"Sing for the forest, sing for the sky, sing for the moments that are passing you by."

Your Friday photo…

This photo, by former resident caretaker Buzz Glasky, captures the view from Meher Mount of the 2,600-foot Topa Topa Bluffs beneath clouds illuminated by the setting sun. 

"Sing and Surrender" is written as a prayer by singer-songwriter Adrienne Shamszad. 

“It is a wish,” she said, “that when more of us express ourselves, the world becomes a more healed place for everyone to live. It is an invitation to lift your heart up to the sun, the moon, and sing your song.”

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“Sing for the forest
Sing for the sky
Sing for the moments that are passing you by”

— Adrienne Shamszad, Singer-Songwriter, "Sing and Surrender"

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“Sing and Surrender”
By Adrienne Shamszad

Sing for the forest
Sing for the sky
Sing for the moments that are passing you by

Sing for the animals
Sing for your friends
Sing for the beginning and sing for the end

All of our days
Are endlessly numbered
while the clock runs, time stands still
Tomorrow’s never promised
To anyone
And the empty stage of life is yours to fill
So sing

Sing and then surrender
Sing and then let go
Sing for your happiness and for your sorrow

Sing because you can
Sing because it’s good
Sing for all the people in the world who wish they could

All of our days
Are endlessly numbered
while the clock runs, time stands still
Tomorrow is never promised
To anyone
And the empty stage of life is yours to fill
So sing

Sing for your healing
Sing because it’s right
Sing your warmth into the cold dark night

Sing for your homeland
Sing for your soul
Sing for your brokenness, sing until you’re whole

All of our days
Are endlessly numbered
while the clock runs, time stands still
Tomorrow is never promised
To anyone
And the empty stage of life is yours to fill
So sing

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Singer-songwriter Adrienne Shamszad performs her original song “Sing and Surrender.”

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"Let my love open the door..."

Your Friday photo is in honor of the 45th anniversary of the release on April 21, 1980, of the hit song, “Let My Love Open the Door,” by Pete Townshend.

This photo of the heart gate at Meher Mount was taken by Caretaker Ray Johnston just after he finished building it in 2003.

Volunteer Stephanie Ervin shares her Meher Baba coincidence involving the heart gate and Pete Townshend’s song.

“Let my love open the door...”

— Pete Townshend, Songwriter & Musician

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Stephanie Ervin recalls her preparations for being a guest caretaker at Meher Mount in September 2018:

“I made a playlist for the two-and-a-half hour drive to Meher Mount with some of my favorite songs — one of which was ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ by Pete Townshend. It seemed fitting, since Townshend is a follower of Meher Baba, and the song always felt like it was surreptitiously about Meher Baba.

“The playlist was on shuffle, so I didn’t know when the song would play during my drive. Just as I reached the heart gate at the entrance to Meher Mount, this song started playing.

“I put my car in park to unlock the gate, leaving the music playing so I could hear it and chuckle as I opened the gates to drive through.”

“Let My Love Open the Door” on the album Empty Glass, was a Top Ten hit in 1980 for musician Pete Townshend of The Who. It was his only solo Top Ten hit.

Townshend, a follower of Meher Baba, originally brushed the song off as "just a ditty" after its release. Later in 1996, he revealed it was about Divine Love.

“It’s supposed to be about the power of God’s love,” Townshend said in a Rolling Stone interview. “That when you’re in difficulty, whether it’s major or minor, God’s love is always there for you.”

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Lyrics — “Let My Love Open the Door”

When people keep repeating
That you'll never fall in love
When everybody keeps retreating
But you can't seem to get enough

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart

When everything feels all over
Everybody seems unkind
I'll give you a four-leaf clover
Take all worry out of your mind

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart, to your heart

I have the only key to your heart
I can stop you falling apart
Try today you'll find this way
Come on and give me a chance to say

Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
There's only one thing gonna set you free
That's my love
That's my love

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door

When tragedy befalls you
Don't let it drag you down
Love can cure your problems
You're so lucky I'm around

Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
To your heart

Songwriter: Pete Townshend

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Sources

• “Lyrics and Meaning of ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ by Pete Townshend,” Song Meanings Blog, accessed April 16, 2025.

• Alli Patton, “The Spiritual Meaning Behind Pete Townshend’s ‘Let My Love Open the Door,’” March 28, 2023, American Songwriter: The Craft of Music, accessed on April 16, 2025.

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