Gracias a la vida in the last few days of 2019

Violeta Parra

Mercedes Sosa

As far as I can foresee, my traveling days are over.  Most of my travels were solo journeys by car between the northwest corner of Western Washington and Northern California.  I've driven as far north as 100 Mile House in British Columbia (a 6-hour drive from Bellingham) and ridden in a car as far south as Nogales, Mexico.  I've been as far east as the coast of Maine in a car and as far west as Oahu, Hawaii, by plane.  It is unlikely that I will ever travel to a country where Spanish is the official language, but with the growing population of Spanish-speaking people living in Whatcom County, I have already had opportunities to practice my limited Spanish.  Part of my motivation to learn Spanish comes from knowing how many Spanish-speaking people are currently learning to speak English under difficult conditions, in order to survive and hopefully thrive in the United States. 

Gracias a la Vida!

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

He gave me two stars that when I open themMe dio dos luceros que cuando los abro

Perfect I distinguish black from whitePerfecto distingo lo negro del blanco

And in the high sky its starry backgroundY en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado

And in the crowds the man that I loveY en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

I have heard that in all its widthMe ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho

Every night and dayCada noche y días

Crickets and canaries, hammers, turbinesGrillos y canarios, martillos, turbinas

Barks, showersLadridos, chubascos

And the voice so tender of my well lovedY la voz tan tierna de mi bien amado

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

He has given me the sound and the alphabetMe ha dado el sonido y el abecedario

With him the words that I think and declareCon el las palabras que pienso y declaro

Mother, friend, brother and light shiningMadre, amigo, hermano y luz alumbrando

The soul path that I am lovingLa ruta del alma del que estoy amando

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

It has given me the march of my tired feetMe ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados

With them I walked cities and puddlesCon ellos anduve ciudades y charcos

Beaches and deserts, mountains and plainsPlayas y desiertos, montañas y llanos

And your house, your street and your yardY la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

He gave me the heart that waves his frameMe dio el corazón que agita su marco

When I look at the fruit of the human brainCuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano

When I look at the good so far from the badCuando miro el bueno tan lejos del malo

When I look at the bottom of your clear eyesCuando miro el fondo de tus ojos claros

Thanks to life, which has given me so muchGracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto

It has given me laughter and it has given me tearsMe ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto

Thus I distinguish joy from brokennessAsí yo distingo dicha de quebranto

The two materials that make up my songLos dos materiales que forman mi canto

And the song of you that is the same songY el canto de ustedes que es el mismo canto

And everyone's song that is my own songY el canto de todos que es mi propio canto

Thanks to life

Gracias a la vida

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Violeta Parra Sandoval

Gracias a la Vida lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

"Gracias a la vida" / Summer sky near the Salish Sea

"When you look back on a lifetime and think of what has been given to the world by your presence, your fugitive presence, inevitably you think of your art, whatever it may be, as the gift you have made to the world in acknowledgment of the gift you have been given, which is the life itself. That work is not an expression of the desire for praise or recognition, or prizes, but the deepest manifestation of your gratitude for the gift of life."
 - Stanley Kunitz

Thanks so much to whiskey river for the quote for today.




It has occurred to me that my blog is nothing if not an ongoing expression of gratitude.