Three Things I Know For Sure

The word I chose on January 1, 2010 for the year was "mystery" - I have learned so far that mystery is very painful and can bring you to the depths of dispair depsite the hope that there will be answers. I have also learned that mystery can bring the most amazing joy when the answers are revealed. Mystery leaves room for the beauty of grace.

The second thing I know is that this song "Hallujah" is one of the most amazing songs ever heard performed. Interestingly, it was written and first performed by Leonard Cohen, but after listening to his performances of the song, I think he is maybe the worst performer ever for this song. It is actually a little surprising that other artists recognized the song's beauty despite his performances. It is an amazing song, and the lyrics alone are so powerless compared to the way it can be performed (so I just can't include them in this post). The best performances I have heard so far are by Lee DeWyze, K.D. Lang, and Justin Timberlake who sang the song to raise funds for Haiti. Timberlake's isn't a perfect rendition of the song, but the heart and soul is in the song and therefore the beauty exists. It is the most beautiful chilling song I have ever heard performed. And it means something completely different to me every time I hear it.

The third thing I have been pondering is death. If I get to die doing something I love - even something as simple as driving my car home from work and listening to music I love - there isn't a better way to go. Or even something as simple as drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Or for those who love flying - dying in a plane or balloon accident, there might be a great deal of stress at the very end, but given the options of loving your life and living it fully, or living carefully to an old age where you don't understand what is happening to you.... what would be better - really, if this choice was ours to make - what would be better? It is a revelation I have be coming to for many years and I think my descansos project has clarified this (this is not the lesson I was planning to learn from the descacnsos project). Of course, not every accident is an act of beauty and most accidents and deaths involve eminence pain and question, but if love, death, and simplicity can tied together - I hope that there is room for joy and uplifting forgiveness.