Earlier this week I had the privilege of interviewing with Gina Colvin, host of A Thoughtful Faith Podcast. I share my life story growing up in the entertainment business with a professional musician as a father, my development as a performing songwriter, my life choices of marriage and motherhood, my experiences as a Mormon woman and as a therapist for Mormon women for twenty years, and my evolving view of creativity. We also talked about my hopes for cultural transformation in the Mormon church. Gina and I could have talked for hours, but we contained it to only 2 & 1/2 hours (consider yourself warned)! Thank you Gina for a delightful conversation and for helping me to articulate my thoughts, feelings,hopes and dreams.
I’m breaking out my guitar and brushing up on my piano songs for a rare concert on Oct. 18 in Idaho Falls for an audience of all women. If you’re in the ID Falls area I hope you’ll join me and help me spread the word!
As part of my Burnout Cure Book Blog Tour I share a guest post today on the website 24SaltLake.com about my motivation for writing the song “Molly Mormon Died Today!”
Gratitude and love to all of you who attending my concert last week at Brigham Pianos in American Fork, UT. I loved putting on my singer-songwriter hat for an evening and spending it with so many friends and fans. It was a special treat to have my dad, Lex de Azevedo accompany me on several songs. At the last minute I decided to record the concert and Doug Larson of Pointe Digital graciously filmed the evening.
Here’s the song “Feel The Fire” (iTunes). We’ll be editing and posting more song videos soon so please check back.
Feel The Fire
(Written by Julie de Azevedo & Tyler Castleton)
Holy breath
Move in me
Warm my soul
Fill my need
I’ve grown so cold
From bitter rain
I need to feel the fire again
While I often in a song here and there during workshops and keynotes, It’s been several years since I’ve done a full concert. So when Brigham Concert Series invited me to perform as part of their concert series I thought it would be fun to dust off my guitar, practice piano a bit, and take a musical walk down memory lane.
Since the venue is small, only 100 seats, I thought it would be fun to invite my dad Lex de Azevedo to accompany me on several songs. Who knows? Maybe we’ll break into a little Saturday’s Warrior/My Turn on Earth Medley. It’s going to be a low-key, casual, intimate event. I hope you’ll join me.
When:
THIS Friday, February 8 8:00 PM (Doors open at 7:30 pm)
It’s not often that I blog about other artist’s music. Mostly because I write about mental health and relationship topics these days, but also because it takes a lot for me to be really moved by a new artist. I prefer singer-songwriters who have a unique voice or style and who has something important to say. Occasionally, an artist comes along that I fall in love with and I can’t help but spread the word. Enter Calee Reed. A little flattery doesn’t hurt either…Calee says that my music has inspired her over the years. I have a passion for mentoring younger women and so knowing this makes me smile (and feel kinda old).
Calee began writing songs for her album “The Waiting Place” while watching her mother suffer from terminal cancer. During this trying time in her life, music lifted her up and helped her cope – and she is compelled to share that hope with others who might be enduring similar challenges. Her first single and music video She Put the Music in Me is a touching tribute to her mother’s love. Before you start the video, grab a tissue. Consider yourself warned…
Last month my husband and I were in England picking up my oldest son from a two-year full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One Saturday night I forgot to turn off the sound on my cell phone and throughout the night I heard texts and tweets dinging. When I woke up, my husband said, “There’s something on your phone about President Monson. Groggy and confused I looked at my phone and there were several messages saying, “President Thomas S. Monson (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) quoted your lyrics to ‘Keeper Of The Flame” last night in the General Young Women’s Conference!”
“Seriously?” I thought. My hubby and I went online to see if we could find the video. We found it and I watched in amazement as President Monson quoted me by name and read some of the lyrics to my song. When ever I’ve thought about it since I giggle and smile. What an incredible honor…
Since 1987 I’ve contributed songs for BYU’s Especially For Youth’s theme CD’s. Keeper Of The Flame was written for the 1997 CD “Treasure The Truth”. I usually don’t like to write songs around certain topic because I usually write when things “come up” and prefer not to write “on demand.” Writing with a certain topic in mind tends to feel contrived and less honest to me. But this song was different. It did feel honest. In thinking about what truth I treasure it is my testimony and the experiences that have shaped it. By 1997 I had had enough life experience to know that there are many internal struggles and doubts and external life’s circumstances that can dim the flame of testimony if we’re not careful. I wanted to share with the youth the importance of guarding their flame of testimony, no matter what.
Download on iTunes
Keeper Of The Flame (Vocal by Katherine Nelson, 1997, From the CD “Treasure the Truth: Especially For Youth”
Believing, receiving the burning inside
Learning and yearning for greater light
Melting the frost
Moving the lost
Chorus
Through the winds of change
Encircled by the clouds of pain
I guard it with my life
I need the warmth I need the light
Though the storm will rage
I stand against the pounding rain
I remain a keeper of the flame
Inspiring fire blazing in truth
Living and giving
Leading to You
Filling my soul
Willing to go
Repeat Chorus
I remain a keeper of the flame
(c) 1997 Julie de Azevedo
Are there any of my songs that you’d like to know more about? Post your suggestions below.
Self-esteem comes from the inside, but sometimes what’s going happening on the outside can shake your self -confidence. Therapist, Julie Hanks, has tips to survive bad hair days and beyond.
1) Bad Hair Day
Sometimes even small appearance flaws can ruin your day! A big blemish on your face, bad hair day, a skin rash can leave you feeling self-conscious.
Tip: “Unlink” self-esteem and appearance
While appearance often impacts how you feel about yourselves, it doesn’t have to define you.
Tip: Remember that you are not your body
“You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.” C.S. Lewis quotes
2) After Baby Body
With every good change in life there are also accompanying losses. Body changes are the price you agree to pay for carrying and delivering a baby.
Tip: Give yourself permission to grieve the losses
Your hips may never be the same size again, the stretch marks are here to stay. Feel the sadness about the changes and then move forward.
Tip: Buy clothes that fit at current size
Don’t wait until you get your pre-baby body back to present your best self. Treat your self as you would have before baby. Don’t wait until you hit a magic size or number on the scale.
3) Signs Of Aging
As a society, we tend to value youthfulness, especially in women’s appearance. While aging men are often though of as “distinguished”, aging women are regarded as “less attractive”.
Tip: Reframe aging as evidence of experience and learning
Just as a painting’s looks changes depending on the frame around it, you can put a more positive and beautiful frame around how your see your physical appearance.
I wrote a song about my own reframing of the aging experience called “God’s Signature”. Here are a few lines that help me reframe my wrinkles:
These lines are signs of many lessons learned
Carved out through time
Smiles that warm and tears that burn
And unexpected turns
Time has been my friend it seems
So let him write on me
You can call me flawed
You can call it character
But I choose to call these changes God’s signature
You have many aspect that make you…you! Focus on developing and valuing all of them…mental, social, spiritual, emotional, and physical.
4) Overweight
One of the most common New Year’s Resolutions is to lose weight and get fit. When you don’t exercise as much as you’d planned or you overeat one day what do you say to yourself? Are you kind and loving, or do you tell yourself things like, “See, another year when you can’t lose weight” and say belittling things to yourself?
Tip: Self-acceptance
Self-acceptance frees us to make changes. Women worry that if they accept where they are they’ll stay the way they are, but the opposite is true.
Tip: Focus on improving health and self-care
No matter what your physical appearance, you can always take small steps to take good care of yourself. I love the phrase “Life rewards action” because it’s true. Even taking one small step to better your health is a good thing.
5) Social mistakes
How we look in the eyes of others in terms of our behavior is another aspect that can impact self-esteem. Saying something dumb, being impatient with your child, or things as simple as realizing you’ve been calling someone by the same name.
Tip: Own it and move on
You’re self-esteem can remain in tact if your mistake, misstep, or error and then quickly moving on instead of worrying about it.
Tip: It’s none of my business what other’s think of me
If you’re worried about what other’s might be thinking about your misstep it’s crucial to remember that it’s not your business what others think about you. You can’t control their thoughts. You’ll never really know what others think about you anyway, unless they are willing to tell you directly.
It’s always fun to see which posts catch your interest over 12 months. Looking back over 2012 the top posts are a mix of music, personal posts, parenting tips, marriage topics, and mental and emotional health advice…and that list just about sums up my life!
A big surprise is #1 — guess you haven’t forgotten that I’ve been a performing songwriter for, oh, 25 years. But, the biggest surprise on this top 10 list is #2 because I only posted it last week! So, many of you have shared it with friends and family online. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing my articles and posts, for great blog discussions and social media comments, and coming to live events this year. I am grateful to have you as part of my “virtual” family.
I’m honored to have contributed a song “He Whispers Courage”, based on the Young Women value of”integrity”, to the new CD “Live What I Know: Honoring the Values of Young Women.” Songwriters and vocalists include Hilary Weeks, Cherie Call, Katherine Nelson, Staci Peters, and more.
I’m thrilled to be participating in the CD release concert at Cottonwood High School on August 24th, a free concert for Young Women and leaders.