For my thirteenth Seasonal Saturday, and in keeping with the theme of my birthday week, I am going to choose one of my favorite songs ever. I am going to choose one of my favorite Beatles songs too. I am going to choose their song that led off the second side of the White Album, "Birthday". 

The lyrics of this song are so fun. The only chorus goes, "You say it's your Birthday. It's my birthday too yeah. They say it's your Birthday. We're gonna have a good time. I'm glad it's your birthday, Happy Birthday to you." Then the bridge goes, "Yes we're going to a party, party. Yes we're going to a party, party. Yes we're going to a party, party."

Then the only verse goes, "I would like you to dance, Birthday, take a cha-cha-cha chance, Birthday. I would like you to dance, Birthday, dance!" Then there is a musical break, then the verse and chorus repeats, and then the song ends. 

I love this song because it is so much fun to listen to, and to sing. I have seen this song twice live, at Citi Field in 2009, and Yankee Stadium in 2011. I listen to this song every year on my birthday, and with my birthday being tomorrow, I figured let's use my Seasonal Saturday platform to choose this song. 

I hope that you all enjoy the song, and are able to use it for your birthday too!

Have you ever heard this song before? Has this song ever been played for your Birthday? Do you think that this is a fun song to sing for a Birthday?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "Anyone can hold the helm, when the sea is calm." - Publilius Syrus
"Nothing makes one feel so strong as a call for help." - Pope Blessed Paul VI
"Love looks through a telescope. Envy, through a microscope." - Josh Billings
"Tact is the ability, to describe others as they see themselves." - President Abraham Lincoln

For my twelfth Seasonal Saturday, I am going to write about a song that is perfect for the Stanley Cup Playoffs which are right around the corner. I am going to write about a song for my favorite hockey team. I am going to write about the goal horn for the New York Islanders.

There are no lyrics in this song, as it is just instrumental, but there are five parts to this theme song. The first part is the blaring of a boat horn three times. Then there is the main part of the theme, when the song "Crowd Noise", by Joe Satriani starts to play. Basically what happens is that the guitar will do a riff, and then us, the crowd, will copy that exact same riff. After a few riffs, the third part comes in which is the woo-ing that we do a few times. After that, we have the fourth part be a reverb-filled organ piece. Then, to top it all off, we have the recently retired WWE star Daniel Bryan's "Yes, Yes, Yes!" chant. 

I love hearing this, because it means that the Islanders have just scored a goal, and that we might be winning. There is nothing like hearing this thing go off in person, especially in the playoffs. I don't know what that is going to be like in the new Barclay's Center, but I can tell you from experience, that the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, got pretty loud for the playoffs.

Hopefully, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs coming up, we will be able to win our first playoff series since 1993, and make the Drive for Five, a reality!

I hope that you all enjoyed this, and that you are rooting for the Islanders, come next week!

Have you ever heard this song before? Have you ever been to an Islanders game, and heard it live? What do you think about this goal horn song?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it then, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou
"To be is to do." - Immanuel Kant
"We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love." - Sigmund Freud

For my eleventh Seasonal Saturday, and in keeping with the theme of Holy Week, I am going to write about a song that is so beautiful. I am going to write about a song that has such a powerful message. I am going to write about Josh Groban's hit song, "You Raise Me Up".

The lyrics are so beautiful guys. The first verse says, "When I am down, and oh my soul, so weary. When troubles come and my heart burdened be. Then I am still and wait here in the silence. Until you come and sit awhile with me." Then the chorus goes, "You Raise Me Up, so I can stand on mountains. You Raise Me Up, to walk on stormy seas. I am strong, when I am on your shoulders. You Raise Me Up, to more than I can be." That then repeats one more time.

The second verse says, "There is no life, no life without its hunger. Each restless heart beats so imperfectly. But when you come and I am filled with wonder. Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity." Then the chorus repeats twice more, and then the song ends.

This song is so beautiful, because its message is so large. What its message is, is that whoever helps you through a situation, will help raise you up. In this song, it is so open to who you want it to be. It can be God, a family member, a friend, or even a stranger. In my case, I am writing it as God as the person, because today is Holy Saturday, and tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and this song goes so well with the whole theme of Easter.

I hope that you all enjoy the song, and all enjoy this Holy Week-weekend!

Have you ever heard this song before? Do you think that this song has a good message? When you hear the song, who does the "You" in song mean for you?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred let me so love." - St. Francis of Assisi
​"A great work is made out of a combination of obedience and liberty." - Nadia Boulanger 
"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold." - Zelda Fitzgerald 

(I am also dedicating this post, and this song, to my Uncle Bill. He passed away this past Monday, from a hard-fought battle with depression and substance abuse, after losing his wife suddenly seven years ago. That is the reason that the posts have been very late this week, because I have been seeing my family members, and also going to things like the funeral home. It was a very sad time, but he is at peace now, and we are all happy, that he is now very, very happy.)

Rest in Peace - William Bruce Graham Sr. - November 16th, 1948 - March 21st, 2016

For my tenth Seasonal Saturday, I am going to write about a song that we sung at our final Senior Prayer service at Kellenberg. I am going to write about a great song about faith. I am going to write about Sanctus Real's song, "Lead Me".

The lyrics of this song are very beautiful. The first verse says, "I look around, and see my wonderful life, almost perfect, from the outside. In picture frames, I see my beautiful wife, always smiling, but on the inside, I can here her saying..." Then the chorus says, "Lead Me, with strong hands, stand up, when I can't. Don't leave me, hungry for love chasing dreams, what about us? Show me, you're willing to fight, that I'm still the love of your life. I know we, call this our home, but I, still feel, alone."

Then the second verse goes, "I see their faces, in their innocent eyes, they're just children, on the outside. I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine, they're independent, but on the inside, I can hear them saying." Then the chorus comes in again. Then the bridge says, "Oh, Father, give me the strength, to be everything I'm called to be. Oh, Father, show me the way, to lead them, won't you lead me?"

Then the chorus changes this time around, as they now talk about the other people, as now they say "To lead them with strong hands, to stand up, when they can't, don't want to leave them, hungry for love, chasing dreams, that I could give up. I'll show them, I'm willing to fight, and give them the best of my life. So we can, call this our home, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone."

​I love this song because it is such a great song to sing. It is a lot of fun to listen to, and its message is such a huge one. What the message is, is that we think we know it all, but we need to be lead by God, in everything that we do. I try to follow that every single day of my life.

I hope you enjoy the song like I do, and share it around, for this Holy Week!

Did you enjoy the song? What was your favorite line(s)? Would you share this song with your friends and / or family?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." - Stephen Hawking 
"Heaven grant us patience, with a man in love." - Rudyard Kipling
"Computers are useless, they only give you the answers." - Pablo Picasso 

For my ninth Seasonal Saturday, I am going to write about a song that I loved to sing when I was back in Kellenberg. I am going to write about a song that was known as the song of my Class of 2015. I am going to write about MercyMe's biggest hit song, "I Can Only Imagine".

The lyrics of this song are so beautiful. The first verse says, "I Can Only Imagine, what it will be like, when I walk, by your side. I Can Only Imagine, what my eyes will see, when your face is before me. I Can Only Imagine." Then the chorus goes, "Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I Can Only Imagine, I Can Only Imagine."

The second and last verse says, "I Can Only Imagine, when that day comes, and I find myself standing in the Sun. I Can Only Imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship you. I Can Only Imagine, I Can Only Imagine." Then the chorus repeats twice and the song ends.

I love this song because it has such a great message. Its message is that the speaker can only imagine what he or she is going to do when they reach heaven. Are they going to go crazy in worship, or are they going to be scared stiff in awe of God. Are they going to be dancing, or standing upright. It really is a great question to ask yourself, in what are you going to do when you get up there.

I learned this song in Mrs. Zider's class during like the second week of my Freshman year of Kellenberg Memorial High School, all the way back in September of 2011. I also remember when we used to sing this song during our school masses. I was lucky enough to see MercyMe play this song, in a post-game concert at Citi Field, after a Mets game a couple of years ago.

Also, when we were down in Disney for my senior trip last May, we were surprised with this song, and when I say every single person, no matter how tough or 'cool' you were sung this song, I mean that every single person was singing this song. It was a tear-jerker for sure!

Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy this song, and love it as much as I do!

Did you guys enjoy this song? Do you like the song as much as I do? Do you think that this song has a great message?

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca
"Love does not dominate; it cultivates." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." - Mattie Stepanek

For my eighth Seasonal Saturday, I am going to choose a song that I loved during my time at Kellenberg. I am going to choose another song from Steven Curtis Chapman, and that is his song, "Live Out Loud".

The lyrics in this song are so cool. The first verse says, "Imagine this... I get a phone call from Regis. Says do you want to be a millionaire. They put me on the show, and I win with two lifelines to spare. Now picture this... I act like nothin' ever happened, and carry all my money in a coffee can. Well, I've been given more than Regis ever gave away. I was a dead man who was called to come out of my grave. And I think it's time for making some noise."

Then the chorus says, "Wake the neighbors, get the word out. Come on, thank crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout. This is life we've been given, can't you feel it now. So la, la, la, la, la, live out loud. Live out loud yeah, yeah."

Then the second verse says, "Think about this... try to keep a bird from singin', after it's soared up in the sky. Give the sun a cloudless day and tell it not to shine. Now think about this... If we really have been given, the gift of a life that will never end. And if we have been filled with living hope we're gonna overflow. And if God's love is burning in our hearts we're gonna glow. There's just no way to keep it in." Then the chorus repeats itself again, then there is a bridge of la-la-ing, then the chorus comes in again to end the song.

​I love this song so much, because it has such a great beat to it, and it is so much fun to sing the chorus. The meaning behind the lyrics is also so great. What it is saying is that we shouldn't be afraid to live out your faith in public. That you should be proud of what you have been given and that you should go to the mountain tops, and shout that you are living your faith out loud, and out in the open.

I hope that you all enjoy this song, and you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Did you like the song? What were your favorite parts of it? Do you find it as catchy as I do?

Peace and Love,
DGS

​Quotes of the Day: "If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves." - Thomas A. Edison
"If you wish to be loved, show more of your faults, than your virtues." - Edward G. Buller-Lytton
"Where a man's heart is, there is his treasure also." - St. Ambrose

For my seventh Seasonal Saturday, I am going to write about the first song that I ever heard in Kellenberg Memorial High School, back when I was in seventh grade and going through the open house, and the first holy song I ever was taught in Triple A, (when you're an incoming Freshman in Kellenberg, you have to go to school three days before class begins, to get acquainted with everything and everyone.) That is "Dive", by Steven Curtis Chapman.

The lyrics speak so much to me, as a great message of my faith. The first verse says, "The long awaited rains, have fallen hard upon the thirsty ground. And carved their way to where the wild and rushing river can be found. And like the rain, I have been carried here to where the river flows, yeah." Then the second verse says, "My heart is racing and my knees are weak. As I walk to the edge, I know that there's no turning back. Once my feet have left the ledge, and in the rush I hear a voice, that's telling me it's time to take the leap of faith, so here I go!" 

Then this is what the chorus says, "I'm diving in, Im going deep, in over my head I want to be, caught in the rush, tossed in the flow, in over my head I want to go. The river's deep, the river's wide, the river's water is alive. So sink or swim, I'm diving in. (I'm diving in)"

Then the third verse says, "There is a supernatural power, in this mighty river's flow. It can bring the dead to life, and it can fill an empty soul. And give a heart the only thing worth living, and worth dying for, yeah." Then the fourth verse says, "But we never know the awesome power of the Grace of God. Until we let ourselves get swept away, into this Holy flood. So if you'll take my hand, we'll close our eyes and count to three, and take the leap of faith, come on let's go." Then the chorus repeats again, and then there is a small instrumental break, followed by the chorus twice, and an ending tag. 

This song has such a great message behind it, and that message is that if God's love is like a river, like a pond, whatever body of water you want, you should jump in, and be healed and saved. 

This song was and is so much fun to sing in school. Sometimes I will be humming it on my way from class to class, and I was always singing it, when it came on in homeroom all four years back in Kellenberg.

I am so happy that I got to learn this song all those years ago, and I hope that you all will enjoy this song, as much as I do!

Have you ever heard this song before? Did you like this song like I do? 

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "Teach by works, more than by words." - St. Teresa of Avila
"Do whatever he tells you... always!" - Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (I had to throw that one in there. Saw that one around the halls of Kellenberg for four years!)
"You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all!" - St. Therese of Lisieux 

(Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, and for all Catholics, that means that Lent has started, and as promised in my Blog's 100th Day Milestone, I said that for every Saturday this Lent I was going to pick a holy song that I love to sing, that normally wouldn't get put into Tune Tuesdays, to get us in the Lenten Spirt.)

For my sixth Seasonal Saturday, I am going to choose one of my all-time favorite songs that we play in Mass during the entire year, but especially Lent, and that is "Companions On The Journey"

I have loved this song ever since I was really young at Sacred Heart. It was played at my sisters Baptism, way back in the summer of 2003, and that was when I can remember singing this song the earliest. 

The song starts with the refrain, which says, "We are Companions On The Journey. Breaking bread and sharing life. And in the love we bear and the hope we share, we believe in the love of our God. We believe in the love of our God." The first verse says, "No longer strangers to each other. No longer strangers in God's house. We are fed and we are nourished, by the strength of those who care. By the strength of those who care."

Then the refrain goes on again, and then we hear the second verse, "We have been gifted with each other, and we are called by the Word of the Lord. To at with justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with our God. To walk humbly with our God. Then the refrain comes in again, and usually in Mass the songs end, even though there is two more verses to go. Those are usually never sung.

I love this song because it has a nice feel, and its message is so strong! What it is saying is that we are not alone in our journey towards Jesus. We are all on the journey together, and we need to break bread and share life and love together, and in doing all of these things we believe in the love of our God. I love when this song gets played during Lent, and also, since Catholicism is so laid out in black and white, this song is playing tomorrow in my Churches 10 A.M. Mass. Like how cool is that. Totally unplanned, and a total surprise!

But anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this song, and get ready for some excellent 'Jesus Jams' over the next few weeks. Also as we get closer to Easter, the Tune Tuesday's, like Christmas, are going to turn over to Jesus Jams too!

Did you like this song? Have you ever heard this song in Mass before? What is your favorite lyric in this song?

(Also remember, I had to find a recording of this song. This song might sound weak... because this version is. Where there is a full chorus, and an organ and stuff behind it, it is a great song! Always, hope you guys enjoy it!)

Peace and Love,
DGS

Quotes of the Day: "I'd rather laugh with the sinners, then cry with the saints. The sinners are much more, cause Only The Good Die Young!" - Billy Joel
"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." - St. Patrick
"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did." - St. Maximillian Kolbe