Sometimes you think you know someone, then you see them in a different light and you get a whole new perspective of that person. You identify with them, empathize with them, you might even disagree with them or wonder what the heck were they thinking??? lol But in any event, you get insight.
My life is crazy...fun...some days? yawn! lol...but definitely BLESSED!
Take this journey with me...and again Welcome to MYYYYY world! ;)
In 1870, Hiram R. Revels became the 1st African American US Senator (which also made him the first African American in the US Congress). He is one of only six African Americans to have served in the Senate.
Hiram Revels
(Google Image)
Facts about Hiram:
He was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1822 to a dad of white and black ancestry, and a mom of Scottish heritage.
He was ordained as a minister in 1845 and was imprisoned in 1854 for "preaching the gospel to Negroes".
He established private schools in Maryland and Mississippi.
His election was met with opposition by the Southern Conservative Democrats; they argued that no black man was a citizen, but Revels supporters refuted the argument stating that only applied to blacks who were of pure African blood and since he was of mixed ancestry that did not apply. Revels was elected by a vote of 48 to 8 (the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 granting citizenship to ALL persons born or naturalized in the US)
His term lasted one year during which he fervently fought for equality.
He died in January 1901 while attending a church conference.
As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend
I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my Friend.
But instead of leaving him in peace to work alone
I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own
At last I snatched them back and cried "How can You be so slow?"
"My child," He said "what could I do? You never let them go"
~ Author unknown
One of the hardest things to do is let go. We hold on so tightly to things that are meaningful to us: our careers, our children, relationships, anything that we consider valuable. It's scary to let go of the familiar, of the things we want to protect so dearly...but as the old addage goes 'the tighter you hold on to something...' well, you know the rest.
It's like sand, when you grab it, it slips right through your fingers, but watch the difference when you cradle it gently in your hands.
So DO your absolute best of course, but have Faith in God too. Have faith in yourself that at that very moment you are giving it your all. When you give it everything you have, there is no room for regret....but remember to let God do His thang too.
Have a Blessed day people!
I heart Green Day...everytime my son heard this song he would be so focused and sing along to it...he just LOVED this song...and he was only about 4 or 5 years old.
It's the 2yr anniversary of my granny's passing. We didn't have the typical grandmother/ granddaughter relationship but of course I miss her.
I was (and in some ways still am) a rebel lol. She was SOOOOOO old-school! I mean STRICT! When I went to the movies, if the movie ended at 6pm, THAT'S the time she wanted me home...6 PM!! I was like "Could you give me time to take a taxi home at least?!" (smh). There were no sleepovers, no male friends visiting (much less a boyfriend), no NADA! I didn't understand her and she didn't understand me, so there was a LOT of friction!
I wasn't into half the mischief she thought I was but I didn't go out of my way to ease her mind either. I didn't drink or do drugs (I stole my grandfather's cigarettes occassionally because I thought smoking was too cool) but all I wanted to do was hang out with friends and do things that teenagers do. When she wouldn't let me hangout, I did it anyway. I excelled in school, so my thought process was 'hey I'm doing well academically so get off my back, I just wanna hang out sometimes'...of course in hindsight, I understand WHY she was that way.
Later on in life I started realizing just how much she DID love me... in her own way e.g. she would cook a meal for the family, and if it was something she knew I didn't like, she would cook something else for me. I imagine it must have been hard for her, seeing her daughter in me (my mom, who passed away when I was 3 yrs old), or having to raise a fiesty granddaughter with her own ideals and arrogant ways (what do you really know in your teens? lol)...and I was always the "Why?" child. You couldn't just tell me the sky was blue and I would accept it...no, if I saw a hint of gray in there I wanted to know 'why?' lol. THAT is considered being rude in my family. You listen to the adults - no matter WHAT they say - end of story! lol
It wasn't until I told her I was pregnant (already an adult and out of the house) that we had a breakthrough in our relationship. It was THEN that she told me that all she ever wanted was for me to get my education and graduate from school. Since I'd done that and was working and supporting myself, she felt that I would be alright. It was the first time that my grandmother and I didn't have an awkward conversation. As a matter of fact, she told me about how SHE felt each time she got pregnant (she had 9 children - God Bless her!) and how my grandfather always wanted 'dis ting' (sex)... at that point in the convo I didn't want to bond anymore, it was just TOO much info!! lol
Now that I have a son, I would probably choke the crap out of him if he went hanging out after school and I had no clue where he went...but I'm also learning to nurture our relationship. He could talk to me about anything and he's allowed to ask 'why?' if he genuinely wants to know something (not if he's being fresh...trust me, parents know the difference! lol).
As always is the case, I sometimes find myself saying to him SOME of the stuff my grandmother said to me, and I CRINGE because those are the lines that I HATED when I was growing up. I guess she had some clue about what she was talking about after all! :)
They fussed, hooted and hollered that Beyonce would take away from their revenue in the aftermath of Carnival, but the R&B D-D-DIVA made it to Trinidad after all to perform yesterday.
Some of my friends who attended the concert said that she KILLED IT (as usual) and so did local performers Machel Montano and Destra.
I wish I was there (even at $1600TT a pop! Yes that's how much they paid for tickets, VIP I think...about $260 US)
I heart Beyonce. I think she's a phenomenal entertainer and if you listen to her "I AM...YOURS" cd live in Vegas, that girl's got some pipes on her! (My friend, Michelle, is probably rolling her eyes and fussing as she reads this but that's ok! We agree to disagree sometimes lol)
As for those of you who may not know what Carnival is, it is a FUN parade throughout the streets of Trinidad. Actually it is a VERY big event in Trinidad and Tobago and the partying starts RIGHT AFTER Christmas (yes, we Trinis party any and every chance we get lol). It is an entire production: the parties, the steelpan competitions, soca (a.k.a. calypso) competitions and of course the parade. The parade last for 2 days, usually the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday...yes it's so nice, they do it twice lol. The costumes are gorgeous (and sometimes rather skimpy - so you fellas will have plenty eye candy! :) but it is something you should experience at least once in your lifetime (so put it on your "bucket list" now! lol)
Here is my darling friend, Jo, sexy as ever in her costume!
...well read actually :)
This is my own mini infomercial, just for US!
Sometimes in life we feel stuck. We may have access to everything in the world that we possibly need, and yet we feel like we're driving in mud. The wheels keep spinning but we're just NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
Well I think it is a great indication that we need to reflect and re-evaluate. Sure as human beings, we tend to sulk, depression creeps in and we feel absolutely hopeless. It's natural for us to feel that way at times. HOWEVER, we have to remember that we CAN decide if we are going to attend our own pity party OR if we are going to live our BEST life TODAY!!!
So cry, scream, yell, bawl, talk to yourself (and hope noone calls the white-coat people to have you escorted away), and when you feel you've had your moment to get it all out of your system, ask yourself "What am I going to do TODAY to live my BEST life?". You woke up this morning, so you've been given another opportunity to LIVE TODAY.
One of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes is "Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have travelled, and if the future looms ominous, or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and carrying only thenecessary baggage, step off that road into another direction. If the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well".
So I send my LOVE out to each and every one of you! HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY !
Here's the thing, are you listening?
Right now outside, it is snowing,
A beautiful sight, but I won't be happy tonight
When I'm shovelling in this Winter Wonderland
Gone away, are my supers
And I'm left, in this stupor
To clean up these files
Will be here for a while
Working in this Winter Wonderland
In the driveway I could build a snowman
Just the thought of that sure gets me down
He'll say: are you on vacation?
I'll say: No man!!
Then I'll get pissed off & kick him down!
Later on, I'll conspire
As I thaw out, by the fire
I'll sit there and hate
on all those who went away
And left me in this Winter Wonderland
Cause in Trini right now there's no snowman
I'm sure they're having fun acting like clowns
drinking, partying and chilling at the beach...man oh man
the beach sure would turn my frown upside down
When it snows, it aint' thrilling
And my butt, sure is freezing
I'd frolic and play, if only I went away
Far away from this Winter Wonderland....
on an islaaaaaaaaaaaand,
far from thiiiiiiiis
Winter WOOOOOONNNNDERLAAAAAND !
...could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? WHO CARES?????? All I know is that little rodent saw his shadow and that means six more weeks of WINTER?????!!!!! Ok first of all, whose idea was it to NAME the groundhog? (sideways glance)...WILLIE and PHIL???? smh ('shaking my head' for those of you who are not hip (....is it even hip to still say 'hip'? my son told me I'm so 2009! lol). Secondly, who made the groundhog the weather man/pet? The world is a sad place when we rely on a rat to tell us how much longer we need to bundle up.
Anywhooo, as for THE GRAMMYS.
My best friend and I had a serious discussion about the Grammys. She thought it was 'the worst ever'...but I beg to differ! I LOVED it! I thought they were all amazing performances! Where do I begin? Lady Gaga? Phenomenal! I love her..she zones out when she plays and is totally engrossed in her performance...ok so I might not wanna sit directly behind one of her head pieces at a show but I'd still love her. (My bff loves her too btw).
Jamie Foxx - funny and so talented. Love the Opera bit of his performance.
Pink - my new hero, did her trapeze act WHILE singing... wet... and in heels?! That deserves applause!
And Beyonce? Moved across the stage on her knees while twirling her head around and around and around, got up, continued singing, never missed a beat or a note (and did not stagger either)? Well I went home and tried to re-enact Bey's performance. I decided 'how hard could THAT be'! It didn't matter that I had no music, no knee pads and about 2 (or was it 3?) glasses of wine at the Grammy party...at that moment I said to myself "I could be Beyonce". I got down on my knees and...they started buckling from the pressure of my weight! Did I stop there? Nope! I tried to swish across my living room, on my knees of course, while humming Alanis Morrissette "You Oughta Know" to myself. Well my knees now look like the prototype for a grater and as for the twirling of the head, I almost gave myself a damn concussion! I heard crick-crack and that was it...I was down for the count! So you know what? Beyonce gets two thumbs up from me JUST for that!
Here I am proud that I finally was able to get off the floor!
At the Grammy Party with Daniela, Regi and Galia
And could I just say how much I LUV Rihanna?!
Rihanna - Essence Pics
Here she is looking gorgeous at the Grammy Awards and I LUV this dress!
Quick sidenotes: 1. Happy Bday to my niece Leilani and my friend's daughter Mai.
2. Today, 140 years ago, the 15th amendment was passed allowing ALL citizens to vote despite race or color.
