“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Thank you, Harriet Tubman. On this day, in 1853, she started the Underground Railroad of safe houses and helped many slaves escape to freedom. Later, she became an activist and an advocate for women’s suffrage.
Note: Don’t tell her you don’t believe. She hates it when creativity is stifled.
She started out as a mere, mealy book worm.
She has read ALL of your work and she waits for more. She lives in her heaven beneath the earth surrounded by tunnels and tunnels of shelves filled with writings from authors, books of all genres from every year. When the others around her noticed this magnitude, they had declared her Worm-God.
At night, she listens. She hears the crumpling of paper, the slam of a laptop, the author’s piercing whine.
She ascends. She is careful. She waits until you nod off, then wiggles imperceptibly between your fingers and leaves a residue of inspiration. When she is finished, she returns below.
The next morning, you rise, pour a cup of coffee or tea, check emails. You pop your knuckles and begin.
Deep below, Worm-God makes room for your new book. As she waits, she smiles.
By the way, she will also nudge you into sending off your manuscript.
animated image credit
for those lucky enough to survive the sinking of the Titanic.
Roughly two hours after the Titanic sunk, the steamship RMS Carpathia, reached the site and were able to rescue 705 survivors. On this day in 1903, the ship arrived safely in New York City.
Here is a photo of Margaret Brown (the unsinkable Molly Brown), giving Captain Roston a silver cup and a gold medal.
Ironically, the Carpathia was torpedoed by the Imperial German Navy and sunk on July 17, 1918. Captain Roston was not aboard.
Wow! A friend sent me this link about a painter, Felice House, who changed the “sexy cowgirl” image into the powerful.
Click here to see the entire collection and to read the article.
While sitting for my 14 month old granddaughter, I thought once again about the lyrics of this creepy song:
Rock a bye baby,
in a treetop,
when the wind blows,
the cradle will rock,
when the bough breaks,
the cradle will fall,
and down will come baby,
baby and all.
What a horrible song to sing to little ones at nighttime!
By the way, I’ve never sang those lyrics to any of my babies!
So, here’s the deal.
The song was first published in 1765 in Mother Goose’s Melody. The only change from today was the first line – Mush-abye-baby. (Still weird) The editors noted, it is “a warning to the proud and ambitious, who climb [too] high that [they] generally fall at last.”
Here’s one theory:
James II had a son by his second wife in 1688, displacing the presumptive heir, his daughter, Mary, married to the Protestant William III of Orange. One speculative theory simply holds that the baby in the song is this little guy, and the lyrics were a “death wish,” that the little Catholic prince would die and a Protestant king would ascend to the throne.
Here’s another: A relative of Davy Crocket made up the song when she was babysitting. (IMDB lists her as the writer of “Rock-a-Bye Baby” when it was used in well-over 100 movies.)
Alrighty then.
Another theory is when the pilgrims encountered the Native Americans, they put their babies in cradles up in trees to protect them. (Stupid because surely, the cradle would fall. Maybe it was really the Native Americans who created the song to make fun of the of the newcomers putting their kids in trees.)
Whatever. It’s still a scary song.
My ending goes like this,
At least the song “Ring around the Rosie,” sad because of its original meaning, didn’t have scary words.
Okay, off my soapbox now. And remember to always hold your children tight.
Whatever you are celebrating today, I wish you a wonderful day of peace, love and Hoppy-ness.
And, don’t let any take it away from you!
Today in 1865, our 16th President of the United States died after being assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a confederate spy.
Quotes from Abraham Lincoln:
“I hold that while man exists, it is his duty to improve not only his own condition, but to assist in ameliorating mankind.”
“Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
“I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think and feel.”
And finally,
“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
… you just feel like having your portrait painted.
by CD-W
I love looking at the past. I took this photo yesterday when I was downtown. These old railroad tracks have existed for over one-hundred years. I wonder if the new buildings will as well.
Two canvases and acrylic paint.
Carolyn Dennis-Willingham 