{"id":28089,"date":"2021-07-10T19:38:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-10T23:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=28089"},"modified":"2021-07-10T20:14:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-11T00:14:34","slug":"5-friday-faves-beyond-the-guitars-take-on-me-the-woman-slowly-fading-mamas-table-relationship-hacks-and-voices-of-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=28089","title":{"rendered":"5 Friday Faves &#8211; Beyond the Guitar&#8217;s &#8220;Take On Me&#8221;, the Woman Slowly Fading, Mama&#8217;s Table, Relationship Hacks, and Voices of Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21494\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3996\" height=\"2540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2.jpg 3996w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2-768x488.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Blog-Friday-Faves-006-2-1024x651.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3996px) 100vw, 3996px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Happy weekend! Here are my five faves of this week &#8211; rapid-fire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1) Beyond the Guitar&#8217;s &#8220;Take On Me&#8221;<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/beyondtheguitar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nathan Mills<\/a> does it again.\u00a0 He takes Norwegian band <a href=\"https:\/\/a-ha.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A-Ha<\/a>&#8216;s 1985 hit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songmeaningsandfacts.com\/meaning-of-take-on-me-by-a-ha\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>&#8220;Take On Me&#8221;<\/em><\/a> to a whole new level on classical guitar. So beautiful that lyrics aren&#8217;t needed; the nostalgia is already there. This song is featured in the video game <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamer.com\/last-of-us-part-ii-2-take-on-me-scene-funny-stupid-reaction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Last of Us Part II<\/a>. Whether you loved it or hated it in the soundtrack of that game (or not a gamer)&#8230;its melody is &#8220;all the feels&#8221; under the deft fingers of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/beyondtheguitar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond the Guitar<\/a>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Take On Me - Emotional &quot;The Last Of Us 2&quot; Guitar Cover\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JyABn3TWio8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>2) To The Woman Slowly Fading<\/strong> &#8211; I didn&#8217;t know the work of Scottish poet <a href=\"https:\/\/ladiespassiton.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donna Ashworth <\/a>until my great-niece posted the poem below on her social media. She (my great-niece) is mum to three little ones; in fact, three under the age of three at the time. <a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28270\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog-Erica-with-baby-June-16-2021-1024x1024.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She is tired and pulled. Yet in the tired, she is full of joy.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m grateful she shared this poem because it told me something about her and it also illuminated something I had been feeling from a very different place. My niece is nearer the beginning of her life&#8217;s journey, and I am closer to the ending. Nothing sad here; just what is.<\/p>\n<p>At our latest family dinner, I had that strange thought of fading. A moment of poignancy taking in the lovely scene of adult children and wee ones around the table. Ashworth describes this sense of fading so well. Read for yourself the lines below.<\/p>\n<h6><strong>To the woman who has lost her spark.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>To the woman whose get up and go, has well and truly gone.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>This is for you.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>This is to remind you whose daughter you are.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>This is to remind you, that you don\u2019t have to be everything to everyone, every day.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>You didn\u2019t sign up for that.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>Remember when you used to laugh? Sing? Throw caution to the wind?<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>Remember when you used to forgive yourself more quickly for not always being perfect.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>You can get that back again.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>You really can.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>And that doesn\u2019t have to mean letting people down or walking away.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>It just means being kinder to you, feeling brave enough to say no sometimes.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>Being brave enough to stop sometimes.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>And rest.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<h6><strong>It starts the moment you realise that you\u2019re not quite who you used to be. Some of that is good, some of that is not.<\/strong><\/h6>\n<p><strong>There are parts of you that need to be brought back.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And if anyone in your life is not okay with that\u2026 they are not your people. Your people will be glad to see that spark starting to light up again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>So, if you have been slowly fading away my friend, this is the time to start saying yes to things that bring you joy and no to things that don\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s really pretty simple. &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B08LRGWY74\/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NZ56CA9PN69XZ86KERSD?fbclid=IwAR1hf3N4Lw4a3PtaEa4BY3sl-bqMOO-lAXHmq5OLonUMiVDvCtzEqGItXqw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donna Ashworth, <em>To the Women<\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I do take exception to the one line: &#8220;Saying yes to things that bring you joy and no to things that don&#8217;t.&#8221; Fortunately for my young niece&#8217;s children, she is not going to ignore their cries in the middle of the night, or their tears after a fall, or their fears of the unknown. These things do not bring her joy, but they are part of the journey.<\/p>\n<p>Difficult family members, friends in crisis, health issues, mounting drama in the world&#8217;s press&#8230;we can&#8217;t always say no, but we can measure ourselves out in wise and thoughtful ways. There is sacrifice in life, and, with it, joy.<\/p>\n<p>So if we are fading&#8230;may it be for good reasons. Squeezing all we can out of life and relationships&#8230;even the hard ones. Not leaving anything left on the field when the clock runs out (was that phrase from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KCI4jFj5NtE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vince Lombardi<\/a>?). No slow fade. Intentional. Deliberate. Owning it.<\/p>\n<p>For believers of Jesus, there is a call reflective of this: On the return of the Messiah one day, we are reminded of the joy of that great day when <em>&#8220;He must increase, and I must decrease&#8221;. <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/biblehub.com\/john\/3-30.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John 3:30<\/a>) As on a wedding day, we take in that glorious arrival of the bridegroom for his bride.<\/p>\n<p>Fading may be how we feel, but the reality is we all have various seasons in our life&#8217;s journey. Each with its own glory, joy, and exhaustion.<\/p>\n<p>Life&#8230;taking it all in.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;You may begin to notice that you\u2019re invisible. Especially if you\u2019re short and gray-haired. But I say to whom? And so what?&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/explore\/item\/grace-paley-on-the-art-of-growing-older?utm_source=pocket-newtab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grace Paley on the Art of Growing Older<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ladiespassiton.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donna Ashworth<\/a> &#8211; poetry website<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mymemorymatters.org\/history-will-remember-by-donna-ashworth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>&#8220;History Will Remember&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; a Pandemic Poem &#8211; Donna Ashworth<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Mama&#8217;s Table<\/strong> &#8211; Our youngest child, Dan, has been affectionately referred to as a food snob. He loves all kinds of food but can be hyper-critical of what he considers bland food or just the wrong mix of flavors or textures. Fortunately he is a good cook and he has been since middle school. On bake sale days back then, he would take his cupcakes into school and brought empty platters back home. His yeast rolls, from a favorite teacher&#8217;s recipe, were amazing. He and a small cadre of high school friends who loved to cook (well, to eat, for sure) even started a cooking club.<a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cooking-Club-dinner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28272\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cooking-Club-dinner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1704\" height=\"2272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cooking-Club-dinner.jpg 1704w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cooking-Club-dinner-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Cooking-Club-dinner-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1704px) 100vw, 1704px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>They had a great time together, and we enjoyed their feasts with them. Nothing like a kitchen full of friends and all good things &#8211; loud laughter, strong opinions, and the yummiest blend of fragrances.<\/p>\n<p>Food has its own culture and anthropology. In fact, Dan has moved on from just cookbooks focused on recipes to thick volumes covering not just the food of Persia, Malaysia, or Russia but the culture that goes along with the food.<\/p>\n<p>The article below reads like some of those texts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/explore\/item\/friday-food-post-the-economics-behind-grandma-s-tuna-casseroles?utm_source=pocket-newtab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Economics Behind Grandma&#8217;s Tuna Casseroles<\/em> &#8211; Megan McArdle<\/a><\/p>\n<p>McArdle tells the story of how decisions were made in homes across America from the 1890s right through present-day. The quote below resonates deeply with the food experience I knew growing up.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;The great blessing of my life is that my mother did not let me become a food snob. She was from a small town in middle America, and she did not view this as any great handicap. Nor did she look down on the culinary tradition she inherited from her mother, a \u201cgood plain cook\u201d of the miracle-whip-and-white-bread Midwestern persuasion whose pie crust was infallible. We did not mess around with limp chicken breasts and cans of Campbell\u2019s Soup, but I have eaten plenty of Jell-O salad, and liked it. (On summer days, I still occasionally crave shredded carrots and crushed pineapple embedded in orange jello made with ginger ale. Don\u2019t sneer; it is delightful and refreshing.) Apples, bananas and raisins, dripping with Miracle Whip, were served as a salad in my house, and one of my favorite dishes from my grandmother was ground meat and pasta shells in Ragu. I still bake out of the Betty Crocker 1950 cookbook, and have never found a better guide to the classic American layer cake.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We got a Betty Crocker cookbook as a wedding present and I still use it. I remember growing up with Campbell soup and Jello salads. Money was always tight so Mom would use pork brains (??) from a can to add to eggs to make them stretch far enough for us four kids. My first pizza was from a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chef_Boyardee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chef Boyardee<\/a> box. We never ate out at a restaurant, but I remember when a McDonald&#8217;s opened up near us (the first one in our area), and Mom took us for burgers and fries as a reward for behaving ourselves at the grocery store. That was a big deal. Church suppers were a big deal as we sampled what our friends enjoyed at their homes. Food was (and is) much more than just nourishment.<\/p>\n<p>How about you? What is your food culture? Or rather the culture you knew as a child. For many of us these days, our food cultures are diverse and delicious&#8230;but we still remember the culture of Mama&#8217;s table.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4) Relationship Hacks<\/strong> &#8211; Just a few finds on how we treat each other, and sometimes ourselves.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-C.-S.-Lewis-on-acting-like-you-love-someone-and-presently-you-will-AZ-Quotes.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28090\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-C.-S.-Lewis-on-acting-like-you-love-someone-and-presently-you-will-AZ-Quotes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-C.-S.-Lewis-on-acting-like-you-love-someone-and-presently-you-will-AZ-Quotes.jpg 850w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-C.-S.-Lewis-on-acting-like-you-love-someone-and-presently-you-will-AZ-Quotes-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-C.-S.-Lewis-on-acting-like-you-love-someone-and-presently-you-will-AZ-Quotes-768x361.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a>Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azquotes.com\/quote\/367685\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">C. S. Lewis, AZ Quotes<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\"><em>&#8220;Every day, we have the opportunity to be more thoughtful, respectful, supportive toward people living with \u2018invisible\u2019 challenges.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LEAD_Coalition\/status\/1394991979604361219\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ian Kremer<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.desiringgod.org\/articles\/someone-needs-your-encouragement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Someone Needs Your Encouragement<\/em> &#8211; Marshall Segal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/explore\/item\/5-phrases-that-make-people-discount-what-you-re-saying?utm_source=pocket-newtab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>5 Phrases that Make People Discount What You&#8217;re Saying &#8211;<\/em> Gwen Moran<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/explore\/item\/use-the-magic-5-1-ratio-to-improve-all-your-relationships?utm_source=pocket-newtab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Use the Magic 5:1 Ratio to Improve All Your Relationships<\/em> &#8211; Jessica Stillman<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/love-family\/relationships\/5-indicators-of-an-evil-heart.aspx?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=cslewis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>5 Indicators of an Evil Heart<\/em> &#8211; Signs of a Narcissistic Partner &#8211; Lesli White<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainpickings.org\/2019\/04\/15\/jacqueline-woodson-velocity-of-being\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Jacqueline Woodson&#8217;s Lovely Letter to Children About Kindness, Presence, and How Books Transform Us <\/em> &#8211; Maria Popova<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"You aren&#039;t at the mercy of your emotions -- your brain creates them | Lisa Feldman Barrett\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0gks6ceq4eQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>5) Voices of Influence &#8211; <\/strong>Amidst all the voices gracing our lives and in the news media, we have some truly stellar influencers. Below are just a few:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"73-17\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RvHYoLC84M4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.desiringgod.org\/73-17-in-the-making\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>73-17 In the Making<\/em> &#8211; Sho Baraka, Jackie Hill Perry, Propaganda<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/rappers-twitter-thread-about-human-behavior-during-pandemic-goes-viral-people-will-demand-authoritarianism-when-sufficiently-frightened?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Rapper&#8217;s Twitter Thread About Human Behavior During Pandemic Goes Viral: People Will &#8216;Demand&#8217; Authoritarianism &#8216;When Sufficiently Frightened&#8217;<\/em> &#8211; Zuby &#8211; Charlotte Pence Bond<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bdSbnbyEIbo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube Video &#8211; <em>Black Self-Making<\/em> &#8211; Glenn Loury &amp; John McWhorter<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BlKdo4xPAN0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube Video &#8211; <em>Breaking the Silence<\/em><\/a> &#8211; 2021 Documentary on psychosis and psychotic disorders. Written, directed, and produced by Dara Sanandaji.<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">___________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Have a safe weekend filled with sweet times with people you love.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><strong>Bonuses:<\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.avclub.com\/comedian-imagines-some-of-the-fellowships-road-conversa-1846983796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Comedian Imagines Some of the Fellowship&#8217;s Roadtrip Conversations Not Shown in the Lord of the Rings<\/em> &#8211; Reid McCarter<\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/explore\/item\/how-to-stop-catastrophizing-an-expert-s-guide?utm_source=pocket-newtab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>How to Stop Catastrophizing: an Expert&#8217;s Guide<\/em> &#8211; Linda Blair<\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28139\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter-300x270.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter-768x692.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Alzheimers-reducing-the-risk-Healthy-Brain-Ian-Kremer-Twitter-1024x922.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a>Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LEAD_Coalition\/status\/1398602771910307840\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter, Ian Kremer<\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ISSkMsw8eaE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube Video &#8211; <em>&#8220;Bridge Over Troubled Water&#8221;<\/em> performed by 500+ Henrico County Public School Students<\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Blog-Liberty-America-e1622669333279.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28170\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Blog-Liberty-America-e1622669333279.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3024\" height=\"4032\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Blog-Liberty-America-e1622669333279.jpg 3024w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Blog-Liberty-America-e1622669333279-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Blog-Liberty-America-e1622669333279-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3024px) 100vw, 3024px\" \/><\/a>Photo taken at the Jefferson Memorial, Three Panel<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy weekend! Here are my five faves of this week &#8211; rapid-fire. 1) Beyond the Guitar&#8217;s &#8220;Take On Me&#8221; &#8211; Nathan Mills does it again.\u00a0 He takes Norwegian band A-Ha&#8216;s 1985 hit &#8220;Take On Me&#8221; to a whole new level on classical guitar. So beautiful that lyrics aren&#8217;t needed; the nostalgia is already there. This &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=28089\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">5 Friday Faves &#8211; Beyond the Guitar&#8217;s &#8220;Take On Me&#8221;, the Woman Slowly Fading, Mama&#8217;s Table, Relationship Hacks, and Voices of Influence<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2763,957,3396,5628,926,690,371,34,1628,2126,1705,1618,1148,7027,2307,147,3976,808,249,1801,1265,903,1435,2547,109,33,2819,3742,1732,5130,293,795,2611,888,1301,432,31,789,775,55],"tags":[9282,9207,1870,2764,1416,2548,9294,9288,37,9299,9292,573,1819,9295,2094,9280,4265,9290,9291,1802,8348,9281,4118,8771,5881,9296,2878,8353,227,9284,9285,7767,4964,2771,6903,9293,21,1136,8623,1633,9298,9287,9297,9208,9283,9289,8412],"class_list":["post-28089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aging","category-alzheimers-disease","category-america","category-anxiety","category-attending-or-focus","category-babies-children","category-bookmarked-summer","category-books","category-character","category-community","category-conversations","category-courage","category-critical-thinking","category-decision-making","category-emotions","category-family-2","category-fear","category-film","category-food-drink","category-friday-faves","category-friends","category-grace","category-growing-up","category-guitar","category-home-2","category-inspired","category-kindness","category-laughter","category-leadership","category-legacy","category-life-skills","category-love-2","category-love-your-neighbor","category-memories","category-mom","category-music","category-parenting","category-relationships","category-seasons-2","category-transitions","tag-73-17-lifes-blueprint-unfolds-in-the-womb","tag-a-ha","tag-abortion","tag-aging","tag-alzheimers","tag-beyond-the-guitar","tag-breaking-the-silence","tag-bridge-over-troubled-water","tag-c-s-lewis","tag-catastrophizing","tag-charlotte-pence-bond","tag-classical-guitar","tag-culture","tag-dara-sanandaji","tag-dementia","tag-donna-ashworth","tag-encouragement","tag-food-anthropology","tag-food-snob","tag-friday-faves","tag-glenn-loury","tag-grace-paley","tag-gwen-moran","tag-ian-kremer","tag-jackie-hill-perry","tag-jacqueline-woodson","tag-jessica-stillman","tag-john-mcwhorter","tag-kindness","tag-leslie-white","tag-linda-blair","tag-lisa-feldman-barrett","tag-lord-of-the-rings","tag-maria-popova","tag-marshall-segal","tag-megan-mcardle","tag-mothering","tag-nathan-mills","tag-pandemic","tag-presence","tag-propaganda","tag-reid-mccarter","tag-sho-baraka","tag-take-on-me","tag-vince-lombardi","tag-voices-of-influence","tag-zuby"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauPAB-7j3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28089"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28281,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28089\/revisions\/28281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}