A virtual embrace

I’ve found the outpouring of love and support for RS so heartwarming these past few days and am amazed at the interconnectedness of it all. His ability to put his grief about the death of his father into song all those years ago has provided so much comfort to so many people who have experienced their own loss. And now after he experienced another enormous loss, those same people are offering words of support back to him. He expressed this idea so much more eloquently in his song, “Karma”:

As the smallest stream runs to a river
And every river runs to the sea
So every little bit of love I give to another
You know that I believe it comes back to me.

Hopefully he feels the warmth of all those virtual embraces and is comforted by them.

That being said, I thought I’d share a song that I wrote last year. I originally wrote it after hearing about the families of victims of terror attacks and natural disasters overseas, but I think it’s relevant to anyone who is grieving, especially someone on the other side of the world.

You are not alone

You are in tomorrow, I’m still in today
You can’t feel my sorrow, you’re too far away
Although we may be strangers, I’m standing by your side
Grieving in your shadow as you say your goodbyes

You are not alone
The world may seem so cold
If it brings you any solace, know
that you are not alone

In time a heart will heal, I know that’s not how you feel
I wish that I could take your pain away
Darkness on the evening news, time stands still as the world resumes
Moving forward yet stalled in yesterday

You are not alone
Though you may be far from home
If it brings you any solace, know
that you are not alone

I hope the light shines down on you to help you make it through
Bringing warmth into your world once again
Feel the love filling the air, across the miles to there from here
Reaching you whenever you need a friend

You are not alone
Although the future remains unknown
If it brings you any solace, know
that you are not alone

You are in tomorrow, I’m still in today
You can’t feel my sorrow, you’re too far away
Although we may be strangers, I’m standing by your side
Grieving in your shadow as you say your goodbyes

You are not alone
The world may seem so cold
If it brings you any solace, know
that you are not alone.

Here’s a recording if you want to hear the melody (please try to overlook the poor recording  – I realized later that the ticking was the living room clock and it’s a first attempt on writing a song on a keyboard).

XO

A beautiful tribute: ‘Hey Eileen’

The talented folks at the Rick Springfield and US fan site put together a beautiful tribute video in memory of Rick Springfield’s mom, Eileen Springthorpe, who died on Dec. 21 at age 96.

RS writes about his mother’s early years in his autobiography “Late Late at Night.” When she was 15, her parents died within months of each other and she left school to get a job and raise her younger sister, Pat, who was seven years younger than her. She met her future husband when she was a teenager and their anniversary was on Valentine’s Day. Such a sweet love story. At the time of her death, she was still living in the same house that RS lived in before moving to America, facing the tree her husband planted in the yard many years ago (he died in 1981 and she never remarried).

This video features RS’s song “Hey Eileen,” which was  on “The Day After Yesterday” and  “From The Vault (A Collection of works by Rick Springfield and Jeff Silverman).”

Cluck here for the lyrics.

Condolences and a tree

Sad news today from Rick Springfield’s social media pages- his lovely mother died today.

My Mum in Australia has passed away while facing the blue spruce that Dad planted in the yard. In lieu of flowers: https://t.co/R8UBvQ1A3Wpic.twitter.com/UmzJ6UKlql

— Rick Springfield (@rickspringfield) December 21, 2016

She turned 96 a little over a week ago. No matter what age, losing a parent is never easy and she sounded like an amazing woman. My condolences to the Springfield/Springthorpe family.

This past summer, RS’s brother, author Michael Springthorpe, posted a picture of a tree his father planted in the yard of their Melbourne home. For some reason, the idea of their father planting this tree really touched me and I ended up writing a song inspired by it. In society today, people are so eager about drawing attention to themselves (social media, selfie sticks, etc.), the idea of planting a tree just struck me as such a selfless act – the idea that their father planted this tree so many years ago and all these years later it stands tall in their yard providing shade to those who visit. In my mind, it became a metaphor for all those selfless acts that people do to benefit future generations, without any expectation of recognition or honor.

So when I read RS’s post about his mom and his dad’s tree, it reminded me of this song and I thought I’d post it here because it makes me think of his dad, who died in 1981 and is now reunited with his true love; now I will think of both of them. From what RS has written about his mom, it sounds like she was a very strong, goodhearted woman who did many selfless acts for others. Rest in peace, Eileen Louise Springthorpe.

 

Lyrics:

The tree was planted long ago
He who planted it didn’t know
Who it would shelter from the sun
He just did what needed to be done

He wasn’t seeking glory or fame
Nobody even knows his name
But the world is a better place
Because he was here

It takes only one
One kind gesture, one kind word
It takes only one
Only one to change the world

His name’s not on any building
He was never honored for his deed
He never expected recognition
He looked around and found a need

It takes only one
One kind gesture, one kind word
It takes only one
Only one to change the world

The tree was planted long ago
It took many years to grow
Now it’s time to plant our own
Because we are here

It takes only one
One kind gesture, one kind word
It takes only one
Only one to change the world
Only we can change the world.

R.S., I hope you can feel the big hug from all your fans. XO.