catnipoflife

Observe life at its best, Listen to life’s songs, Embrace life’s bounties, Breathe the breath of life, Savor life to its fullest!

Awakenings: Music Through the Centuries

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

Music. FaLaLa…TraLaLa Boom De Ay…Boom Boom ShaBoom…NaNa-Nana-NaNa…everything before and after, as well as everything in between. Where would we be without music? Can you imagine a world without melody? Even the sounds of nature carry musical tones. Where there is sound there is rhythm from the clanging cogs of wheels definitely not ‘in pitch’ to Brahms’s Lullaby so relaxing one could sleep in a ditch. It keeps the sane man sane and lifts up the insane.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times. . .

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

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Awakenings: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…”

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

Within an age of advancing technology, there are a plethora of ways to communicate and conduct transactions. Does that mean the days of the United States Postal Service (USPS), a cherished American institution, might be numbered? While the Internet may be convenient, its functionality is dependent upon the mood of the cyber ghost on any given day.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Do we really want it to come to the point where children question what’s a postman?

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

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More Food for the Soul

Gather Daily Soul Food @http://pinterest.com/sharlashults/daily-soul-food/

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Life’s Journey

The journey along the rivers of life destines us toward many different shores. Along the way, choices must be made…the question at hand, this way or that? Much like the rivers that flow swiftly downstream, life glides along with ease. Then, there are those that flow against the norm making the way much more difficult. Often it is within those times of sadness and discomfort when we find renewed spirit, seek to aid those aging closest to us and face heartaches in order to experience joy.

bth_dividers

Voyages: Life Journeys

life-is-a-journey

From the moment of birth
Our true destiny is set
To travel life’s journeys
Overcoming fear and regret

One day may be somber
The next, glad instead
As each new path of life
Reaches far ahead

Voyages all through time
Touch varying walks of life
Those of understanding
As well as those of strife

From a desert oasis
To a sun-drenched island
Warm amazing adventures
Surround life like a garland

Flowers of the fields
Covering land like the dew
Could be choking weeds
Or blossoms fresh and new

Pages of life’s scrapbook
May be ragged and torn
Filled with worn images
Of the lost and forlorn

Could chapters be rewritten
Granting ways to understand?
The journeys across life’s paths
Reach out with a helping hand

©2013 catnipoflife Sharla Lee Shults ©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

“The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming
is where the dance of life really takes place.”

—Barbara DeAngelis (Author, motivational speaker & TV personality. (n.d. to Present)

Related Articles:

Journey is more beautiful than the destination http://pallaksharma.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/jouney-is-more-beautiful-than-the-destination/
Life is a Journey http://shirleymaya.com/2013/06/24/life-is-a-journey/

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Awakenings: Traditions with Papa!

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

Chester Clyde Lee
November 12, 1916 – July 17, 1997

Yesterday we celebrated Veterans Day. Today, I continue that celebration with the birthday of my dad. Had he lived he would be 97 years old. He served in the Navy during WWII. He never talked about the war. It’s memories were private for him as is with so many of our veterans. The only tangibles I remember from his service were his uniforms, medals, and insignias. He kept them stored neatly away until right before he died. Mother told me one day very suddenly he gathered all that he had from his Navy days, walked into the backyard and set them ablaze. I suppose this was his way of finally letting go. It was only a short time later he went to bed one night and slipped into the final sleep.

God bless you, Papa. May you rest in peace!

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Observe the past, present and future of freedom in America! It is slowly being stripped away one tradition at a time!

Read the entire article on www.awakenings2012.blogspot.com

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Awakenings: Veterans Day 2013

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

VeteransDay2013

This Day in History: November 11, 1918 On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the signing of the armistice went into effect, which ended the World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany.
A step back in time…Embrace the Past

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Remember not only those who have served but those who are presently serving in our military forces. They are the epitome of the word called FREEDOM!

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

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Effervescence

 Effervescence

Transparent tiny bubbles
Those lucent little pearls
Trickle and tickle the nose
Of giggling little girls

Soap bubbles, sparkling water
Sarsaparilla, root beer
Dispense tingling sensations
Any time of the year

A twist of the wrist
Releases a soda’s fizz
Hissing and spitting
All to the tune of “Gee whiz!”

Lovely bubbly champagne
The fizz everybody knows
Launches a warm feeling
All the way down to the toes

Unique, lively, bubbling
Essence of a sparkling escape
Incites genial conversation
Leaving no room for debate

The feel of fizzy fizz
Sometimes incessant
Describes life at its best—
Effervescent!

CatnipLogoSm©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

Effervescence—Aughey, John H. (Reverend, author, Civil War prisoner of war, 1828–1911)

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Awakenings: The Muppets and Sesame Street

See on Scoop.itAwakenings: America & Beyond

This Day in History: November 10, 1969

 

After five test shows and years of preparation, Sesame Street premiered on NET (National Educational Television, a precursor of PBS) on November 10, 1969. It was not until almost a decade later that The Muppet Show appeared, September 5, 1976.

Sharla Shults‘s insight:

Hurray for Sesame Street!Who was (is) your favorite character? 

See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com

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Last Hour of Daylight

Sunburst

The last hour of daylight
Reflects the golden hour
Moments before twilight
Engulfs every flower

Squirrels no longer scamper
Searching for food to store
Birds rest in nearby brambles
Along Nature’s floor

Creatures of the night
Come out to eat and play
Such nocturnal partyers
Sleep through the light of day

  Along the horizon
Silhouettes claim the view
Floating as in limbo
Within the blackening hue

Somewhere in the distance
A soft whisper is heard
Sigh of contentment
The one and only word

Ah-h-h-h-h-h!

CatnipLogoSm©2013 catnipoflife
Sharla Lee Shults

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Free Write Friday #32: Beautiful People

free-write-friday-kellie-elmoreThe inspiration for tonight’s post comes from Kellie Elmore’s Free Write Friday. Here is the scoop in her own words:

Welcome to Free Write Friday! New here? Read the intro. Everyone else, let’s get started. I am so happy to be back with you this week. Thank you so much for making my guest hosts, Mark and Kelley, feel welcome during their visit. Interested in being a guest host? Email me via my contact page. I’d love to have you over!

Now, down to business. Here is your FWF prompt:

Tell me about a beautiful person you know…

specialneedsClick HERE!

She nuzzled close to my breast
Sending sensations none could surpass
We were alone, Father no where around
Cries through the night the only sound

One day she crawled, the next she ran
Laughter in her voice holding my hand
What a sight that wonderful smile
Glowing inside and out all the while

One day her name I called, she did not answer
Just wheeled and twirled like a ballerina dancer
Not once, not twice, but many times over
Why had she become such an ignorer?

Unbeknownst to all at the time
Hers was a silent world without chime
Doctors were cruel offering no hope
Just take her home, learn how to cope

Separation came, leaving her father behind
Claiming she’s impaired, she’s not mine
How do you tell a child barely three
Only one parent wants her – that’s me?

I prayed and prayed, pleaded and pleaded
Where is the daddy she so desperately needed?
The days weren’t so bad, the nights sad and lonely
I’d cry myself to sleep wondering if only…

Then, a new man appeared on the scene
One loving and kind, not cold and mean
His challenge, help her to speak
Learn how to cope, never be weak

He was Daddy, the man who understood
The one who would be around for good
To want her, to love her, to help her, to hold her
To know her, to teach her, to nurture her, to scold her

She is the caterpillar whose wings now spread
Across clear blue skies leaving behind the dread
She soars and soars in amazement to all
Never missing a beat when her daddy calls

She is now a mother, two daughters of her own
Successful in business, fully grown
A beautiful person once shunned unable to hear
Brings smiles and joy to everyone near

Sidenote: Niki already has a BS degree in Marketing from the University of Florida and a BS in finance from Florida International University (FIU). She has just been accepted to FIU’s graduate program where she will be working toward her MBA. Not bad for a little girl who parents were once told she had no hope for a normal life. Of course, I guess for one who is approaching her Masters degree with aspirations of a PhD might not be considered normal after all. Go Gators!

Niki3

Niki – 3 yrs old when she got her first hearing aids

NikiAdult

Niki – Wife and Mother

quotes-about-strength

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