Music Therapy with Miss Moon

“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”
~ Sophia Loren

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

" Glamour is a shooting star, it catches your eye, but fades away, beauty is the sun always brilliant day after day."
~ Mike Dolan

Hello. My name is Audrey... and I am NOT glamorous. And I'm resigned to the fact that I may never be one of those women who just look effortlessly posh, like June Ambrose. I'm waaay to awkward to pull that off, but that's okay. I and women like me possess a different type of beauty. A loveliness that's all our own.

Audrey Hepburn is hands down one of the most beautiful women to have walked the earth. What made her so lovely, though, wasn't the gowns or the makeup... it was her extraordinary spirit. So today, let's take a cue from Audrey (with a little help from Kay Thompson) "On how to be lovely", from the movie "Funny Face". I hope that this song will make you smile and feel a bit more lovely today! Enjoy!

On how to be lovely

(On how to be lovely) 

You got to be happy 

(You got to be happy) 

When you can feel 

light and gay 

Then you'll be lovely 

as a holiday.

On how to be charming 

(On how to be charming) 

You got to be merry 

(You got to be merry) 

If only to weave a spell 

And you'll be lovely 

As a carousel too.

I (I know you can) show how. 

It's (it's all in the) know-how. 

And (and once you know) oh how 

The world looks good to you 

As it should to you.

On how to be lovely 

(On how to be lovely) 

You got to be jolly 

(You got to be jolly) 

When you can be fancy-free

And flash a smile that 

Folks come flocking to see.

You'll be as lovely 

As can be.

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo-ee 

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo-ee 

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo 

Boo-diddly-ba-bau! Ee-

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo-ee 

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo-ee 

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo 

Boo-diddly-ba-bau!

(Boo-diddly-ba-bau!)

Boo-diddly-ba-baa-pa-daa!

Can't (can't do it with) make-up 

You (you've just got to) wake up 

And (and startin' to) take up 

A life delirious 

Nothing serious.

On how to be lovely 

(On how to be lovely) 

You got to be cheery 

(You got to be cheery) 

I'll give you a guarantee 

You don't need dough 

You don't need a college degree.

Make sorrow incidental 

(Let joy be monumental) 

And you'll be lovely 

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo(-ee)

Do-wee-oo 

Do-wee-oo(-ee)

You'll be as lovely 

As can be

A-do-ee-oo-ee-oo-ee-oo! 

A Little [THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET] for a Saturday Night

Happy Fourth of July weekend, everybody!!! There may be fireworks and firecrackers going off outside a little early, but inside I am cool as a cucumber, thanks to this week's jazz selection for a Saturday Night.

I hope you all will sit back and enjoy "Audrey" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Try to guess why this song is one very close to my heart!! LOL). The song was inspired by Miss Audrey Hepburn, but I cannot help but feel its about me and about every Audrey in the world.

Music Therapy with Miss Moon

Last year, I posted an edition of Be Blessed, highlighting a poem, Time-Tested Beauty Tips, written by Sam Levenson, but commonly attributed to actress, icon, and my namesake... Audrey Hepburn.



Inspired by these "beauty tips", Chrisette Michele's (Featuring Lem Payne) "Dear Miss Audrey" encapsulates the message that true beauty comes, not from what you wear, but how you love yourself and the world around you. What better choice for "Music Therapy with Miss Moon"?

Despite my eagerness to share this message, I couldn't find a good video online of the song. Undaunted, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and created a slideshow that showcases the unmistakable beauty that was Audrey Hepburn: iconic images of her at her most lovely - wearing beautiful clothing, and most importantly, images of her humanitarian work for UNICEF in the latter years of her life.

I hope that the song and the video will inspire all of you to find your beauty within, and in finding that beauty... do all you can to make the world around you a better (and more beautiful) place.

Dear Mrs. Hepburn
Good afternoon
I hope that heaven is kind to you
But a question -
How can I be lovely as you?
I got a poster in my bedroom
And I got a little black dress or two
(Dress or two)
Tell me what real ladies do?

Chorus
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine

I wake up early every morning
To find my picture painted beautifully
So beautifully
Right on the mirror on my wall
I take a brush up to my hair again
To find a brand new style for me... yeah
What makes me different from them all?

Chorus
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine

So sad, so bad, so sickening
And all they wanna know is where the rich n***as is
Short skirt with thighs out they killin’ it
But that ass the only reason we feelin’ it?
What a shame she thinks he gon give into it
But he only wants to get all up into it and get rid of it
Sex ain't love, friends don't need benefits
He’s full of lust baby, I know the sentiment

Chorus
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine
Excuse me Audrey how'd you do it?
She told me there was nothing to it
She said: Just let your soul shine (repeats)
Let it shine

Be Blessed: Time Tested Beauty Tips

I've been blogging a lot about beauty and fashion lately, so I wanted to share the most valuable pieces of beauty advice I've ever received. This poem is often attributed to Audrey Hepburn (my namesake), incorrectly. Although she cited it as one of her favorites, it was actually written by Sam Levenson.

Audrey is someone universally remembered for her extraordinary beauty, but what was truly beautiful about her was the work she did for U.N.I.C.E.F and the fact that she was the type of woman who, when asked about her beauty tips, she would share this poem:



For attractive lips,
Speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes,
Seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure,
Share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair,
Let a child run his or her
fingers through it once a day.

For poise,
Walk with the knowledge
you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things,
have to be restored, renewed,
revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;
Never throw out anybody.

Remember,
If you ever need a helping hand,
you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older,
you will discover
that you have two hands,
one for helping yourself,
the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman
is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman
must be seen from in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman
is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman
is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
the passion that she shows,
And the beauty of a woman
with passing years-only grows!



This week, I will remember that true beauty comes from within and around you... and I will pause and reflect on all the beauty in my life.