Awakenings from Then ’til Now allows you to Embrace Your Past, Empower the Present, Enrich Your Future.
Welcome to Awakenings
Life IS history in the making. Every word we say, everything we do becomes history the moment it is said or done. Life void of memories leaves nothing but emptiness. For those who might consider history boring, think again: It is who we are, what we do and why we are here. We are certainly individuals in our thoughts and deeds but we all germinated from seeds planted long, long ago.
Being unfamiliar with the white rabbit theory, a posting recently by poetreecreations.org captured my attention. Since we are nearing the beginning of a new month it connected with the theme of Awakenings which as one of its missions strives to embrace the past. Thus, without further ado, the initiation of my curious nature began.
In doing some additional research, which is typical for Awakenings, two basic theories surfaced with numerous variations surrounding the creation of good luck for the upcoming month. Learn more by clicking the link below Running Rabbit.
"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
~Alice in Wonderland
Whatever theory you believe,
First, are you going to say “Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit or White Rabbit” for good luck upon waking on the morning of Sept 1st?
Second, will you be one to pledge loyalty to saying it beginning each month thereafter for the rest of the year?
You know I love comments so let's hear what you have to say!
Remember. . .
I'm always hungry for your words of enlightenment!
Tragedy struck at the heartstrings of young and old as news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales spread around the world. What a tragic end to such a gracious lady who will always be remembered for her charitable spirit.
Diana ~ The Princess of Hearts
Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, Great Britain
July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997
The Smiles of Diana
An icon of British royalty, the “People’s Princess”
smiled
from within capturing the heart of America.
She mesmerized the world with her
interest in fashion
and popular culture but is most remembered for her
Rescued animals are often thrown away or end up at a shelter for some reason or other.
For this scene, there are many causes But the number one underlying cause of homelessness is poverty.
Dear friends and readers,
Upon visiting Raani York, Author/Writer who publishes thoughts, subjects, experiences, etc., I was led to an article that definitely is worth "spreading the word" for it is a prevalent problem right here in America. The article addresses an area where helping hands are desperately needed. READ MORE. . .
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." ~Neil Armstrong
First moon landing, 1969
Astronaut Neil Armstrong dies at age 82. Neil Armstrong was a quiet, self-described "nerdy" engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved U.S. pilot he made "one giant leap for mankind" with the first step on the moon. Read more. . .
Let's pause in a moment of silence for this great hero. . . A Walk on the Moon An event once only visualized in an episode of Star Trek
came to fruition when man stepped onto the surface of Earth’s moon. One
question still remains: How far is it possible to go?
Man on the moon?
Just myth, they
say
'Til two in fact
Made it one day
“The Eagle has landed”
Rang loud and
clear
As the
astronauts said
“We’re safely
here.”
Words of a hero
In history we’ll
find
“One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind”
Seeing Earth in
the heavens
As no one had
seen before
Led the men to
venture out
Eager to seek
and explore
What was it
honestly like
On that
monumental day?
Was it hot like
the desert?
What role did
gravity play?
Total absence of
weather
Both cloudless
and windless
Left so many
conditions
Nothing short of
mindless
Wildly shifting
temperatures
Below Arctic
cold in the shade
Rose to
blistering in the sun
Often stagnating
the crusade
Lack of
atmosphere
Limited
gravitational pull
Steps by leaps
and bounds
Sprung upward
noticeably in full
Weighing much
less on the moon
Apollo astronauts
had fun
Picture how far
you could jump
If gravity’s
force were undone!
Courage to overcome—Faith, the Christian cornerstaone—Hope for an improved life
This is the foundation of Awakenings: the embracing of the past, empowerment of the present, enrichment of the future. Without the hardships and sacrifices made for America, we would not be enjoying the freedoms our country has to offer today.
OolaGuru Comment: It is truly amazing what you can do when you have faith in yourself. I saw this video and couldn't help but share it with you guys. Anything is possible if you never, ever give up . . .
The theme of my new book, Awakenings from Then 'til Now, is to Embrace the Past, Empower the Present, Enrich the Future. The rhymic character of the verses in this book is to add flair and flavor to what is sometimes considered dull reading. History by its very nature is extremely poignant, whether during times of sacrifice, hardships, war or peace.
Since its inception throughout the postings to Awakenings' blog, segments of poetry have connected the past to the present on into the future. Over the course of the next few weeks, a series of poems will be highlighted from the book.
The poem for today comes from chapter five, Synergy and Conflict, Twenty-First Century (2000–Present). The focus is right after the turn of the new century.
Say It for America
The hope, faith, and courage on which our
nation was founded are still alive today
as new challenges are faced in America
and abroad.
While issues continue to revolve in a vicious circle,
their methods
of resolution have now become of far greater concern.
The new era begins
Amid chaos and confusion
In the midst of despair
Is peace only a delusion?
As we look back
To our history's plights
Are we engaged
In much similar plights?
While not the fight for freedom
Knowing that campaign was won
But maintaining our freedom
Is the crusade now begun
In our homeland
And across the sea
Are constant threats
Against liberty
America values and beliefs
Are challenges of today
As a fight for home and dignity
Is steadily underway
Maintaining values
While instilling beliefs
Remains in the arms
Of our armies and chiefs
Whatever shall be said
Whatever that will be
Say it for America
In the name of liberty!
Connecting the past to the present...
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word:
At the heart of awakenings is knowledge that identifies who we are, in other words, from whence we came. Our life's blood stems from our fathers whose fathers' fathers lived and died to make this country free. Then, there are also the mothers who endured pain and suffering unimaginable in today's era of modern technology.
Within the ancestry of each of us lies experience after experience deemed a success, as well as some considered a failure. With every walk of life comes a certain degree of risk plagued by the overarching question, "Will I make it this time?" Often this is even followed by "Why try?"
Why try, indeed? Because there is an overwhelming desire, a passion, to live a dream and the unyielding desire, the tenacity, to see it happen. Once the vision is established it takes a combination of passion and tenacity to keep the momentum going. The passion drives you to put more energy into achieving that vision than ever before, much more than is necessarily required. It goes beyond enthusiasm or excitement requiring commitment of heart, mind, body and soul. Of course, with every accompliment there are setbacks. The tenacity is that persistent detemination, even in the face of adversity, to never give up.
Are you willing to take the risk? What if you fail?
“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
What if these famous failures had not gone on to fulfill their destinies?
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.
I have lost almost 300 games.
On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed.
I have failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
NOTE:I was introduced to this video by the risqué Don in Massachusetts which led to this blog posting. I invite you to visit his blogsite for great quotes and pictures! Who knows, you may be inspired just like I was!
One of the greatest sports heroes of American culture, Babe Ruth, died of cancer at the age of 53, August 16, 1948. Born February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland his birth parents, George Sr. and Kate, named him George Herman Ruth, Jr. During his baseball career, he would acquire different nicknames, such as "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat," but the one which would endure the sands of time was "Babe."
You might be wondering why a man of such strong statue would acquire a nickname such as Babe. Having been discovered at the age of 19 by Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the then minor-leagueBaltimore Orioles, the other Oriole players dubbed Ruth "Jack Dunn's baby" thus prompting the nickname Babe, which would follow him the rest of his life.
The Roaring Twenties did more than roar as jazz music blossomed and the flapper monopolized the scene. The sports highlight of this gin-soaked, jazz-syncopated, frivolous time era was baseball and at the top of the list was Babe Ruth's career with the New York Yankees.
Many athletes have left their mark in baseball history but few as indelible as Babe Ruth. He will long be remembered and revered not only as a baseball champion but also a champion of hearts. His athletic prowess and fun-loving personality dominated the Jazz Age.
"Never let the fear of striking out keep
you from coming up to bat. All that can be asked of you is to give it your
best." ~Babe Ruth
Rock 'n' Roll legend Elvis Aaron Presley mesmorized fans of the 50s and 60s with his unconventional musical style. His gyrating hips and handsome looks made his debut provocative and followed him throughout his career, which spanned radio, television and the silver screen.
“Music should be something that makes you gotta
move, inside or outside.”
~Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley's versions of existing songs exemplified a mixture of 'black' and 'white' sounds. They exhibited what was dubbed as rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. As a result, this new sound became both popular and controversial.
"Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess.” ~Elvis Presley, 1956
To this day, Elvis continues to be one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll. His music is widespread across the Internet and does not appear to have plans of wavering any time soon.
"Rhythm is something you either have or don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over."
