Back To Black

I have been sitting thinking for the past hour, with no TV, radio or music playing, just staring at the black TV screen trying desperately to digest todays events.

Today started like any normal Saturday, well with the exception of some sun so with this in mind, I thought today would be a good day, get out in the garden and get my tan topped up. This is what I did at my folks house then came back into my flat at 5pm to have some food and while this was cooking away I had a quick look on Twitter to see some worrying news. There was a lot of tweets from celebs I follow on my feed waiting for confirmation of a tragic story that seemed to be unfolding in front of me. I switched on the TV to the BBC news channel to see if what was being said on Twitter was true or if this was some kind of sick joke but there it was in black and white, Amy Winehouse has died at the age of 27.

Amy, like all of us, had her own personal issues, the only difference is Amy had her personal life brought into the public eye by the British media. It's well known that Amy had a drink and drugs problem which she tried so desperately to overcome and checked into rehab many times to beat the addiction but sadly it wasn't ever going to be an easy journey for Amy. She was such a talented artist who broke the mould in pop music and before the drugs found her she seemed to have it all sorted. Sadly, one of Amys last live performances was far from her best and right now our freshest memory of Amy, but I hope that in the coming days these memories will be washed away as we remember the lady that brought us the wonderful 'Back To Black' album and won 5 grammy awards!

The story underneath called 'The Mayonnaise Jar' has reminded me time and time again about the important things in life and today seemed like the right time to include it in one of my blogs.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle. When 24 Hours in a day is not enough.Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, passions.
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix that dripping tap.'Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.



Let's pray for Amy Winehouse, her family and friends as we lay our heads down tonight.


Rest In Peace Amy,


Until next time,


SC xo