Last night I performed at the Christmas Volunteer Appreciation Dinner of the Canadian Mental Health Association (York Region Branch). What a wonderful group of people! Many of the volunteers themselves have been diagnosed with a mental illness. They have received support and help from this wonderful organization and as a way of giving back and contributing, they serve as volunteers to help others in need. Many of these folks live in difficult financial circumstances, yet they demonstrate an incredible spirit of generosity. They are a living testimony to me that life is not measured by how much you own, but by how much you are willing to give of yourself.
I performed a short set for about 15 minutes. Towards the end I said that despite being a season of joy and celebration, for many of us Christmas is a difficult time. I ended the set with the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as an encouragement and blessing to them.
The MC remarked about the healing power of music as she brought the evening to a close. Afterwards an older gentleman came up to talk with me. We talked about the realities of living with depression. I told him hwo music has always given me that safe place of retreat even during my darkest days. He then told me that he had decided to learn to play the guitar! Horray for another guitar convert!! 
Another gentleman told me that he started playing with the idea of joining his church choir. I witness again that not only does music has a power to heal, but it also has a way of breaking down barriers and bringing people together.
As I walked out the door, a lady shook my hand and simply said, “Keep singing!” I was reminded once again, that my “calling” in life is to be a messenger, using words and music to bring encouragement and hope. The goal is simple: Everyday striving to be a better person than I was yesterday, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same.
For all my musician friends: Keep singing, keep playing, don’t ever stop. Someone is listening. Just as you think no one is bothering to listen, someone comes along to remind you: “Keep Singing!”
This friday I am going to try my hand at “Street Singing” I am volunteering to watch the Salvation Army Kettle at Hillcrest Mall (Yonge and 16th) from 2-4pm and I figured I’d bring my guitar along and just sing to the people passing by in the mall. It should be fun
So…look after yourselves during this season, and have yourself a merry little Christmas
Hello! It feels kind of weird to write a “Hello” post on a blog that is 3 years old and already have more than 100 posts. For 3 years, “Ah-Lam Diary” chronicled the highs and lows of my life. But after talking things over with close friends and family, we feel that the time has come for me to step out from the pseudo name “Ah-Lam” and share my life with others as who I am. Thus the closing of “Ah-Lam Diary” and the launching of this new site that bears my namesake, “alfredlam.ca”. Before I go further, let me first do a round of “Hello’s”…
Some of you are here because you have been redirected from “ah-lam diary”. Thanks for reading! I have migrated and tagged most of the posts from ah-lam diary here. Not every single entry, but enough to give a sense of where I have been and to provide a “context” for this site.
Some of you are here because you received an email from me or saw the post on Face Book announcing this site. Welcome! Please take the time to browse around a little. For those who have never visited my blog, you may want to read some of the previous entries. The “About Alfred” tab will give you some sense of who I am and help you understand a little “where” I write from.
Regardless, I am thrilled that you are here, now. I hope we can share our journeys with each other. I write with a simple, singular purpose in mind: I hope my life journey and experiences will inspire whoever reads my writings to become better people; whomever or wherever you may be:
For those who have failed, I hope my own failures will give you courage to rise up and try again. It’s not over. Trust me.
For those who are going through times of discouragement and darkness, I hope my journey will give you hope to hang on and not quit.
For those who struggle with doubts, I pray that my somewhat “different” views on the Christian faith will give you confidence to go off the familiar trail and seek a faith that is truly your own.
Please feel free to drop me an email, leave a comment, subscribe by RSS or email to stay on top of things.
Please also take a look at Lone Voice Worshop, a new written word platform that I am starting with this site. I look forward to many exciting things happening over there. You will find the tab for it at the top.
This site will continue to chronicle my journey, and as such will keep evolving as we go along. I need to specifically thank a couple of people for helping and encouraging me to get it this far:
Lon Wong, the “web-guy” for designing and coding the site and for answering endless dumb questions from me such as “What’s a widget?”
Sarah Lee, the “design goddess” who created the logo for my photography site as well as for Lone Voice Workshop. When Anna and I saw the logo she came up with for Lone Voice, we just stared at it and said, together, “THAT’S IT!!!!”.
I can go on and on with many more names, but since for many of you this is your first visit, I will keep my introduction brief, and simply invite you to look around. Thanks again for visiting. Please write me and check back here often. Here’s to journeying together!
