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Baptized on Merovingian Ground

My Oma, were she alive today, would be 93. She was born nine months and some odd days after Armistice Day or what we know as Veterans Day. When Mom told me that she had been Baptized in the historical Frankfurt Cathedral; I just had to know more.

Helen Mayenfels (1919-1999)

Oakland Tribune, September 7, 1919, Page 1

NewspaperARCHIVE

Frankfurt Dom Abend

"Treaty To Be Ratified By Wilson" shouted the Oakland Tribune headline on September 7, 1919. Approximately six weeks after her birth, Oma did some shouting of her own.

Oma was Baptized in the Frankfurter Dom. The official name is Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus; Emperor Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew.  "St. Bartholomew's is the main church of Frankfurt and was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time."

Much ado is recently made by conspiracy theorists about Satanic and political bloodlines and popular focus is also garnered by Dan Brown's books.

The Main Divisions of the Frankish Kingdoms under the Merovingian Kings.
But "Merovingian society...was clearly a Christian society..., and one cannot ignore the vital and central part that was played by Christianity in its cultural life (Hen). Dark Age Christianity echoes still barbaric bloodshed in stories of quests for World Domination.

Frankfurt Dom Querschiff

Oma, as Family Lore goes, "...hat die ganzen Kirche ausgebrult." In English, and not a literal translation, screamed her head off [at her Baptism.] Did Oma, as a new Soul, know what type of ground she was being Baptized upon? Or was it more the 'in the air buzz' of  The Red Scare and Hitler's eminent rise to power?

The Germany my Family was raised in, is one I can scarcely imagine. Harder still is extracting bits and pieces of Oral Family History. Scars of suppression, depression, bombings and annihilation show not only in the German landscape. These scars, they show in my Family's soul.


Sources

The Merovingians by Professor Robert Sewell

Culture & Tradition in Merovingian Gaul AD 481-751 by Yitzhak Hen

Modern History Germany Timeline 1918-1945

Frankfurt Cathedral and Photos Wikipedia and Wikimedia

Historical Frankfurt

 Would you like to know more about your Family History? 
Contact Bob Nix on Facebook and be sure to visit his shop   House of Names

The Flower: An Introduction to Tasha

Introducing New Author from Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Tasha

The Flower: by me, Tasha

This is a personal poem I wrote, about the boy breaking down my walls. 

The Flower leans and stretches,

searching for the light.

Wanting the world to see her.

Wishing to feel the warmth.

The Flower is strong and fighting,

pushing through the dark.

She knows it exists outside,

she’s been told its worth the wait.

The Flower begins to wilt.

The weight of the sadness

is growing all around her.

Slowly she begins to loose petals,

she looses her beauty and light.

The Flower almost dead,

begins to drop her seeds.

She wishes the world be kind 

to her secret in the dark.

Just as the last petal falls,

a boy lets in the light

and finds her secret hiding;

The mass of Flowers

reaching up for him.

Come Hell or High Water

Perpetual Andragogy has taken a different turn. I always knew it would. I will expound later. But in the meantime, I will leave You with my Sunday Prayer of Thanks, on this, July 15, 2012.

Sunday, July 15 2012 ~ Fingernail Moon ~ Stars Coming into Alignment ~ Missouri ~  Our United States of America

Praise of Wisdom By Solomon ~ Introduction [The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, Page 755, Catholic Book Publishing Company copyright 1980 - 1970, New York, New York, United States of America]

22  Now what Wisdom is, and how she came to be, I shall relate' and I shall hide no secrets from you, But from the very beginning I shall search out and bring to light Knowledge of her, nor shall I diverge from the truth.

23  Neither shall I admit consuming jealosy to my company, because that can have no fellowhip with Wisdom.

24  A great number of Wise men is the safety of the world and a prudent King, the stability of his people.

25  So take instruction from my words, to your profit.

I smoke your ciggarette, mostly because I want to remember the taste; impress it upon one of my God given senses.

Just as the exhalation of my Mother's Benson & Hedges, the smell, the taste; it resonates and remembers the race, in our 71 and a half Ford Gran Torino; (351 Windsor, not Cleveland) me to Girl Scouts, and her to work. The exhalation said "Breathe."

Ashes land on her black work pants. From a perfect and beautifully made-up face; from her lips she blows, does not rub, the ashes.

Blonde hair glistening, green eyes shimmering; she gives me a smile with her left upraised eyebrow. This, in one look told me: "Do as I say, not as I do." And I knew this would benefit me, somehow, in my future.

Everything, and I do mean everything, my parents taught me, I remember. I've also transferred this knowledge to 'my kids', none bilogical, all variant in age.

The Love ~ Oh The LOVE ~ This is what I carry with me every day!

"Come Hell or High Water" I would hear, even in conspicous absence, work, obligation or Service to Country, I knew, I always have known and will always know the Love!

This is what I have tried, and Oh, I Thank You Lord, succeeded in.

You see, every Child that I have been afforded the opportunity to influence, Oh Lord, Every One, EACH in His or Her Own way is so SO BEAUTIFUL!

I Thank You Parents. You did not really know me, yet somehow, you did.

You left your Children in my care as you went to work or play. And you knew your kids were safe. Such an awesome responsibility. Such an affirmation of my place on God's Green Earth.

And with Your Children, I reinforced Your Songs, Your Beliefs and added a little of mine.

Now, in this, the Autumn of my life, I am so very Blessed; Dear Lord, so Blessed!

Every Child and Child's Child: EACH and EVERY ONE:  creative, intelligent, (in his or her own way) insightful, caring, and loving. The older ones, they go to work on time and do not miss!

They sing, they dance, and they remember me. Can you belive it? Me?

They remember the stories I'd told them, both good and bad and Lord, O Lord, these kids are tough and resiliant!

They're passionate, at times overly so, but that's OK, because, guess what? In the end THEY LOVE!

I am so very Blessed. Thank You Lord. Thank You Parents.

With All My Heart,
Kathleen 'Krazy Aunt Kat' Ackroyd

Perpetual Andragogy Back from Hiatus

No, I did not fall off of the face of the Earth! That's impossible! For Proof, check out Lippershey, Schmippersey - I Failed Astronomy! (Funny now, not so much then)

I did take some time off though. I was, well frankly, overwhelmed! More on that later. In the meantime, I have the videos up on the Perpetual Andragogy YouTube Channel and also, catch me on Twitter @perpetualgogy. I've been using these hastags: #UNLV #ENG235 #ENG298 #ART160 #Andragogy

For those of you that don't know, I'm a Junior at UNLV. I finally decided on an English major with a German minor. Now, from what I've researched and heard, double majors are best. That's all fine and good, but I'd really like to get my Degrees before I croak!

If you can, be sure and join us for this year's Walk with the Heart of a Child. The updated video and link to our page on Kintero.org is on the 'Can I be of Service Page' just click on the Alpha Xi Beta thumbnail in the top right corner.

Classes for Spring 2012 are English 298 - Writing about Literature, German 113 - Elementary German I, English 235 - Survey of British Literature, and Art 160 - Art Appreciation DE (Distance Education). I know what you're thinking, "I thought you said you were a Junior?" Yes, I am, but these are required courses. More on that later also.

One Down Three to Go!

I tried, I can't even tell you how many times, to return to college and finish my Degrees. Finally, after  30 years, almost to the day of graduating High School, I have earned my first degree. On Monday, May 23rd, 2011 I was conferred an Associate of Arts with High Honors from the College of Southern Nevada at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Up to now you have read about the challenges of beginning an Academic Journey. Honestly, I believe the first two years of college is learning about how to learn and how to navigate the college system. Of course, you have to go to class, study and juggle your home and work life also. 

The College of Southern Nevada's 
Class of 2011

Special Thanks to Dustin Rains for the Photos in this Slideshow

I was one among a record number of almost 2,300 CSN Graduates. This graduating class also had a record number of Honor Students. Our Alpha Xi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa broke a record of it's own.

Under the the leadership of Alpha Xi Beta's President, Dustin Rains, Phi Theta Kappa membership was raised 28%. We earned the highest Pinnacle Award possible, raising the College of Southern Nevada's Alpha Xi Beta Chapter to a Five Star Chapter for the 2010-2011 academic year.  

This is the highest and most prestigious honor possible for the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and I am uber proud to have been a part of it. 

Phi Theta Kappa also awarded Club of the Year Photo Susana Buller

As great as these achievements are, 

these accomplishments do not guarantee the ultimate outcome of our degrees. Before the crash of 2008, even an Associate's Degree opened many doors and employment was virtually a given. This, as reported in this Channel 8 News Now broadcast, is no longer the case.

I will continue my education, in pursuit of my ultimate goal of a MLIS, Masters in Library Sciences. My next step in my Adventure as an Adult Learner is my Bachelor's with a Major in English and a Minor in German. I am seriously considering changing my Minor to Spanish to increase my workplace marketability and reserving my German Minor for my Phd. You need two foreign languages for a Doctorate.

Thank You for reading Perpetual Andragogy Adventures of an Adult Learner and sharing my trials, tribulations and triumphs with your friends. Your interest in my Academic journey and your support of education for this Nontraditional Student inspires not only me, but also anybody who has even given the slightest thought to a return to college and the betterment of themselves.

Want to Go Back to College? Start Here!
Start your FAFSA
College by the Letters - I made you a FREE Outline of how to Start your own Academic Adventure
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Phi Theta Kappa Alumni List (I should be the first name you see :D )

Implosion: An Ode to Gilman's Wallpaper

by K. H. Ackroyd

Peeling, peeling ever peeling, your tattered sickness has me reeling
Look quick, Did you see?
I think that woman is looking at me
Can't you see her, she's just right there, why I see my face reflected in her hair
There



Hush now, do you hear?
Oh have no fear.
It's only the Dr. clomp, clomp, clomping up the steps with my cure
and I'm sure
or am I?
My nails they scratch me, no not me, I meant, the nails, they hold the bed down for me
or is it against?
Last night I laid on the FOR/AGAINST bed
and what was dancing to the right of my head?
or in it?



It moved I tell you! I touched it - it's true!
My, but this room has a lovely view
A baby is crying - I guess I should feed it  (look at watch) is it time?
or is there?
But work, work, work, work, work. I must write, as I hide, as I write
Rest, oh I should rest. But doing nothing is harder than doing something.
But I must rest
He said so
He



What is that smell? It smells like piss! It smells like stain. It smells yellow
fellow
Look!
I have the key! I won't be interrupted, I won't be interrupted
Hahahhahahhahhahhaha
Did you see? The Key! I threw it out the window!
Now, it's just me and this rope, and that woman
Did you see her?
she's just right there, why I hear my voice reflected in her hair

Somebody's knocking at the door, somebody's ringin' the bell, somebody's knockin' at the door, somebody's ringin' the bell, Do me a favor, open the door, let em in   Just ignore it 

That's only him, the Dr., John
That's  only
An axe? An AXE? A Shining Axe?
hahahhahhahahha

This room looks different
It's bare

Oh, I remember, it was that woman and me,

Did you see her?

we peeled, and peeled and peeled
Yes, we did, just her and I
Did I tell you? She broke the pattern?

She did!

Sources and References

The Morgan Library and Museum
One Hundred Years of American Women Writing, 1848-1948 An Annotated Bio-Bibliography by Jane Missner Barstow
The Charlotte Perkins Gillman Society
Women's Intellectual Contribution to the Study of Mind and Society
Norton Anthologies
Gilman's Authority with Subversive Commentary in "The Yellow Wall Paper" by K.H. Ackroyd 


IMPLOSION: An Ode to Gilman's Wallpaper by K.H. Ackroyd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at KHAckroydPermissions@gmail.com.