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.
Happy Easter to all and may your day be filled with blessings beyond words!
We
have been blessed with my husband now off life support, out of ICU and
resting in a private room. If fact, he was helped out of the bed
yesterday and has begun sitting in a chair. He is very weak and cannot
walk on his own. We still have a long road ahead but the way is filled
with light and hope for a full recovery. Thank you all for your
intercessory prayers, thoughts and concerns.
“Rightly the lily is the flower of Easter. It lies buried in the
ooze of pond or stream. There is the grave of the dead lily that
appeals to nostril or eye. But silently the forces of life are dark and
the damp to prepare a glorious resurrection. A shaft of green shoots
upward toward the sun. This is followed by a cluster of tiny buds. One
day the sun smiles with special warmth upon the dank, black ooze, and
there leaps into the light a creature of light and beauty; it is the
lily, an angel of the earth, whose look is light.” —Author Unknown
How did the lily come to grace the fields of America? The cultivation
of lilies did not originate in the United States for the lily is a
native of Japan. History reveals the account of a WW I soldier, Luis
Houghton, bringing a suitcase full of hybrid lily bulbs to the South
coast of Oregon in 1919. Houghton freely distributed bulbs to his
friends and neighbors. Because of the events of WW II, the Japanese
source of bulbs was abruptly cut off. Therefore, those growing lilies as
a hobby noted the value of lily bulbs sky-rocketing and many decided to
go into business on their own. At that time, Easter lily bulbs were
known as “White Gold,” resulting in cultivators attempting to cash in on
the crop. By 1945, there were about 1,200 growers producing bulbs up
and down the Pacific coast, from Vancouver, Canada to Long Beach,
California.
Awakeningswill
be on leave for awhile but hoping it will not be for an extended time.
My husband, Jim, is in ICU in Southeast Alabama Medical Center in
Dothan, AL. This is approximately an 80-mile round trip from where we
live. I had to have an ambulance dispatched this morning because he
could not get his breath.
We
remained in the ER in our home town until approximately 12 noon. By the
time he arrived at the ER in Dothan, he was not breathing. He has been
put on a respiratory machine which is doing the breathing for him. He
had to have a procedure called Thoracintesis to drain a liter and a half
of fluid from his lungs. He is stable and resting.
I
came home because they would not let me stay, of course, in ICU. I will
be going back in the morning and will post updates as I know more.
WWF’s Earth Hour is a unique annual phenomenon that focuses the
world’s attention on our amazing planet, and how we need to protect it.
At 8.30pm on 23 March hundreds of millions of people will turn off
their lights for one hour, on the same night, all across the world in a
huge, symbolic show of support.
For 2013 as we all switch off our lights, we want the focus to be on
the kind of energy we use. Because to create a better future for our
planet we need to move away from dirty fossil fuels and onto clean green
renewable energy which works with the awesome power of nature, not
against it.
CEO and co-founder, Andy Ridley, highlighted the grassroots nature of the movement:
"People
from all walks of life, from all nations around the world, are the
lifeblood of the Earth Hour interconnected global community. They have
proven time and time again that if you believe in something strongly
enough, you can achieve amazing things. These stories aren't unique,
this is happening all over the world."
Lighthouses have been the sentinels, the protectors, of shoreline after shoreline for centuries upon centuries. In the beginning, these were not 'houses' at all but instead simply bonfires built on hillsides as beacons to guide ships. Many a seafaring vessel would have crashed upon the rocks had it not been for the angel of light shining through the darkest of night or penetrating the thickest fog. Throughout history, the lighthouse has cast mysterious auras, sometimes romantic and often times echoing a ghostly resonance.
The first light of this type served the old world city of Alexandria in 285 B.C.
St. Patrick’s Day, Green Beer and Blue MeadSt. by R. L. Cherry
St. Patrick’s Day, originally a feast day of the Catholic church, has
become a major American drunken celebration. Before I get into the
down and dirty, let me assure you that St. Patrick never drank
green beer. In fact, drinkers in ancient Ireland had a choice of ale
(no hops) or mead (honey based), unless they wanted to pony up for
imported wine. So beer is obviously not an ancient Irish tradition. How about the color green? Is it Irish because Ireland is called the
Emerald Isle? This is a question that is still up for debate.
First raised in 1919, theIrish flaghas three wide, vertical stripes.
In reverse order, one is orange, one is white and one is green. This
flag was designed in an attempt to join the Catholic and Protestant
factions as a united Ireland.
It is easy to explain why the orange
stripe represents the Protestants. The Protestant William of Orange
(William III of England) defeated the last Catholic king of England,
James II, at the Battle of Boyne in Ireland
on July 1, 1690. The militant Orange Order of Irish Protestants take
their name from the king who originally came from the Dutch principality
of Orange and celebrate (mistakenly) this victory on July 12 each
year. Since William’s victory led to the horribly punitive laws against
the Catholics, this “celebration” is strictly for militant Protestants.
Okay, how about the white stripe? If you were sitting in between two
groups who had a history of fighting each other, what flag would you
raise? It is generally accepted that the white is meant to be a flag of
truce between the warring factions. Now we come to the green, the main topic of this post. It’s often
assumed that since time immemorial green was the national color for
Ireland, perhaps established by the patron saint associated with the
“wearing of the green,” Patrick himself. Not so. Blue was the color of
Ireland for centuries, a royal color and the one traditionally
associated with St. Patrick. The first known usage of a green flag was
with a harp on it in 1642. It was only in the years after orange
becoming the color of Protestants in Ireland, sometime in the
mid-eighteenth century, that green became the established color of
Catholic Ireland. Perhaps it is because the green shamrock was
identified with that patron saint, Patrick. Perhaps it is because
Ireland is so green and is now known as the Emerald Isle. Perhaps it is
none of the above. However, whatever the reason, St Patrick and
Ireland are now firmly greened.
And so, we return to green beer. It is about as Irish as the Union
Jack. Or a margarita. It’s just the American misconception of what is
Irish. So be a rebel. Be a traditionalist. Be an individual.
When
your friends ask if you want a green beer, say, “Heck, no. I want a
blue mead. After all, that’s a real Irish drink.”
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
R. L. Cherry is the author of Christmas Cracker. What begins as a vacation for private investigator Morg Mahoney soon becomes a murder mystery laced with threads of local history, race horses, the IRA, family secrets, a touch of romance and, of course, pure greed.More...
• COMING SOON from R. L. Cherry•
Chicago Police detective Vince Bonelli's life had been organized and
comfortable when sexy Gina Gallo blew into it. Like a whirlwind, she
changed everything, destroying parts of Vince's life as she drew him
close to her.More...
Peggy Strack's Kick Back Moments features The President Kennedy, James Bond & St. Patrick's Day Connection. I dare say I would have never put these three together as having any kind of connection. Maybe JFK and St. Patrick's Day because of the Irish connection. But James Bond? Um-m-m-m? Now that raises some eyebrows. How much do you know about James Bond or his creator Ian Fleming? Do you think Mr. Fleming's books were an instant success? Did he reach #1 best seller with his first book? Were his works ever criticized? After all, look who we are talking about...James Bond, intriguing, sexy, with dark, rather cruel good looks! To learn more about this unusual connection, visit Peggy Strack's Kick Back Moments: The President Kennedy, James Bond & St. Patrick's Day Connection.
All I am going to say here is look at this book... Now, you should really be hooked for we have gone from the Irish to Russia!
Peggy Strack is the author of A Stop in the Park. "An engaging and hope-filled novel."—Kirkus Reviews
"This was one of those books, that as soon as I put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Each reader can find a message that speaks to her/him. Gives us all food for thought."
Woo Hoo! March 13th is officially K9 Veterans Day in NJ!
Welcome
to the national effort to make March 13 K9 Veterans Day. March 13, 1942
is the official birthday of the United States K9 Corps, and so it seems
only right to annually honor their service on that date. They served to
save, and they deserve to be remembered.
With every award comes RULES! 1.) Show appreciation of the blogger who nominated you and link back to them in your post. DONE! 2.) Add the award logo to your blog. DONE! 3.) Share 7 things about yourself. SEE BELOW! 3.) Nominate 5 - 10 or more bloggers you admire. SEE BELOW! 4.) Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know. CHECK YOUR BLOG! WATCH FOR A TWEET! 5.) Optional questions. (This one I will forgo for now to make it easier on everyone!) 7 "memorable moments" about me:
Marriage - almost 30 years
Motherhood - 3 girls, 1 boy
Maiden Voyage - Caribbean Cruise
Motion Sickness - Charter Fishing
Many Pets - gerbils, goldfish, dogs, cats, bird, rooster
Mighty Mealtime - Midnight Buffet
Micky Mouse - Texas!
For the moment YOU have been waiting for...
Drum Roll Ple-e-e-e-ese!
Awakenings pays the Reality Blog Award forward to:
Awakenings will
be on leave for awhile but hoping it will not be for an extended time.
My husband, Jim, is in ICU in Southeast Alabama Medical Center in
Dothan, AL. This is approximately an 80-mile round trip from where we
live. I had to have an ambulance dispatched this morning because he
could not get his breath. 
St. by R. L. Cherry
It is easy to explain why the orange
stripe represents the Protestants. The Protestant William of Orange
(William III of England) defeated the last Catholic king of England,
James II, at the Battle of Boyne in Ireland
on July 1, 1690. The militant Orange Order of Irish Protestants take
their name from the king who originally came from the Dutch principality
of Orange and celebrate (mistakenly) this victory on July 12 each
year. Since William’s victory led to the horribly punitive laws against
the Catholics, this “celebration” is strictly for militant Protestants. 
Peggy Strack is the author of A Stop in the Park. "An engaging and hope-filled novel."—Kirkus Reviews 
Awakenings was honored in January with the Reality Blog Award from Alastair. My sincerest apology goes to Alastair for being so late in responding to this wonderful award. January was indeed a hectic month since January 22 was the official release date of Awakenings from Then 'til Now. 
