Tag: Greg Tamblyn

Posted on

A story of true brotherhood

Carl “Luz” Long (left) and Jesse Owens

I first saw this as a post in Facebook. Curious to know more, I read a detailed article on a website about World War II history.

The enduring friendship that was forged during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany between American athlete, Jesse Owens, and German athlete, Carl “Luz” Long was truly inspirational.

I highly recommend reading the full article, and especially the last letter that Luz Long wrote to Jesse Owens. It’s deeply touching and also a real testament to the truth of our oneness in spirit.

Reading and reflecting on this brought to mind a song by my friend, Greg Tamblyn (I mentioned him a while back in my blog post about “Unconditional Love”).

Titled “One Day On The Fields of France,” it’s based on a true story from World War I, and conveys a beautiful message of healing through forgiveness. At the same time it reminds us that wars and division and conflict are not our natural state.

“One Day On The Fields of France” by Greg Tamblyn

Swami Kriyananda also put it beautifully in one of the most beloved of his songs, “Brothers”:

Then brothers, why endeavor
To set ourselves apart?
The fences we’ve been building
Squeeze tight upon our hearts!
Come sing the truth that all men are brothers!
Come sing the truth that all men are—
Brothers!

Posted on

Unconditional love

Yesterday’s blog ended with the statement that “It’s about making the inner switch from self-condemnation to compassionate self-love.”

So, today I want to share something related to the power of unconditional love.

Way back at the end of the 1980’s, I was an active member of a Unity church in San Francisco. A songwriter named Greg Tamblyn frequently performed there and I purchased several of his recordings.

Although he specialized in spiritual humor, he also had a talent for addressing deep issues and profound emotion through his songs. One in particular touched me deeply. It told the story of a woman named Evy who healed herself of an illness through learning to love herself unconditionally.

Fast forward to just a few years ago. Somewhere along the line I ended up on the mailing list for Greg’s email newsletter and for some reason found myself remembering that song and wanting to know more about it.

Going to Greg’s website, I listened to the song again and found it just as powerful as when I first heard it over thirty years ago. I also found a blog post Greg had written about it and was blown away.

I invite you to listen to the song (below) and read Evy’s story (by clicking here (Greg’s blog post) or here or here (written by Evy herself).

More and more I’m understanding that LOVE truly IS all we need.

Unconditional Love (The True Story of Evy McDonald) by Greg Tamblyn