As I listened to the words NOT GUILTY leave from the clerk's mouth of the Casey Anthony trial I felt immediate ANGER. I was angry that someone who presented herself as guilty could be found not guilty of killing a child, her child. After feeling the overwhelming emotion of anger, I begin to think about my children. I begin to think about the kind of person who would do this to a child. I mean think about it; you have sex with a man. You find out that you are going to be a mother. You begin to tell your family and friends how excited you are about becoming a mom for the first time. You hear the heartbeat for the first time. Then the baby starts to move inside of you. It is becoming more and more clear that you are going to be a parent.
The time has now come for the baby to arrive in this world. You go through the joy and pains of labor. You give birth and hold your child for the first time. You are a mother. You start to bond with your baby through feedings and diaper changes. Your child is getting older and then all of a sudden you realize you're a young woman who wants to party. What do you do?
YOU DON'T LET YOUR CHILD GO MISSING FOR 31 DAYS BEFORE REPORTING IT TO THE POLICE.
There are so many options for you. You should be responsible enough to know that your child is more important than hanging out with your friends. If they are your friends they will understand. If you are somehow not that responsible, you tell someone. There are plenty of people in the world that would do anything to be a parent. I'm sure you have members in your family who would love to take your child and raise your child in a healthy and happy place.
YOU DON'T KILL YOUR CHILD THEN BEGIN TO LIVE "THE GOOD LIFE".
I know for sure that situations like this make me appreciate my children so much. I love all children and to see this happen to just one child makes me ANGRY.
If you have children, want children or if you are around children, hug them and tell them how much you love them.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Because Love Isn't Enough
It didn't work...now what? You thought you had this whole relationship thing figured out? You cooked, you cleaned, you take care of the kids, you worked a full-time job, you went to school and you had sex with him 5 nights a week. You thought you were doing a great job at this relationship thing. Well that wasn't enough. Sure you loved him so much that you didn't complain about doing all those things. You loved him enough that you didn't say anything when it became too much for you. You loved him so much that you forgot to love you.
Women think that in order to be a good woman you have to be everything to everybody. NEWSFLASH: There is so much power in the word NO. It's a small word that is so hard to say especially if you love someone. You don't want anyone to talk about you. You don't want anyone to leave you. You don't want anyone to judge you. Guess what they're already doing all those things. When you are in a relationship with a man who is sitting around watching you do everything, he's not loving you. You are giving more of yourself to him than he is to you, that's not love. I'm not an expert on all relationships but I know something. I know that a man doesn't love you just for all the things you do for him. A real man loves you for how you make him feel. I believe it's true that men and women want the same thing in relationships but we go about it in very different ways. I'm not a man so I can't speak for them but I can speak for me. I want someone who HELPS me feel good about myself, not someone who MAKES feel good about myself. I want a man who is WILLING to support me, not who HAS to support me. I want a man who SHOWS me that he loves me, not a man who only TELLS me that he loves me. I want to give him everything that he needs from me, not feel an obligation. I am in a very fulfilling relationship with a man who shows me how he feels about me everyday. Yes we have had our ups and downs but we have grown through them both individually and collectively. We are no longer afraid to make mistakes because we know that we have each other to help grow from them. We don't have to do those immature things that people do in relationships. We also don't have to talk about how good it is to everybody. We keep our relationship to ourselves because to many people give you their opinion and disguises it as advice. Yes we love each other but love isn't enough. You need a lot more than love to sustain a happy and healthy relationship. If you ask people that have been married for 50 years or more they will tell you that you need to like your partner and you need to be friends. If you no longer like them than you are no longer in a relationship, you are going through the motions.
Make sure you are growing from your relationship. Make sure you are building something together. Make sure you like each other. Make sure you are friends. Make sure you are committed to each other. Make sure you are learning from each other. Make sure you are listening to each other. Make sure you trust each other. Make sure you are praying for each other. Do all these these things and more because love isn't enough.
Women think that in order to be a good woman you have to be everything to everybody. NEWSFLASH: There is so much power in the word NO. It's a small word that is so hard to say especially if you love someone. You don't want anyone to talk about you. You don't want anyone to leave you. You don't want anyone to judge you. Guess what they're already doing all those things. When you are in a relationship with a man who is sitting around watching you do everything, he's not loving you. You are giving more of yourself to him than he is to you, that's not love. I'm not an expert on all relationships but I know something. I know that a man doesn't love you just for all the things you do for him. A real man loves you for how you make him feel. I believe it's true that men and women want the same thing in relationships but we go about it in very different ways. I'm not a man so I can't speak for them but I can speak for me. I want someone who HELPS me feel good about myself, not someone who MAKES feel good about myself. I want a man who is WILLING to support me, not who HAS to support me. I want a man who SHOWS me that he loves me, not a man who only TELLS me that he loves me. I want to give him everything that he needs from me, not feel an obligation. I am in a very fulfilling relationship with a man who shows me how he feels about me everyday. Yes we have had our ups and downs but we have grown through them both individually and collectively. We are no longer afraid to make mistakes because we know that we have each other to help grow from them. We don't have to do those immature things that people do in relationships. We also don't have to talk about how good it is to everybody. We keep our relationship to ourselves because to many people give you their opinion and disguises it as advice. Yes we love each other but love isn't enough. You need a lot more than love to sustain a happy and healthy relationship. If you ask people that have been married for 50 years or more they will tell you that you need to like your partner and you need to be friends. If you no longer like them than you are no longer in a relationship, you are going through the motions.
Make sure you are growing from your relationship. Make sure you are building something together. Make sure you like each other. Make sure you are friends. Make sure you are committed to each other. Make sure you are learning from each other. Make sure you are listening to each other. Make sure you trust each other. Make sure you are praying for each other. Do all these these things and more because love isn't enough.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Love Fantasy Reality
Have you ever been so involved in someone that you didn't realize they weren't involved with you? I know I'm not the only person that has loved someone so deeply that I let my identity fade. When I was very young I loved a boy. (The keyword here is boy.) I thought the sun set and rose when he spoke. This guy was everything I wanted in a boyfriend. He was from out of town, he was popular with the neighborhood and he was really cute. You know all the things you really want in a boy at that age. He approached me, so that was an added bonus. I remember feeling like this is the guy I will marry. You know that fairytale wedding you see in the movies. The white picket fence. The two kids and a dog fairytale. We had a relationship built on trust. We had to have that kind of relationship because we lived in two different states. We'd talk on the phone so much that I would hide the phone bills when they came because, of course, I always called him. Oh this guy was the love of my life. He always told me how much he loved me and I felt that he did. He said that we would have the life that I dreamed of. I did I mention those kisses. Oh my goodness, those kisses!!! Yes this would be the man I would marry and have his kids. I couldn't even picture my life with anyone else.
Then here comes reality. Oh reality can be stone cold BITCH!! I knew in my heart that the person I had seen in my dreams didn't even exist for me. He wasn't really the guy I envisioned him to be. He wasn't the guy that had kept all his promises. He actually broke more promises than I'd care to remember. He wasn't really faithful to me. I can go on and on about this guy (and one day I will). Still I loved this guy. I loved him because I knew that I had put him so high on a pedestal that if he fell he would crush me. Well I was crushed. I will say this, we had really good times together when we were around each other.
Since then, our early teen years, we have moved on with our lives. Marriage and kids (not with each other) are what we now focus on. We are distant friends. We shared a connection once upon a time. We have grown up, no longer living in dreams. Our dreams have turned into, for me, a pretty good reality.
Then here comes reality. Oh reality can be stone cold BITCH!! I knew in my heart that the person I had seen in my dreams didn't even exist for me. He wasn't really the guy I envisioned him to be. He wasn't the guy that had kept all his promises. He actually broke more promises than I'd care to remember. He wasn't really faithful to me. I can go on and on about this guy (and one day I will). Still I loved this guy. I loved him because I knew that I had put him so high on a pedestal that if he fell he would crush me. Well I was crushed. I will say this, we had really good times together when we were around each other.
Since then, our early teen years, we have moved on with our lives. Marriage and kids (not with each other) are what we now focus on. We are distant friends. We shared a connection once upon a time. We have grown up, no longer living in dreams. Our dreams have turned into, for me, a pretty good reality.
Gift From God
My sister said, and I quote, "this is a gift and to not share your gift is criminal. No expectations. No inhibitions. Just simply testifying through words is powerful".
For me, it's really what I needed to hear and it came at the right time. I have been mostly private with my struggles, only letting a few people know they even exist, for fear of being judged and misjudged. I understand the profound need to give way to the truth so that I can live this life as my most authentic self. I have been helped in my own life with some powerful words from Oprah Winfrey. I know that I have to open my life in order to help someone who may be struggling with similar issues. As I read my sister's words, via a Facebook post, I knew that I had once again failed myself.
When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a true and honest reflection of me. I wanted to get something out of me that I had not really spoken about. I wanted to put a face on many of life's struggles.
I have read many books, magazines articles, Twitter and Facebook posts and watched many televisions programs about letting God use you. I know that God has been trying to use me but I have getting in my own way. THAT STOPS TODAY! I am going to do exactly what I set out to do with this blog...I WILL SPEAK THOUGHTS. Not only will I speak those thoughts, but I will speak them without expectations nor inhibitions. I will speak them through truth and deeper understanding. I will speak them in peace of mind and growth of spirit. I will speak them for the satisfaction of my own selfishness. I will speak them for healing and rebuilding. I will speak them from pain to redemption. I will speak them from fear to love. I will speak them through laughter and tears. I will speak them through the eyes of my children and layers of my relationships. I will speak thoughts so that I can be closer to GOD, the One who gave them to me.
For me, it's really what I needed to hear and it came at the right time. I have been mostly private with my struggles, only letting a few people know they even exist, for fear of being judged and misjudged. I understand the profound need to give way to the truth so that I can live this life as my most authentic self. I have been helped in my own life with some powerful words from Oprah Winfrey. I know that I have to open my life in order to help someone who may be struggling with similar issues. As I read my sister's words, via a Facebook post, I knew that I had once again failed myself.
When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a true and honest reflection of me. I wanted to get something out of me that I had not really spoken about. I wanted to put a face on many of life's struggles.
I have read many books, magazines articles, Twitter and Facebook posts and watched many televisions programs about letting God use you. I know that God has been trying to use me but I have getting in my own way. THAT STOPS TODAY! I am going to do exactly what I set out to do with this blog...I WILL SPEAK THOUGHTS. Not only will I speak those thoughts, but I will speak them without expectations nor inhibitions. I will speak them through truth and deeper understanding. I will speak them in peace of mind and growth of spirit. I will speak them for the satisfaction of my own selfishness. I will speak them for healing and rebuilding. I will speak them from pain to redemption. I will speak them from fear to love. I will speak them through laughter and tears. I will speak them through the eyes of my children and layers of my relationships. I will speak thoughts so that I can be closer to GOD, the One who gave them to me.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Best Friend
By definition, a best friend is the closest person to you; the one who you are open and willing to share special times and moments with. I have been blessed with the Best Friend any woman can ask for. She is my "Gayle" and we've been friends for more years than I know. I think that is a testament to our strong friendship. We haven't counted the years but rather we count on the moments. This morning while driving to work a song (Friend of Mine by Kelly Price) begin to play on the radio and my thoughts went to a not so great memory of an associate, now former friend of mine. I thought, wow that crap happened to me. Then my immediate thought after that was that a friend of mine would never do that to me. My Best Friend in the world, Brooke Williams Mitchell, sure would never do that. She is the definition of a Best Friend. I must confess, for many years I felt inadequate as her friend. I felt like there was no way we would be as close as we are because of our slight age difference (2 years LOL). I quickly realized that we would be inseparable as friends.
It's funny for me to think of Brooke and not picture her crazy behind doing something absolutely crazy. You know the walks down the street when she breaks out in a dance that only should be done in the privacy of her room. Or the funny way she let the boys down. I can go on and on about this crazy woman but I won't. Our friendship has been there through summer baseball and private school education. Through Southern University and the University of Louisiana @ Lafayette. Through the worst days of our lives. It has soared through distance without missing a beat. It has been through a wedding and children. And I'm proud to say it has never wavered. There has never been jealousy nor arguments. We have had the most profound discussions. I never thought that I would have a friend who told me the truth the way she tells me the truth. I never doubted our friendship and I never will.
I have other friends who I can talk to but there is no one that can talk to more than Brooke. I must tell you, we never judged each for our mistakes because we know each others' hearts. She is the Best Friend a woman can have. This is my testimony to what a Best Friend is. If you don't have one in your life, I suggest you get one.
It's funny for me to think of Brooke and not picture her crazy behind doing something absolutely crazy. You know the walks down the street when she breaks out in a dance that only should be done in the privacy of her room. Or the funny way she let the boys down. I can go on and on about this crazy woman but I won't. Our friendship has been there through summer baseball and private school education. Through Southern University and the University of Louisiana @ Lafayette. Through the worst days of our lives. It has soared through distance without missing a beat. It has been through a wedding and children. And I'm proud to say it has never wavered. There has never been jealousy nor arguments. We have had the most profound discussions. I never thought that I would have a friend who told me the truth the way she tells me the truth. I never doubted our friendship and I never will.
I have other friends who I can talk to but there is no one that can talk to more than Brooke. I must tell you, we never judged each for our mistakes because we know each others' hearts. She is the Best Friend a woman can have. This is my testimony to what a Best Friend is. If you don't have one in your life, I suggest you get one.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Father's Love
I am so tired of seeing images and reading stories of bad fathers. I know plenty of bad fathers but I also know great ones. I am so blessed to still have my father in my life. He is a great father to me and my siblings. I know what he has done for me in terms of being a great provider. I also know that the father of my kids is one of the best I know. We have a relationship built on love and we had our children through that love. He provides for them the best way he knows how. He tries to give them the things he didn't have as a kid. He spoils them. My daughter will definitely have a hard time getting a man who can provide her with the things because her Daddy does. Our son will learn from the example his father is showing. My favorite moments of my life is when I see the interaction between my children and their father. I always think of a Toni Morrison quote when my children's Daddy enters the room..." Do your eyes light up when your enter the room?" I must say his eyes tells a story of affection and adoration for our children. And boy when they notice him in the room, it's like no one else is around. It makes me want to bottle those moments up and save them for when they get older. A father like that is a blessing. He doesn't have to have all of the money in the world, but because when he loves his children that's enough for them.
I know so many men, especially black men, get a bad wrap for leaving their children. For me, the two fathers in my life are still here and I will pray to keep them.
I know so many men, especially black men, get a bad wrap for leaving their children. For me, the two fathers in my life are still here and I will pray to keep them.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I'm Back
I am finally doing something that I have always wanted to do. I am at a place where I actually enjoy coming to work. I think that being fired and not working for 2 and a half months really prepared me to step into something that I have always wanted to do. I don't feel like I'm working. I honestly think that I am supposed to be here. I know that being so low and so down that the only place left to go was up. I talked to God and I listened to him. I didn't give up on my journey that I will always travel. I've always admired people who told their truths. That's what I always try to do is speak my truth. I have grown up and I love who I am. I feel like I am going to be okay. They're still many bumps in the road but I am crossing over them one at a time. I'm ready for what's next in my life and I think that you should always speak it into existence. So here it is: I will be debt free and financially sound within the next five years. REMEMBER GOD HAS EARS AND HIS ARMS ARE SPREAD WIDE!!!
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