Tag: music

Some Thoughts on a Sunday Morning !


In life we al have our little pleasures, our little likes and dislikes. We all have things that make us smile, or make us cry, make us laugh or make us sigh. Some of us, live on sports, some on music, some on books, or something that we find special to do. Some like to read and study history, others love to write, stories, articles, blogs or poems. Some argue politics, and some don’t, the thing with politics is simple folks, no matter which side or party you back, someone will always argue the opposite is best. When that happens is, when anger rises, and people don’t understand, most of the time, it is best to just walk away. You can’t change people’s opinions folks, or what they think, only they can themselves by researching and learning on their own. Always remember that, the next time someone gets angry or upset over a political statement or action, walk away. It’s not worth facing potential physical violence or even verbal assault. Save yourself the trouble, walk please.

With that said, I used to DJ online a lot, music was my thing in the 1990s, I would DJ. I have a colllection of music that fills an external hardrive I gathered over the years. It runs from Rock, to Country, to Jazz, to Motown and more. I found over the years even classical music has a place and time in my life. Music is like a special spice in one’s life, that lightens the spirit, makes you dance or move and lifts your spirits all in one. Music always brightens the mood and helps one through the duldrums of life. So, remember when, your down, play that special band, group or artist or song that makes you smile and carry-on like nothing is wrong. For in your heart and mind you will always have a special song.

Music is one of my loves, as is writting, Poetry I do as it hits me, so to say. A partcular topic or event may come to mind and make me go off in a poetry way. It may be love that sparks it, it may be anger, it can be an event, or one of danger. Or I may write of loneliness, or absence, or maybe depression or sadness. Each day we get up, an event or interaction may interact with us in someway, and that may become a key to a new poem or even a story or song. Inspiration comes from many sources my friends, sometimes it can be a smiling face across a bright room, or a face across a dark one and a gloom. You never know, just remember it can happen and will somehow, or so.

I labeled my Blog, for Rants, Poems, Stories and more. So when whatever mood hits me, I can express what I think. I do not force my opinions on anyone I just voice them by writting them out here. Wheither you agree or disagree, is up to you of course and I leave the commenting to each one who reads what I post. I may not reply to your comments, but I do read them, so you know.

I am at a stage of life where I realize my opinions do not match everyone else’s. But thats ok, for as we age, we do get set in our ways. It is expected at least by me, for each of us is an individual you see. We all have different levels of experience and interactions that affect us. So when we sit down and talk, if I don’t like what you say or do, and I walk away, don’t take it personal, for it just means, I don’t wish to fight or argue over any point in the discussion, so walking, is the best to do. I do not disrespect your beliefs, your opinions, or thoughts or what you say or how you say it, please don’t try to do that to me. As my mother said, Respect is not a given, it is earned, the way to get it, is by being respectful at all times in return. What you put out, you shall get back and that my friends is just a fact. So, don’t treat anyone in anyway you would not want treated yourself. If you do, your asking for the same in return and you won’t like it. Just a thought for all, that is.

Mutual respect, manners, kindness, caring and sharing is right! It should be spread and shown each day and night. I am not saying be a beacon yourself, but it doesn’t help to be kind and nice to everyone else! Happy Sunday all, I hope all have a great day!

Music lives and Breathes Country !


      Music, so many across the world love music of one kind or another, I think it motivates, it entertains and is pleasant to the ears. Each Generation bring its own type of change to the music industry, by producing different artists and different songs and melodys. Yet one thing remains constant in music if you want it to sell, a singer with a voice who can sing. I know there are rappers, singers, story tellers and more, Rhythm and Blues, Soul and more too,even metal rockers, each unique in what they bring to the music world. For me it is Country Music, the greats Patsy Cline,Reba, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn,Kenny Rogers,Hank Williams and his son Hank JR. and Merle Haggard and so many more. Country tells stories of life,love, hopes and fears, years of laughter and even tears. Country is America‘s real music in my heart and mind, for it talks of the world we live in and the way we live and love in it. It even covers disasters, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley,Miranda Lambert, and Tim.

      Then we have shows like American Idol creating icons and singers of so many different types. People with voices that can shake a stadium’s roof and move an audience to their feet. The Voice is doing this also now as it grows in fans, and time on the air, X-Factor is too. For music moves the mortal soul, it makes man and woman whole. It calms, it excites, it makes one laugh and one cry, just as Winona and Naomi Judd. I remember my daughter as a child in 1982, running around the house shortly after she learned to walk, singing Momma’s Crazy, it was a take on their song Momma He’s Crazy over me. My daughter loved the song and the melody, and used to sing it to my first wife, as Momma’s Crazy I laughed but my ex-wife didn’t, but for me turns out my daughter may have been right, lol. Point being, Country Music reaches into the soul the heart and the spirit of Americans and the world, it brings hope and fear, it bring happiness and it brings tears. It has done so for decades and more now and will forever stay strong as long as it keeps coming up with new songs, new stories and new stars. Carrie Underwood when she started on American Idol, told Simon Cowell one day, You sir, do not understand country music, well he didn’t and still doesn’t today, but Carrie Underwood does and is worth 20 million bucks a year today.

        When tragedy hits the world of America as a nation, Country Stars step up with songs about that. When wars happen you hear Toby Keith singing his songs about putting a boot in their ass, it’s the American Way. This is country at it’s best in my opinion. and if I can’t understand what a singer is singing, the lyrics I don’t want to listen to them.

         Music is the basis in many minds, hearts and souls, that brings smiles, tears, motion, laughter and fears to the human heart. Country does it best for me, with it’s ballads, from greats, like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and yes even Hank Williams Jr. I am not a redneck or a southerner, but the tunes are great when they hit the ears. Josh Turner, Scotty Macready, and others. They bring smiles, laughter, fun and enjoyment god bless country!

 

      

Events/ Family-Form Person


Events form our destiny they say, or is it Destiny the forms our life?  Could it be another thing, like we are the accumulation of the events and our base family‘s reaction to them? Many ideas come to subject on this point, but I have grown to believe, we are all, what we are taught to be, plus, what events  we live through you see. Each Generation is different because each has its own events they live through and we have the cultural, moral and ethical bringing up of the base family.

       Take a look back in time, for me i have only lived 56 years and I don’t know how long I have left. But I do not my parents didn’t hand us things on a platter, they didn’t give us cars, electronics, money or fancy clothes. We didn’t get our music through them or anything else, what we got pure and simple was discipline, work hard, go to school and stay the hell out of trouble or we will beat your ass. If you dropped out of school in my family’s world you went to work and paid for your rent and for food, you learned earlier than later, you had to earn your way.

        Each family, no matter how many children they have, has favorites, the ones who can’t do nothing wrong and everything goes right for. In our family we ran into that problem not once but twice. My elder brother was mom’s favorite, she would help him through everything and he  was attached hard and strong to her apron strings. He was Mr. Perfect. the one who could do it all right and play sports and be the hero.  As we grew older he disappeared into his sports and the family, ran as hard as he could, to find his freedom and escape the step-father we had. Violence was indeed a way our parents controlled him and none of the five of us were ever immune.

       Many have asked me what my first memory of life was, and how far back can I remember. Well Doctors, I go back to the year, 1961, I was five years old. It was the day after Labor Day, the first day of school for me, I was awaken and told to get up at 6 am, like my elder brother. I was washed and  cleaned by mom and then told to get dressed. I put on the clothes given to me like a good little man and then came the tie. The 1960’s school system had dress codes, the Elementary School code was ties that year. Mom pull ed me close and wrapped the tie around my collar and started to tie it. I was five years old I fidgeting and moved, that was it for her, the next thing I knew I was smacked across the face, crying and told hold still or I would get it again. Hows that for a first memory in one’s mind and head?

      Families have their black sheep and I was it for mine I think. My real father, had divorced my mother and moved back home, I would not meet him until I turned 18 years old and took a bus to another state on my own. As my mother would say, I looked like him and I talk like him, so I suffered for that all my young life living at home. Nothing I could say, do, or try to do, would ever make my mother and I get along well, till the day she died.

        The third child was one of my younger brothers. He was the first one mom had from our step-father.  I watched as he grew older and more anger came out of him year by year, from being beat upon by our father. The beatings were crazy and at night or anytime he decided we did something wrong. This kid got so angry as he grew older, he stole all of his father’s tools and belongings he could and sold them on the streets to make money. He wiped his own father out in that way and then they had the confrontation in the basement. By now my younger brother had grown to almost a full-sized man, he stood his ground against his father in that basement. As his father beat him he fought back finally, and took a pipe to dad’s head. As Dad stood there bleeding across his skull, he looked at his first full son and told him get out or I will kill you, leave. The kid packed up at 16 and left the home never to return, he died at age 32 in California, under an assumed name from Aids from drugs. Sad huh!

       The next was my baby sister, God Bless her for coming along when she did. She took some of the sting and violence out of her dad and mom. They loved having a little girl for a change. Dad would never hurt his little girl physically, but mom well she would and did, and beat her down mentally too. As our dad would say till the day he died, and he told her many times to her face, woman you have no motherly instinct at all. It was true and us kids knew it too, we really did all our lives.

       The final piece to the puzzle that was our family, is one last boy. A boy we all loved as he was small, smart and funny. He would laugh well the little guy back then and he  loved life. Before I left home I would babysit the two younger boys and my sister daily thru my high school years as our parents worked each day.  The third child would beat upon his younger sister and brother daily unless I stopped him. Anyway the youngest was given everything like my elder brother was as the eldest one, the baby of the family thing set in. But for him the  bad part was he also got the worst of his father’s habits and ways, he picked up over the years. I remember when he was small teaching him how to draw from the Sunday Paper Comic Strips. Today he has a talent for drawing that is immense and I hope he is using it somewhere.  But like I said he got things from his dad too, paranoia and at times anger issues hit this child on and off. He is suspicious of everything and anything around him, sadly for him. My understanding is early in his life after I left for military service he was hit by a car and it changed him. Sadly that is the family puzzle that was us, in our house.

       So like I say, events in history, family teachings and what we learned young became all of us and becomes all of us through out the World!.