“We all have dreams, hopes and insecurities”
– David Hooper
It’s my season to indulge on something I realized this morning
as I gathered with a beautiful family, memorializing their loved one who had
recently passed.
The son of the departed spoke about the life his father
lived and directly after that, I was requested to sing a rendition of Paul
Anka, Jaques Revaux and Claude Francois’ English version of Giles Thibault’s “My
Way.” The song an interesting one talking about the way that a person lived
their life and even though they fell, made mistakes and had a full plate, they
stayed in the race and did it their way.
Kind of made me take a backward glance and think about all
the legends that left us behind in 2016; Prince, Natalie Cole, Muhammad Ali,
George Michael, Princess Leia, Paul Von Thadden, etc, and many family members of friends
that are no longer in the land of the living. Yet, to think about the
relationships that were built over time, even with those that were legendary
that we only knew through television through their victorying and then the
scandals and everything else that followed their lives. We loved them anyway. Then I look at myself and think of all my
imperfections that some of the people I have lost over the years and then those
who are still here that decided to love me anyway.
As
Imperfect As I Am
We live our lives in the best way that we know how and folks
in our lives still find ways to reflect on the best of us though we are still works
in progress. Singing “My Way” for the first time and hearing the lyrics that
were featured in this tune was a defining moment for me. Made me realize that
the flaws are what people will miss. Made me realize that my imperfections are
things that I should not look at as a reason to be angry at who I am because they are also
worth loving. Who would think that a song like that would make me consider my
own worth? The recently departed may be feeling his wings against the sky on his
flight up into heaven, but his memory will forever live on. Even in his resting
peacefulness, he inspired me.
I wrote a song that is similar to “My Way,” entitled “You
Loved Me.” Lyrics and vocals by Stephanie Jeannot. Music by Mike LeShore. It is
actually one of my many songs featured on Soundcloud. Please check it out here:
https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/stephanay-jnotes-tracks-1
Let me know your thoughts on faults and imperfections.
If you listened to the song, tell me what you think? How can I improve it?