I Prayed twice last night, and then a third

It's hard to describe how much fun Clifford Gee and I had last night with our old friends Michael and Wendall and a lot of new friends as well. We went to sing a little Karaoke at Sharky's Beach Club. The weather was perfect, the crowd was great and we were ON! It was Bike week so we had a full house and several really good singers in the house. It was a great night but it did come to an end in time for me to make it home to watch Boston Legal before retiring for the evening.


I really enjoy those wonder few minutes between the time I collapse into my wonderful king size bed and then go into a state of contiguousness. It's those few minutes that my mind will usually go into overdrive and thoughts of past, present and future go racing through my head. This was the case last night when I thought about the response of the crowd just a couple of hours earlier and somehow ricocheted into a future performance and the dream of having the same kind of response there. My dear friend Jennifer and I a.k.a. Rockin' Jenn will be singing in the little town of Andelusha Alabama on May 16, just a little over a week away. We'll be at Moore's Buffet singing to help raise money for the family of a little girl named Isabella. Isabella is two years old, a precious little baby girl with bright eyes, a huge smile and Leukemia. When my friend Randall Moore ask me if we would sing for a benefit show, I didn't even need to check with Jenn. Of course we would, anybody would. I was thinking all sorts of things from what songs we would sing, in what order and even what we would wear for the occasion. Important stuff i thought but then it hit me, the important stuff is named Isabella. None of the rest of it really matters. My heart that had been so happy and contented with life just a few moments before suddenly became very heavy with the thought that this child had been "Chosen" for this fate. I do understand, my mother died from Leukemia a number of years ago, big difference, my mom had lived a long, not long enough but a long life. Isabella is two. My sadness was almost unbearable. And then, another thought flashed through my head that brought an immediate smile to my face. I thought about one of the most amazing blessings that I have ever known, the thought of another little two year old girl named Layni Rayne. That's Layni Rayne Akins, my very own grand daughter.


I can say without one ounce of prejudice, she's the cutest, smartest and most precious little girl on the universe. She owns my heart, can't begin to describe how much I love that little girl. Among her very first words were Papa and we both light up when we see each other. I am never more proud than when we walk with her holding on to my finger and looking up at me and smiling. Yes, she has huge blue eyes, a smile that could melt and iceberg and as far as we know, is in perfect health.


And so I laid there much longer than usual with the thoughts of these two precious little girls racing through my mind. I prayed, I prayed as hard as I believe I ever have for the comfort and strength of a little girl named Isabella. And then I prayed again, a prayer of thanks for the health of a little girl named Layni. And then another little prayer giving thanks that Randall Moore chose to call me to sing for Isabella.

It's a little hard to believe but yes it's true.  In addition to his current book

"TRUE GRITS - A COLLECTION OF MOSTLY TRUE STORIES OF THE SOUTH"

Rocky has been known to have poetic moments. 

Coming soon:

"Three Little Seconds"  (my personal favorite)

"When I Fall Asleep Tonight"

"My Home By The Bay"

"One Wish"

 

Just Three Little Seconds

By Rocky Akins

It’s just three little seconds, just the blink of an eye

Just three little seconds, no time to ask why

What could it possibly mean, what could you possibly do

In just three little seconds to make a life feel like new?

In just three little seconds the world gains new wealth

Because somebody’s baby is taking it’s first breath.

Somewhere a stranger is shaking the hand

Of someone who will become that stranger’s best friend.

Somewhere a Grandpa is giving a smile,

That will never be forgotten in the heart of a child.

Somewhere a note rings, he’s waited so long,

To find the perfect ending for a beautiful song.

In three little seconds, three beats of your heart,

Just three little seconds, what could you start?

Just three little seconds, so many each day,

So many chances and so much to say.

Of all my three seconds, if I had to choose

I know the one I would never loose.

The one that I would cling to the rest of my days,

The one that means so much to me in oh so many ways.

Those three little seconds I share with my friend,

With all of the warmth I receive and I send.

Just three little seconds that I simply adore

yet they always leave me, wishing for more.

Those three little seconds are so happy yet sad

They come when we’re ending a good time that we had.

Yet the joy that they bring will last for a while

Until my day is again brightened by a wonderful smile.

We’ll share our troubles and share our pain,

Then we’ll talk and laugh heck we may even sing.

Then we’ll go our own ways with a wink and a shrug

It was my favorite three seconds; I just got a hug.

 

 

When I Fall Asleep Tonight

by Rocky Akins

You were So beautiful this morning

when I saw you in my dream.

A dream I dream so often

Of a place I’ve never been.

A place where no Angel has yet been found

With a face as pure and sweet

As the one I see there in my dream

from the distance of my sleep.

The smile that came across your face

Played a symphony in my heart

As the morning sun came glimmering down

To give this day it’s start.

And the day will come to pull me down

And my dream will slowly fade.

But I will cling with all my strength

To the sweet memory that was made.

I’ve seen the mountain’s snowy peaks

and the sunset’s amber glow

I’ve seen all the flowers in the fields

With colors spanning the spectrum of a rainbow.

I’ve seen the handiwork of God’s very hands

In places far and near

But the vision that takes my breath away

Is this face I hold so dear.

I see you from the distance of my sleep

In a dream I dare to dream.

A dream that keeps on calling me

To a place I’ve never been.

I may never venture to this place

Where I linger in my sleep

I may never touch this dream of mine

That would make my life so sweet.

But I smile as I go along my way

With contentment and delight,

Knowing well where my dreams will take me

When I fall asleep tonight.

 

 

My Home By The Bay

by Rocky Akins

I’ve dreamed of this place since I was just a child,

A special place for me to call home.

Where the living is easy and The Hibiscus grows wild

Where my body and spirit have can roam.

A place that is covered with diamonds and gold

Where riches abound galore

More valuable than precious metal or stone

Who could ever ask for anything more.

The diamonds appear with a gentle breeze

At the crest of each sparkling wave

And we’re flooded with gold at dawn’s earliest light

As the sun peeps through the early morning haze.

The gulls, the egrets, the pelicans the turns

All pass by to bid us good day

While a few feet out the dolphins jump

And tease us with their playful spray

God seems to have spent a little extra time

On the place that I call my home

Where the living is easy and The Hibiscus grows wild

Where my body and spirit can roam

I’m living my dream here at my home by the shore

In this paradise where the dry land ends

If it’s your dream too, I’ll be glad to share

There’s always room for more friends.

Rocky Akins

July, 2003