, in case you hadn’t heard: the small acts that build trust are different for everyone. So the journey never ends when it comes to developing trust with your actions.

5. WORDS. How we say and express things, what we say—again, such a delicate and individual thing—can do a lot to build or diminish trust with another person. This is perhaps the most difficult of them all, because one misstep and you may have inadvertently violated someone’s trust. Difficult, yes, but it is possible to build trust with our words. Good, honest, forgiving communication can smooth over a lot of bumps in the road.

So there you have it: my big five for developing trust. The thing about being single is that even though you don’t have a significant other, you still have opportunities to practice this everywhere you go and with a great variety of people. Until that right time and person comes along, I’ve still got plenty of opportunities on a daily basis to practice developing trust.

Here’s an affirmation to ponder: With every interaction, I experience trust in myself, trust in others, and others trusting me.

]]> http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/17/why-arent-you-married/feed/ 2 allisonweiss http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/06/who-i-want-to-be/ http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/06/who-i-want-to-be/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:53:05 +0000 allisonweiss http://allisonweiss.wordpress.com/?p=99 ]]>

My sister sent me this poem today and I altered it slightly to set to music. She and her husband have been going through a lot of challenges and new experiences lately. So have many other members of my immediate and extended family. It’s one of those times… So this song is dedicated to all of them. It’s a folksy melody (think ‘How Can I Keep From Singing’ and ‘Come Thou Fount’) that I’ll eventually arrange for guitar and strings, but for now I’ll post a rough…

I trust in God to deliver me,
If I am still, then I will see.
His hands the ones that take my life,
As I am willing, there is no strife.

He makes of all my day to day,
a cleansing wind to brush away
the dross and burdens that I bear
Every moment says He’s there

Challenges,
have become,
what I need,
to become
who He is
and who
I want to be.

Thank you, Lord, for delivering me.

]]> http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/08/06/who-i-want-to-be/feed/ 2 allisonweiss http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/07/18/happenstance-service/ http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/07/18/happenstance-service/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:20:12 +0000 allisonweiss http://allisonweiss.wordpress.com/?p=89 ]]>

I was asked last night to give a short 10-minute talk at church on Sunday. Brother Stevens said I could pick from any of the General Conference talks from last April. There are so many, it’s hard to choose. But I think I’d like to talk about service. As always, these opportunities to share coincide with stuff that is happening in my own life.

Why do we serve one another? Why do we wash each other’s feet, instead of our own? What does God want us to learn from these experiences? And what do we become as we serve and are served, bless and are blessed by others?

I have a few ideas, although just like life’s difficulties, trials, sadnesses, I think that the true meaning of our service to one another will not be fully comprehended until the next life.

Let me share with you three moments of service from my last week here in Hyde Park.

1.
Last Thursday, I was walking up Woodlawn and about half a block ahead noticed two women and a young girl sitting at a lemonade stand. A whole congregation seemed to be spilling out from the First Unitarian church on the corner. And an off-duty ambulance sat parked on one side of the street. As I walked closer to the lemonade stand, I heard the gentleman driving the ambulance make a public announcement to all of the passers-by, something like “Attention. Attention ladies and gentlemen. Exceptional lemonade being sold by a nice young lady here this afternoon. Come and get it. Pick up a glass of fresh lemonade right here.” The little girl entrepreneur squealed with delight and the two women laughed. Another woman coming toward me smiled and asked, “was that an announcement for the lemonade?” and I smiled back, “yes.”

2.
Friday morning, I was trying to ride my bike in need of a tune-up to an eye appointment. I would have walked, but I was running late, so I decided to chance it on my bike and then drop it off at the bike shop to have it fixed on the way back. Not four blocks out, my chain got stuck between the smallest gear and the bike frame. This had happened to me before, and I tried to yank it out with a plastic glow stick I found on the ground. That had worked the first time, but not now. It was really jammed in there good. One of the homeless men sitting on the cement wall in Nichols Park on 53rd stood up and said, “I know everything there is to know about bikes. Let me see that.” And he proceeded to flip the bike over, pull out his Swiss Army pocket knife, and pick up a stick from the ground. I watched as he and his buddy got that chain unstuck, one link at a time. Charles was his name. If you ever see Charles out there in Nichols Park, you should tell him that he’s famous for helping a young maiden in despair with her black Huffy bike.

3.
One final experience. Friday afternoon, I had to go to the Social Security office on 63rd and Cottage Grove to request a replacement Social Security card. I sat in the waiting room and watched as the Security Guard kept the peace. He talked like a father to one of the young men going in and out of the front doors, giving him advice, for what reason, I do not know. He helped an elderly lady get her number, who couldn’t see the computer screen. And he kindly called out to a group of boys standing in the back corner, “Please take a seat and wait your turn. Work with me people. Tomorrow I won’t be here, but today, you’ll just have to work with me.” His kind disposition kept the otherwise sterile environment warm and humane. Hanging above his head was a curious sign that read “Thank you for choosing us to serve you.”

I thought about that sign. What an odd statement, really. I didn’t really choose that Social Security office out of all the offices to serve me. It was just the office closest to me. I sort of doubt that anybody else in that office had set their sights on that particular office and gone the distance just so they could say, “Oh yeah, the Social Security office on 63rd and Cottage Grove? Yeah, I’ve been there done that.”

Do we really choose who serves us? Sometimes, I wonder about our pre-mortal experience, now forgotten, and I ask myself. Did I choose this person to serve me so that I could make this leg of my life’s journey, so that I could learn this lesson? Did I choose this person to make poor decisions that affected me negatively in one way or the other so that I could learn to forgive in this particular way? Did I really choose this experience? Whether or not this is literally true, I have discovered that if I do accept all of life’s experiences as if I had chosen them, I find a lot of lessons to be learned.

Elder Carlos H. Amado said, “Kindness, love, patience, understanding, and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and love will grow. Those who serve will always seek to please God and live in harmony with Him. They will be full of peace; they will have a cheerful countenance and a spirit of kindness. Those who serve will strive to ennoble, build, and lift their fellowmen; therefore, they will find the good in others, and they will not find reason or have time to become offended. They develop the virtue of praying for those who criticize. They don’t expect recognition or reward. They possess the love of Christ. Those who serve will always be willing to share what they possess and what they know at all times, in all places, and with all people. Those who serve even in adversity will maintain a living hope of a better future. They will continue to be firm in the midst of a crisis because their hope is in Christ.”

I love the blessings that come from service. Just as Elder Amado says, our reward for selfless service and a generous, forgiving heart is peace, hope, and the love of Christ in our hearts. These powerful qualities transform us into Sons and Daughters of God and prepare us to live and love as He does.

Why is service so important? Because it cleanses and transforms us for the better, and that’s why we are here on earth (i.e. John 13:2-17).

I am so grateful to the many good examples in my life of people who have and continue to give of their time, possessions, talents, and hearts to me so that I can make this leg of my journey. Truly, each person who has done that for me is a living testimony that God lives. I am likewise grateful for the ways that I can contribute, opportunities to serve that are perfectly catered to my strengths. These are deep and rich blessings. The opportunity to serve and receive service at the hands of others is the essence of life.

I testify that God our Father lives and loves us. I testify that Jesus, his son, was the perfect example of service and that we will be profoundly happy as we strive to follow in his footsteps. May we all be blessed this coming week with opportunities to serve and to be served.

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Sweet baby blue how your mommy loved you
Closed your sweet eyes as we kissed you goodbye
Sweet baby blue that the heavens still knew
Sweet baby blue, in a moment and you
were gone, a short song

Sweet baby blue with the skies opened wide
Angels have welcomed you back to their side
Sweet baby blue, the world will miss you
Sweet baby blue
I’m your mom, I’m your mom

Tender days, to have you near
Still the Promise is ringing clear
I will watch over you,
Sweet baby blue

Sweet baby blue how your mommy loves you
I’ll find your sweet eyes and our heartstrings will bind us
Sweet baby blue that the heavens still knew
Sweet baby blue, just one moment with you
Carry on, carry on, carry on, carry on…

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GarageBand lets you adjust your pitch, so I decided to sing all four parts in some spirituals I found on the organ bench at church. The timing is off, because I didn’t have a good pair of headphones and I could barely hear the other parts. Sort of like feeling your way through the dark or singing around a campfire for the first time, but anyway, here they are:

Deep River

Trees

Will cite the composers soon..I just don’t have it on me right this sec.

]]> http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/07/13/im-a-bass/feed/ 0 allisonweiss http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/07/12/yay-for-louise-hay/ http://blog.allisonweiss.com/2008/07/12/yay-for-louise-hay/#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:02:45 +0000 allisonweiss http://allisonweiss.wordpress.com/?p=83 ]]>

I love this woman. She brings a lot of light and grace to the world. I’ve been using her affirmations for the past year on and off. I just went to her site and watched her online movie about the journey of changing your thoughts, practicing gratitude, forgiving, and reaching total love and acceptance for yourself. Inspiring and motivating. I would encourage all my friends to set aside some time, focus in on what you are creating with your life, and watch this movie.

Get Carol Tuttle’s book, Remembering Wholeness, while you’re at it!

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Earlier this week, I started wearing ear plugs to bed and I have slept SO much better. It’s amazing the difference. I recommend to all city dwellers and/or companions of snorers. There’s just too much ambient sound where I live, including a constantly clanging gate, and it is simply blissful to sleep without a sound to disturb my nightly subconscious goings-on. I’m going to get a sleeping mask as well. I remember wondering why my cousin always wore those goofy things to bed, but I bet it’ll do marvelous things for my clarity of thought, not having to wake up when the sun does ‘n all.

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