Be a Friend to Your Heart

My soul is singing.

First, on the finis to our Pilgrimage in February we were gifted with Inge Haghighi's "Eternal Sun"*, her sweet pear nectar voice singing odes of love to Baha'u'llah. Then our friend George's "Happy Ayyam-i-Ha" mix # 9 sprinkled with tantalizing scents wafting from the delicious musical pilaf [which I had to obtain ASAP] the lovely new release from Russ Salton, "Smile."** Russ, this one is seasoned just right.

I think I've found the musical cure for depression, stress, madness and sadness.

"See the world as one human race/ Love is all around . . . "; "Let the Spring refresh one and all/ Every soul can answer the call/ Give a little love friend or foe/ Love is all around."

Russ' melodies are sweet and snappy, and his themes are deep. "The Greatest Leaf," with words by Todd Kutches and music by Russ Salton, is haunting, celebrating the life of the daughter of Baha'u'llah who gave her entire life to the Cause of God, even renouncing marriage to be as available as possible in love and service to her Father and family as they were exiled farther and farther from their homeland in Iran, to the Most Great Prison in Akka, Israel . . . "Great Leaf in the desert blowing/ to the winds of the Will of God . . . "

The songs in "Smile" will have you smiling, foot tapping, finger-snapping, all words of encouragement. "And even if you have to stumble and start/ And everybody's trying to pick you apart/ Don't take it in just be a friend to your heart/ Be good to yourself." Thank you, Russ. For now, I'm trying to retrain my face, even if it takes another 52 years. 'Cause, "Anytime's a better time and everytime will always be the right time to smile . . . best of all, it's free." And freeing.

What a gift.

*www.ingehaghighi.com
** www.RussSalton.com