Everyone seems to have a favorite love song. As my husband has declined from Alzheimer’s disease, music is one of the few things that completely brings us together and creates some of our most loving and emotionally beautiful moments. As I’ve said before it’s our way of connecting and having a conversation. Even though his short-term memory is all but gone, the minute he hears the opening of any song that he knows from the past, he lights up, tears up and becomes overjoyed as it stirs something deep within.Music is so powerful and musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer's disease because key brain areas linked to music memory are usually undamaged by the disease.

To say that we never know what the future holds is an understatement. I’m still convinced that hope—hope that something good will happen and believing it will—is what gets us through tough times and the uncertainty of the future ahead. If I didn’t believe, have hope, faith, drive, curiosity and love, I’m not sure how I would have survived this unbelievable year.

Today we honor John Lennon and his enormous contribution to our culture.Last time I was in New York with my family, I was lucky enough to visit the Strawberry Fields memorial located in New York City’s Central Park.The “IMAGINE” mosaic sits at the center of Strawberry Fields. Here’s a photo I took when I was there. If you’ve never been there I highly recommend it, it’s quite magical.

For the month of November, I will be doing a Facebook fundraiser as well as donating a percentage of frannegolde.com proceeds to Music Mends Minds. There is nothing like the power of music and MMM has been a life saver for my family and for my husband. It has enabled him to stay connected to one of the greatest loves of his life.When Carol Rosenstein, founder of MMM says, “Music restores the rhythm of life. Music is medicine!” that’s far more than a slogan - research shows that circuits in the brain associated with music memory are unaffected by dementia and Alzheimer’s.

A great basic is dependable, makes you feel great, is comfortable and sleek and becomes your go-to. Great basics create the foundation of your uniform. That is always my goal!  

We’re celebrating four years and couldn’t be prouder! We want to sincerely thank all our wonderful customers from coast to coast for being part of our journey. Always dream big, because dreams do come true and if you have a passion, go for it. It could just be the second act you're looking for.