HOLIDAY LOVE THOUGHT

Love is the gentle breeze on a day off.  Love is having no agenda and no place to be other than right where you are.


Did you give yourself that gift today?
 
The gift of no agenda, the freedom to let the day unfold as it may.

I hope you did.  My day was fantastic. 
If you didn't, my hope for you is that this week sometime you find a quiet time to just do nothing.  Love yourself enough to do nothing and you'll be amazed a what you really get done.

Peace and blessings,
GM

I LOVE OUTDOOR THEATRE!

I've been blessed this summer to have seen a number of things outdoors here in LA.
Here's the tally so far.

FORD AMPHITHEATRE: 
FUNNY GIRL Sing-a-long (800 people singing "People" with Barbra...need I say more?)
STEPHEN SCHWARTZ:  MAKING GOOD  A great concert presented by Upright Cabaret.

HOLLYWOOD BOWL:
GUYS AND DOLLS with Jennifer Beil, Ellen Greene, Scott Bakula and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
YO-YO MA & PLACIDO DOMINGO with the LA PHIL.
MISS LIZA MINNELLI and orchestra just last week.

I FINALLY got to attend a performance at the WILL GEER THEATRICUM BOTANICUM in Topanga Canyon here in Los Angeles.  Tonight it was JULIUS CAESAR.  Great show!
(Anytime I get to see a blonde bearded Mark Anthony running around the stage in a toga, swinging a big sword, it's a good night!  "Friends, Romans, Countrymen!")

This non profit theatre presents 5 shows in repertory throughout the summer.
Their main focus is educational programs for kids from K through 12.  Created by Will Geer and his family in the 50's, check out the website and the history of this wonderful place and go see a play there this month.  Shows finish at the end of September.  They have an adapted production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD set in Virgina in 1970



Look on Goldstar for discounted tickets.  Pack a dinner and head out to Topanga Canyon with some friends for a night of outdoor theatre!

On Saturday, September 19th I am attending PEACE at the GETTY VILLA amphitheatre in Malibu.
It is a magnificent night of theater starring CULTURE CLASH and a perfect way to end the outdoor theatre season here in Southern California.  Click on the Getty link for tickets and come join me for an amazing night!

Since January I've been to 4 memorials and or funerals.  What I have learned from all of it is this.
If there is something that you really love to do, then just do it.  This year I looked at all the things I love to do in LA and have set out to do them.

My fall theatrical season starts this week with AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.
Estelle Parsons stars as Violet Weston in the Tony & Pulitzer Prize winning play.
It starts this week at the Ahmanson Theatre downtown LA.  I already have my hot ticket how about you?  Don't miss this play!

Until tomorrow happy Labor Day and I hope you all are off from work enjoying your holiday.
G

LOVE by Kahlil Gibran

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself.  To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.  To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.  ~Kahlil Gibran

When I was younger and had hair I wanted to portray Kahlil Gibran.  I read his book "The Prophet" and here is the chapter titled LOVE.

Click on the title to learn more about his work.

 

Love

Then said Almitra, "Speak to us of Love."
And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them.
And with a great voice he said:
When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

STRICTLY BALLROOM is probably one of my favorite movies of all time.  Now you're probably asking yourself, why is this little known Australian film about a ballroom dance competition your favorite movie Gerry?  Well I saw this movie with my good friend Scott right after I learned that I had been fired from my "big job" at Universal Studios Florida.  My relationship had ended for good as well a few weeks before.  Scott said, "hey do you want to go and see this movie over at the Enzian Theater.  We can sit there and have a drink and eat lunch."  (I was still drinking then.)  So I said "hell yes."
(Scott will probably have the clearer version of what happened but for the sake of the story, we'll go with this version.  LOL)

We watched this film and it's message rang loud and clear.
"A life lived in fear, is a life half lived."

My whole life was falling apart and this little film from Australia gave me the one thing I was lacking.
Courage.

Courage to change.  

My relationship had ended only weeks before with my partner of 3 years.  I had re-auditioned for my performing job at Universal after 3 years of working lots of shows full time and getting great reviews.
Universal fired me for being on the side of Actor's Equity in the fight to unionize Universal Studio's actors.

This film showed me that when you don't conform to all the rules, there are consequences but there is also FREEDOM.  Do you tow the company line at the expense of others and then constantly watch your back for the ax that will chop off your head?  Or do you stand up for what you feel is right and chose to face your foes and remain standing tall and proud.

I admit that I didn't handle myself very well during most of the Actor's Equity battle but when it was all over and I felt defeated and humiliated personally and professionally, this little film changed my life.  I am always amazed at the power of cinema.

That afternoon I knew my friend Scott and I would be okay.  Regardless of where our lives would take us.  I knew we were being taken care of by something greater than ourselves.  Scott moved back to DC and worked like crazy in theatre and in front of the camera.  A few months later I made my move to Los Angeles with the help of my good friend Glenda.  (Yes, she's a good witch!)

STRICTLY BALLROOM:  Not such a simple little ballroom competition story.

Baz Luhrmann directed this film.  It is the first in the series of his "Red Curtain" films.
The second film is ROMEO + JULIET and then the magnificent MOULIN ROUGE!

This film's sound track features not only John Paul Young's disco hit "Love Is In The Air," but also Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," and the wonderful Doris Day's "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps."

Truly a gem.  If you can find it.  Rent it.
Watch it and be inspired to know that love IS in the air, everywhere you look around.


LOVE IS IN THE AIR (John Paul Young)
Love is in the air
Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air
Every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes
Love is in the air
In the whisper of the trees
Love is in the air
In the thunder of the sea
And I don't know if I'm just dreaming
Don't know if I feel sane
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when you call out my name
(Chorus)
Love is in the air
Love is in the air
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Love is in the air
In the rising of the sun
Love is in the air
When the day is nearly done
And I don't know if you're an illusion
Don't know if I see it true
But you're something that I must believe in
And you're there when I reach out for you
Love is in the air
Every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes
(Repeat Chorus 4X)

GIVING AND LOVING

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.  ~Author Unknown


In the past I gave to be loved.
Today I am learning to love unconditionally.
Love asks us to give of ourselves.
Let me love and give and give and love.

Speaking of giving....
Tonight was the end of this cycle of Mental Muscle:  16 weeks of Spiritual Bootcamp.
James and Rita and Jonathan did a fantastic job podcasting each week from Jame's home office in Studio City/Sherman Oaks.  They gave to us with such love for 16 weeks, twice a week. 
I learned incredible things about myself and I wanted to take this space to personally thank all 3 of them for creating a wonderful space for all of us to grow.  Thank you.

From this class over the past 16 weeks I've had to look at my BS or "belief system."  It started with us picking a word that we would like to experience in our life or embody in our lives.  My word was TRANQUILITY.  There hadn't been much tranquility in my life for several years.  So this class was the perfect oportunity for me to open myself up to tranquility and so much more.

May you find someone to give your love to.
All my best to each of you.

Tomorrow....weekend movie review and a new song!

Peace and tranquility for each of you.
Gerry

LOVE LIGHTS MORE FIRES THAN HATE EXTINGUISHES

"Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes" is inscribed on a paving slab in Jack Kerouac Alley
in San Francisco (next to the City Lights Bookstore).

Quote from ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
American author, poet, involved with New Thought, Spiritualism and the Rosicrucian society.

Also well known for her poem SOLITUTE with these opening lines.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone."




I'm coming to the end of a class I've been taking all summer online.
It is Mental Muscle:  16 Weeks of Spiritual Bootcamp.

To be quite frank....it has literally kicked my spiritual ass.

Each night I have had to choose love over hate.  Love does light a fire inside you to do better, to be kinder, to express more of it.  Hate just extinguishes anything in its path.  

For years I just hated myself and my life. 
I didn't really understanding New Thought principles or the very idea that my thoughts created my reality.  I went about life destroying everything in my path. 
The very idea that like attracts like was a foreign concept to me.
The idea that I could create something different began to emerge when I attended my first Sunday service at AGAPE and heard Rev Dr. Michael Beckwith.

Today I am more cautious of my thoughts, words and deeds.
Today I choose love.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote this over 90 years ago.  Think about that.
Peace and blessings,
Gerry

 

 

TUESDAY is SONG DAY: WHEN LOVE FINDS YOU by Vince Gill

When I was growing up in suburban J-town, KY there were two albums in our house that I distinctly remember.  Both of them were brown.  One was the famous CARPENTERS ALBUM and the other was HANK WILLIAMS Greatest Hits.  So I grew up loving pop/country ballads.

In the mid 80's after college at Western Kentucky University, I migrated south and lived in Nashville.
I worked at the West End Cooker Restaurant right next to Vanderbilt University and waited on a number of country music stars.  I also worked for a short time at the Bell Meade Country Club.
One day I had the pleasure of waiting on Miss Amy Grant and her mother.  They were having lunch with none other than Mrs. Sarah Cannon (AKA Minne Pearl...Howdy!)

I left Nashville in 1989.  Vince Gill was starting to become a big hit in Nashville after working for years as a back-up singer and musician.  Years later he and Amy Grant married and they produce and perform an annual Christmas show around the country.

Below are the lyrics to Vince Gill's wonderful song "When Love Finds You.  This song fills me with joy and gives me hope.  Vince has one of the most amazing tenor voices in the business and is now reaching iconic status in the world of Country Music.  He has hosted the CMA's numerous times and has sold millions of records.  Vince wrote this song along with Michael Omartian.  When I listen to him sing, I hear a gift from God. 
Be inspired and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDwGhx2rWfA



WHEN LOVE FINDS YOU

Love sure is something no one can explain
It can bring you such joy, it can bring you pain
And with every emotion, love puts us through
There's nothing you can say, when love finds you

Love is the power that makes your heart beat
It can make you move mountains, make you drop to your knees
When it finally hits you, you wont know what to do
There's nothin you can say, when love finds you

Chorus:
Give it all you can give it, when your love comes around
If you put your heart in it, then it wont let you down
You'll find out its true, baby, someday when love finds you

And when you least expect it, it will finally come true
Theres nothing you can say when love finds you

Repeat chorus

You'll find out its true, baby, someday when love finds you