Tag: simon cowell

Soul Sunday

In 2021, Nightbirde made her appearance on America’s Got Talent and her singing and songwriting skills were so incredible that Simon Cowell gave her the golden buzzer (something which he almost never does). She appeared on national TV, despite being ravaged by cancer. Unfortunately in February of 2022, Nightbirde passed. Her family has started a foundation in her name to help women with cancer and recently, they published a book of her poetry called Poems for the Dark. I just received my pre-ordered copy a couple of days ago and it exceeds my expectations. Despite only living for 32 years, Nightbirde made quite an impression on this world with her talents and even more so, with her heart. This Soul Sunday (I devote Sundays to poetry on the blog), I am going to share one of Nightbirde’s wonderful poems from the book.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Soul Sunday

Good morning. I became a big fan of Jane Marczewski, also known as “Nightbirde” when a friend shared a video of Nightbirde’s performance on America’s Got Talent. Nightbirde was an extremely talented singer and songwriter who performed so movingly and remarkably well on the show, that she got “the golden buzzer” from Simon Cowell. (no small feat for anyone who knows the show). Nightbirde bravely and beautifully performed her own song, “It’s OK” while she was dying of breast cancer. She passed away from cancer in February of 2022. It turns out that Nightbirde’s family found that Nightbirde had written notebooks full of poems during her fight with cancer and they are publishing some of these poems as a book of poetry this fall. Simon Cowell has written the introduction of the book and all of the proceeds from the book sales will go to Nightbirde’s foundation which is dedicated to helping women with cancer. Poems for the Dark by Nightbirde can be pre-ordered here: https://nightbirdefoundation.shop/products/poemsforthedark

I don’t have a poem of my own to share today, but I do want to share this famous poem, “Metaphors”, by Sylvia Plath. (Read the poem now before reading the rest of my explanation. See if you understand its meaning.) Plath wrote this poem about being pregnant. What is particularly clever and amazing about this poem is that it contains 9 lines, 9 syllables each and even the title has 9 letters. She did these formats as a “metaphor” for the traditional 9 months of pregnancy. Poetry is often cryptic, clever, and full of riddle. Try your own hand at cryptic, clever, and riddling. Surprise yourself with your mysterious, sly side.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Your Win

Simon: Trust me. I needed you today.

I couldn’t agree with Simon Cowell more. My friend sent this video to our text chat this morning and it turned my mood all the way around. This is Chapel Hart, a country music trio from a small town in Mississippi who wrote and performed a modern comeback to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, called “You Can Have Him, Jolene”. If you want to get your energy revved up this morning, and to feel inspired and empowered, listen to this amazing performance.

Chapel Hart: “We’ve been tryin to break into Nashville the last couple of years but it’s been kind of hard . . . I think country music doesn’t always look like us . . . .”

Simon: ” . . . . Sometimes you just got to break down that door.”

Howie: “You say country music doesn’t look like you. That is your win because you are going to be the original.“

What Howie Mandel said to Chapel Hart is applicable to all of us. YOUR WIN is your originality. You are an original. There has never been, nor will there ever be another one of you, with all of your distinctions, traits, mannerisms, perceptions, talents, gifts, experiences etc. Your win is when you empower yourself to be the truest, most authentic version of your best, original self. And then your win becomes our win, because we get to experience the fullest, most amazing version of the most original state of the one and only you. Trust me. We need you today. You need you today. Your win is our win, when you let yourself be your fullest, most original self.

Chapel Hart: Whatever your dreams, it doesn’t matter how crazy they are or how outlandish it is, if they say it isn’t a “real” job, you just show them that it is.”

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.