Family

It's a theme this week. Someone very dear to my heart wished me and my family well. I clearly don't speak to her often enough, because I have long considered her family.

There are so many people whom I consider family, some because they mean so much to me, some related by blood, some I feel a strong connection to (whether I've met them or not) and some just because I believe we are all part of a human family.

"Moments come and moments pass us by

We can make them make a difference if we try."

- Lyrics, "Family Reunion"

(Tanya Diona, Lawrence J. Diggs, Russell Graham)

A close blood relative and I used to have a saying... "(I) Love you like you're not related." At the time, we meant it as a compliment. If we loved you like you were not related, it also meant that we would be polite to you. We would take care to treat you especially well. As time went on though, the saying changed. It became, "Love you like you're related." It turned out that THAT was an even bigger compliment. It means that we'll be honest with you, even if what we have to say is not what you want to hear. It means that we feel comfortable enough to be emotional in front of you, knowing that you won't pass judgment. It means we are free to be ourselves around you. It means... everything.

"You don't think you know me

think that I'm a stranger here

Missing the connection

Running in your own direction

Overlook the similarity

in  you and me"

- Lyrics, Family Reunion

(Tanya Diona, Lawrence J. Diggs, Russell Graham)

As we wrap up this intense year, I'll take some time to reflect. I'll prioritize. I'll make sure that people whom I consider to be family know it.

Click here for "Family Reunion" on Spotify (Tanya Diona)

With Love,

T

P.S.

I hope you all know... I consider you family. Thank you for joining me here. xo

Merry Christmas

Through the years we all will be together,

if the fates allow.

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough,

and have yourself

a merry little Christmas now.

Here's wishing you a magical Christmas...

Love,

T

P.S. 

Just discovered original lyrics by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane (Ref: Wikipedia, Meet Me in St. Louis/Youtube):

"Someday soon we all will be together,

if the fates allow.

Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

xo,

T

All You Need

 

It was an actual conversation. 

Love,

T

Charity Navigator

Do you have a favorite charity? Why is it your favorite? What do they do?

I've been learning more about some on here:

Click here for CharityNavigator.org

Watching the news, I've been drawn to Feeding America this holiday season. There are so many amazing people and organizations doing extraordinary things. 

It feels like magic. The light and Love created through countless programs and charities, can warm the coldest night and illuminate the darkest hours. It reminds me of the suncatchers Zachary and I made. 

Let me know your favorites. Let's talk about them. 

Love,

T

Feeding America

This holiday season offers a magical opportunity. 

Click here for FeedingAmerica.org

I saw a post from a mom who was seeking advice on how she might explain to her kids that the Christmas gifts would be a little light this year. It got me thinking...

There are a few standout moments from years past for me. One Christmas, when I was a child, two relatives took me aside and explained that they didn't have much money that year and could only afford a very small gift. I'm not certain I was expecting anything from them because I remember being excited that I was getting a gift at all. They proceeded to hand me a plastic cup filled with chocolate. I wondered what on earth they had been talking about because I thought that was the best present ever! I couldn't tell you anything else I received that year, or even the surrounding years, but I never forgot that awesome cup of chocolates. 

One year, a friend told me about her holiday and I never forgot it. She and her roommate had absolutely no money to purchase gifts. Instead, they went around their apartment finding things and wrapping them. The kicker was that they each received things that they already owned. Imagine unwrapping a gift from your roommate to find your own hairbrush, or pair of socks! They had a blast and laughed their butts off! It also held up a mirror to all the wonderful things they already had to be grateful for.

There are so many beautiful holiday memories, but the most precious are always about the time together, the laughter, the love. This year, several people I normally exchange gifts with expressed their desire for me to make a donation in their name instead. It makes perfect sense. I can't remember a time when there was a greater need, and at this moment one dollar provides "at least 10 meals to families in need..." through Feeding America (link above).

Haven't we complained how we overdo it on gifts and lose sight of the Spirit of the holidays, or the true meaning of Christmas? We can get really creative about how we teach our children this year and make a big difference at the same time.

Here's wishing you all a Blessed holiday...

Love, 

T

The Magic Well

Do you think it still works? Walk to it. Let's see...

You push on the old wobbly wooden gate and find that it's lighter in weight than you expected. It swings silently, effortlessly. You breathe in the crisp, cool air and feel the crunch of leaves beneath your feet as you approach. Sun illuminates what's left of the few green leaves on the trees and you glimpse golden shards of shimmering light before peering into the vast empty darkness of the depths of the well.

The top rail boards are dry as a bone. You can feel granules of dust finer than sand as your hand brushes across its smooth surface. The leaves dance in the soft breeze. As your eyes close, you feel the warmth of the bright rays against them and you are one with your breath, slow and deep. It's safe here. 

You dare to see the vision, that one secret hope. It freely unfolds in your mind's eye - your deepest wish. The picture becomes more vibrant, stronger, clearer as you allow it. You must say the words now and make it official.

I wish... 

and it is done.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope it's positively magical!

Love,

T

P.S.

The moment after I created this post, my phone blinged. I looked down at it to see the words, "Jesus... liked your photo." #YouCantMakeThisStuffUp

Changing Leaves

It all started with "suppression." I was thinking of how we suppress ourselves. 

We do it. Yes we do (arguing with myself). We are all capable of infinite improvement, yet we hang on to our old ideas like our life depends on them. Why don't we just let go?

Leaves fall away and brand new growth emerges. That could be us. We don't need to keep doing things the same old way. We don't need to keep the same habits. We are fully capable of change for the good of our own selves. 

"Progress is impossible without change, 

and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

- George Bernard Shaw

Uncertainty forces us to either fear, or trust. Let's trust. Let's believe.

Here's wishing you all a safe and healthy holiday season, regardless of how different it is this year.

Love,

T

United (Angels' Anthem) - Official Lyric Video

The lyric video is here!

"United (Angels' Anthem)" conveys the idea that all people are one. It draws upon Spiritual concepts from various faiths and backgrounds, including the idea that the Divine is not only everywhere, but is within Us and part of Us - and as such, we can say (philosophically) that we are all part of each other. It's ancient mystical wisdom. The lyric is delivered from the perspective of a fleet of Angels coming to heal the world.  It is their anthem.

This song inspired an entire album! While we continue to work on mixing and mastering the whole album, we decided that the message of two songs in particular could not wait. This is the first single - the song that started us off on an incredible journey. We imagined, as Angels might, how best to heal and inspire this world and the humans in it, who may have forgotten their Divine nature and strength. Unity and Love is where we begin this musical chapter. Thank you so much for listening and allowing us to share these thoughts with you!

We'd deeply appreciate your help in spreading this message of unity by sharing it and encouraging others to share as well. Here are some additional links to "United (Angel's Anthem)" and information.

United (Angels' Anthem) on Apple Music

United (Angels' Anthem) on Spotify

TanyaDiona.com

With Love and gratitude,

T

Vote

 Vote.

Period.

Love,

T

TWO NEW RELEASES!!

Two new singles from Red Queen Records (that's us) are out now!!!

"United (Angels' Anthem)" and "Relentless" are available now on all major music platforms.

"United (Angels' Anthem) conveys the idea that all people are one. It draws upon Spiritual concepts from various faiths and backgrounds, including the idea that the Divine is not only everywhere, but is within Us and a part of Us - and as such, we can say (philosophically) that we are all part of each other. It's ancient mystical wisdom. The lyric is delivered from the perspective of a fleet of Angels coming to heal the world. These warrior Angels are here to ensure that Love will win.

Click here for "United (Angels' Anthem)" on iTunes/Apple Music

Click here for "United (Angels' Anthem)" on Spotify

"Relentless" is about the power of Love. Love will always win, and trying to fight it is a losing battle. The lyric is delivered from the perspective of Love herself (apparently I just made Love a "she"). If Love could speak, she might say something like this...

Click here for "Relentless" on iTunes/Apple Music

Click here for "Relentless" on Spotify

There is so much to tell you about the songs, the journey, the artwork, the upcoming videos and more! We will be posting all kinds of fun things in the weeks and months to come. Why on earth did we release TWO songs in two days? (Thinking...) Probably because doing one thing at a time is just not something I can do??? Because I LIKE making an impossible amount of work the norm? Because sleeping at night is totally overrated? SMH. 

In reality, I think it has more to do with the times. It's the message. Millions of people are talking about how crazy these times are now. We feel like these songs convey a message and a Spirit that needs to be heard and felt. Now. Right now.

We thank you in advance for liking and sharing and being a part of spreading messages of Love and Unity. 

Love,

T

(and Russ and the team here at Red Queen Records)

xo

I Voted

 

Also...

Also...

That's all I have to say about that - for now.

#GetYourVoteOn

Click here for: whenweallvote.org

Love,

T

Skyways

 When the world goes all sideways, there are still some things you can count on.

The sky.

Miracles happen. Scary things can produce sweet things.

You can always look up.

When the world seems like an untamed jungle, without a clear path...

Some things remain.

The wind itself can carry seeds of change.

#faith

Blessed week!

Love,

T

Strength of Character

It takes a TRULY WEAK man to put others in danger in order to satisfy his own personal needs.

Think.

About.

That.

Then vote.

And don't DARE have the nerve or enough stupidity to tell me that you are voting for him because of your "morals." There comes a time when you have to grow up. This is not a TV show. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Here. In the United States. 

STRENGTH is when someone charged with the health and well being of the citizenship of an entire country actually takes responsibility for them and places their needs above their own. STRENGTH is Love, and Love is not selfish. STRENGTH is NOT what we witnessed today (Monday, October 5th, 2020) during the entire broadcast of what is normally the national news. That was a clear effort to fool people and dominate the media. What we have seen, and continue to see from the man we call President, is NOTHING but weakness. 

To people who know the True Strength and Power of Love - stay strong. Love is going to win. Love always wins. Amen.

Love,

T

The Miracle of the Squirrel

 The squirrel was no where to be found. 

After being accidentally sprayed with the hose, it scampered off into the leafy brush behind the fence. I pulled out my “mom voice” and told the boy to apologize to that squirrel. 

“But the squirrel is not there!” he protested. I instructed Zachary to apologize out loud anyway, then say a prayer for God to give the squirrel the message. After doing that, we got an idea.

We had peanuts! Why not make amends by providing a little snack on top of the fence? I had to lift Zachary up so he could line up the peanuts himself. In the morning, if they were gone, we might assume the little creature got the message from God.

Within minutes, he was back! We didn’t have to wait or assume anything. God delivers messages. Period.

Blessed week everyone!

Love,

T

Simple Joy

Sometimes, even when the world is going crazy, I'm reminded that the purest of joy can be found while simply jumping off of a rock.

In short... go jump off a rock.

LOL

Love you,

T

Defiance

Happiness is this week's most gratifying act of defiance for me. 

Last week I got SLAMMED with hate. My "Vote Blue" video inspired opposition, insults, accusations and threats. Whew! I was deleting left and right! The thing is, it didn't bother me at all. If people were trying to intimidate me into silence or submission, then the result is actually pretty funny. It only fuels my resolve to speak out more. 

There's no way I'm going to waste any time being upset about it. Half of these people aren't even real! It's amazing how the most vocal and aggressive opposition comes from accounts that have no name, no content and no followers. I suspect even ones that have some (minimal) information are fraudulent. 

#BeeHappy

Some people just want you to be angry. I'm not going to give anyone that kind of power over me. I can fight harder and more effectively when I stand in a place of strength. NOTHING has more strength than Love. Nothing. Moments of happiness, laughter, joy are more than precious. They are potent nutrients, powerful beyond measure. Follow these. Stand on these. Balance on these. Fight with everything you have for these. They bring peace. They are transformative. If we root ourselves in these Truths, these shimmering golden moments - we can change the world and that is EXACTLY what we are going to do. 

Keep the faith. 

Love,

T

The Magic of "Delete"

Nope. I'm just not going to argue with people who refuse to see it. The delete button is magical. The block feature is like a most wonderful spa experience. It's "Troll Be Gone." Poof! Then I can get back to work. Stay centered. Stay focused. There's a lot of work to do.

Things like this... there is no justification for this type of behavior. The man you call "President" has just tweeted out to 85.8 million followers - that "Rochester N.Y., Brooklyn N.Y, Portland - All had bad nights, all weakly run by Radical Left Democrat Governors and Mayors! Get the picture?"

The mayor of Rochester said THIS of the peaceful protest:

"Last night, the world saw the true spirit of Rochester," Mayor Lovely Warren said in a statement Monday. "Over 1,000 people came together in solidarity to remember the life of Daniel Prude and call for the change that is needed to overcome structural and institutional racism. I am grateful to Pastor Myra Brown, our community elders, and the leaders of the local Black Live[s] Matter movement for helping ensure calm while making their message heard. I am also glad that our Rochester Police Department and Chief Singletary followed my edict to adopt a smaller and more restrained posture. It is clear to me that their actions were crucial to the peace we saw last night."

Click here for 13WHAM.com "After peaceful protest Sunday..."

"Lastly," she continued, "I ask that all involved ignore the commentary from the President. It is clear [that] his only desire is to bait people to act with hate and incite violence that he believes will benefit him politically. We will not give him what he wants. We will continue to act with grace and do the work necessary [to] improve Rochester and our entire community."

If you are someone who thinks science is mythical and racism doesn't exist - I do not have time to argue with you. If you think that there is some righteous or moral reason to justify all of the obvious and disgusting qualities of this President and his enablers... You. Are. Wrong. 

This is no time to take anything for granted. We can not just "hope" things will change or get better.

Go to JoeBiden.com - if you haven't already. It's time to work.

https://joebiden.com

I'm from Western New York. I've spent a lot of time in Rochester. Many people I know, love and work with are from there. As we speak, an artist in Rochester is delivering artwork she has created, to be the cover art of one of my new songs. It's about the relentless power of Love. Those whose source is Love - will not and can not stand for division and hatred. To deliberately inspire those shadowy aspects of human nature is to work against the light. Love will win.

Love,

T

The Decision Is Real

I'm going to call it a decision, rather than a struggle. The decision is real because when I woke up this morning, the first thing I saw was this draft (for Instagram) that I had planned on posting today:

"Hello Sunshine! Have a beautiful day! 💛 ☀️ xo!
#sunshine #flowers #goodday #positivity #positivevibes #positiveenergy #instamood #smile #Love"

Within seconds, I also saw the news. Trump supporters had rolled into Portland, instigating violence and antagonizing others with paint guns and bear mace. One of them had been killed. The president tweeted sympathies. (Stop.) He has displayed a complete LACK of sympathy for COUNTLESS others killed while peaceful protesters have been demonized, abused and murdered as well. NOW there is a sympathy tweet? "HOW DARE YOU?" - was the most polite thought that came to mind. How dare you use someone's death to feign concern, then hide behind that facade when those you ignore and oppress are rightfully enraged by your complete BULL. Meanwhile, scores of spin doctors go to work propagating false narratives designed to take advantage of our basic human frailties and desires to lash out and blame someone. They turn Truth inside out and have people fighting AGAINST their own values!

I maintain that our actions and our mindset are choices we make. THEY do not have to be a struggle. We can choose to act with positive energy, self care, happiness, kindness, understanding and Love. This DOES NOT mean we need to be silent or complicit about any of the issues we are passionate about.

We can fight hard and also adjust the level of our personal emotions to whatever degree we choose or can tolerate. We know our own breaking point. Let's keep the gauge within the realm of survival, and stand strong. Our interiors need strength in order to make "good trouble" externally.

I posted my original "sunshine" post. NO ONE is going to stop me from spreading Love.

Thus fortified, my eyes open wider to injustice and deliberate deception. It absolutely disgusts me to see opportunists selling what I call "fake empowerment." How on earth any person or group of people can manage to take their hate and craving for power and supremacy, repackage it in the form of self-righteousness and Christian values, then capitalize on people's fear, frustration and sometimes ignorance, is almost beyond comprehension. As sickening as this is, we can not allow it to make US sick.

Nourish yourself - then fight like hell. Stand in your truth and stand in Love. Find strength in positivity and happiness. Follow joy. Don't be afraid to glow. SHINE ON. Don't get lost in it. Feed on it. Balance. Then take that strength and...

KICK.

HATE'S.

ASS.

We are tasked with healing the world.

Love,
T

#Biden2020 #DumpTrump #Vote #StayStrong #StaySafe

Outward Appearances

You might think, "Aw! Look at that happy family!"

You might just as easily gasp and exclaim, "WHERE ARE THEIR MASKS?! How could they put everyone else in danger like that!?" and get mad as hell.

Meanwhile... after trying to record our next little family video without success and a series of other frustrations, we needed a mental health break.

It had been our second or third day's attempt at recording the new song for a variety of reasons, some of which I have chosen to forget, including someone needing ice for a bumped head, the screeching of nonsense words instead of lyrics or pleasant sounds, phone storage running out of space and/or a toy piano crashing to the floor. You get the idea.

It was "one of those days" when nothing was going smoothly and everything turned into a drama. I had just finished cleaning up some kind of accidental mess with the vacuum when Zachary decided to play "leaf blower" with the vacuum hose, which was all well and good until he swung it down too hard and sent a plume of dirt and dust particles flying all over the living room and into his hair. Oh - and did I fail to mention this was after I had already given him an unexpected shower for some other sticky mess (under protest) that morning?

We really just had to leave the house before mommy lost it completely.

Dogs were let out, sunscreen was applied, camera and masks were grabbed, and we set off in search of some pretty flowers to take pictures of. The car steered itself toward the beach. I had no idea if it was even open.

It was, but without this year's parking pass, we parked almost a mile away and I still wasn't sure we would make it, or if we would encounter too many people along the way. Although prepared to turn around, we were able to walk along a grassy stretch without anyone coming close and once we made it to the beach, there were very few people, all sufficiently spread out. Zachary had a blast in the sand, making a fine mess to his heart's content, and I had a much needed detox and break. The water is so beautiful and calming.

It was the perfect reset button.

My point is that in times like these, we might choose to remember that things aren't always what they seem and we would do well to exercise a little patience with others. We never know what kind of day they're having - regardless of their smile.

Love,
T

Speaking Season

Don't let the mask fool you. I can speak just as clearly with it on.

Now is not quiet time. 

Speak up. Don't be afraid. Don't be intimidated. Don't be discouraged. 

It will not be my full time job to argue with people who disagree.

A difference will be made and I will be a part of THAT. There will be no time allotted for haters.

We are all human brothers and sisters and we are going to work together towards fixing this - all of it - the best we can. It will not be perfect. We are, and always will be, a work in progress.

Gotta go. There's a convention that's about to begin. 

Love,

T

Tattered...

It's tattered and torn, but still illuminated from within and leaning toward the sun. There was a lot of that around the neighborhood this week.

We were among those fortunate to have not lost power.

Hundreds of thousands of households JUST got back up and running today (Sunday, as I write this).

What's truly amazing is the ability to persevere...

and the new growth precipitated by the rain.

Love,
T