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Welcome to the Blaising View blog, where I share treasures I find to enrich your life now.

Cross your bridge and thrive over troubled waters

Posted by Steve Blaising6 Comments

We all encounter troubled waters. The question is how we cross them.

Bridge Over Troubled Water, the celebrated Simon & Garfunkel classic, offers a surprisingly timeless compass.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Whatever you’re looking for, look for…

  • loyalty . . . I’m on your side
  • compassion . . . I will comfort you
  • encouragement . . . Sail on silver girl
  • vision . . . All your dreams are on their way
  • companionship . . . I’m sailing right behind

…and you will thrive over troubled waters.

More than half a century after its release, the song still inspires hope.

At Christmas in 2022, our family crowded around the television to watch the CBS special celebrating Paul Simon’s extraordinary music.

We found three treasures in what Stevie Wonder calls “one of the most beautiful songs ever written.”

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Cross your bridge and thrive over troubled waters

Snatch a Superior Gift That Can Make You Wealthy

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Wealthy folks know the kind of gift that can be fashioned into maximum reward.

intangible gift of wealth
Searching for the ultimate gift/photo by Chris Moore on Unsplash

One of the foremost is any skill, plan or investment that multiplies wealth.

But, the affluent also know that material wealth is no barrier to despair.

That’s why intrigue peaks this time of year around the Magi who ventured thousands of miles to the first Christmas.

They found four gifts that add up to prosperity and satisfaction.

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Snatch a Superior Gift That Can Make You Wealthy

How Jazz Music Brightens Holiday Hope in Five Claps

Posted by Steve Blaising4 Comments

I love jazz in the holidays because it soothes suffering while lighting a path to joy.

First lady of jazz
Billie Holiday at the Downbeat club in New York City, 1947/Wikimedia Commons

And yet, the music was born out of sorrow in slavery.

Listening to jazz with slavery in mind recalls the pain of our African American sisters and brothers.

“The foundation of the United States rests on the sweat of my people.” Duke Ellington

But, good jazz makes its way to deliverance.

Five claps take us there.

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How Jazz Music Brightens Holiday Hope in Five Claps