Just returning from a great holiday spent with my friend Jean’s fantastic family has awakened the creative giant in me. I am ever so grateful for their thoughtfulness and caring: I ate and slept and ate and slept and barely washed a dish (nor lifted a finger in work the entire week).
Yes, Sistah was lazy and almost trifling!
But I am more than grateful for their concerns for me. As a family they watch little TV and as a result, they TALK more to each other. And listen more. And read more. And enjoy music more. (They love that 1940’s groove!)
I’m not saying Jean’s family is perfect – but they are perfect for making each member’s dreams come true – as they often do.
They make me proud of their hard work and very grateful to have been included in their
Family gathering. It was great!
This is a great, rainy day. It isn’t the wimpy, wispy, fog-like rain of
Southern California. Nor is it the near-monsoon of Oregon or Washington State.
Indeed, it is a slow, steady Autumn drumroll; a precursor of cold, wintry weather to come…
Rain is such a cleanser; a mood-altering phenomenon. And we so love and need the
H20. The water. The Dew Beads of Life.
But do we really need to blow up the moon in our quest for life-sustaining water?
Can we not create rainy days like today right here on earth?
As I recall, no air on the moon equates to no atmosphere. Hence no dirt plume when we bombed the hell out of our nearest, platonic neighbor last week. Black folk understand the resulting hidden message:
“Do not screw with the Moon!”
The next bomb might not just pierce the surface - without a molten lava core to melt the incoming blast, we might witness the halving of the moon. A NUKE might even splinter the friendly face of the man on the moon forever.
Just to provoke a thought or two, you might want to watch The Time Machine,
(2002). Just to witness what one mistake can do to destroy our lunar neighbor.
And ultimately, to us.
Today is such a splendid micro sliver of God-time. I marvel and give thanks to The One who smiles down on me and blesses me. When God smiles on me – miracles abound; lost things are found, and healings begin. Thank you, My Father
I believe in Forgiveness – not for what it does for the Forgiven Person, but for what it does for me - the Forgiving Person. Forgiving others removes dead weight from my heart and soul. Forgiving others gives me joy and peace.
And when God smiles on me – EVERYBODY who ever did or said anything to hurt me – real or imagined - gets a Blanket Pardon from me. Like it or not. And if they still hold a grudge against me – SO WHAT?
.
I am so grateful for my life, my loves and my friendships. I don’t want to waste another moment grieving over past hurts and injustices. The past is over and done; the future is not promised. NOW is all there is…and I revel in it!
Besides – as I do self reflective excercises (usually with a new year’s resolution or after a miraculous cure) I’m noticing more and more how my slate isn’t as spotless as I once thought. I have a few overdue apologies I need to make.
I know it isn’t always easy to forgive and forget. But my friends, you might want to practice dispensing Blanket Pardons – especially when God smiles on you!
And the moment you forgive the unforgivable – Expect a Miracle!
On her worst day, afternoon or evening – Whitney is still My Girl, My Daughter.
My Songbird, My Lil Sistah.
Like most of us, Whitney had to hit her own personal low-point before she
could begin to turn her life around.
I’m sure there is a deep, painful testimony that she will have to share.
I personally don’t know if I want to listen - My heart still hurts when I
recall my other girl, Natalie Cole’s tearful story.
I wish Whitney the best with her comeback. I hope you do, too.
With all the airline emergency landings, crashes, near crashes etc. -
I can’t help but think that this global economic downturn is wreaking havoc
on airline repair and replacement decisions.
Especially during this busy vacation travel time…
$$ Monies need to be spent quickly on airline safety before the airlines
become the newest bailout recipients!
Nana:
It’s all about the Terrorists!
They are here amongst us right now. The sleeper cells are awakening!
We are closing in on Osama Bin Laden and the airline downings are the first
waves of destruction meant to confuse and distract us. Especially during
this busy vacation travel time…
So America, hold on tight. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!
For me,growing up in Michigan City, Indiana had few advantages that would count for much to outside folks (folks outside the Midwest):
The golden sands of a small, crowded beach
A working lighthouse
The Dunes
Elston Senior High School
Pullman Yards
Indiana State Prison
and…
Twenty-five miles east of Gary, Indiana;
home of the steel mills
Gary Roosevelt High School
and
The Jackson Five
Just like in the Jackson Family Movie, they really did show up, win the prize money and take off (with Papa Joe standing guard)at local talent shows all around the tip of Lake Michigan: Benton Harbor (Sinbad), South Bend (Lloyd Haynes, Michael Warren) Michigan City (Yours truly) Gary (Denise Williams) Hammond, East Chicago,Calumet City, Chaka Khan), etc.
And forever I will remember the young Jackson Clan on stage; with the hardest working little man in show business leading the pack - Michael Jackson. Even when Jermaine was the leader and heartthrob, Michael was always happily and eagerly awaiting his turn to steal the show.
Always ready. Always perfect. Always Michael.
My heartfelt sympathy goes to children and family.
I do not and have not and never will look like Dorothy or Halle or Beyonce – and neither will I look like Angela Bassett or like either of the singing Patti’s or like any of the singer/actor Reginas – all of these singing/acting black women are beautiful and real.
As a child, I only had Lena, Dorothy and others who looked similar, to fashion after. What a welcome we women of color felt to the next generation of beauties: Cicely Tyson, Judith Jamison. The next wave: Afro-wearing sistahs ie; Natalie Cole, Angela Davis- not only got our style approval, but our cultural pride was stirred to new depths as their boldness encouraged us to embrace our natural beauty.
Today, I look forward to keeping my granddaughter, Autumn, for a couple of weeks this summer. Of course, one main concern is for her haircare/hairstyling. Autumn has options: braids, press and curl or perm. Either style will not take away from her beauty or her racial pride.
But in all honesty, she will probably just want to look more like whatever style Malia Obama is wearing. Hmmm…My granddaughter wants to look like the eldest daughter of the President of the United States.
What is wrong with the Republican Leadership? Are they hallucinating back to the Bush days? Or are they still lost in Reagan Translation?
And will they please stop mixing up “In God We Trust” with “We Are Gods”!
What WOULD Jesus say to all their claims of “We, the good Christians,” who blame the poor for starving to death as they divvy up the poor man’s goods and (in the name of Jesus) who use the excuse of pre-emptive strikes to kill and maim as a justification for “averting war”?
Hypocrites: The Republican Leadership and their Budget; not to forget their two-step march to the podium with their little financial plaything. Thanks for a good laugh.
Don’t forget: the WORLD is watching you this week! You just gave them a great joke line.
The WORLD understands that the global economy is suffering due to Republican American mistakes.
Ask the leaders of France, or Brazil.
Ask the thousands of London Protesters.
Ask the G20 folks.
Ask the scum on the bottom of the rock that lies face down in the bottom of the murky swamp: Even the scum of the Earth know that REPUBLICAN AMERICANS have messed this WORLD up!
I knew a rich man that said, “Poor people play with toys; Rich people play with poor people’s lives.” Thanks for those tax benefits for the rich in your pretend budget. Now you can try and gather up enough votes from anybody pretending to care.
Naw, Brother Republicans, it ain’t happening! Neither American Citizens nor the WORLD want to play with you today!
But a true hypocrite is blind to the truth; or so they say. So I guess we’ll just have to wait for the next Republican installation of,
“I am Republican; therefore I am the Almighty Christian Right Hand to God - with my Left Hand stealing bread from your table.
Have no fear, I’ll be back for the table, shortly.”
TWO THOUGHTS…
