I’ve used the photo at left a zillion times — in press releases, in articles, on various websites. It is, in fact, the very shot on the 2016 (and ooooh so cool!) New York Fest for Beatles Fans poster! But the version I submitted to Mark, Carol, and Michelle Lapidos (the one you see above) is the cropped version. And, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

About a week ago, I came upon the original photo -– the unedited version taken about 2 1/2 years ago at a party in my hometown. And below is what I saw:

In the immediate background, just over my shoulder, you can see my mom. She’s right behind me…there all the time. I never knew.

This full picture set me to thinking…who is in the background now? Whom am I allowing to fade into the shadows, unnoticed, while I concentrate on things that are (arguably) “more important?” Whom am I overlooking –- and whom are you overlooking -– as we race around madly, smiling for the camera?

Most people spend a minimum of eight hours a day at work. For The Beatles, especially in 1964-1966, that was a laughable minimum. They spent a good 10 hours a day filming, interviewing, starring on TV and radio shows, recording, mixing, touring, composing, editing, and taking photographs.

And for John –- who also wrote, illustrated, edited, and promoted two books of poetry and prose during that time frame (at night, at home) — the workload was far greater. 12 hours a day, some days. Pressured.

And so, Cynthia slipped into the shadows. And so did Mimi. And so did his sisters, Jacqui and Ju. And even little Julian. Just over John’s shoulder, in a dimmer light, they waited. And waited and waited and waited.

The questions John had to answer and the questions posed to us all are… “Is it worth the sacrifice?” “Are our priorities in order?” Or (to phrase it quaintly, as Ben Franklin once did), “Are we paying too much for the whistle?”

Ever since I saw that unedited photo of my mom and me, I’ve begun noticing other photos: photos tacked to cubicles; photos taped to work stations of nurses, accountants and car salesmen; photos of people we rarely see; photos of people who get one-to-three hours a night, at best, or a brief weekend reunion.

“You say ‘Goodbye,’

But I say, ‘Hello!…Hello! Hello!’

I don’t know why you say, ‘Goodbye.’

I say, ‘Hello!’”

Is that the familiar chorus of our daughters and our sons? Is that the refrain of our aging mums or dads, living alone? Is that the unvoiced appeal of our patient husbands or lonely wives? Is that the theme song of those who wait for us to come home?

Had I known –- when that photograph of me was taken -– that only six months later, my mom would be gone, I would have stopped and noticed. I would have spent more time, asked more questions, learned more, shared more, appreciated more. I hardly think I would have said:

“You say stop, but I say

‘Go, go, go!!!!’”

I think I would have changed my tune.

We are all incredibly busy. Every day we are challenged to press on. But as we “go, go, go,” precious time is slipping away: Time to notice. Time to care. Time to tell them. Time to share.

Is it time to readjust the focus? I think it just might be.

Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series: www.johnlennonseries.com

Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations — @910PubRel on Twitter and 910 Public Relations on Facebook.

Y’ better slow down…

Baby, now y’er movin’ way too fast!

It happens every year at this time. The tall, exotic, Japanese Magnolia trees in my neighborhood imitate Mother Superior…and jump the gun.

A few warm Louisiana days and nights seduce the silly trees, and right in the middle of January (or at the beginning of February), they explode into mad, delicate, pink blossoms.

“Noooooooo!” I scream at them through the picture window. “Noooo, it’s only February! It’s going to get brutally cold again! Any minute now!”

And sure enough, the frost and ice rush in unannounced. And the delicate magnolias are violently frozen, their lovely premature blossoms seared – falling wilted to the ground, a spectacle of poor planning.

You see, timing matters.

Brian Epstein knew this. He refused to let The Beatles set foot in America until they owned a Number One record. In January 1964, when the boys trekked off to Paris with an excursion to America only a few weeks away, Brian was outside his comfort zone. He was truly gambling. Capitol Records had assured him the Number One slot would be The Beatles’, and he believed the Powers-That-Be. But scheduling the U.S. trip ahead of his target goal was a huge risk. Everything hinged on that one phenomenon. Without the Number One under their caps, Brian knew that The Beatles could flop in America, just as Cliff Richard had done when he “crossed the pond.”

Well, you know the familiar story. While in Paris, The Beatles and Brian received that fortuitous phone call from Louise Harrison (yes, it was Louise…read that part of She Loves You, Vol. 3 in The John Lennon Series for detailed documentation) telling them that I Want to Hold Your Hand had just topped the charts in the United States. And in that jubilant instant, the tipping point was reached. Brian’s gamble to prepare for departure had paid off. The moment was right for conquest!

Journeying to America before this pinnacle had been grasped might have been disastrous. Waiting prudently for the name recognition the lads needed was vastly important. It mattered.

Mark Lapidos, too, can tell you about the importance of waiting, about the need for dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.” When Mark devised the idea of “Beatlefest,” he could have plowed ahead on the surging crest of his youthful enthusiasm. He could have moved, full speed ahead, to make his exciting idea into reality, no matter what!

But Mark didn’t. He waited.

He summoned up his courage and went to see John Lennon in person, asking for John’s blessing on the concept of the Fest. Mark wisely asked for an endorsement that would make The Fest something of which The Beatles approved and of which they would be proud. And John saw that it was good. And it was. And 40 years later, it’s even better!

So what does that say to us? To you and me – owners of sure-fire schemes? It whispers, “Wait.”

Don’t jump ahead. Plan. Seek counsel. Ask for opinions. Question everything. Move slowly.

If the Japanese Magnolias would follow Epstein’s and Lapidos’s examples, they would be lovely for months during the spring. They would enjoy a season of beauty unequaled by any other vernal tree. Instead, they spring ahead ruthlessly…and time and again, they fail.

I don’t know what you’re planning or writing or preparing or creating, but know this: If we would pay attention to detail as we plan, practice, hone, revamp, investigate, seek counsel, and keep working, we would see our dreams come true. The Beatles, Brian Epstein, and Mark Lapidos all knew that this is the way forward. Successes one and all, they could tell you:

Ladies and Gentlemen, timing is everything.

Slow down.

Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series: www.johnlennonseries.com

Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations — @910PubRel on Twitter and 910 Public Relations on Facebook.

At the height of the holiday shopping, he sat alone in the outbuilding, the discount warehouse behind a chic, rural gift shop. In that cold, metal shed that boasted stacks of mildewing rugs, funky out-of-season decorations, imperfect mirrors, and broken toys, he was the aging security guard – lanky and underpaid. Lots of time on his hands.

But when my husband and I wandered into his domain, he grinned and greeted us with an enthusiastic “Hello!” I smiled and helloed back reticently, and at once, the man recognized me for a newcomer. He beamed. In fact, he almost fell over himself asking, “Is this your first time in the discount barn? Have you never been here before?”

I shook my head, admitting I hadn’t, and the man stood, full of the kind of full-blown pride that usually denotes business ownership.

“Oh well, in that case,” the menial employee radiated warmth, “Welcome to…here!” And he meant it.

I’ll never forget that man. I’ll never forget how very proud he was of the place in which he worked.

No one on that chilly day (besides my husband and me) had dared venture out of the warm gift shop into the sales barn. And nothing in that barn was beautiful or expensive or special. Except for that employee. He was extraordinary. He was joyous. He was the living embodiment of what our parents meant about when they taught us:

“Whatever you do, great or small, do it well or not at all.”

The Beatles grasped that concept. They owned it. Whether they were recording a Christmas holiday greeting or a Saturday Club segment or an LP, they worked tirelessly to produce the very best. Reading the liner notes on the new “1” DVD, I was struck by this passage from Mark Ellen:

“Modern pop stars tend to reach certain levels of wealth and celebrity and then feel no apparent compulsion to get back to the studio, yet in the seven short years The Beatles recorded, they never lost their thirst for artistic adventure. The larger their following and the louder its applause , the more it raised their game, improving their craft, stretching their creative range, and fueling ever-greater levels of imaginative ambition.”

Indeed, The Beatles were never bored with their work. They never found it tedious. And in their individual careers they were (and are) always excited to produce “the next big thing” (as John phrased it).

That is what I wish for you and me this year…hunger to do better, pride in what you do, desire to learn more and to improve, joy in putting out a good product, and above all, a sense of belonging in your nook of the world.

Your nook may not be “steel and glass.” It may not be Important (with a capital “I”) in the strictest sense of the word. But if you’re thrilled about it, others will catch the fever, too.

I fell in love with that chilly, unappealing discount barn because the security guard was “over the moon” about the place. His enthusiasm was contagious. If he loved it “Here,” then “Here” must be worthy of a second look…maybe, a third.

That afternoon, I bought one of the unusual mirrors stacked in the corner. I bought a few ornamental Easter eggs for next year…and yes, I bought one of the rugs (from under the pile where the mildew had not yet permeated). And I walked away from that place determined to have more faith in my own work…and inspired to celebrate it more.

From Hamburg to Apple, the quality that sold fans, critics, naysayers, newsmen, filmmakers, and business people on The Beatles was their unadulterated enthusiasm. With every song, film, and snippet of Scouse wit ’n wisdom, they shouted, “Welcome to HERE!”

They let their light shine. And so should we. It’s 2016; shine on!

Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series: www.johnlennonseries.com

Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations — @910PubRel on Twitter and 910 Public Relations on Facebook.

And so this is New Year’s…and what have I done?

Well, let me tell you. It’s only seven days into the New Year, and already I’ve broken three of my five brand new resolutions! I haven’t worked daily on my next Lennon book. I haven’t spent daily time in prayer. And I’ve lost my temper (yes, already!) with a goodly number of various and sundry people. In only seven days.

I’m willing to take the blame here, but…maybe (just maybe) I’m failing miserably because the resolutions I’ve created are pledges that I just can’t keep. Maybe I’d do better if I turned to The Beatles for some hints on how to live in 2016.

Hmmm, I wonder what resolutions the lads would have to offer?

(Mystical music begins playing…and fades into “Hey Jude”)

From: Dr. Winston O’Boogie, Paul Ramone, Carl Harrison, and Yer Ritchie

Hey Jude,

Here’s to 2016, luv! May it rock (’n ever roll over Beethoven).

Be it Resolved That Herein This Year, Y’ Should

1. 1.     Take a sad song and make it better.
2. 2.     Follow the sun.
3. 3.     Run…for your life (er, walk, skip, whatever)!
4. 4.     Try to see it my way (or his way, or her way…).
5. 5.     Lead a better life.
6. 6.     Get back to where you once belonged.
7. 7.     Sing in the dead of night.
8. 8.     Get up and dance to a song.
9. 9.     See the world spinnin’ round.
10. 10.  Love forever and forever. Love with all your heart. Love when you’re together. Love when you’re apart.
11. 11.  Try not to sing out of key.
12. 12.  Forget the tears we cried.
13. 13.  Carry that weight a long time.
14. 14.  Promise to be true.
15. 15.  Let it be.

But most of all remember: With our love, with our love, we could save the world.

Fondly and Funly,

Yer 1-n-Only Be-at-les! (shocking!)

Wow! These things, I think I might be able to do! Or at least I can try.

How about you? What’s your resolve, à la The Beatles, for 2016? Write and let us hear from you!

Here at The Fest for Beatles Fans we wish you love, health, and happiness in the year to come, and we hope to see you in Rye Brook AND Chicago. Happy New Year…and we send it along, with love, from us to you!

Jude Southerland Kessler is the author of the John Lennon Series: www.johnlennonseries.com

Jude is represented by 910 Public Relations — @910PubRel on Twitter and 910 Public Relations on Facebook.