I dedicate my song today to my Facebook friend, Martina Wells Casey who is a Visual Storyteller from Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland.
My song today is ‘I Have Nothing’. This is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the third single from ‘The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) on February 20, 1993, by ‘Arista Records’. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson and produced by Foster. The song is a richly orchestrated power ballad about deep love and the confusion that happens to lovers because of the different perceptions of women and men when it comes to commitment to one's lover.
The song was to become yet another hit for Whitney, peaking at Number 4 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart and being certified Gold by the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’. The song also became a hit on the ‘Billboard Hot R&B Singles’ chart, with a Number-4 peak, and a Number-1 peak on the ‘Billboard Adult Contemporary ’chart. Houston established another historic milestone in Billboard chart history with the two previous singles off the soundtrack and this song, becoming the first artist to have three songs inside the top 11 of the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart in the same week since the chart began using Broadcast Data System and Sound-Scan data in 1991. Internationally, the song reached Number 1 in Canada, the top five in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the top ten in Denmark and Portugal, and peaked within the top forty in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. It received various nominations, including for ‘Best Original Song’ at the 1993 Academy Awards. It also entered the ‘Best Song’ category at the 1994 ‘Grammy Awards’, plus many more prestigious nominations and accolades.
As with much of Houston's material, the song has been an extremely popular choice on many reality television series around the world, in particular, ‘American Idol’, on which it has become one of the most performed songs ever. Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest Key changes in music history".
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Despite the abject poverty that still exists in so many countries and the daily lives of peoples across the globe: despite the glaring differences and practised economic discriminations that takes place everywhere on the planet: despite the numbers of people sleeping rough on our streets and in shop doorways on cold winter nights: despite the mushrooming of food banks during recent years of economic austerity: despite mankind’s inability to eradicate so many deathly cancers and other fatal medical conditions: despite all the pain and suffering that is felt within this world of ours by the cruel actions and behaviour of others: despite the loneliness felt by thousands of elderly people living alone or the bitter loss experienced by the bereaved who have lost a loved one and life-long soul mate: despite all this heartache, heartbreak, humiliation and hurt felt by so many, nobody can truly say (as this song seeks to say), ‘I have nothing’.
There is an irony in this world of ours, that all the people who say and believe that they ‘have nothing’ possess far more than they could ever know and far better than their dreams could ever visualise. Most of the values and assessments of worth within society are (and have always been) falsely based on wealth, status and power. These three pillars of privilege have always stood on non-sacred and morally shaky ground, providing satiation that is simply beyond satisfaction; indeed, often to the point of engorgement. As one side of the hemisphere stuffs its gluttonous face, the other half of the world is blighted by deprivation, crop failure and starvation. And yet, it is untrue for anyone on the face of the earth to say, ‘I have nothing!’
For around four years between 2000-2004, I worked extensively with thirty-two Jamaican schools in the old slave capital of Falmouth, Trelawney in Jamaica. Part of the reason for my involvement was to raise funds for necessary school supplies and resources. The country of Jamaica has lived purely on the edge of economic survival for more years than this old body of mine has breathed. Unemployment is ten times worse than any western country experiences and even people in paid work often earn no more than $1 a day. (note $1 a day not a $1 an hour!)
In fact, it would not be stretching the truth to say that the Jamaican economy is largely dependent on foreign aid and tourism. The only jobs which keep the Jamaican economy ticking over seems to be in the numerous hotel and leisure complexes, tour reps, reggae group singers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, market hawkers, schoolteachers, civil servants, policemen and drug trafficking.
My involvement with the schools revealed most of them to be impoverished. All school library shelves were depleted, pupils had to share textbooks between two and three of them, pencils were cut in half to go twice as far, pupils writing pads were narrowly lined to encourage ‘small writing’ and were also expected to be written upon both sides of the sheet. In those schools whose floors were not those of the unprotected soil ground, most were made of cold concrete with only two out of thirty-two schools I visited which had wooden floors.
The Island’s power is intermittent and at least half a dozen times every week, all electricity supplies are cut for hours at a time. When this happens, no Jamaican acts angrily. Instead of futilely complaining against ‘the system’ as many hotel tourists do whenever the power goes down and the lights go off, the Jamaicans simply light up a supply of candles kept in constant stock and get on with it!
Hurricanes seasonally visit the island with devastating regularity and consequence, and every year, roads, bridge crossings and living dwellings, along with hundreds of people across Jamaica are washed away in the storms, blown down, destroyed or drowned. And when this happens, does any of the general population suffering this loss complain and enter episodes of severe depression? No! Instead they pick themselves up, brush themselves down and ‘get on with the job in hand’ of rebuilding their homes, bridge crossings and roads. This is their way of life which they have learned to do it with dignity. They live with a smile on their face, a song in their mouth, dance in their feet and love in their heart. They are a truly loving and God-fearing nation whose most precious commodity they seek, and revere is that of ‘respect’.
And yet, despite all the material poverty and deprivation the poorer Jamaicans experience, it is as though the 'Maker of the World' gave them a land rich in soil, green in pasture, mountainous in terrain, beautiful in scenic wonder; a land with yellow sand, golden beaches, seas coloured in blue and green and a sun that forever shines down. In the background of wherever one happens to be, can be heard the music and song of reggae refrain and the laughter and talk of its residents who welcome all. This is the Jamaica I grew to know and love. It is as though God looked down on His poorest of peoples and gave them the most beautiful of countries to live in.
Was I to be given a large treasure chest, and was I asked to place within that chest all those things which I find most precious in my life, I know what my chest would hold! The chest would be absent of all money, items of jewellery, property deeds of ownership and all baubles of personal distinction ever awarded to me. These are but mere things!
My chest would be filled with the most valuable things of life. Inside my chest would be all those things I truly treasure. There would naturally be room made for some material things, but such things would not have pride of place afforded to them because of some financial value they might hold, but because of the attaching happy memories they evoke. My chest would be filled with happy memories, lasting friendships, family events experienced, and marital pleasures shared with the love of my life and my lifelong soul mate, Sheila. The only images I would provide space for would be photographs of happy times with family, friends, partners and significant others in my life, not one of the beautiful paintings I own. The only gold I would allow in my treasure chest would be my wedding ring. My treasure chest would be like a veritable music box. As soon as the lid was opened, out would pour forth all the music and the many songs I love so well; the songs that my dear mother sang daily to me as a growing child, the songs for which I won prizes and acclaim as a growing boy and every song and dance tune ever associated with a lifetime of romantic reverie.
In conclusion, each of us across the world is given a happiness to store inside us that no amount of material wealth could ever supplant or adequately compete with. Those who are the poorest in material wealth have often been provided, like the Jamaicans, with the richness that is only found in positive attitude, sound belief in oneself and neighbour, truthful expressiveness, the warmth of heart, genuineness of spirit, love of family; all of which floats within the river of respect. Even where on the outside, others may look and remark, ‘They have nothing’, little is it guessed that in the world of what is truly important and meaningful, ‘they have everything that truly matters!’
I dedicate my song today to my Facebook friend, Martina Wells Casey who is a Visual Storyteller from Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland. Martina lives in Turkey for part of the year also. Martina and I have not been Facebook friends for many months, but I will never forget the message she sent me on the 18th of September of this year. Martina said:
“Hi I don't know you very well but I am in Turkey at present and I was at mass at the house of the virgin Mary and lit a candle for you for good health.”
Coming from a total stranger, this message reminded me that, more than anything else on this earth of ours, it has been the constant action of hundreds of people around the world who have taken time out to pray for me which has kept me alive with three body cancers (blood cancer, skin cancer and rectal cancer). To be blessed with the prayers of a stranger in a foreign land and have a church candle lit on your behalf is to make one feel loved beyond all measure. It tells me more than anything else in the world ‘That I have everything’.
Thank you for being my Facebook friend, Martina. May you and your family have a lovely day. Bill x
Love and peace. Bill xxx
My song today is ‘I Have Nothing’. This is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the third single from ‘The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) on February 20, 1993, by ‘Arista Records’. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson and produced by Foster. The song is a richly orchestrated power ballad about deep love and the confusion that happens to lovers because of the different perceptions of women and men when it comes to commitment to one's lover.
The song was to become yet another hit for Whitney, peaking at Number 4 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart and being certified Gold by the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’. The song also became a hit on the ‘Billboard Hot R&B Singles’ chart, with a Number-4 peak, and a Number-1 peak on the ‘Billboard Adult Contemporary ’chart. Houston established another historic milestone in Billboard chart history with the two previous singles off the soundtrack and this song, becoming the first artist to have three songs inside the top 11 of the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart in the same week since the chart began using Broadcast Data System and Sound-Scan data in 1991. Internationally, the song reached Number 1 in Canada, the top five in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the top ten in Denmark and Portugal, and peaked within the top forty in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. It received various nominations, including for ‘Best Original Song’ at the 1993 Academy Awards. It also entered the ‘Best Song’ category at the 1994 ‘Grammy Awards’, plus many more prestigious nominations and accolades.
As with much of Houston's material, the song has been an extremely popular choice on many reality television series around the world, in particular, ‘American Idol’, on which it has become one of the most performed songs ever. Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest Key changes in music history".
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Despite the abject poverty that still exists in so many countries and the daily lives of peoples across the globe: despite the glaring differences and practised economic discriminations that takes place everywhere on the planet: despite the numbers of people sleeping rough on our streets and in shop doorways on cold winter nights: despite the mushrooming of food banks during recent years of economic austerity: despite mankind’s inability to eradicate so many deathly cancers and other fatal medical conditions: despite all the pain and suffering that is felt within this world of ours by the cruel actions and behaviour of others: despite the loneliness felt by thousands of elderly people living alone or the bitter loss experienced by the bereaved who have lost a loved one and life-long soul mate: despite all this heartache, heartbreak, humiliation and hurt felt by so many, nobody can truly say (as this song seeks to say), ‘I have nothing’.
There is an irony in this world of ours, that all the people who say and believe that they ‘have nothing’ possess far more than they could ever know and far better than their dreams could ever visualise. Most of the values and assessments of worth within society are (and have always been) falsely based on wealth, status and power. These three pillars of privilege have always stood on non-sacred and morally shaky ground, providing satiation that is simply beyond satisfaction; indeed, often to the point of engorgement. As one side of the hemisphere stuffs its gluttonous face, the other half of the world is blighted by deprivation, crop failure and starvation. And yet, it is untrue for anyone on the face of the earth to say, ‘I have nothing!’
For around four years between 2000-2004, I worked extensively with thirty-two Jamaican schools in the old slave capital of Falmouth, Trelawney in Jamaica. Part of the reason for my involvement was to raise funds for necessary school supplies and resources. The country of Jamaica has lived purely on the edge of economic survival for more years than this old body of mine has breathed. Unemployment is ten times worse than any western country experiences and even people in paid work often earn no more than $1 a day. (note $1 a day not a $1 an hour!)
In fact, it would not be stretching the truth to say that the Jamaican economy is largely dependent on foreign aid and tourism. The only jobs which keep the Jamaican economy ticking over seems to be in the numerous hotel and leisure complexes, tour reps, reggae group singers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, market hawkers, schoolteachers, civil servants, policemen and drug trafficking.
My involvement with the schools revealed most of them to be impoverished. All school library shelves were depleted, pupils had to share textbooks between two and three of them, pencils were cut in half to go twice as far, pupils writing pads were narrowly lined to encourage ‘small writing’ and were also expected to be written upon both sides of the sheet. In those schools whose floors were not those of the unprotected soil ground, most were made of cold concrete with only two out of thirty-two schools I visited which had wooden floors.
The Island’s power is intermittent and at least half a dozen times every week, all electricity supplies are cut for hours at a time. When this happens, no Jamaican acts angrily. Instead of futilely complaining against ‘the system’ as many hotel tourists do whenever the power goes down and the lights go off, the Jamaicans simply light up a supply of candles kept in constant stock and get on with it!
Hurricanes seasonally visit the island with devastating regularity and consequence, and every year, roads, bridge crossings and living dwellings, along with hundreds of people across Jamaica are washed away in the storms, blown down, destroyed or drowned. And when this happens, does any of the general population suffering this loss complain and enter episodes of severe depression? No! Instead they pick themselves up, brush themselves down and ‘get on with the job in hand’ of rebuilding their homes, bridge crossings and roads. This is their way of life which they have learned to do it with dignity. They live with a smile on their face, a song in their mouth, dance in their feet and love in their heart. They are a truly loving and God-fearing nation whose most precious commodity they seek, and revere is that of ‘respect’.
And yet, despite all the material poverty and deprivation the poorer Jamaicans experience, it is as though the 'Maker of the World' gave them a land rich in soil, green in pasture, mountainous in terrain, beautiful in scenic wonder; a land with yellow sand, golden beaches, seas coloured in blue and green and a sun that forever shines down. In the background of wherever one happens to be, can be heard the music and song of reggae refrain and the laughter and talk of its residents who welcome all. This is the Jamaica I grew to know and love. It is as though God looked down on His poorest of peoples and gave them the most beautiful of countries to live in.
Was I to be given a large treasure chest, and was I asked to place within that chest all those things which I find most precious in my life, I know what my chest would hold! The chest would be absent of all money, items of jewellery, property deeds of ownership and all baubles of personal distinction ever awarded to me. These are but mere things!
My chest would be filled with the most valuable things of life. Inside my chest would be all those things I truly treasure. There would naturally be room made for some material things, but such things would not have pride of place afforded to them because of some financial value they might hold, but because of the attaching happy memories they evoke. My chest would be filled with happy memories, lasting friendships, family events experienced, and marital pleasures shared with the love of my life and my lifelong soul mate, Sheila. The only images I would provide space for would be photographs of happy times with family, friends, partners and significant others in my life, not one of the beautiful paintings I own. The only gold I would allow in my treasure chest would be my wedding ring. My treasure chest would be like a veritable music box. As soon as the lid was opened, out would pour forth all the music and the many songs I love so well; the songs that my dear mother sang daily to me as a growing child, the songs for which I won prizes and acclaim as a growing boy and every song and dance tune ever associated with a lifetime of romantic reverie.
In conclusion, each of us across the world is given a happiness to store inside us that no amount of material wealth could ever supplant or adequately compete with. Those who are the poorest in material wealth have often been provided, like the Jamaicans, with the richness that is only found in positive attitude, sound belief in oneself and neighbour, truthful expressiveness, the warmth of heart, genuineness of spirit, love of family; all of which floats within the river of respect. Even where on the outside, others may look and remark, ‘They have nothing’, little is it guessed that in the world of what is truly important and meaningful, ‘they have everything that truly matters!’
I dedicate my song today to my Facebook friend, Martina Wells Casey who is a Visual Storyteller from Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland. Martina lives in Turkey for part of the year also. Martina and I have not been Facebook friends for many months, but I will never forget the message she sent me on the 18th of September of this year. Martina said:
“Hi I don't know you very well but I am in Turkey at present and I was at mass at the house of the virgin Mary and lit a candle for you for good health.”
Coming from a total stranger, this message reminded me that, more than anything else on this earth of ours, it has been the constant action of hundreds of people around the world who have taken time out to pray for me which has kept me alive with three body cancers (blood cancer, skin cancer and rectal cancer). To be blessed with the prayers of a stranger in a foreign land and have a church candle lit on your behalf is to make one feel loved beyond all measure. It tells me more than anything else in the world ‘That I have everything’.
Thank you for being my Facebook friend, Martina. May you and your family have a lovely day. Bill x
Love and peace. Bill xxx
