Are You Connected?
Apr 26, 2008 Unplugged Authentcity, Unplugged Moments
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As I visited the Pink Collar Club today I was drawn to a blog post that said “The Power of Networking”. Not knowing what it was, I took the time to jump over there and see what it was all about.
It was a post that included a YouTube video showing a portion of the State of the Black America. Now before you toot up your nose think this is a black thing, it is not. It just happens to be a very powerful video with a powerful message.
I want to invite you to view it and give me your thoughts. My next post or two will cover a little more about what God is showing me and how this video was my confirmation.
As you view the video, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Are you connected to your home and all that occurs within it?
2. Are you connected to your community and what needs to be done to help it thrive?
3. Are you truly connected to others outside of your “world”?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
When Momma Speaks
Apr 19, 2008 Say What
Your family can learn some valuable lessons if they listen to the wisdom of mom. No, mom is not always right, but we see some things that others may not quite get. Let me share with you a few examples of how the men in my home have learned, when momma speaks, it helps to pay attention.
My four year old has a fascination with our cat, Roadie. So much that he would pet and pick at the kitty until he would just run under the coffee table and hop on top of box that Brehane could not reach. I would tell Brehane daily to leave the cat alone. But he is so hardheaded, he often has to learn on his own.
Well one morning he was in the bedroom with my husband and he decide to pet Roadie so hard that he bouncing like a ball on the bed. Roadie gave him look, Brehane did not catch the look. So in a gentle yet, “leave me the heck alone” manner, the kitty reached out his paw to Brehane and gave him a nice little scratch; enough to draw a little blood but nothing to really be concerned with. Brehane tried to put on a brave face and not cry because he knew he was wrong. So while I am on the phone laughing with my mom about the incident, I told my little one, it was ok to cry and boy did those tears flow.
I am sure it was a scary moment.
Ok, so not let’s talk about the oldest one, AJ. Alexander is his actual name.
AJ is almost 16 (in less than two months) and sometimes he just works my nerve. There is not much to tell about AJ because he has always been one to listen well. But when I asked him what one thing he has learned happens when Momma speaks, he said that what he has learned is that the saying I often repeat “Whenever you think something bad about your momma, you are going to get hurt, is true.
He bumps that big toe every time he gets in trouble or we fuss and he thinks bad about momma. Good thing he doesn’t do it often.
And now for the big Kahuna, the main man. You know the head honcho. The one who thinks he knows it all. My husband is a funny one in that he thinks he knows better than me. He is one of God’s children that must learn the hard way. And I mean HARD.
About three months ago he purchased an office chair for our desk. It is one of those chairs that lean back. So he and my son, AJ, felt like they could just lounge in it as if it were a lazy boy. I politely let them know that it is not meant for reclining and sleeping in (something the main man always does).
I am big on taking care of what God blessed you with. My husband has not quite gotten there yet. All you need to do is look in the man’s work truck. I can’t stand riding in it because I never know what I might sit on.
Ok back to the story of the chair.
This morning my husband gets up very early, as he does just about every Sabbath morning, to study. Actually he had just said something to me that was not necessary and felt it best to get out of the bed before I fired it up with my mouth. I hear him turn on the computer and all of a sudden…BAM, BOOM, CRASH, CLANG!
I scream “Honey are you ok,” to which he says nothing. Then I say it again. By this time AJ is up and in the living room to check and see what is going on and I am a wreck thinking something really bad occurred.
Well AJ walks into the room to find my husband on his knees on the floor with the back of the chair on one end of the room, papers, the monitor and other chair parts all on the floor. He comes to the room to reassure me that everything is fine, telling me what the issue was.
After giving my husband sometime to get it together and save face, I got up, walked into the room and asked him was he ok. When I came into the living room he had fixed the chair as best he could (thank God he is handy like that), saved the monitor, which now has a tilt, and was sitting straight up.
He said he was fine, I went to bathroom and then back to bed with a huge grin on my face. I did not laugh until after he was gone for a meeting this morning. He just does not listen until it is too late.
I see the humor in it all and the picture that I imagined in my head was hilarious. Just another reminder that when momma speaks folks need to listen.
Why Michelle May Not Smile and Some Other Political Stuff
Apr 18, 2008 Whatever
I was listening to Moms Morning Show today and the topic of Wednesday Night’s debate between Obama and Hilary came up, which led to an entire conversation about politics.
There was a comment about Michelle Obama not smiling, and you know what, that is true. But is it because she does not like people or because she is concerned about what all this means for her family? Does she worry that her husband will be a target because of his race? Let’s get real here, not everyone in America wants a black man as President; as far as we may have come, there is still a lot of hatred and racism that exist.
It was Michelle that pushed for her man to receive Secret Service protection because of all the threats he was receiving. Who knows whether or not she cries at night because she sees something Obama doesn’t? Who knows whether or not those frown lines are worry and deep concern? REALLY….who knows.
I don’t think that Michelle is a woman who does not like people. I think she is woman who is very cautious; and sometimes that means she will not smile. She won’t always be on que with a grin and you know what neither am I. Shoot the woman is human.
Now please don’t think that I am playing the race card. I am far from that, but I also deal with reality just as it is. I pray for Michelle because I see the worry in her face, and as a wife and mom I feel the sistah!
I don’t talk about politics often because it leads to too much conflict and judging. Can’t stand it. I have been a Democrat ever since I started voting. For many reasons it was the best choice for me. I don’t talk to people about my views because sometimes it is just not worth the hassle when it comes to politics.
I think that Obama not wearing an Americam Flag pin or saying the Pledge of Allegiance is irrelevant. I don’t say the Pledge of Allegiance and I have my reasons: The first being that this nation, in my opinion, is not a nation under God because of all the junk going on. Plus there are so many who do not believe in the God that the Pledge is referring to. Oh boy I could really “go there” on that alone, but I will leave it alone.
I am proud to live in America but I am not proud of the fact the foundation it claims to stand on is crumbling right under our feet.
Ok, time to shut up. Maybe I will get more political next week or some other time the desire to do so comes to mind. I know I may get some flack for this but again, my opinion and I have a right to that.
Are They Hatin’ On You
Apr 13, 2008 Unplugged Authentcity
You know sometimes people just hate to see you succeed at anything. Every little thing you do they have a negative vibe about it. The slang term for this type of attitude is “don’t hate on me”. It seems like no matter what you do, even for them, they have a problem with it.
For those who know me they know the Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott are two of my favorite authentic sisters. Jill Scott’s latest CD has a song on it that I sing whenever someone tries to push all up in my space and hate on me.
I am sharing these lyrics with every other authentic woman who has ever felt the stab of the negative vibe.
Hate on Me
by Jill Scott from The Real Things -Words and Songs
If I could give you the world
On a silver platter
Would it even matter?
You’d still be mad at me
If I could find in all this
A dozen roses
Which I would give to you
You’d still be miserable
In reality, I’m gon’ be who I be
And I don’t feel no faults
For all the lies that you bought
You can try as you may
Break me down but I say
That it ain’t up to you
Gone and do what you do
(Chorus)
Hate on me, hater
Now or later
‘Cuz I’m gonna do me
You’ll be mad, baby
(Go ‘head and hate)
Go ‘head and hate on me, hate on
‘Cuz I’m not afraid of it
What I got I paid for
You can hate on me
Ooh, if I gave you peaches
Out of my own garden
And I made you a peach pie
[ Hate On Me lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
Would you slap me high
What if I gave you diamonds
Out of my own womb
Would you feel the love in that,
Or ask “why not the moon”?
If I gave you sanity
For the whole of humanity,
Had all the solutions
For the pain and pollution
No matter where I live,
Despite the things I give,
You’ll always be this way
So go ‘head and….
(Chorus)
Hate on me, hater
Now or later
‘Cuz I’m gonna do me
You’ll be mad, baby
(Go ‘head and hate)
Go ‘head and hate on me, hate on
‘Cuz I’m not afraid of it
What I got I paid for
You can hate on me
You cannot hate on me
‘Cuz my mind is free
Feel my destiny
So shall it be
Keep on Truckin’ Baby
Apr 5, 2008 Unplugged Moments
When I was a little girl I used to love to do the bump and the point to Eddie Kendricks “Keep On Truckin’”. I was a ham and was always showing off my dance moves.
When I think of the phrase I think of never giving up. That means that although there are times when we all feel like throwing in the towel, we have to look at the silver lining and see that there is something there worth fighting for.
There is so much in life we give up on. For me the struggle has been weight loss. What you think a vegan who lives a natural lifestyle can’t be fat. Think again honey! Think again!
I have been struggling with my weight for a very long time and it took some time to learn why. Although I am not gaining more, the losing is slow going because I sabotage myself in a few ways. Exercise for example is a huge issue for me.
I praise God because I do not have diabetes, high cholesterol and the rest and that is due to my diet.
I have Tae Bo, Sweatin’ in the Spirit, Bust you buns or something like that and to tell you the truth I pop more movies into my DVD player than those exercise videos.
So I went on a journey to my mirror to figure out why I do this and I waited until that ugly truth stared me right in the face. What I saw was not so cute.
I learned that I d not make myself accountable to anyone and I have this “I can do this on my own” type attitude. I see that I have let a past of ugliness follow me right to where I am today and as result I feel somewhat insecure about what I am to others.
Funny coming from an authentic momma but you know what just because you live more authentic does not mean that you don’t have some stuff to deal with. Authenticity in no ways means that one has arrived.
So as I looked into the mirror, I told myself, “LaTara, you are 39 years old. It is time to get it together and get off your butt and move.”
Well I started moving, enlisted the help of my family to help me say no to seconds and to move my rear.
I even had AJ to take pics of me so that I can stare at my fatness and get the stuff off.
Do you see that stomach and that butt. The butt is the Bussey family curse. It goes nowhere but it can be smaller.
I will keep you updated with pictures and weight status. Starting tomorrow I will be juicing a lot more and eating a lot less. Actually I started eating a lot less a while ago. I also started back to my walks, strength training, and yep even the videos. I enjoy pilates and weight lifting. The walking is good but I would prefer to have a destination or a treadmill that talks to me.
In the next few months I will show you how I do the bump and the point because I am gonna keep on truckin’ baby and I am going to get that coke bottle figure I once had back!!!!
Morsels of Blessings
Apr 2, 2008 Unplugged Moments
On Sunday March 23, 2008 life as I knew it almost stood still. You see I make my living online and my kids rely on the internet for homeschool, especially my teen-ager. My husband also does most of his estimates, invoices, and planning online as well as some ministerial work.
So when we tried to turn the computer back on and it would not budge, we were at a lost!
Now we had already budgeted out bills for April and wondered how in the heck we would pull this one off. But we know we serve a God who can and will when you have faith, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed; because even that can move mountains.
On Tuesday March 25 I was using the library’s computer working on borrowed time. Kelly McCausey of WAHM Talk Radio emailed me concerning a separate issue and I let her know that my computer had died. As I was checking emails and what nots, I noticed a number of Paypal emails coming my way, letting me know that I was receiving money. I am thinking, “Wow, I sold some books”.
Then I notice Twitter and see a link to a post that Kelly had added to her blog. When I read it I just started crying and in the library of all places. So here I am reading this post, watching my Paypal account gain some serious steam and watching all the folks in the library look at me and wonder, “what is her issue”.
Couldn’t help it, the tears just flowed. I really wanted to shout ‘THANK YOU JESUS’, but then I probably would have been placed in a straight jacket. So I waited until I got home to shout.
Over the past week I was just floored by the support. I have not felt this overwhelmed since my mentor Nancy Estrada, poured her love into me over and over again. While she was alive, she gave me morsels of blessings, I will cherish as long as God allows me to breathe.
Over our lifetime we are honored with many morsels of blessings and they come in many sizes. Some small, some medium, some large; and some so big, you need help carrying them.
Over the last 8 days I have received every size morsel and these morsels gave me the ability to not only purchase a new computer but to be revived and renewed over and over again. I was a low point in life and God allowed those morsels to give me a reason to keep going and not give up.
He always has a ram in the bush.
I couldn’t send thank you cards to everyone, but I did want to take the time to say thank you. I not only see you as morsels of blessings but investors in what it is that God has called me to do with my life.
I don’t believe in accidents or coincidences. It is all God ordained and so it was for you to help me and my family in our drive to help people learn more about the benefits of a more natural lifestyle and the vegan diet.
So thank you to each morsel. Makes no difference whether the morsel was small, medium, or large, it all worked together for the good of my family. So never think your morsel does not help, because it does.
From my family and my heart, May God Bless You and Yours!
THANKS FOR BEING A MORSEL IN MY LIFE!!!!
