Proudly Promoting Published Blogger: Girly Girl

If you've ever clicked the link in my list on the right:
GG:Saadia - neurotica & nonsense
then you will NOT be surprised that SHE's PUBLISHED!!! I was surprised to learn that this book is Saadia's first published work of art.

I'm so excited that I'll finally get to meet Girly Girl and her publisher, Diane this weekend at the Book Expo America... & no doubt we'll share a bottle of wine after her book signing;-).

Click on her image to get to Amazon.com where u can get her book - BEFORE she's on OPRAH;-). The official book release isn't until August, so get it while it's hot off the presses!

Do your thang, Sis!

Wednesday Wisdoms

Welcome Back for Wednesday Wisdoms vol. 5

Look closely, now and see what U dig about:

We are each other's magnitude and bond.

Gwendolyn Brooks

Rest In Peace

Memorial Weekend 2007: May all my hang-ups Rest In Peace.

Thanks to those who served in all the wars that lead to my freedoms.
Thanks to those who came before me and fought for their lives simply for the freedom to live allowing me to burst forth and live freely as I do.

Thanks to the painful and often brutal experiences of my parents and my ancestors I'm pock filled with insecurities, fears, and anxieties. Not to mention a host of mental and physical quirks and idiosyncrasies.

Thanks to the passion, intensity and audacity of my parents and my ancestors to love in spite of their "ignorance and inability" I'm overladen with this..."senseless" faith in...a Higher power and in all that is living. Not to mention a host of endearing qualities and handsome genes.

So, I'd like to take this opportunity to lay My Issues To Rest.

All the BULL shit that cuts us deeply without laying one finger on us...Rest In Peace.

All the childhood taunts, the grown-up injustices and -isms, the social inequities that cause conflicts within ourselves...
may you all
REST.
IN.
PEACE.

Passion Fire

The Creator's pilot light flames eternally deep within me.

Mis-matches have struck against me.
Some have caused sparks or brief sputtering eruptions.
Some even burst into roaring bonfires.
Few have brushed down my mountains for years on end.

My soul has third degree burns from the third degree
I get when society asks me
Repeatedly ...
"How's your love life?"

Water evaporates when it hits these flames.
Thus, the rivers of tears cannot stop the burning.
And lately ... I cannot cry for long.

Yet, peace be still ...
The Flame simmers eternally within me and
Expectation licks at these lips in anticipation of the Passion to come.

C.A. Paige©May 2007
Click here for photo credit.

Hope U have as much fun as Me:-)

This is how I plan to spend MY Weekend! Well, it's how I started last night;-). Enjoy yours & Be Safe!

Wednesday Wisdoms

Welcome Back for Wednesday Wisdoms vol. 4

Look closely, now and see what U dig about:

“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely”

- Carl G. Jung

Heaven help US!!!

I wish this were a fictional excerpt. I had an appointment to present information to Newark High School students today. I shared an online resource to assist them in deciding careers and colleges. As I was helping one student send the link of the resource to himself, I noticed many of the emails in his box came from this site below. I didn't ask him about it, but came home and immediately did a search. I CANNOT believe this is a real site. I do know that HATE sites exist, now I've discovered SELF-HATE sites exist. I wrangled with whether or not to ignore it because I don't want to promote it - but many of you have children and you need to be aware of all the manure they encounter here in cyberspace.

I went to the site in search of information about those who developed it, without success. Next, I went to their Terms of Agreement and this is what I found (most of this is so ridiculous to me, because the very EXISTENCE of the site is a form of harassment in my opinion).

"The following is a partial list of the kind of Content that is illegal or prohibited on the Website. NiggaSpace.com reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate legal action in its sole discretion against anyone who violates this provision, including without limitation, removing the offending communication from the Service and terminating the membership of such violators. It includes Content that:

• is patently offensive to the online community, such as Content that promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual;
  
  
• harasses or advocates harassment of another person; "

Though, I do have to ask myself why I'm irritated by NiggaSpace...but find www.rent-a-negro.com a Politically Strong statement....Hmmmm.

I've been TAGGED...DagNabIT!

Okay, I'll try to "play well with others" for once. Brother Rich tagged me and his tag-theme is fairly easy, so I'll take the bait. Unfortunately, Sistah Shai no one musical artist encompasses the myriads of ME:-)

Five Things That I'm Focussed on INTENSELY:

1. The Power of My Language:
I've become incredibly sensitive to the words that open my world as opposed to self-imprisonment.

2. Maintaining my W-Health:
My Health is My Wealth and I'm doing more to take greater care of this Loaner temple I live within.

3. My Faith & Purpose:
I want to do all that I can to live as The Creator built me to.

4. Writing:
Through writing I am discovering my purpose and sustaining my faith.

5. ReRead the Above:-)


Not tagging anyone else:-)

Wednesday Wisdoms

Welcome Back for Wednesday Wisdoms vol. 3

I know you'll forgive this late-in-the-day post. This is my first taste of blogging while traveling & visiting family:-). I desperately needed this boost of "home" - there really IS no place like it! After several conversations with family I am inspired to post the following quote for you to mull over.

C'mon now, look closely and see what U can dig about the following bit of wisdom:

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."
Carl Sandburg

Happy Mother's Day!!

I won't be "here" to wish it to ya on Sunday. I'm going back "home" to curl up in my mommy's arms JUST like I did back then when this photo was taken;-). May you all enjoy your time with someone you love, too!

Hugz & Blessings!

Sluggish...WHY?

One minute I'm floating along lovely. The next thing I know I barely have the energy to make it to the kitchen. What is this all about? As a woman we can always point to hormone cycles. But what about men who get sluggish.

I try to watch what I eat, exercise regularly, and still...this sluggish beast shows up from time to time. Any ideas? Suggestions?

Wednesday Wisdoms

Welcome Back for Wednesday Wisdoms vol.2

C'mon, look closely and see what U can dig up from the following bit of wisdom:

Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.

Muhammad Ali

Preventable Deaths

I have had many conversations about health concerns and the effect that foods and exercise have on our mortality. I read the news of tragedies in the world. I've heard the term "Preventable Deaths". That term seems to be used quite a bit, lately. Several cancers seem to be caused by habits that can be stopped. Some brutalities can be curbed. Certain foods are deemed unfit by the 'experts' who are telling the general public that those toxic foods are killing us.
I had a great uncle whose "devilment" and smart remarks used to crack me up! When asked the cause of one's death, I recall his gravely-voiced reply, "They GOT Damn heart stopped beating!" He sized up the situation quite succinctly, I believe. I'm wondering, now - are deaths really preventable? Is it possible to keep our hearts from stopping? Doesn't The Creator "set this all up?" I understand that we are willful creatures. What do you think?

Personally, I don't think death can be "prevented" - no one's getting out of here alive. It can be delayed, in my mind. I'm doing my best to take care of this "shell" I was "loaned", so that my transition to the next phase will be a smooth, painless one. It would be a blessing to transcend the way my paternal great grandfather did: quietly in his sleep. How about you? What do you think is going to be your way out of this phase?

*click on the image for its source.

What would U do if a friend asked you:

Men - to be sperm donors?

Women - to be surrogates or egg donors?

I read about this phenomena in the newspaper all of the time, but have never "known" anyone who took it seriously. Now, I'm curious. What would you do?


*click on the image for its source.

Happy Cinco de Mayo-eve!

Won't be able to post this tomorrow because I'll be OUT ALL day! First, I'm joining the Revlon 5K Walk/Run for women's cancers ....then the PARTY is ON!

How will U enjoy your Cinco de Mayo?

However u choose to - be safe & have fun!


*click on the image for its source.

My newest S-hero: Ms. Beverly Jenkins!

I am moved to send a huge cyber HUG to my favorite living author and greatest inspiration outside of my parents and ancestors. Words don't sufficiently describe this amazingly humble woman. Her books are categorized as historical romances, which seems inadequate to me. I have learned an incredible amount of Black History from her novels and I am not new to Black History studies.

In addition to writing the best historical romance novels on the market, Ms. B (as we call her in BevLand) is extremely generous to her fans. She's taken some to dinner, sends gifts to young mothers, cards to those who are ailing and collects gifts and cards from fans to send to each other. I was extremely touched when a young fan (daughter of a BevLander), wrote into BevLand to tell Ms. B that she got an A on a book report about one of Ms. B's young adult novels (all the fluid history without the adult action;-). In addition to sending the young lady a letter that she could take to school to show her teacher, Ms. B called the girl! I know if that had been me in my pre-teen years, a phone call from a favorite author would have caused me to pass OUT! I can't imagine what I would have said to a Gwendolyn Brooks, or Mildred Taylor. As it is, when I had the great fortune of meeting Beverly Jenkins I had to remind myself to breathe!

So, thank you, Ms. Beverly Jenkins for your amazing books! Thank you for the love and encouragement that you offer to us in BevLand. You have truly made this world a better place. Please check out Ms. Beverly Jenkins' website by clicking on her name!

And I must add a Thank You to my dear friend Beverly, who introduced me to the wonderful books of Ms. B!

*Click here for photo credit.

Wednesday Wisdoms - the First

Welcome to Wednesday Wisdoms!

*Inspired by fellow bloggers with "themed" days: Rich's Friday Features provide inspiration and encouragement, CortGee's ThrowBack Thursdays keeps us grooving, and DC's Potluck Fridays has the blogsters buzzing. Then, I stumbled upon Dave's Fortune Cookie post which gave me the idea for my very own theme: Wisdoms & our interpretations of them to help get us through "Hump Day".

Now then, let's look closely at this piece and see what we can dig up. What do U "see" when you read the following?

Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.

~ Baltasar Gracian