I dedicate my song today to my granddaughter, Jessica Sophie Forde who lives in France with her parents (my oldest son James and his wife Lisa), and Jessica’s brother, Sam. I also dedicate today’s song to Sharon Glover Dunn who lives in Pudsey, Bradford, West Yorkshire. Both Jessica and Sharon celebrate their birthday today. Enjoy your special day, ladies.
As my granddaughter reaches her 14th birthday, Jessica approaches that stage in life when soon she will change her bobby socks for stockings and will enter that realm of young womanhood. One thing I learned, Jessica, is that when we become old enough to give our heart away, we arrive at the most wonderful stage of life. These are one’s teenage years that are meant to be exciting, enjoyable, explorative, entertaining, and educational. There will be sufficient years ahead of you when it will be appropriate to become more serious in your romantic attachments and relationships, and when the time is right, it is Granddad Forde’s wish that your love given to that special one will be returned in equal measure, because ‘Love changes everything’. Lots of love. Granddad Forde and Sheila xx
While Jessica and Sharon above celebrate their birthdays today, I would also like to celebrate the life of Sarah Lonergan who sadly died on November 7th, 2009. Although 22-year-old Sarah died of ovarian cancer eleven years ago now, her mother, Delores Lonergan, who lives in Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, Ireland is still raw with grief at her daughter’s loss. We pray for the eternal rest of Sarah Lonergan today and jointly dedicate the above song in celebration of her brief life on this earth where she was much loved by all who knew her.
My song today is, ‘Love Changes Everything’. This song is from the musical ‘Aspects of Love’ which was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics written by Charles Hart and Don Black. It is first sung in the musical by the character Alex Dillingham, which was originated by Michael Ball in both the London and Broadway casts. The song was released as a single in 1989, and stayed in the UK singles chart for 14 weeks, peaking at Number 2 and becoming Ball's signature tune.
In the prologue to ‘Aspects of Love’ a young Englishman, Alex, is lovestruck by a French actress, Rose. This upends his world, and he sings that ‘Love changes everything ... Love changes how you live and how you die’. He notes that love ‘makes fools of everyone’ and concludes that once love strikes, ‘nothing in the world will ever be the same.’
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There is little more that can be added about this song as the song’s words say it all! I can, however, testify to the many occasions that I have witnessed where the love of one person towards another has changed their lives significantly. People may want to ‘fall in love’ or wish to ‘be in love’, but nobody chooses it; love happens! And when it happens, it changes one’s life beyond recognition, and as today’s song says, ‘Nothing in the world will ever be the same’.
The annuls of history reveal that people have cheated, maimed, killed, died, and even gone to war because of the love of one person for another. There is no emotion as powerful as ‘love’, not even ‘hate’. Once smitten, and love comes in the front door, all reason departs through the back door; leaving the couple totally wrapped up in each other to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. It isn’t that the couple in love have lost their capacity to care for others around them; it’s just that their eyes, and senses, and mind and body are totally preoccupied with the one they are in love with. That person has now become their whole world, the centre of their universe, their orbit of prime focus, and their sole concern. That person has become their moment forever.
Love and peace Bill xxx