Category Archives: Sending Love

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Dear Momma, A Dedication to a Great Woman!

 

On this Thanksgiving afternoon I had a 45 minute conversation with my mother. She lives on the West Coast and I in the Midwest.

My mother and I have a very special relationship. It has evolved through many years of adversity, instability, and life altering events.

My mom was always my hero to a great degree. When I was a child, I thought she knew everything!  I felt she was all-wise and virtually perfect.  When I’d get into trouble for something like bad grades in school, it wasn’t the mega spanking she gave me that hurt me the most.  It was the disappointment on her face that I wasn’t giving my best.  It was the tears in her eyes that broke me down as she tried to impart some knowledge in showing me how to have a standard.

These days my mom is close to retirement and the thing that impresses me most about her over the years since I’ve become an adult is understanding how very imperfect she was back in the day.  To hear about her insecurities and her faults from her own lips; the times when she was clueless about what to do or how to handle my sister and I, let alone her own life. To hear her tell me of the lessons she ‘s learned and how today as a widow she is happy and content with being alone though she never thoughts she would feel this way.  Her humility, thankfulness and reflective wisdom is awesome.

We have such an open relationship. We talk literally about everything, almost as peers.   Yet as much as ever she is a doting mom who loves me as much as she did when I was a child, perhaps more. She will cross heaven and earth to get to me if I need her. She knows I would do the same. I enjoy the fact that she trust me enough to share her experiences and her coming of age stories even as they are still happening. I believe she feels its her duty to equip me with what she knows and what she is yet learning. I appreciate it more than I could ever say.

I just want to say to my mother today… this Thanksgiving that I am thankful for you. I admire you, respect you and honor you as a GREAT woman, mother, confidant and friend. You are a true blessing from God and I am so much better for having your love, wisdom, and friendship in my life.

Always and Forever Mom… This is for you!

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Daddy, Daughter, and Transitions

I’ve always looked forward to my children being adults.  That’s what I train them for.  In everything I do I do it with the purpose of seeing them be free and successful as adults. 

I also look forward to relating to them as adults.  Sharing secrets and grown folk talk.  Respecting them for being adults while still bonding with them on this new level.

For the first time such the occasion happened over the weekend.  My daughter and I got to hang out as adults.  And it was beautiful.

I have so much respect for her as she is extremely both mature and free.  A wife and a mother, she is so far ahead of where I was at her age.   She is wise and sure about herself in ways that amaze me.

Through this transition in our relationship I am also understanding a new how much she loves me and how protective she has always been of me.  What a blessing she is.  I tell you what:  All of my children are so special and they each hold their own special places within my soul.  The experience I had with her last night and the transition to the next level of our relationship is truly something every parent should be able to experience.

(Pictured: me and Chrystal)

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Mad Respect for Tiger Woods

tiger.woods.jpg

I know that there are a lot of people who want Tiger to face the public in the way they would choose.  They want him to face a gauntlet of reporters and be given the business about the details of his affairs. 

I disagree that he has to do it.  It’s his choice and the way he has handled this from the beginning really says something about the way more celebrities and public figures should handle personal issues.

Tiger on the golf course is public news.  We may even be interested in his personal life.  But its his choice to let us in on what he does and does not allow us access to.

Tiger handled his business on his own terms in private in spite of the heavy media and public pressure.  And when he finally came out with his statement, he came correct.

The public cannot ask for more than that.  He owned it and laid it all out there.  Everything that was necessary for a public figure.

Way to go Tiger.  I think he already has learned some valuable lessons and the way he has handled even this public circus says alot about what he has going for him in the future.

Best of success to you Tiger!

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Catchin Up, Gone But Not Forgotten

Willie Mitchell set in motion the careers of many soul performers and had worked with Rod Stewart and John Mayer.

Didn’t catch a whole lot of news over the past 30 days.  But I did hear stuff here and there.  I wanted to give some love out to Willie Mitchell who passed recently at the age of 81.  Mitchell was the producer for Al Green and you know how that matchup went.  VERY WELL!

We also lost the ‘Teddy Bear’ Teddy Pendergrass who started out playing the drums for the Philadelphia group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before becoming the lead singer on most of their hit songs.  Teddy had a great solo career as well.  His voice was unbelievably commanding and distinct.  He will be missed. 

May these two musical legends rest in peace~

Their contributions will go on forever!

1Love

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Quirky New Years Traditions

While driving around today I heard a radio program that talked about people’s wierd New Years traditions.  I didn’t get to hear very much of the show. but I did notice that ‘food’ seemed to be involved in many of the  New Years Eve/New Years Day rituals.  Towards the end of the program there seemed to have been a lot of talk about sauerkraut and pork.

This got me to thinking about a couple New Years Day traditions I recall from my own family.  My dad’s mother Georgia, who was originally from Mississippi, was quite the superstitious woman.  When I was a small lad and we walked downtown for instance, we couldn’t split any poles or anything like that.  And if I didn’t stay on her side of the sidewalk to ensure that didn’t happen, I could get into big trouble.

At least one of her New Years traditions that she was really adamant about was the fact that the first person to walk through the front door had to be a male.  Not sure why, but when I was 15 I had the pleasure of being whisked out the back door with instructions to quickly run to and through the front.  That was pretty cool.

My last living Nana (93) has a longstanding one of cooking black-eyed peas.  I called her today and asked her about it.  She didn’t seem to have much of a clue of why but she knew it was important at least back in the day.

I don’t know.  I guess it was somethin’ about good luck or somethin’ or the other (for the year.)

Then in typical Nana fashion she broke it down quite ironically, perhaps questioning her long-lived tradition.

Whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway; black-eyed peas or not!

“But your still gotta make them right,” I said.

(laughing) You got that right!

Do you have or know of any special or wierd New Years Traditions?

Whatever they are, please enjoy them safely.

May God Bless 2010

pictured Ruth C.   (Nana)

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Presidential Nobel Prize

U.S. President Barack Obama comments on winning the 2009 Nobel ...

I’ve been pretty busy lately and didn’t have much of a chance to blog.  But I have to back track a bit and discuss the old news of Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace prize.  First of all I have to say I am proud.  Though many were put off at his winning it, saying that he hadn’t accomplished anything, that in itself is ridiculous.  But besides that the reasons given were very specific.

 
With the recent climate we’ve had and still with the personal static that comes his way from within his own country over essentials and non-essentials alike, the president is and has continued to be a person of class giving opportunity for positive dialogue.
I think any president will garner needed criticism from the people he governs as we muddle through our nations issues.  But the prize itself is just that.  A reward and acknowledgment of great achievement.  It should be celebrated as just that.  Our nation should be proud.  I am.