Category: Arts & Entertainment

ALWAYS! – Derrick Atkinson’s Tribute to Zach Sobiech

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This week, I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate in Laura Sobiech’s Fly A Little Higher Blog Tour. Zach’s battle with osteosarcoma was not one he fought alone; rather, it brought his family together as a united front. ‘Family’ does not just consist of mother and fathers, brothers and sisters. Family is comprised of those to whom we connect within our community – our church groups, organizations, social networks and schools (to name a few). From a small town in Minnesota, Zach Sobiech created a global family together through his music. He took the encouragement he received from his parents and close friends to change the world. His faith in God, positive outlook on life and incredible smile brought joy to many of us…and continues to inspire us all to Fly A Little Higher.

When I first learned about this Blog Tour a couple of weeks ago, I reflected on Zach’s story and asked him for guidance through meditation. How could I fly higher? While reflecting on the themes in Laura’s book, I was reminded of a conversation I had last year with my friend, Debbi McCarthy, about a family in Bishopville, South Carolina that overcame tragedy through music. “Up for a road trip?” were the next words out of my mouth and off we went to document this amazing family.

It is Roy and Sally Atkinson’s love and encouragement that has created an instrument, The Washtar, for the purpose of expression that is bettering the lives of those with special needs. It is the amazing warmth and genuine smile of Derrick Atkinson that tugs at the heartstrings when you meet him. Meeting Derrick has changed my life and I hope that in watching this video you can see that, like Zach, he doesn’t let his struggles impact his attitude or his desire to positively influence those around him. He lives his life to the fullest of his abilities, making him someone I admire…another true hero.

Please watch to the very end. I think you will enjoy the after-credit footage that gives you some insights into Derrick’s character and spirit. He just “plain makes me smile.” Looks like the Low Country is rubbin’ off on me!

This week, I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate in Laura Sobiech’s Fly A Little Higher Blog Tour. Zac...

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Carrying A Tune

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Yesterday I shared how Zach Sobiech’s song Clouds landed on my ultimate playlist upon first hearing it last year. Writing my own playlist and documenting the significance behind each song was a very emotional journey for me. Being able to give my friends and family small snapshots of more personal events in my life and insight into the words that inspire me is a gift. There are few things in life that we all have in common, but each day we look at the same sun and moon, and each day we get one day closer to our eternity. Each day is an opportunity to share with those we love and learn about others.

My good friend and soul sister, Debbi McCarthy, just accompanied me on a whirlwind road trip last week, the result of which we will share with you tomorrow. We had a lot of time to talk about the gift that Zach Sobiech gave to us in Clouds. With 24 hours of drive time, we got to discuss (and listen to) music at length. Debbi jenerously offered to share the musical life of her daughter, Melanie Rose, who passed away from complications of Juvenile Diabetes at the young age of 38. It is so beautiful that Debbi continues to uncover new stories about Melanie’s life as her friends share their memories. The Fly A Little Higher Blog Tour has created this opportunity for Debbi to rediscover the inner beauty of her daughter all over again. Please enjoy this mother’s tribute to Melanie’s life of music and friendship.

She enjoyed music on her noise-cancelling headphones, a gift from her brother.

She enjoyed music on her noise-cancelling headphones, a gift from her brother.

Musical Memories of Melanie Rose Weaver [1971 – 2010]

At the beginning of the soundtrack of our children’s lives – that miraculous indignant cry that lets us know they have arrived – no mother expects to have to choose the music for her child’s memorial service. But, the ensuing cacophony that accompanies us each step along the way underscores our ups and downs and provides an evocative context for our tapestry of memories.

Like mothers of many species, our child’s voice is like a beacon. We can pick out our kid’s call for help in a crowded park or their enthusiastic rendition of a holiday classic hitting a wrong note in a school concert. We can decipher their words even wrapped in breathless sobs or gales of giggles. From my daughter Melanie’s first solo rendition of the ABCs to the final strains of a church full of people singing Abba’s “I Believe In Angels,” the closest thing to sacred music we dared to play at her memorial service, the music of my daughter’s life echoes like a lilting aria that drifts among those of us who loved her best, holding us close.

While my daughter herself was not a musician, she was introduced to music early and shared her love of it with family and friends, introducing us to obscure artists and blaring her favorite songs over and over again until she could sing along with every word.

My mother, Mary McCarthy, whose lovely voice was a gift in our home, delighted in teaching old songs to her children and grandchildren. Along with my grandmother and our parish priest, my sisters and I spent several years as The McCarthy Sisters, travelling around Connecticut to church fairs and nursing homes with our act that combined Irish, Broadway, Shirley Temple and nostalgic hits. Melanie especially loved one of Mom’s favorites “Side by Side,” a popular 1920’s standard most often sung by our family loudly in the car.

My oldest dearest friend, Melanie’s godmother, Tina West Pateracki, introduced us all to the exploits of “Little Bunny Foo Foo,” which would leave Melanie collapsing from laughter every time one of us would sing it for her (preferably, a hundred times). Mel later helped teach that and other children’s songs to her brother and sister, Steven, and Tisa – and, later, to her son Ryan.

One of her close girlhood friends, Tania Trepanier – who was tragically killed in a 2003 accident – spent hours at our home in Zomba, Malawi, perched precariously on a chair opposite my daughter, go-go dancing to Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” and “Mamma Mia.”

From me, she learned to love The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and other sixties and seventies artists – although she did confess later that she never really warmed up to Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen, and, I will admit that there were years when I was not a huge fan of the music coming from her room or car.

As a teen and young adult, she made wonderful memories with her friends, who have shared many with me in the years since we lost her. I am so grateful to these people who loved Melanie so dearly and cherish their times together – so often, punctuated by vivid memories of the music they shared:

During Junior High, Trisha McMillan Ferguson lived within walking distance of Melanie’s dad’s house. When the girls would walk the back way to meet each other, they crossed a big open field. Mimicking the opening of “The Sound of Music,” they would run toward each other, arms outstretched singing the song all dramatic and silly.

Melanie’s closest friend school friend, Shannon Conway Johansen, remembers singing Bon Jovi’s “I’d Die For You” at the top of their lungs when it first came out. And, the two of them loved dancing to Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” convinced in their profound youthful angst, that all love was tainted in the end.

At the old Storman’s Palace in Clearwater, FL Melanie and her buddies danced many a night away – her friend Kristy Knight, a popular radio personality who did a weekly appearance at Storman’s, particularly remembers one of their faves was “Lean On Me” from Club Nouveau – it never failed to move them onto the dance floor.

Cindy Quo was an angel neighbor/friend who brightened many of Melanie’s toughest homebound days when her health was so fragile that some of the local EMTs, who came to resuscitate her all too often, actually learned the names of her fish. Cindy remembers that “Hanging By A Moment” by Lifehouse was a kind of lifeline for Melanie during that time.

As Melanie’s illness progressed, she took as her own an Alanis Morisette song, “That I Would Be Good,” that contained the lyrics, “… that I would be good, if I got and stayed sick.” I know that those unflinchingly brave lyrics helped my daughter come to grips with the inevitability of her illness. She also drew an amazing strength from Damien Rice’s “The Blower’s Daughter,” with a less obvious, but equally powerful theme of the pain of no-win situations.

My best friend’s daughter, Caroline Schuler, was an especially close friend, spending long summer and holiday vacations with us. Singing along to James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend” is one of Caroline’s favorite memories of the many road trips between Tampa and Charleston, SC – screeching out the high notes singing “…and I’ll beeeee there yeah, yeah, yeah – you’ve got a friend.”

Melanie’s sister, Tisa, remembers the two of them loving The Pretenders “I’ll Stand By You.” By the time Tisa got married, Melanie was struggling to keep healthy with her transplanted kidney and pancreas and the immune deficiency that challenges transplant patients. Tisa had the song played at the wedding.

In later years Tisa, Caroline, Steven, Ryan and I all remember listening to Jeff Buckley’s timeless version of “Hallelujah” with Melanie. It became her anthem.

In the days following her death in April of 2010, Tisa, Steven, Caroline and their spouses went into seclusion at Tisa’s house and produced an amazing slide show synched to Melanie’s favorite music. That labor of love carried them through those first days of unthinkable loss and gave us all a gift at her memorial service.

After losing my dad, I spent weeks listening to Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top.” When my mother died, Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will,” was what I played over and over. When I lost Melanie, my song became “The Circle of Life” from the Lion King Broadway soundtrack. The CD is still in my car CD player.

Every April 13th, on what we call MelMorial Day, a group of family and friends makes the trek to Bok Tower Gardens, a beautiful, historic bell tower in rural central Florida surrounded by lush gardens in a beautiful natural setting. It was her favorite place on earth. We walk, reminisce and take a break from everything else in our lives, stopping each time the carillon plays to let the beauty of the bell concerts wash over us and soothe our aching hearts, something that only music can do.

Yesterday I shared how Zach Sobiech's song Clouds landed on my ultimate playlist upon first hearing it last year. Writin...

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Fly A Little Higher…The Blog Tour

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Last year, on May 20th, I wrote about Zach Sobiech who lost his battle with osteosarcoma at age 18. Zach didn’t go quietly. He left the world with a musical gift called Clouds which hit #1 on the charts the week he died. Laura Sobiech, Zach’s mother, just released her memoir of Zach’s journey yesterday. The book, Fly A Little Higher, is written from her perspective as she deals with her own emotions and prepares for her son’s death. Grab your copy HERE

Laura asked that I be part of her Blog Tour, which is celebrating the release of Fly A Little Higher this week. I am honored to be a part of such a wonderful launch, and am grateful that, in some small way, I can participate in being part of Zach’s legacy.

As I read the book, I found myself relating to Laura, imagining that I would have similar struggles and questions if I had to walk the same path with my son. Laura turned to God and asked that out of this tragedy, Zach’s death could mean something…something big. She encouraged Zach to write letters to his family, but that wasn’t his style. Rather, he wrote songs to communicate his feelings and encourage his loved ones to stay positive and make each day meaningful. I believe that her encouragement was an integral part of his musical legacy. As parents, we influence our children because we believe their potential as limitless.

When I first heard Clouds, I connected to it instantly, playing it over and over again. I loved the lighthearted pings from the glockenspiel, the sense of rising and falling with the lyrics, the clear message about faith in God and the refreshing innocence in Zach’s voice. It made me question my own legacy and how I could follow in Zach’s footsteps by creating something big. It made me reflect upon what is important to me.

I can’t play an instrument (except the air guitar and kazoo) or carry a tune (as proven in many late night karaoke attempts); however, attending concerts, remembering lyrics, introducing others to the meaning of songs and supporting the arts has always been part of my passion. Zach shared something very personal with the world and has encouraged me to “fly a little higher” and share my very personal ‘Ultimate Mix Tape’ playlist. Each song is a favorite because it reminds me of a moment or inspires me with its meaning. Clouds is one of the few songs on my playlist that contains both elements. ‘Ultimate Mix Tape’ Playlist

I hope that you get to know me a little better through these songs and their stories. If you discover a new favorite of your own as a result of exploring this list, then my heart will smile. I encourage each of you to create your own playlist. What a wonderful gift to give your friends and family. Please, take your time compiling your list; mine took DAYS. Revisiting various times in my life and listening to many old favorites brought back so many raw emotions. I laughed, cried and even blushed. Thank you, Zach, for leading by example and encouraging me to “Fly A Little Higher” as well.

Last year, on May 20th, I wrote about Zach Sobiech who lost his battle with osteosarcoma at age 18. Zach didn't go quiet...

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Have I Told You Lately…

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My husband went to Rod Stewart’s concert in Las Vegas last year. Rod told the crowd that the song “Have I Told You Lately (that I love you)” was originally written by Van Morrison as a prayer to God. After listening to the song for years, I never made that connection, but it is clear after actively listening to the lyrics. Since this is Valentine’s week, love is all around us. I listened to Rod’s version of the song today, as I often do, and I realized that more often than not, the answer to his question is “no.” You can’t say “I Love You” too much…and you can never hear it too often either.

I am reminded of another lesson about love from a scene in the 1983 movie Terms of Endearment. In the scene, Debra Winger’s character, Emma Horton, is about to die of cancer and has her final conversation with her oldest son, Tommy, who has expressed a great deal of anger and resentment towards his mother. She says:

“I know you like me. I know it. For the last year or two, you’ve been pretending like you hate me. I love you very much. I love you as much as I love anybody, as much as I love myself. And in a few years when I haven’t been around to be on your tail about something or irritating you, you could… remember that time that I bought you the baseball glove when you thought we were too broke. You know? Or when I read you those stories? Or when I let you goof off instead of mowing the lawn? Lots of things like that. And you’re gonna realize that you love me. And maybe you’re gonna feel badly, because you never told me. But don’t – I know that you love me. So don’t ever do that to yourself, all right?”

Sometimes, we need to let other people, especially our children, know that WE KNOW that they love us. That is a wonderful gift. Giving love is important but acknowledging other people’s gift of love is also a gift in itself.
Growing up, my dad often asked us, “When is the best time to say I Love You?” And his answer was always the same…”Right Now.” So let’s spread the joy this week and let people know that they are loved. And tonight, when you tuck your kids in bed or kiss your partner goodnight, let them know that you know how much they love you.

My husband went to Rod Stewart's concert in Las Vegas last year. Rod told the crowd that the song "Have I Told You Latel...

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RIP Zach Sobiech. See You in the Clouds!

“I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…From up and down, and still somehow…It’s cloud illusions, I recall…I really don’t know clouds at all.” -Joni Mitchell

I have always been a huge fan of Joni Mitchell, but one song stands out to me as truly special, Both Sides Now. It talks about clouds, love and life, each of which has offered ups & downs, gives & takes and wins & losses. She looks back upon life and realizes that the same optimistic wonder that she had as a child has left her with confusion about their meaning and purpose as an adult.

Today, as we watch the devastation caused by the tornadoes in Oklahoma, we may not notice the passing of a young man in Minnesota whose life gave some clarity to Joni Mitchell’s search for answers. Today, the world lost an amazing young man, 18 year-old Zach Sobiech, to osteosarcoma. Zach fought the fight for four years and was recently told that he only had a few months to live.

His mother suggested that he write letters to his family members, but he knew that wasn’t his strong suit, so instead he picked up a guitar and began to write songs to express himself. The first song he wrote, Clouds, offered his family answers and comfort about his hope to meet up with them again someday. He saw the same ups & downs, but chose to focus on the positive. Throughout the journey, he chose to smile and be grateful for what he had. He left his family with a gift through his music and now we can all enjoy the message he left behind. A message of gratitude, hope and Jenerosity.

Maybe if Joni Mitchell fell down the same “dark and lonely hole” Zach fell down, she would have risen “up, up, up” and seen the nicer view from the clouds above. He seemed to understand love and life.

Let’s enjoy that we all have a little more time and give a little more…

You can donate here to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund.

See Zach’s video here

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"I've looked at clouds from both sides now...From up and down, and still somehow...It's cloud illusions, I recall...I re...

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