Writing Books that Inspire, Educate and Encourage
But now, can you handle the MUD?
Children seem to have always enjoyed playing in the rain. Mothers couldn’t stop it, so they made sure their kids had their rain boots on to splash in and jump over sitting water and mud puddles. You remember how your jaw ached from yelling and laughing. You laughed at yourself, at how high the water splashed after jumping in with both feet. [Read more…]
Sometimes, I have to think back to that time when I was in my twenties with the love of my life. I was so high on “us” being a couple; my feet rarely touched the ground. I liked that he wasn’t a stranger, that a friend introduced us. Oh, yeah he looked good and made me feel special; in the beginning. My girlfriend saw the goo goo eyes I made and just laughed at me when I talked about him. [Read more…]
We learn early in life that all things will change—whether it is the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the friends we make, or the scenery on the trip to school as the driver slowly drives the speed limit, much slower than the speed your mom drives when she rushes you to school.
This is one of the concepts our parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents teach as life events happen: using ordinary things as teaching moments. [Read more…]
Women are painfully familiar with department store dressing rooms. You know the place that’s about 4 x 6 feet and can only comfortably fit one person.
In this space you bare all that is personal, and private: your body.
Here you strip down to your underwear for the routine dressing and re-dressing. You suck in your breath to zip up the pants, adjust your bra for a better fit, then reach for the exact same item on the hook, because you brought that (arggg) larger size just in case the smaller one didn’t fit. [Read more…]
There is chatter everywhere. Sometimes it amounts to just plain chaos constantly circling above our heads. The news regularly reports another shooting, or seemingly senseless act of aggression committed on unsuspecting individuals. The world we live in is a troubled one. We have been on heightened awareness since the carnage reaped on September 11th. [Read more…]
When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” Audre Lorde
The words quoted above are by the African American poet, Audre Lorde. I had to admit I had heard the name but was not really familiar with Audre Lorde’s poetry, and in particular, this statement. When writing my first published book, Life’s Spices From Seasoned Sistahs, A Collection of Life Stories From Mature Women of Color, I received a submission with this statement under the writer’s signature line. [Read more…]
Acknowledging a person and expressing thanks when someone has given you something is a normal and expected pleasantry in life. Restaurant servers appreciate hearing the words thank you after serving your meal. [Read more…]
Belief in yourself, as the rails on which your life travels. You have you. Just like you stood in line at the carnival ride eager and thrilled to get on, you were just a bit frightened. This was something new. You had never attempted riding on something that had such height and traveled as fast as this ride. Of course, your best buds were with you and you didn’t feel like enduring the days, months, and years of ribbing if you chickened out now. Argggh… you thought. What have I gotten myself into now? [Read more…]
Growing up, did your parents, a teacher, or another adult tell you that anything worth doing was worth doing well? Yeah, that struck a nerve, didn’t it? There’s no escaping the teaching and chidings that you often heard. You can’t forget them; they are woven into your soul. [Read more…]
A Hawaiian Proverb states: “When one becomes a warrior, one must run.”
This proverb can quite simply describe the life of a woman, whether a women of color, a younger woman, or a mature woman. Historically, in many cultures, women’s lives have restricted either by law, custom, or common practice. Women in some cultures were considered property of their husbands and were bought and sold, married off with or without their consent, abused mentally, and physically, and denied common human pursuits such as an independent identity or access to basic or higher education. [Read more…]