LW St. Valentine's 2018

LW St. Valentine's 2018

L. to R.: Mike & Sharon, Tony & Denise, Greg & Anne, Chuck & Joyce, Mark & Julia, Dave & Kathy, John & Joyce

Living Waters' annual St. Valentine's Day get-together! Most of the main original couples are here.Dave said that since we call our children the "puddles" and their children the next "wave", perhaps, at this point, we should be called "old drips"? They are a handsome - albeit old - lot....

Picture above taken by our stellar waitress, Natalia!

What a marvelous time we had together! One of our main topics was the miraculous power of prayer so evident in so many ways in our lives. Many of us pray every day for the others, not for deliverance from trouble but for grace & strength in its midst, enough for true spiritual victory. No wonder the music we've been given is as it is. Here are more pictures:

All the couples! (You can see Mark taking the picture in the mirror!) Joyce D. is in the foreground....

From the other end of the table

Tony's back! Sharon, Denise (Bill), Annnnnne, Joyce, Julia

Joyce, Julia, Kathy

John, Dave, Chuck (Sergeant-at-Arms)

Greg, Tonester, Mike

We are truly blessed beyond measure. Please, do us the honor of supporting our music.

Spotify Streaming

LW Reverbnation

LW Band Site

Peace & Love & JOY!

Mark LaJOIE! for Living Waters

St. Valentine's Music Package (including a new love song!)

St. Valentine's Music Package

(including a new love song!)

 from Living Waters

We have to talk about the meaning of the day, don't we? There were actually several martyrs named Valentinus, but only one gave his life on February 14, 270 AD. In the Lord's name, he gave sight to the jailer's blind daughter, Julia. (Julia is my wife's name, so I particularly love this story!) He sent her a signed note and pink almond flowers bloomed at his grave, the start of a couple of things we do on this day.

Living Waters has been a marriage factory! Of the original band, we've produced at least ten marriages in the first wave alone, I believe; and the 'puddles' have been very busy getting married, and even the third 'wave' has already begun years ago. Our Creator, after all, made the holy bond of Matrimony as his model for human community right from the beginning, right? We have always LOVED this day way back in the 80's till now. Joyce Rossignol has usually been the organizer of our annual St. Valentine's Day get-togethers. I remember one year, my relative, Marist Fr. Roland Lajoie joined us in a renewal of vows. As I recall, at least one child resulted later from that meeting!

One of our annual St. Valentine's get-togethers

late 80's at 505 Pleasant, when many marriages started

Stories are nice but 'our gift is our song' and I thought it would be nice to put together a package of our love songs, especially a brand new and beautiful new one from Mike. Mike has outdone himself this time. Just listen to this:

"You" by Mike McBride

Isn't that gorgeous?! You ought to tell him how great it is. Go to his ReverbNation site or the LW site and tell the truth about it.

And now some of our love song videos:

CLICK this LINK! for "This Loving Stream"

CLICK this LINK! for "Stay!"

And, finally our perennial favorite, 

"We're Gonna Stay"

**2/10/23 a brand new lyric video**

Happy St. Valentine's Day, especially those of you who have actually listened to and appreciated music we have produced over the years! OverFLOWing blessings in this life unto life everlasting....

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

Very Valentine Videos!

Very Valentine Videos!

For the feast of St. Valentine, who died for love of God and neighbor on February 14, 270 AD, Living Waters offers you two videos which celebrate 'forever' married love in Christ. The first is Mark & Julia's first dance, a song written by Mark. The second is a brand new love song by Mike, "Stay!". Enjoy in good spiritual health.....

"This Loving Stream" First Dance! Click this to watch on Reverbnation!

And when I first did see your face

Time and space stopped drift-ing by

And in your eyes I saw a trace

of that for which Man's Lov-er laid down his life

Where does this lov-ing stream flow?

You know it's say-ing 'Go with me! Go with me!'

For I feel an end-less hun-ger to be free in life

And I re-a-lize I love you

I love you

And when I first drank from the well

I could-n't tell you all the sweet-ness that I found

And as we come to know it well

Two ri-vers flow-ing now will join as one

Where does this lov-ing stream flow?

You know it's say-ing 'Go with me! Go with me!'

For I feel an end-less hun-ger to be free in life

And I re-a-lize I love you

I love you

"Stay!", a love song by Michael McBride from our new album, "Still Flowing".

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Peace & LOVE & Joy,

Mark LaJOIE!

"Stay!" Video

"Stay!" Video

https://www.reverbnation.com/artist/video/14294362

https://youtu.be/W-WVQJG_XUw

This February, in honor of our 40th anniversary as a group, I have created a new video featuring pictures that celebrate who we are in the context of St. Valentine's Day. (Recently, we posted an OLD love song video, "This Loving Stream", from my first dance with Julia, THIRTY years ago this year! Another old video will soon be re-posted.)

So! Mike's brand new love song, "Stay!", is now up on ReverbNation & Youtube. It rejoices in all the marriages, family and group love and prayer we have and are experiencing. It also remembers those we have loved who have passed on, in particular, Cheryl, pictured here with Mike, who cared for her so much toward the end.

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Celebrating St. Valentine's Day!

Link to "We're Gonna Stay"  http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/4768267

 

This coming week, seven or eight couples in Living Waters will be going for a St. Valentine's get-away!  This is a decades long tradition. The group has produced a bevy of wonderful marriages and families, quite inter-related by blood, marriage and Sacrament ties. In the past, we've been given 'homework' at these gatherings:  to write a poem, a song, or even haikus!  I think we just want to REST this time. I'm sure we will have great fun - we always do.

It got me to thinking about the original martyr story.  Valentinus had such enthusiasm for life & learning that his love more than triumphed over his seeming tragedy, just as Christ did on the Cross.  The jailor took his blind daughter Julia to be educated by him.  With the power of the charity that is chastity, he was free enough to open her mind and heart to a whole world and to the power of God's love.  In the end, she miraculously received her physical eyesight, too, but that was just a 'sign' of the true eyesight given to hearts which love with God's sacrificial agape love.  Valentinus was martyred on February 14, 270.  There were actually several martyrs of this name, but I would look up this most popular story.

My wife's name is Julia.  I often tell her what a coincidence it is that the Julia in the story is ALso so very pretty, intelligent and wise.  (I try not to tell her she's blind!  We do try to be blind to each other's weaknesses!)  Paul in Ephesians said marriage is like a great 'musterion' ( in Latin, 'sacramentum') which exactly mirrors the union of Christ and the Church.  The Risen Christ inhabits such love with all the power of His Spirit.  Our song "We're Gonna Stay" is about that Resurrecting Power in the face of seemingly impossible odds.  May you all experience this great love within whatever vocation you are called....