I am wondering if we all understand the tenet of many people of color in our country - including those who now live here and those who have since left for better opportunities in their lives. This tenet is that it is, indeed, quite a racist land. In fact, I have heard many well-meaning fellow citizens proudly proclaiming, "Why, I don't have a racist bone in my body." Others still maintain that they don't see color. Hogwash! Then they must be blind! I have taken many multicultural classes in my lifetime and have even taught a few. I can tell you one thing. You will never ever understand what someone of color feels no matter how hard you try - if you are not one yourself. You may have extreme empathy, but true understanding can never come to you. I believe racism is a matter of learning - not education. Many educated people are the worst bigots I have ever met. The experiences and belief systems of an individual comprise the extent to which he or she is racist. Everyone is. Some just don't see it or know it when they are faced with it. Since this is supposed to be Black History Month - what have you done to get to know your neighbors of color? What have you done to educate and learn about the importance of the Asian, Black, and Hispanic culture to this state? If this is not important to you, then I suggest you read the following two books and THEN make a comment!
Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? by Doctor Beverly Tatum
This book will entice you, challenge you and make you mad. But you will grow after reading it.
Dreams from my father by Barack Obama
Even though I didn't vote for BO, I still support him as my president and this book helped me understand from where he hails.
Two books not to be missed by any of us!

Oh, my goodness! SPAM mail, when viewed, offers the best of what the world has to offer. Did you know that with one click of my mouse that Michael will erase all my debt? Walmart is prepared to give me $1,000 just for answering a survey. I might have a job in England and I can have fun tonight. People are hiring, congratulating, donating, and inspiring me to no end. Not only do they care about my youth, my integrity, education, and livelihood, they also are concerned about my prowress in the bedroom, except that I am a girl and I don’t want anything lengthened! I can even get disguised blessings and great replica of designer watches. What is not to like about SPAM? Well, yeah, I know. It isn’t true. It’s a fairy tale, but one that entertained me today quite a bit!

Birthdays, Politics, and Spirituality

I've always assumed that politics could be something I avoided like the plague. I even thought at one time that it was cute to say how ignorant I was of politics. It was my way of being lazy, of being careless, of being a child still. We, as citizens of the greatest democracy on earth, are mandated to know the truth and by the truth we shall be set....FREE! Yeah, you said it, too. We all know that truism. But why are most of us, especially any of us who might be spiritually conservative, why are we quiet and allow those who are our liberal sisters to run us over and to dominate us with their rhetoric? Is it that we are not as informed as our liberal sisters? Is it that we naturally shirk from confrontation? Yes to all the above. But the first step to overcoming this fear is to confront it with education. I, for one, received an education of a lifetime last night when I attended a Lincoln birthday dinner in Salem. My friend Brenda invited me to attend with her and I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

What was so spectacular is that a black man spoke about why most American blacks are democrats, given that history reveals that the Republican Party has a far more impressive track record in Civil Rights legislation than the Democratic Party. Oh, he has facts to back it up. He further gives information that would make any conservative proud. But most was news to me. And I think his word would be news to you. Check out his website at http://www.wayneperryman.com/ and let the light shine on you!

What a birthday gift for Lincoln in a humble spokesman like Perryman. He humbled me and made me start thinking I need to inform myself of the truth. I may be highly educated, but am I learned?

Email Wars!

^$#^^%#$$#@@$#$##$ -
If we saw that line in an email, most of us would interpret it as swear words, anger, frustration, etc. But, one day as I was typing, I had my fingers on all the wrong keys and something like this ensued: do zi fifn’y knoe ehsy yo fo. Interpret that! LOL, OMG, and WTF are all acronyms for some pretty clear statements. The world of techno-babble has evolved to the point where a larger percentage of people are texting instead of using face to face communication. Inevitably, there are going to be some problems interpreting those texts.
I know for a fact that when my mother is angry at me, she starts her email, which formerly consisted of snail mail or letters written to me, her oldest daughter, with Dear Daughter…. I can be sure I am in for a lecture then. Even as a senior citizen, I am still subject to my mother’s stern words if I don’t tow the line. Now if the body of her email has all caps, then I’d better not read the message or I am in for a lot of anguish!
I, for one, also use a lot of smiley faces, LOLs, and exclamation marks to enhance the power of my email, but a recent discussion via email to someone who really doesn’t know me ended up in a fiasco I never want to repeat. So, listen up, kids, it’s time to reassess your emailing/texting viewpoints.
Recently, on the John Tesh radio show, he gave out some suggestions for making a relationship last and one of the things he mentioned was that we should never text during an argument. That makes sense. We write what we think and send it without really thinking. What’s the first thought that comes to mind when someone is mean to you? If you are anyway near normal, that first thought is to tell that person where to go and that place is hot and certainly not pleasant. But after thinking about it for a while, most people will realize that sending someone someplace bad does not really solve the problem long term. After all, we have no control of where someone goes in the afterlife, so we need to focus on the here and now.
If you have a conflict with someone, wait to talk to that person directly, and, if that is not possible, be sure you engage the services of your land line or cell phone. That way you can hear the intonation in the person’s voice. You can hear the sincerity or lack thereof equally well. You can ask questions and you can truly resolve issues more clearly.
So, while texting and email are great vehicles for common interaction, nothing beats talking face to face or engaging in a conversation over the phone. Clearly we are social beings and technology sometimes doesn’t help us in that arena. So go over to Jane’s house and tell her how you feel. Look at her body language and her eyes when she speaks to you. A better relationship is on the way if you heed your words and communicate with your entire being.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Memories

Today I woke up crying! I was reliving some horrid events that happened several years ago. It was just like they were happening now. So I am reminded about how powerful our unconscious mind is. We are not always in complete control as we would like to think. So, anyway, I'm forcing myself to have memories, but of good and fun things, like our trip to see the Anderson clan in Minnesota. It was a wonderful trip - right before the R convention. The best part of a trip is always the city tour. And, if I can pick 'em, they are usually the boat cruise type. And this one was both. I can still remember sitting on that boat, bathing in the sun, feeling the crisp air push my matted hair off my forehead. Ah. Another cruise I took is on the Yantze River in 2001. That was another precious memory I will call upon when the dark of the night chooses less positive memories for me to relive. Are you dreaming happy things? I hope so. :)

Curley haired baby!

Oh, my! This little girl has learned to manipulate her mommy and daddy so much already and she is just barely two months old. At least her mom has a great sense of humor. When things are going great, I notice mom writes in the first person, but when things are hectic, all of a sudden, baby has a voice! It's wonderful seeing the interaction between young mother and child. These days are fleeting by so rapidly, pretty soon baby will be walking, talking, and going to school. It is so important that our little ones feel that great sense of security and love provided by family and friends.

Sometimes I want to be a kid again with only little problems. Sometimes growing up isn't what we thought it might be. But as I look at some of the older than me generation, I see that they do lapse into a sort of second childhood. So let's play while we can. Let's enjoy the little things like a warm drink after a long bath. Let's enjoy letting our hair just curl up and be natural. Let's stop worrying about what could have been and what could be. Let's just enjoy the moment. Ahhh, Gracie has the right idea! She can teach us all a lot about seizing the day. Carpe diem, all!