Alice was four years old, and couldn’t speak.  She was completely mute.

The children in her neighborhood were afraid of her because she was different, and picked on her constantly.  All the children but one.  Little Dud Leavitt.

Dudley understood somehow - at only five years old - that there was more to Alice on the inside than you could see on the outside.  Kind of like a frozen stream, where it looks lifeless on the outside, but it’s filled with a world of living things.

He made friends with her, protected her, took her with him when his Mom sent him for groceries.

She would wait for him on the broken-down porch of a house who’s paint had been taken by the weather many years ago.

One day, she dissapeared.

To this day, at over 60 years old, Dud still wonders how she is. And he remembers the magic of listening to someone who never spoke a word.

(now listen to track 10)

My dad taught me when I was little that it was important to be cheerful, to listen to the part of myself that wants to be happier.  He also taught me that I could actually be happier by looking at each day like it was a gift, and by giving my friends and family lots of attention and love.

Of course I don’t always wake up feeling so terrific.  Sometimes I  wake up worrying, or thinking about things that are wrong.

I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool if there was a song about waking up and realizing right away that the day could be anything you want it to be ?   Something that would help you listen to that part of yourself that hopes for that day to be good ?   A song that would help put you in a good mood ?

Unfortunately, I didn’t know any songs like that so . . . . . . . I  made one UP !

(now listen to track 1)

Jessi  had a friend who lived very very far away.  

This friendship grew strong and beautiful because it was built on a foundation of listening to each other. Sometimes they would spend hours just making up stories.  The two friends supported each other during hard times, and encouraged each other toward their dreams and hopes.  Each put the other’s needs before their own.  They were able to feel completely safe, even when they told each other of their fears.

One of Jessi’s fears was that now that she was an adult, she would never be cared for like a child is cared for again.  Another thing they both feared was that they may never really spend time together because they lived so far apart.

So her friend made a song for her to help with these fears, to care for her as if she were a child, and to keep hope alive that they would one day spend time together.

(now listen to track 8)