Category Archives: Videos

Winter – A Moment of Reflection on the Season

“Winter is a subtle nudge to remind us to reflect on our lives. Though we are surrounded by the chill in the air, it is also an exercise in cleansing. With each snowfall, we are given a clean slate with the innocence and beauty the white power brings.” – Mark A. Leon

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus

“Now is the winter of our discontent.” – William Shakespeare

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” – Victor Hugo

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“From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when called, gone where ordered, and defended our nation with honor.” – Solomon Ortiz

“As winter strips the leaves from around us, so that we may see the distant regions they formerly concealed, so old age takes away our enjoyments only to enlarge the prospect of the coming eternity.” – Jean Paul

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” – Edith Sitwell

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” – Lewis Carroll

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“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck

“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.” – Yoko Ono

“Melancholy were the sounds on a winter’s night.” – Virginia Woolf

“Are the days of winter sunshine just as sad for you, too? When it is misty, in the evenings, and I am out walking by myself, it seems to me that the rain is falling through my heart and causing it to crumble into ruins” – Gustave Flaubert

“My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt
away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.” – George R.R. Martin

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“A song she heard
Of cold that gathers
Like winter’s tongue
Among the shadows
It rose like blackness
In the sky
That on volcano’s
Vomit rise
A Stone of ruin
From burn to chill
Like black moonrise
Her voice fell still…” – Robert Fanney

“Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o’clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without.” – Thomas de Quincey

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“Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people’s legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.” – Sarah Addison Allen

“Winter then in its early and clear stages, was a purifying engine that ran unhindered over city and country, alerting the stars to sparkle violently and shower their silver light into the arms of bare upreaching trees. It was a mad and beautiful thing that scoured raw the souls of animals and man, driving them before it until they loved to run. And what it did to Northern forests can hardly be described, considering that it iced the branches of the sycamores on Chrystie Street and swept them back and forth until they rang like ranks of bells.” – Mark Helprin

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” – J.K. Rowling

“Is it snowing where you are? All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns. It’s late afternoon – the sun is just setting (a cold yellow colour) behind some colder violet hills, and I am up in my window seat using the last light to write to you.” – Jean Webster

“When the cold comes to New England it arrives in sheets of sleet and ice. In December, the wind wraps itself around bare trees and twists in between husbands and wives asleep in their beds. It shakes the shingles from the roofs and sifts through cracks in the plaster. The only green things left are the holly bushes and the old boxwood hedges in the village, and these are often painted white with snow. Chipmunks and weasels come to nest in basements and barns; owls find their way into attics. At night,the dark is blue and bluer still, as sapphire of night.” – Alice Hoffman

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“The season was waning fast
Our nights were growing cold at last
I took her to bed with silk and song,
‘Lay still, my love, I won’t be long;
I must prepare my body for passion.’
‘O, your body you give, but all else you ration.’
‘It is because of these dreams of a sylvan scene:
A bleeding nymph to leave me serene…
I have dreams of a trembling wench.’
‘You have dreams,’ she said, ‘that cannot be quenched.’
‘Our passion,’ said I, ‘should never be feared;
As our longing for love can never be cured.
Our want is our way and our way is our will,
We have the love, my love, that no one can kill.’
‘If night is your love, then in dreams you’ll fulfill…
This love, our love, that no one can kill.’
Yet want is my way, and my way is my will,
Thus I killed my love with a sleeping pill.” – Roman Payne

“Every Autumn now my thoughts return to snow. Snow is something I identify myself with. Like my father, I am a snow person.” – Charlie English

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.” – Siobhan Vivian


Best Friends Forever

best1

“Make sure the important people in your life know how important they are before it’s too late.” – Unknown

“Friends are family you get to choose.” – Unknown

“A true friend sees the first tear, catches the second, and stops the third.” – Unknown

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” – Henry Ford

“Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.” – Bill Watterson

“I think what makes our marriage work amid all the glare is that my husband is my best friend. He inspires everything in my life and enables me to do the best that I can. I want to hang out with him more than anyone.” – Faith Hill

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“A stranger stabs you in the front; a friend stabs you in the back; a boyfriend stabs you in the heart, but best friends only poke each other with straws.” – Unknown

“When we first talked to each other
I knew we would always be friends.
Our friendship has kept on growing
And I’ll be here for you to the end.

You listen when I have a problem
And help dry the tears from my face.
You take away my sorrow
And put happiness in its place.

We can’t forget the fun we’ve had
Laughing ’til our faces turn blue.
Talking of things only we find funny
People think we’re insane-If they only knew!

I guess this is my way of saying thanks
For catching me when I fall.
Thanks once again for being such a good friend
And being here with me through it all.” – Rachel Ellis

“There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will.” Unknown

“A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else.” – Unkown

“If you’re alone, I’ll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I’ll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I’ll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I’ll be your smile… But anytime you need a friend, I’ll just be me.” – Unknown

best3

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” – Unknown

“Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest… It’s about who came, and never left your side…” – Unknown

“The words that escape a friend’s mouth are “I’ll be there when you say you need me” but the words that are unheard from a true friend’s heart are “I’ll be there… whether you say you need me or not.” – Unknown

best4

“Because once upon a time, we were best friends. And, yes, there’s been a lot of bad stuff in between. But none of that matters right now, okay? You need me, I’m there. Any time, any place, anywhere.” – Dawson Leery, Dawson’s Creek

“When it hurts to look back, and you’re afraid to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there.” – Unknown

“Its really amazing when two strangers become the best of friends, but it’s really sad when the best of friends become two strangers.” – Raphnie

best5

“A true friend…
-Accepts you as you are
-believes in you
-calls you only to say “hello”
-doesn’t give up with you
-admires all sides of your personality
-forgives your mistakes
-helps you
-encourages you to try it again
-makes a difference in your life
-says nice things about you
-offers his/her support
-understands you
-tells you the truth
-never judges you
-explains things you don’t understand
-walks by your side
-calms down your fears
-shouts if necessary, if you don’t want to listen
-raises you spirit.” – Unknown

best6

“Of all the friends I’ve ever met, you’re the one I won’t forget and if I die before you do I’ll go to heaven and wait for you.” – Unknown

“If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t jump with them, I’d be at the bottom to catch them.” – Unknown

“Friendship is like standing on wet cement. The longer you stay, the harder it’s to leave, and you can never go without leaving your footprints behind.” – Unknown

“Anyone can make you smile or cry
But it takes someone special to make you smile
When you already have tears in your eyes” – Unknown

“Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” – Albert Camus

“I believe in angels, the kind that heaven sends. I’m surrounded by angels, and I call them my best friends.” – Pamela Daranjo

“Somewhere, there is someone who dreams of your smile and finds in your presence that life is worthwhile. So when you are lonely, remember it’s true; somebody, somewhere is thinking of you.” – Phil

“#001 – I can tell you anything and you won’t be shocked.
#004 – When I’m really down you cry with me.
#023 – I’d trust you with my life and you’d trust me with yours.
#033 – We have private jokes.
#038 – I take pleasure in your competence.
#051 – I know your moods so well that I know exactly when to press you to tell me what’s wrong- and when to leave you in peace.
#052 – You’re honest but tactful. Usually.
#054 – If I’m way out of line, you tell me.And when I’m doing a good job, you tell me that too.
#065 – You think I’m smart, capable, clever and pretty. You’re my one-woman cheering section.
#094 – Sometimes we’re under a lot of stress and we snap at each other.Look, these things happen between friends. We get past it.
#098 – You send me encouraging e-mails at critical moments and I send them to you, too.
#109 – You stop me firmly when I start apologizing for things that aren’t my fault.
#110 – You bring your problems to me and let me help you solve them.
#122 – We don’t look alike and we don’t sound alike- but we think alike on all the important things and that’s what counts.
#124 – You make room for me in your life, even when your life is crowded and busy.
#125 – I’m not embarassed to cry in front of you.
#128 – I admire your self-control: You actually think before you speak.
#132 – I appreciate how you ferret out my secrets when I really want to tell you but can’t quite bring myself to do it.
#139 – No one else gives me the total attention you do, when I have a problem or just need to talk.
#142 – I never felt that any of our arguments or disagreements would end our friendship.
#160 – When I’m procrastinating hopelessly, you give me the push I need to get going.
#175 – You know my dark side and I know yours. No judgments.
#183 – I don’t have to watch what I say when we’re talking, the way I do when I’m talking with certain other people. And you know who I mean.
#209 – Somtimes you give me tough love when I really need gentle love- but I know that’s because you’re worried about me.
#215 – There are a few dicery things lurking in my past and you’re the only one who knows about them- but you don’t hold them against me.
#226 – You love to laugh.
#230 – You’re better than a sister: No sibling rivalry.
#248 – You laugh at my jokes.
#249 – You always know the right thing to say.
#252 – Sometimes you don’t have time for me. That might make me sad or hurt for a while, but hey, you’ll be back.
#274 – Your love for me is as unconditional as mine is for you.
#300 – One hug from you is worth 10 from any other friend.
#366 – You never get clingy, but you don’t mind if I occasionally do.
#460 – You’re an angel on my shoulder.
#463 – We take pride in each other’s accomplishments.
#466 – We’ve hit a few rough spots, but with love and patience we smoothed them out.
#477 – Secrets are secrets and we’d never reveal each other’s.
#486 – The good, the bad and the ugly- we’ve been through them all and we’re still friends.
#500 – You may misbehave, I may misbehave, but best friends accept best friends, misbehavior and all. That’s how it is.” – Lorraine Bodger, 500 Reasons Why You’re My Best Friend


September 11 (9/11) Music Inspired by or provided comfort during the period the tragic events

Playlist Inspired by September 11, 2001

As we move closer to the tenth anniversary of a day we will never forget in our lifetimes and our children’s, we often take time during an anniversary to add additional reflection on the importance of this tragedy. It was a day that changed our lives and how we view life today.

As an native of the Northeast, the events of that day took on a much more personal meaning, but whether you were in New York or China, it affected each of us in a very personal way. During the period after that, musicians, artists, poets and writers, let their guard down to open up to us and share their personal feelings about the events of that day.

As a tribute to September 11, 2001 and a thank you for all those that let us in their lives, here is a playlist and select videos to help us get through this anniversary together.

You will not be forgotten


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