That Song....Yeah You Know the One I'm Talking About

You know what I mean... You are walking down the street and you hear THAT song. That song can bring up memories long since forgotten. Some songs you can immediatly remember where you were or who you were with when you heard it. Some songs hold sentimental reasons, others just make us smile.

Simply by hearing them, you can be caught in memories for quite sometime.

Sometimes they make you think of your bestest buddy. I hear the song Broadway by the GooGoo Dolls and I can picture myself in my best friends car with her radio blaring this song. We were driving around Pennsylvania with the windows down and singing at the top of our lungs. I remember seeing the looks of the people we drove past as they tried to figure out what we were singing. It was great.

Some songs make you think of the people you lost. Every time I hear Owl City's Fireflies, I can remember playing in my backyard with my little cousin Andy. He was three years old and was absolutly fascinated with fireflies. That night we spent so much time searching for the little bugs. I can picture him running around with the jar in his hand, his blond curls bouncing as he called for his cousin "Leeny," to catch up. He fell asleep in my arms as we sat on the hammock while I told him a story about a man on the moon. That was the last time I saw him. He passed away two days later.

Other songs bring you into the holiday spirit. I know it is Christmas when I hear Josh Groban's Believe on the radio. The Polar Express was always one of my favorite books as a kid. I was so excited when the movie actually came out. I dragged my friends to the theater with me to go see it. My jaw legit dropped when I heard Josh Groban's voice singing this song. I had been a fan of Josh Groban for many years, I still am today. The words of that song still hold true to me today, telling me to believe and have faith.

Believe in what your heart is saying.
Hear the melody that's playing.
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate.
Believe in what you feel inside
and give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe!

Do you have a special song that you love to hear? What does it remind you of

One Word

So you are walking down the street and you happen to hear a snippet of someone else’s conversation. Maybe it is just a word. But that word get’s you thinking.

Do you have a specific memory that you think of when you hear just one little word?

Whenever I hear the word hard-working I immediately think of my dad. My dad is constantly doing things. When he is not working overseas he is here at home where he is a volunteer fireman or a first aid instructor. He just likes to keep busy. He is constantly fixing things around the house and playing with computers.

I hear the word llama, as random as it sounds, and I think of my best friend. Joking around, she wrote a play and used me for a character. My character in this play was obsessed with llamas. So it was only fitting that I made her an I HEART LLAMAS shirt and drew a huge llama on the back of it for her birthday. Needless to say her expression when she opened her gift. It was definitely one of my more humorous gifts.

When I hear the word goofball, I can immediately picture my friend Kyle. I grew up with him and he is pretty much the little brother that I never really wanted but got anyway. I’m just kidding but he is like a brother to me. He is always goofing off and trying to cause trouble with me. He also picks on me, but I can’t help but life because he normally is hilarious. For example, he was a zombie for Halloween and had a mask and wig with his costume. He threw the hair over his face and started walking into walls saying, “Hi, I’m Colleen.” I almost fell over because I was laughing so hard, he depicted me so well.

Rose, as simple as it sounds, makes me think of my favorite aunt, Aunt Bug. I know that I can always turn to my aunt for anything. When I was making my confirmation, I chose Aunt Bug. At the time she was going through the R.C.I.A. program to become Catholic herself. That year we both worked together on all out religion products and wound up both choosing “Rose” for our confirmation name. To this day, roses remain one of my favorite flowers.

These little worlds may seem insignificant in someone else’s conversation but for us they could be something totally different. One world can make us think of something so far away that we might not have thought about before.

A Special Conversation

So just a little scenario to make you think. You just found a genie in a bottle and you want to make a wish. However this is no ordinary genie, he already has a wish to grant for you. Here’s how it goes.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?

o Why would you pick this person?

o What would you talk about?

o What one question would you ask them?

For me, I would like to see my little cousin Andy again. He was taken at such a young age that I wish he could have had a chance at life. We would talk about everything we could think of. I just want to simply hear his voice again. If I could ask him one thing, it would be if he was happy where he is now.

Ignoring People. A big NO

How do you feel about people ignoring you? Most don’t like it. I can’t stand having a conversation with people and have them zone out on me. I have to say something like, “Earth is calling, you can come back now.”

But the one thing that bothers me most is not being ignored but being shot down as well. I have been going back and forth between college majors for quite some time. I have had all different ideas on what I want to do. Being as confused as I am, I always wanted to talk to my mom about what I wanted to do.

I told her that I was considering an art major or creative writing, and she told me that I would never be able to make a career out of that. She told me that I had a brain to do something better.

Help me to Understand

Why must you tear me down?
Why must you egg me on?
I try to tell you one thing,
you reply another.
It hurts so much each time.
Yet you don’t seem to care.
Do you even notice,
the effect your words have?
Why can’t you leave me be?
Why can’t you see I try?
Help me to understand.

Writing and drawing are two of the most important things in my life so it hurt to be told that I wasn’t good enough at it. But at least it had narrowed down my options for a major, there was quite a massive list. At one point I was debating between education, creative writing, meteorology, and astronomical and aeronomical engineering. Finally I settled on teaching.

To this day I am contemplating changing my major, well from an early childhood education teacher to an elementary education teacher. I love being around children. I love simply being with them and telling them stories and playing with them.

My Future

Am I scared to move on,
Or just leaving everything behind?
Am I frightened everything will be gone,
Or am I just losing my mind?
Everyone talks of all the choices to make,
They say it’s time to choose.
I fear the chances I’ll have to take,
But am I more afraid of what I’ll lose?

Even now as I write this, Sam ignores me. I pointed something out and she totally ignored me. Maybe I just wasn’t talking loud enough, but she did respond to me. But that’s okay we’re both out of it. (No harm intended Sam! It just happened to fit in with what I was writing about)

Other than me poking fun at Sam, have you ever had an experience where you were totally ignored? How did it make you feel? What did you do?

A Conversation with who I Admire Most

Tonight, I had a chance to talk with my dad before I came back up to school. Out of my whole family, he is the one I look up to the most. He is the one who pushed me to do the absolute best I can do. I want to make him proud of me.

My dad works as a ship’s captain and can be overseas for months at a time. He has been doing this since before I was born. He is normally gone between 4 -5 months usually. When he’s gone we can only talk through emails and an occasional phone call if he is in port.

I miss him so much when he’s gone and am glad to have him back home. These past few months have been difficult because now he is home and I’m not. He’ll be leaving again during winter break so I haven’t had as much time to spend with him this time around.

I really do enjoy talking to my dad, he never fails to make me laugh or smile. Although it usually is at my expense. Yesterday I talked to him about changing my major. I am thinking about moving from Early Childhood Education to Elementary Education. He told me it was my decision and that he would back me up no matter what. That meant a lot to me, just hearing those words.

Even though we may not get along 100% of the time, It’s nice to know he’ll always be there for me. My dad has a way of wording things that always seems to make me cry (good cry just to clarify). Due to his schedule, he is usually half a world away for my birthday, but I look forward to his card the most.

Last year I went on a school retreat and we received letters from our relatives. My dad had been over in the China Sea so he was the last person I expected to get a letter from. But there it was, two sheets of paper with the Department of the Navy seal on them. It took me a few days to read through the letter without crying my eyes out.

There is only way to show what I felt. I wrote this the night I was finally able to read the letter all the way through.

I knew who wrote the letter,
As soon as it fell into my hands.
A gasp slips from under my breath,
This letter has crossed so many lands.
Two sheets of paper,
Written in such a far away place,
Two sheets of paper,
Bring a new set of tears to my face.
In my hand I clutch your letter,
It shocks me to the core.
I had not expected to hear from you,
And yet I appreciate the things you say more.
Two sheets of paper,
Trying to make up for not being there.
Two sheets of paper,
Saying how much you care.
You keep a serious tone,
Yet you make jokes to make me smile.
You say such kind and warm things.
I know I will be crying for a while
Two sheets of paper,
Telling me to keep strong.
Two sheets of paper,
Laughing at what I've done wrong.
You tell me how proud you are,
Of all that I have come to be.
You say that changes are important in life.
And you will soon be coming home to the family and me.
Two sheets of paper,
Now sprinkled with tears.
Two sheets of paper,
Soothed so many fears.
- Coll Begley

Whether it is a letter, a phone call, or a simple conversation, I love talking to my dad the most. I cherish the conversations that we have.

Who do you love to talk to most?

A Day with Friends

What is it about hearing the voices of your closest friends that makes your heart smile? Yesterday I had my annual cookie baking party. This was a tradition I stated with my friends many years ago. We all get together and spend the day making cookies and just talking.

This year was different though. We had more stories to share since most of us hadn’t seen each other since over the summer. It was a great opportunity to just get together and listen to what we all had to say about our college adventures.

I enjoyed just being with my friends and hearing their voices. These girls had been my closest friends in high school and it’s sad to realize how different our lives have become since we all took separate paths. We all go to different schools, some in a different state. But still, it is opportunities like these that we need to come back and reaffirm our friendships.

So… when was the last time you talked to your best friends? What did you talk about?

The Call

Ever had someone call you up just to chat? One of those, “Hey you got a few minutes?” The conversation could range from gossip to trivial matters.

Or you could get a call with a “Uhm…. I know it’s late but I really need to talk to you.” That’s what happened last night at 11 o’clock. I had been getting ready to go to bed when my phone went off. Normally I don’t get phone calls that late. For my phone to be going off, it had to be an emergency.

It was my Best Friend on the other end. My friend Lizzie suffers from Chron’s disease and currently has to go to the hospital for Remicade treatments. She has been having to go through this for quite some time now and still is in a lot of pain.

She called me last night crying saying that she had had enough. I can honestly say that I have no idea how she manages to make it through, how she still fights. Things just haven’t been going right for her for a while now.

This was one of those times that listening wasn’t enough. Yes, by listening to her, Lizzie was able to vent her frustrations and worries but she said that it was my stupid/pathetic (sometimes inappropriate) jokes are what she needed the most. We stayed up for a good hour and a half simply talking. We told stories about Christmas trees and old friends from high school.

By the time the conversation was over, Lizzie’s whole tone had changed. When she called I could tell she had been crying. I had been crying as well due to her heart wrenching tears. But by the time we hung up I had her laughing and it seemed like she was returning to her normal self.

Conversations like this may be rare but their effects are really important. I heard this song on the radio today as I drove home, thinking about last night’s phone call.

The song is called The Call by Matt Kennon. Here is the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3zs7EV6Tk

Here are the lyrics:
Today was gonna be the day
He'd already wrote the note
And parked that Chevrolet
At the end of that dead end road
Had his finger on the trigger; just about to end
everything
He was taking one last long breath; when he heard his
cell phone ring

And his best friend said man, where ya been?
We're heading down to the lake this weekend
You better not miss it, cause, buddy I swear
It won't be the same if you ain't there
And I told that girl that you like so much
You were coming along and her eyes lit up
I better let you go. Man, i really hope, i didn't catch
you in the middle of anything
He said you kinda did but I don't mind at all
I'm glad you called

In another town down the road
In the backseat of a car
Two 18 year olds had let a kiss go too far
He said how we gonna have this child?
We're both headed off to school
He convinced her late one night there's only one thing
to do
She was scared to death in that waiting room
When the nurse asked how far along are you?
She said 5 weeks and just about then her phone lit up
And his call came in
Saying, baby, I was wrong about everything
I already bought you a diamond ring we're gonna start a
life
Would you be my wife?
Boy or girl; pink or blue; yeah, either way
All she could say as she felt those tear drops fall was
I'm so glad you called

If someone you know is weighing on your mind
And needs a friend on the other end of the line
Don't hesitate what you say may seem so small
But who knows
They might be glad you called

So, make the call

Yeah, make that call!

Like the song says, if someone is weighing on your mind and you need to talk. Just make the call!!!! Who’s on your mind right now?

Listen or Speak?

Listening or Speaking? Hearing or sharing your tale? It's up to you to decided which you prefer, I discovered my preference the hard way.

As friends, we count on each other to be there. The ones that we are closest to are the ones we open our hearts to. Topic of discussion may vary but the simple act of listening and talking is enough to make anyone’s day.

We tell people everything in order to get it off our chest. We listen to their heart’s tale and share our own. The stories and ideas shared are sacred between people. They are thoughtful and pure feelings. We owe it to each other to keep their tales a secret and honor their friendship and trust.

I could never stand lying to a friend. I honor them too much. As I mentioned in my Friendship essay, I have been betrayed by someone I thought was a friend. I told her everything and even blabbed on and on about my stories and poems. In return, she threw it right back in my face. She also told me that our whole friendship had been a lie. She said I could not see through her facade. I decided long before this event that I would honor everyone I met as a friend until they gave me a reason not to. But I put my complete and total trust in those friends.

I don’t want to repeat the things she said. I will simply state that I may be more guarded now. I don’t open up my heart as easily. I wait and trust people before I tell them all the minute details about my life.

That’s why I prefer to listen to others. I enjoy simply being there for people. I may not express my feeling through words but others can hear how I feel in my poetry. That is how I express myself, that is where my emotions have free reign.

Lies versus Love

One can hurt the heart,
The other pulls it back together.
One can make you happy only from start,
The other lasts forever.

One can hurt the ones you care about,
The other can find loved ones anew.
One causes you to fear and doubt,
The other gives you faith to make it through.

One makes you arrogant,
The other makes you humble.
One makes you believe you are brilliant,
The other allows you to stand when you stumble.

One can break trust,
The other gains you new friends.
One disappears into dust,
The other never ends.

- Coll Begley

Do you prefer to talk or listen?