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What Was Once Before Shall Be Again…

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  W hile navigating the many vicissitudes of womanhood… I often think of my mom and her sisters… and their mom (granny). My mother was born in February 1922–and in January 1922–“The Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, the first of its kind, passes the U.S. House of Representatives in part due to the efforts of the NAACP.” She birthed me in 1964 when Dr. King was leading the cause for Civil Rights. Just a bit of trivia… In December’64 the month/year of my birth—“he made a stop in London for three days to preach at St. Paul's Cathedral and meet with leaders of the peace community.”       B ut prior to—and therein my mother—her mother—her sisters were Black women in an era when mostly all the freedoms, access and privileges that we enjoy(ed) today was denied them. But they somehow could see a brighter future—from where they began—and forge ahead with that hope. Religion, and hope going hand-in-hand in most instances—similarly today—and some pretty courageous leaders at the helm of...
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Violence Against Women 💜🌹

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💜💜           Image: BBC NEWS  T his past week at the health system and one of the entity hospitals that I work for—Alasia Janell Milburn, 25, died suffering from a gunshot inflicted by her boyfriend—marking the 2nd one this month. 💜      And while I don’t think it made a big splash on local news media cycles, although most of us tuned in obsessively to the 2024 Olympics, that Rebecca Cheptege—an Olympic long-distance runner was murdered in an act of domestic violence by her boyfriend. 💜      And I can only assume most of us saw the news about Amber Kelly of Sandy Springs, Georgia—killed by her boyfriend in May 2024. 💜      But so much is going on in our personal and global worlds right now that these happenings are merely antidotes of “news” and not anything we get to devote any attention to—even if we care to. But to me—it’s personal. 💜      That said, I am particularly grateful that October...
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Just BE-cause

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               B e cause emotions are so fickle—I suggest you journal instead of post. (Write, Resolve, Evolve); B e  cause YOUR time and your clock’s time are not one and the same—I suggest making good use of every breath you take. (Prayer, Meditation, Purpose); B e  cause someone you love is here today and might not be here tomorrow—I suggest you make today matter. (Memories, Love, Legacy); B e  cause attention seeking is not the same as being sought after—I suggest spending quality time with yourself because that’s attention well spent. (Introspection, Self-esteem, Growth); B e  cause life can be challenging—I suggest you know who you are and who you want to be. (Core Values, Resilience, Strength); B e  cause friends & family are humans too—I suggest you love without conditions instead of holding on to expectations. (Forgiveness, Acceptance, Compassion); B e  cause nothing you have is going to sustain yo...
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Highs, Lows, & Plateaus…

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     BEFORE you read (if you read) any further, I want to draw your attention to the pictures… these very different pictures are the same exact tree….      One of the heaviest burdens  and stresses we carry is trying to keep up appearances for the acceptance and approval of other people—that’s oftentimes detrimental to emotional wellbeing.      “Enjoy the highs, Learn from the lows, remain Steady during the plateaus…I was reminded of this quote by Sam Chan from a recent sermon. And though, I have a pipeline of posts that I planned to share throughout the month of May, in honor of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth—today, I thought to share a current moment.         I took a walk this morning … in the rain. And only those that are in my inner most circle likely know that I had an aversion to rain for many years, and dreaded having to go out into it… so much so that as a high schooler, my dad noticed my hesitation to leave for...
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Maydays, Maydays, Maydays!

     M ay’s days have s been designated to Mental Health Awareness. With the exception of my church and a couple other forums, I haven’t heard much of anything, but the month is early yet. But what about you—are you having discussions about mental health in your networks—what about in your friend and family circles?  May is also the month we celebrate Mother’s Day. What a combination… 🌸💖  On that note, I am confident that because my mom has been gone for so long, it doesn’t occur to folks, in my circle, that I still mourn her when mom’s are being celebrated—even when I am being celebrated. In fact, we buried my mom’s last sister on Friday— “Aunt Annie”🌸💜🌹—and as I viewed her body, I experienced the exact same emotions as I did when I said my goodbyes previously to my mom’s other sisters (my aunts)—a feeling of unearthing a goodbye to my very own mom. So, that said, a few people have recently lost their moms within the last 1, 2, 3, 4… years or so, and when ...
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Dear December

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D ear December, T hank you! The month of my birth — the month that God pre-ordained that I’d enter the earth.  Thank you Dear December   for allowing me to occupy space and time on your calendar — made all the more an honor because it’s the month I celebrate the birth of my Savior Jesus Christ.             It’s safe to say you are my favorite month of the year. A month that from childhood through now has provided me with some of the happier, more pleasant, joy and family-filled times of my life.              Dear December, I am eternally grateful to see you come around again because that means I’ve been blessed to get another year older — a privilege that I don’t take for granted or assume that I will get again. So, I look to you for the inspiration that you tend to bring. You are the month that seemingly brings with it an anticipation, hope and joy that revives, ...
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The Tree That Is ME

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I ’m 58 years old and my oldest living brother is 80. For the first time in my (our) lives, three months ago, we heard each other’s voice on the phone—we had NEVER spoken to each other before over the phone. And to be perfectly honest, we’ve never really talked much to each other at all during our lifetimes. I would imagine we’d still have a couple of fingers left to use if we were to count on our hands the number of times we actually “talked” to each other. The  phone call came at his request via my next oldest brother whose voice I was also shocked to hear…        S o I adhered to the request, and I am happy that I did because the call then resulted in a later, in-person visit, as a result of me traveling to the area for a wedding—which resulted in an approximate four—four 1/2 hour long conversation at his kitchen table. An evening & conversation that I will treasure for the rest of living days.  And I hope he feels the same. He spoke of “atonement”, ...
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A Half Dozen or So or Nine Months to Grow

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M ichelle Obama; Gabrielle Union; Mariah Carey; Brook Shields; Tyra Banks; Angela Bassett, and Chrissy Tiegen are just a few of the famous names that we can put a face with of women that have been transparent about their struggles with infertility—-or an inability to carry a pregnancy to term, if they could conceive at all.    I want to share another side—-perhaps perspective to this reality.               N ot every face   and name are known—-not every woman is famous, wealthy, or willing to share this tender reality. And for some women it may even  be a root of bitterness or resentment-—for others it can stir up an obsessive-like behavior and pathology over other women’s pregnancies or children. I share this because I was the object of both extremes. I had one woman who could no longer conceive randomly sharing pictures of my youngest, (infant) daughter with strangers and referencing her ambiguously as if to omit that she wasn’t h...
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