We All Should Care

Accept the call for a deeper purpose.

It’s been a while, since I’ve spoken of Spencer Bell here, and perhaps you’re wondering why, since I did, in all honestly promise a post a day for Spencer.

It hasn’t been that I’m being a slacker, it hasn’t been that I’ve lost the passion to show his legacy to the world, it’s that he deserves so much more than a lukewarm, mediocre post daily.

Quality over quantity if you will.

So why now,right? Why today?

Because after finding out that my grandmother is dying of cancer, reading Richard Bach, reflecting on so many things in this life…
I have been hit with something very bittersweet.

Bach believes, as I always have, that once your purpose on this planet is finished, that you leave this world.
Maybe to begin again elsewhere, maybe to look over the ones you love, all of that is left up to your belief system.

My point? If you’re still here, your purpose is unfulfilled.

Spencer not being with us, hurts so many,(His family, and friends that I cannot thank enough for sharing him with the world) and even though I have a harder time grasping someone being taken from this world so young, maybe he had fulfilled his destiny, his purpose.

Maybe it was to enlighten many about art, and how it should be.
Even though he was extremely talented, he was a firm believer, that music, and any art really, comes from the heart, the soul, it doesn’t matter if the rest of the world thinks you’re good at it, so long as you love it, and are impassioned by it.

That alone is inspirational.

His wit, his bravery, his unwavering sense of self that is very clear in his legacy, it is awe inspiring.

I know that nothing can bring those that were close to him comfort, that they miss him EVERY SINGLE DAY, every minute of every day, and that no reasoning in this world is good enough that he isn’t here.
That nothing eases the pain, the void that is abundantly clear every time something happens that makes them think of Spencer.

I also know that my mere words falter, so often, that if people could read solely what is written upon my heart, and embedded in my soul, that this message would come out more eloquently….

Since finding his Legacy, Spencer Bell has touched my life in ways that are hard for me to explain. He picked me up when I didn’t think I could stand, and forced me to persevere when I wanted to quit.
His legacy has introduced me to friends that I know will last a lifetime, his words, his art, his music resonate more loudly, more beautifully than the most professionally composed symphony.

Once again, Jackson Rathbone (FRIEND of Spencer Bell, human being), said it better than I could ever put it: ” my hero was much younger than I when my hero was immortalized… ” and then “…there’s no grave for the soul no vinyl coffin made of gold”

Every Friday, we have deemed “Spencer Bell Day” on Twitter.. but quite honestly, we should celebrate the life that this young man had, every day. When I started using the hashtag #spencerbellislegendary I meant it very literally.

Nothing, not even death, can hold him back from expressing the depth, the intensity, the erring human soul, that was and IS forevermore Spencer Bell.

[[image courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

This post was inspired not only by Spencer Bell, but also a very dear friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, yes he knows who he is.
Today, I was speaking to said friend, and he said to me that he was going to be forced to do grunt work for the rest of his days, instead of making a living creating music. Now, the entire time I have known him, I have always said that he could aspire to greatness. Potentially many of us could, if we just TRY. Stop settling for mediocre and luke warm.
Search out the passion, the heat, the FIRE and go for it.
I politely, but firmly reminded him that in the words of Spencer, there is NO Plan B. Read Spencer’s thoughts on it below:

My friend then asked me, if I thought there was still a chance he could do something with music.
I simply replied “As long as you’re breathing.”
Remember this…
Never give up.
Never give in.
Always, always push yourself harder than you think you are capable of, go further than you think you can. Then once you have climbed that mountain, and you look back down over the trail you have carved up the side of it, you will truly KNOW where you’ve been. By token it will also show you where you can go. Which is, anywhere you set your mind and your heart on.

In the words of Louise Driscoll:

I’ve always heard one of the million things that sets us apart from other mammals is our ability to dream, our ability to pursue those dreams. Do you want to let your dreams fade, and wonder what if?
Or do you want to be able to say “I gave it everything I had.”
I choose the latter of the two.
What ifs, maybes , could I? They will consume you, and eat you alive.
Don’t let that happen.
Remember, if you have a passion, there is NO Plan B.

If you wish to learn more about Spencer, please click his name above, he is amazing, a lighthouse in a tumultuous storm.

[[Image courtesy of google images, Spencer Bell words courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

Spencer Bell has left behind so many profound words. His lyrics are powerful, and the song “Dandelions” is no exception. In fact, it’s one of my favorites.
Don’t let life pass you by, enjoy it, take it with a grain of salt, none of us get out alive anyway, sit back, enjoy the ride. I’m sure we could all take away something different, and that is what I take away from it.
Spencer had a way of putting things, so that all of us could get it.
I love that. Blunt, straight forward and to the point.
“To all our friends who will meet us at the end.”
I don’t know what supremely awaits me after this life, we can’t know with certainty. Whatever it is, I hope Spencer is there on the other side with a cold beer and is ready to do some talking.
If you’d like to know more about Spencer, please visit his Legacy site by clicking on his name at the top of this post.
And if you’d like to donate to help fund adrenal cancer research, please click HERE. We can make a difference!

[[Image provided by and property of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

The piece of SPENCER’S that I want to talk about today is: ADDICTIONS you can read it by clicking the name.
It’s basically talking about how he must be addicted to writing, and believe me, I know how that feels, all too well. It’s a walk that I take several times daily.
Without my words, who would I be?
Would I even exist?
Sometimes I wonder if I do exist on the same plane as everyone else,because it seems as if I can’t reach people even when it feels as if I’m shouting.
I often wonder if Spencer felt that way. Perhaps he did.
If you want to know more about Spencer, or familiarize yourself with more of his art, (and you should it’s awe inspiring) then please visit The Music Lives On, and if you can find it within your heart, and your pockets, to donate to the cause, to support the research of the disease that took his life, please go to: Adrenal Cancer Research Every donation is extremely appreciated.