This is a post about a new Wynonna song, one that has changed my life, and made even more grateful for the truly outstanding and amazing mother in my life, the one whom I also am privilaged enough to call my friend. This post is more about my mama than the song, but the two, they fit like peanut butter and jelly...
I've been a HUGE Wynonna fan for almost 20 years now. I've listened to, followed and basically lived my life to her music. I have all of her albums, and have seen her in conert 9 times.
Recently, she came out with a DVD and book, and a CD called "Scenes From a Lifetime." It's a compilation of all her songs, including songs she recorded with her mother, Naomi, as part of the duo, The Judds. The thing is though, it's not just scenes from Wynonna's lifetime, these songs are scenes from mine too.
It's rare that I find a Wynonna song that doesn't move me, despite the overflow of artists and singers who come and go, and the ones I also truly love and adore-no one but no one can move me like Wynonna can...
and the other day, Wynonna moved me like she never had before....
I was listening to this new CD which includes a few new songs-mostly cover songs of other artists, but then I came across this song....."Peace In This House"
I was driving down the road at about 10pm when I first heard it, and I had to pull over. I started bawling and laughing and smiling all at once.
It was everything that a great song should-touching, moving, thought-provoking. I have to say, it's one of those that I could hear everyday for the rest of my life and never, ever get tired of. This song, "Peace In This House," is right up there with "The Dance," in my book-and "The Dance," is my all-time favorite song by anyone, in any genre, ever-it's by Garth Brooks just so you know.
Anyway, PITH is absolutely how I was raised. It is EVERYTHING my mother tried to instill in me, and everything she always told me. Even through our toughest, roughest, sickest times-she still would say "there will be peace in this house, Sarah."
My mother is the absolute greatest person I've ever known. Sure, there are some things about her I do not like, do not agree with and never will; but nobody's perfect....
My mother is the single most loving, compassionate, generous, selfless, strongest, amazing person I know, and probably ever will. There are great people in this world; strong spirits, kind souls, but my mama is still the best.
Each day, as I get older, I realize something else she has taught me and or given me. I realize, again, just how strong and compassionate she is. I realize, again, how she gives and gives of herself, and is sincerely a kind person who really does care about others. I realize that it is she, my mama, who has taught me most everything I know; either by saying it, doing it or by example. I realize (as much as I can) how very much she sacraficed for me, and still does.
My love, respect, admiration and appreciation for my mother, grows each and every day.
Growing up, my mother always told me the following: be fair, be loyal, be kind. Play nice, be paitent. You have to believe in the power of the word, you have to have faith, and you have to believe in yourself. You have to respect yourself and others, and you have to show it. You have to be kind and play fair. You have to treat others the way you would want to be treated.
Now, I'm sure that this is nothing new, and I'm sure mothers have been saying all of this to their children for centuries-but the difference between them and my mom is, my mother is living proof, a real-life example of all that she says.
Every single thing my mother does, she does out of sincere love. She does it out of a sincere care for others and their needs. She's always, always saying "life is hard enough, why not make it easier on people?" Everyday, my mother wakes up thinking of ways to lighten the load of others. How awesome that is. Everyday, my mother wakes up and goes to work, and makes the best of it. In fact, my mother always makes the best of everything and I know now that that is exactly why I always make the best of everything too.
People always tell me, "Sarah, you have such a great attitude," the truth is, I don't; my mama does, and it is she who instilled in me. It is mama who always told me to "look on the bright side; see the glass as half-full." It is mama who told me "we are so blessed, so blessed." It is mama who always reminded me to look around, and see how amazingly great I had it. It is mama who made me appreciate what people do for me, and why and how they do it. It is mama who made me appreciate the simplest little pleasures in life. It is mama who encouraged me to always follow my heart and just try my best.
Everything that I am, it's basically because of my mama, her and God.
God made my mama, and mama and God made me-what a gift they both have given me and what a blessing they both are.
My mama is not a religious person, but it wasn't until a few days ago I realized how spiritual she is. She has to be. The way she is, the things she says and does; she absolutely has to be more spiritual than I ever gave her credit for. My mama is the living proof example of God's wishes for life: love and kindness.
If I am ever half of the person my mama is, I'll be pretty darn awesome!
When I was growing up, she was always telling me to believe in a Higher Power. she never pushed a certain God on me, she always let me figure it out for myself. She always told me that balance is the key to life; "Sarah, anything in moderation is fine, anything is excess will kill you." She is so right. But, before recently, it never dawned on me just how balanced her bringing me up was. She gave me space and independance when I needed it, let me develop my own style, personality and opinions. Yet, when I needed her, she was always there.
She would let me play alone in my room, all by myself undisturbed, and then, she'd join in, but only if I wanted. She would get down on the floor and color with me, we loved the oversized coloring books-especially the Barbie one.
She'd be my student when I wanted to play school, and my paitent-man, she was my paitent alot. Because I spent so much time in the hospital, I loved to play 'hosptial,' at home too. It's obvious now, that that was my way of coping with it, but my mother played along. She'd let me give her pretend IV's, and lay really still when I wanted to "put her out," or surgery. She'd let me tie turnikets around her arms and listen to her heartbeat, we had two very real stethescopes.....wow, what a cool mom!
But, most of all, mama would just LISTEN. She's the best dang listener I've ever encountered. She'll just listen to me, or mostly anyone, for hours and hours. And, she won't interupt, judge or yell-she'll just listen. In recent years, my favorite times with my mom are when we just sit on her bed, late at night, and just talk. She really, really listens, and really, really cares.
Mama would always turn OFF the TV. Now that I think about it, I think that was the BEST thing she could've ever done and is absolutely one of the reasons I can think for myself. Mama used to have to beg me to watch TV, sure, I'd go for "Full House," "Mr. Rogers," and "Home Improvement," but that was about it. To this day, my mom will go days without turning on the TV, even once. She always had plenty of other activities and chores for us to do, and still does. I don't recall being bored as a child-and I was pretty much left to do what I wanted-within her watch though, you know-not alone or careless, but independent. How wonderful!
My mama always said, "I love you," and "you're beautiful....you're so pretty....I'm so proud of you...you amaze me...you're so strong...you're so wise...God, I'm blessed to have you...you're the reason I do what I do....you're the reason I keep living, Sarah, you make my life worth living.." Yes, she said at least one of these every single day of my life and still does-that is why I have self confidance, and self-respect. On the flipside, she is the very first to call me on my faults-when I'm too messy, bossy, selfish, snobby, snotty, bratty or mean-she absolutely says that too and makes me well aware of it. She shows me respect, but also demands that I respect her too, and why wouldn't I! What a gift! See what I mean, BALANCE!
Anyway, my mama used to write, but at 15, she through out all of her writings. Her brothers got into them, and while I'm sure it is one of her biggest regrets, it is for sure one of mine too. She is so talented that I'm sure she had some awesome things to say and wrote even more awesome things. I would've loved nothing more than to see her writings, her thoughts and dreams and wishes as a young girl-what a gift that would've been-I KNOW that's where I get this talent from-at least partially. Anyhow, if my mama could write a song today, I know in my heart this is the song she would've written. This is the song she did write; maybe not on paper, but in her heart, in her words, her advice, and her life.
So, thanks mama, more than you know, I get it now. Thanks for EVERYTHING: the words, advice, kindness, selflessness, sacrafice, strength, love, hope, faith, belief, encouragement, hugs, meals, laundry, cleaning, massages, friendship, loyalty and just being youself! I love you so much! And thank you, Wynonna, for recording this song and moving me again, in a way that as much as I try, I cannot describe.
PEACE IN THIS HOUSE:
Hey kids, turn off the TV
No I don't wanna watch the evening news
Just come on over here, and sit down next to me-
and let your mama look at you, and you and you.
And your beautiful face, and I want to keep facing it
as long as I can, and I'm tellin' you right now
There's gonna be peace this house,
there's gonna be peace in this house.
There's gonna be some tender talkin',
and some sweet nothin's
that add up to the somethin's we can't live without.
There's gonna be peace in this house,
some belief in this house.
And every good thing that ever happened,
happens from the inside out.
I'm tellin' you now,
there's gonna be peace in this house.
Did I tell you today that I love you?
You're the reason for everything I do.
And sometimes I think,
the only hope for this world,
is the love of you, and you and you.
Let's try to be paitent,
and let's all play nice.
'Cause everybody's gonna
get a little slice of this pie.
There's gonna be peace this house,
there's gonna be peace in this house.
There's gonna be some tender talkin',
and some sweet nothin's
that add up to the somethin's we can't live without.
There's gonna be peace in this house,
some belief in this house.
And every good thing that ever happened,
starts from the inside out.
I'm tellin' you now,
there's gonna be peace in this house.
And every good thing that ever happened,
starts from the inside out.
I'm tellin' you now,
there's gonna be peace in this house.Tender talking; kind words; paitence; less TV and less outer distraction; enough love and fairness to go around; a firm belief in God; faith in self; others and life; unconditional love and generousity-what a miracle! Yep, everything mom always said, showed and did. Thanks mom! I love you!
Many Blessings,
-SL
