Doomsday or New Day? "Today is Someday" declares Melody Swink   by Ruth Hunter

in    (submitted 2011-01-09)

Doomsday or New Day? Melody Swink Believes Today is SOMEDAY

Obama called it "an unspeakable tragedy" in a nationally televised statement to the country yesterday. Speaker Boehner issued a statement saying, in part, "I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords… An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve...this is a sad day for our country."

Only three days after she was sworn in at the 112th Congress, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, was at the center of a horrific shooting Saturday in her hometown of Tucson. A deeply confused, mentally unstable man allegedly committed this crime. Already blame is being placed elsewhere on parties unrelated to this deranged man and even to an apocalyptic day of reckoning.

Compassionate, rational perspective and a ray of hope are called for here. The dawning of the new millennium (remember Y2K?) has banged the gong of ancient prophecies that’s being heard globally.

From the epic poems of India’s Mahabharata to the oral traditions of indifenous Americans to the Bible story of Revelations. “The End of Days approaches in 2012” as indicated by the Mayan calendar, is a 5,125 year cyle of time that is scheduled to end. The present world age began in 3,114 B.C. and will end in 2012 A.D., (probably on the winter solstice date of 12/21/2012), if you are a believer. Many are questioning or converting this extreme belief, as our collective finger is pointed at the earth’s shifts, weather changes, international conflicts… even a Tampa airport factors in.

On January 7, the FAA decided to close down Tampa Airport because the “Earth’s magnetic north pole is slowly heading toward Russia” according to scientists. The runway signs are being repainted for the designation change as called for by the Federal Aviation Administration to reflect a previous National Geographic News report which indicated that the magnetic pole was heading in Russia's direction at almost 40 miles a year.

Are these scary times? Throughout the years and ages citizenry have become baffled by, and defined by, the larger than life occurrences around them and have either sought out answers through faith or have decried the weakness of humanity’s grip on its own reality and lost hope. In our time, September 11, 2001 stands out as our day of awakening. Tragedy struck and the people arose from the ashes of fallen buildings, torn lives, and felled airplanes as vulnerable as feathered birds in innocent flight.

“The end of anything marks the beginning of of what comes next… The next world, which ancient traditions called the great cycle,” declares Gregg Braden, scientist and author of “Fractal Time”. The ancient Mayans believed that 2012 was the end of a cycle of life – or age.

A renowned jazz recording artist in Chicago, Melody Swink, sings a much different tune about current events, and her own life. Having been born into and raised in a Jehovah’s Witness family and religion, Swink is no stranger to apocalyptic foretellings and fears. In 1975, the world was supposed to end abruptly and brutally according to Witness calculations. Ms. Swink an adolescent at the time, is at home talking about those lost years and how such dire predictions can thwart personal ambitions and growth.

Melody Swink feels uniquely qualified to tell her story, and what it was like to arrive in 1976 – safe, sound, and reassessing her beliefs. As she grew older this self-defining and hope-building defined her. Surmounting cruel life conditions in poverty and abuse, Swink has emerged a strong woman with a clear and powerful message of self-empowerment.

“Today is Someday” is her enchanting musical story told in two CD’s. The jazz album features performances by multiple Grammy Award winner and jazz legend, Ramsey Lewis on songs written by artists as diverse as Burt Bacharach to R. Kelly and Al Green. Melody’s provocative life experiences immerse the listener in her world of love, longing and most inspiring; her songs of rebirth and self-reliance. The theme song, “Today is Someday” was penned by Swink at a turbulent crossroads in her life; “I had a choice, continue to repeat and relive old patterns and their consequences… or grab ahold of the gold ring of Today! No remorse. That’s what I write about and how I live.”

Melody Swink declares, “Today is your day to start anew, begin again, turn those clocks Around!” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning.”

There is no end. That’s reassuring. So where is your Bucket List? Fill it now, the new year of your life has only just begun.

About the Author

Ruth Hunter is a prolific writer, poet and inspirational seeker. The Chicago Tribune declared she, "Clearly has her heart in the right place." Translating current culture into an inspiring, uplifting message of personal power and transformation.