grace mercy And maturity...

I woke this morn... THANKFUL for adding another year of LIFE to my date of birth :: 20th April ::
I tweeted (@PoodleTweeting) something that resonated very well with me... so much so that I thought I would blog simple And sweet, today, communicating that same message *smilin'*



"grace mercy And maturity gently hands us the opportunity to say simple things like "I apologize"... "I understand"... "I forgive you"... "I was wrong | you were right"... "I love you"... And I must say... I am thankful And grateful for the opportunity... I've learned that every day above ground is an added day of opportunity #thankful poodle

I love my Kinky hair!

 
Okay! So my hair is thick And it’s a little kinky

- what you don't realize is - these locs… THESE Curls... hold decades of African Culture & history.

Since you don’t know maybe I outta tell you so

   I‘m a queen - And you - you are a king

   It's my praises you should sing.

Extol Me... ... You I will raise high… high Black above the sky

The young Black mind needs to be trained,

The intellect refined

Worthy of love... of elevation

Not ignorance demoralization or humiliation

We must learn to invigorate and stimulate wealth and Power of the mind.

            Wait a minute *shhh* Listen...

 :: a person or thing having great influence, force, or authority
 :: Power defined

Love me your Sister… ... Admire my wide spread eyes and beautiful brown skin. Tarin me down should be a sin... ... ... Let the love you have for a sister - all sisters - be positively communicated

                                                                      partial Excerpt: "Having Tea with My Sisters"

Technology ||The illusion of b'g connected...

There, at one time, was the notional idea that technology could keep us ALL connected. How brilliant!.. Really. It was!.. And it Does... :: or :: Does it?

Online social network(s) like: Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | my[------]space | Google + etc

I am connected to all, but one, of the sites listed... Aaaaand I must say, each site (in addition to many others) do an incredible job of keeping US connected - And THEY make A heap of money - doing so *wink to all the folks who've become rich because of online social networks* 

Personally I am overjoyed when I'm able to connect with A family member, via fb etc, who has perhaps migrated hundreds of miles away (or vise versa) and/or has not attended a family event in years... classmates who I've not seen, or spoken to, since high school college And; SOME as far back as; grammar school... former church members... childhood friends... Ex boyfriends... And the list goes on ~

I think initially many of us feel the same way... ... ... we get excited; endorphin levels are raised... ... ... And we start pecking away at our keyboards = peck peck peck peck Ping peck peck peck* we start sharing a barrage of comments | pics | well wishes... we send shout out(s) And internet xo's... we exchange home & cellphone #'s... some of us make plans to see each other face2face And look forward to the opportunity to exchange real conversation... we plan lunch dates, dinner dates, And reply "yes" or "maybe" to online invites... ... ... And then - often times - that's all it turns out to be... ... ... a "plan" WITH GOOD INTENTIONS... ... ... an idea or notion that was formulated And put in motion but hijacked with no real follow thru or effort... SOMETIMES communication is slowed or, somehow, stopped... ... ... And then - we are further updated - through statuses, online pics, And flyers in our online news feeds -- phone calls are not exchanged -- our planned outings are rescheduled, post-phoned, or they just never happen *sigh* And you know; well; life goes on *deeper sigh* lol

"k.i.t = keep it touch" was scribbled in the back of year books, on class ribbons, on the backs of pictures And hand written letters... Um *clearing my throat* but for ole schoolers, like me,  k.i.t has been upgraded to :: 

bb4N = bye bye for now
imy = I  miss you
hmll = hit my line later
tml = text me later
ttys = talk to you soon
lyl = love you later And the list goes on ~

I've learned a connection - virtual or actual - isA connection... I love connecting with people... I've also learned, And I'm personally reminded, that it's THAT *Real *Actual *Tangible connection that is most important. We just have to put forth the effort to maintain one *wink wink* double wink  poodle

He was my Mountain | He is STILL my yardstick

Who was he?.. my father... And the 1st love of my life...
He had such A strong resolve And virility... he was my Mountain... he had A solid seat of consciousness... And A sound awareness of self... he is my Yardstick

My mother had a tragic end to her life!.. ... ...
Among family And friends - she left behind A husband {my dad} two teenage children {my older brother & sister}And three small children {my twin my baby brother And me}

I've learned there's nothing like the love A mother has for her child!.. I've also learned No child should grow up without their mother!

My father raised us - primarily - as a widower... he raised us with A very firm hand And pretty strict family values And guidelines... I've learned my father played A dominant role in my life... he was as powerful, to me, as President Obama is to Malia, Sasha, And our nation... I've learned my stance... the decisions I've made And my positioning in the world came from my father!

I've come to realize without the nurturing the care And the love I received from my mother, the few years she was with us, I would not fully understand how I should nurture care And love my children.

I dare not stand in judgement of others!.. I've learned there is a 'bend' in every road at some point of the journey!

I've learned that no one knows my story... no one has taken my journey... And no one can tell my story better than I can... but ONE of the most important things I've learned, And I pass on to my children, is :: um :: because I don't know your story... And because I know you Are the only one who can tell it... I dare not stand in judgement of your decisions.

prayer & well wishes will fill an open mouth... And A mouthful prayer & well wishes is much more nourishing than a mouthful of judgement.

I've come to realize my mother laid the foundation of love... And in her absence my father cultivated it... MORE importantly I realize my socialization {my personal identity - my very on do's & don'ts} THOUGH they were not established by my dad - they were definitely secured - by him. He is still my yardstick And every measure of a man.

Thankful to my Creator!.. he decided who my mom & dad would be before I was even conceived. Poodle

'when I thought asA child"

"when I was a child - I thought as a child"... Reflecting < - - - - back

Q: will you take a moment, this morning, press pause just for A second to reflect back?... 
Q: can you remember A time when you were Innocent... Eager... Open... Imaginative... Uninhibited... Pure... Original... Trusting... Free... Precious




* A time when dad said "Come on... jump son... I'll catch you" And you jumped without hesitation?... Trusting

* A time when mom allowed you to dress yourself And you put on your favorite pajama top | a pair of cut-off jeans | And your "just around the house" tutu?... Original

* A time (well before THIS time) when you And your best friend became blood-sisters by pricking the tips of your forefingers?... Uninhibited  

* A time when you randomly ran through the neighbor's water sprinkler OR splashed A puddle just for the heck of it?... Free

* A time when you took pause to count the number of claps inA thunderstorm OR gaze up And take note of a clouds formation?... Carefree

* A time when you raced home to present your mother with a fistful of daisies you had just picked from the neighborhood park?... Precious

* A time when your mind raced!.. to think of the correct answer to the question your teacher had just asked because you wanted to be the 1st to raise your hand?... Eager

* A time when you were the host @ your own private tea party - And your stuffed animals were your guest?... Imaginative

* A time when you covered your ears squinted And recoiled when you heard an adult using profanity?... Pure

* Can you remember A time when you noticed all the colors in A rainbow?... Open Present & Aware

The above mentions may not, in any way, be similar to any of your childhood experiences... ... ... I would like to encourage you to connect with the descriptive word - not necessarily - the descriptive act (content OVER context)... connecting or reconnecting with our natural state of mind is A refreshing state of BEing early in the morn *smile* SOME are tired And heavy laden; it's nice to have a reminder... A dose of something positive with our morning cup of coffee or tea *wink* make it a remarkable day!  Poodle

Forgiveness\

I am not all knowing... BUT

I am happy the Succession of LIFE affords me the opportunity to learn And SOMETIMES relearn (I'll blame that on the Taurus in me) 
to occasionally think And rethink things... it affords me the opportunity to love outside of comfort... it encourages me to expand instead of escape... it gives me the desire to restore that - that has been damaged...

I've learned to forgive myself... Yes Sirrrr!.. I believe it's equally as important as forgiving others.

I've learned sometimes we must put forgiveness to work... WHEN confronted with the actual act of forgiving... I mean when we (me forgiveness & unforgiveness) were right there face2face... ... ... there wasA situation... in that moment... there I was... silently questioning ???... I had to check myself...

I've learned - I mean - there came A time when I suddenly And surprisingly; had to search, question, contemplate, And genuinely consider??? "Have I really forgiven?"..."Wow. Can I?"

I've learned it is easier to say... ... ... "I forgive you" or "I forgive but I will not forget" "I love you but I choose to love you from a distance" or "Okay, let's move forward"... ... ... I can personally tell you... ... ... it's putting that thing to work that is the Real test... that rethinking & relearning... expanding instead of escaping... it's that loving outside of comfort!.. 

I've learned it's A #lifetime not just A moment... poodle

Living on Purpose...

I am convinced 'my purpose' was not to be birthed into this world "drawing the breath of life" 
to simply muddle through life with no consciousness... offering nothing And giving nothing back... taking withdrawals And leaving no deposit...

I am further convinced, as I pass thru this lifetime, I am to do so with *passion *compassion *enthusiasm *joy *love (Yes... love is a definite) leaving nuggets as I pass thru!

MOST important, FOR ME, is to connect with my FULL purpose... breath life into it And put it to work *fyi* I'm on that short journey now *smilin'* *ijs*

SB: There are some who think certain forms of giving to be foolish: 'time' to those who have made mistakes... 'tithe' to ministry... 'blood' to the blood banks.. 'funds' to the destitute... 'food' to the needy... 'love' to the loveless... It is my humble opinion, however, that any form of 'sustenance giving' is an unselfish act of humanity & spirituality!.. I am THANKFUL to have the mindset And consciousness to want to give SOMETHING back (in whatever form) And I welcome the energy that is released & returned when doing so #karma

Please DO NOT be tricked into thinking we simply live And then we die!.. tho realistically that is a simple truth... the truth that is not so simple is the living (giving) we do - in between - And the substance of the deposit we leave behind *smile*
Thank You Creator! poodle