thejourney

It always amazes me how powerful songs are. A good song can transcend the hard outer core of any situation and get to its nucleus. Once there it penetrates and that singular song molecule multiplies and spreads throughout your entire body. I thank God each moment for the gift of being musically inclined. Music gets me through so much. Its indescribeable. Life just wouldn’t be the same without the ability to create and share it. One of my missions in life is to do this a lot more than I do it now. I will allow God to guide me in the method which I should disperse my musical gems, but I do intend to share them with people more.

The factor about music that has inspired this random rambling of my mind is the relevance of a song. It has always amazed me that no matter how much you love a song, it doesn’t resonate as much until you’ve either experienced the events it speaks of, are currently in that situation, or have just come out of that scenario. For example, a love song just isn’t a love song until you hear the words and actually pray that God allow your emotions to travel to the person for whom they’re felt.  It’s monumental to have a tangible equivalent to the intangible beauty that is a song.

I have recently been confronted by many songs of old that I grew to love dearly in my youth. They now take on new meaning. I can better relate. I am now fully engaged in their realms. I am completely overcome by their current relevance. Life is so very short. It is often far shorter than we realize. In the blink of an eye, you’re sitting in the midst of friends taking your turn on the “i remember when” train. I am determined to fill my train with passengers worthy of travel through my mind. These passengers consist of but are not limited to God, family,friends, love, laughter, fun, diligence, freedom, respect, and several others. Tomorrow is not a promised day. The past remains to be itself while the future is yet to be seen. All I have is now, so I will virtually stock my IPOD (which I intend to purchase one day) with a soundtrack appropriate for the passengers on my train to indulge in.

FMH,

Shiri

     It is a beautiful spring morning. I am sitting on my front porch, scrapbook in hand. I am reminiscing on my life. There are wonderful times that I would repeat if I could. And then there are challenges and disappointment that I dare not wish to relive. A young child is seated at my feet, listening to every word I speak. She is galvanized by my tone and disposition. She was me in my youth. As I look into her eyes on this beautiful spring day, I feel as if I am staring directly at summer. Her youth and uninhibited courage remind me of my earlier days. I smile and she reciprocates. I am old, she is young. I have dreamed and lived the dream(s) while her dreams still percolate and take form in her youthful mind. As I hold up a document that marked the change of our nation, she stares in silent amazement. Though her young mind can’t fathom the steps of evil that were tread through to get to this good, she is in awe. She stares at me and asks, ” Nana what’s that?” And with tear filled eyes and a boldness that could rival the bravest lion I say to my granddaughter, ” Baby girl, this is a picture of the first black president of the United States. No matter what you do or where you go in life, NEVER let anyone tell you NEVER!!”

     As I sat watching the election results come in, this image flashed through my head. I have heard stories from the elder members of my family about the days of slavery and of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They would tell me the struggles of the past and the difference between the past and the present. My grandmother (God rest her soul) would stroke my hair and say “Ressie I used to pick cotton and we used to have to kill our own meat to cook.” And now, as I sit here, I will be able to say that I lived in the time of and voted for THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  Now, one thing must be said. Barack didn’t win my support merely because he is black or a democrat. The truth is that there are some aspects of the Republican theory that I do support– in theory only.  The idea that we, as a country, can basically govern ourselves is an idealistic notion. Nevertheless, the actuality of this method of government working for the broad spectrum of America has yet to be proven. Giving more to those with more rarely results in a trickling down of anything. Those that have tend to keep and want more. That is just the human nature of greed. For some people, there never seems to be enough.

     From this moment forward, we as a country will never be the same. There is hope. There is joy and the possibility of anything. There’s nothing impossible when unity is present. Believe and do not fear your dreams. There will be challenges, but NEVER SAY NEVER!!!!!

FMH,

Shiri

     This is just a snippet of last night’s fabulousness!!! ENJOY!!