My Musical Life 5-22-26

May 22nd, 2026

#38 Only the Strong Survive (Jerry Butler) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
I remember my first love affair.
Somehow or another the whole darn thing went wrong.
And my momma had some great advice,
So, I thought I’d put it in the words of this song.🪄
I can still hear her saying:
Boy, I see you sitting out there all alone.
Crying your eyes out
Cause the woman that you love is gone
Oh there’s gonna be, there’s gonna be
A whole lot of trouble in your life
Ah so listen to me, get up off your knees
‘Cause only the strong survive
That what she said:🪄
Only the strong survive,
Only the strong survive
Yeah, you gotta be strong
You better hold on🪄
don’t go around with your head hung down
Well, I wouldn’t let the little girl know
(wouldn’t let her know)that she made me
feel like a clown
There’s a whole lot of girls (whole lot of girls)
Looking for a good man like you
But you’ll never meet ’em
if you’ve give up now
And say your life is through
Then she said:🪄
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
You gotta be a man,
You gotta take a stand🪄
So I’m telling you right now:
Only the strong survive
Only the strong survive
You gotta be strong
You better hold on
Don’t worry about it
Don’t you know that things gonna change
Oh, but you gotta be a man
You gotta take a stand
Don’t ever feel that
you can’t make it, baby

My Abundant Life 5-22-26

May 22nd, 2026

The Home of Your Dreams

“If I were to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say; the house shelters daydreaming.”

Gaston Bachelard (French Philosopher; June 27th, 1884 to October 16th, 1962)

“It takes literally years to birth a dream, whether it’s a family, a career, a home, or a lifestyle. Dreams exact a price.”

“Take what you want, say the good God, but be prepared to pay for it.”

ancient proverb

“Dreams cost money, sweat, frustration, tears, courage, choices, perseverance, and extraordinary patience. But birthing a dream requires one more thing. Love. Only love can transform a houseful of needy, self-centered individuals into a loving, close-knit family, a passion into a livelihood, or a mere dwelling into a home that perfectly expresses your authenticity.”

“…it had a heart and soul, and eyes to see with; and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benedictions. We never came home from an absence that its face did not light up and speak out in eloquent welcome—and we could not enter it unmoved.”

Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain” (American Writer & Humorist; November 20th, 1885 to April 21st, 1910)

I dwell in possibility.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 10th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“No matter where I have dwelled, I have taken pride in making it a sanctuary and home haven to gently hug the one inside with love, warmth a coziness.”


–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 170 to 171 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.