New Journey's and Old Luggage

Have you ever planned a trip to a place you've never been to before? The excitement of going is sometimes greater than the actual arrival to the anticipated destination. The excitement propels us into all kinds of preparations, we buy new clothes, all kinds of essentials and sometimes if it's a really special trip we buy new luggage. We rationalize the purchase by telling ourselves we couldn't possibly put all our fabulous new purchases in that old suitcase. It's the thinking that the old luggage which was fine for the old places, the same old vacations and the same old getaways had it's place but is time has come. The old ratty luggae reminds us of the perfect vacations with the husband, boyfriend or friends that seemed like they were the happy moments of our lives until the husband became the ex-husband, the boyfriend became the ex-boyfriend and the friends became the ex-friends. Now what was once the perfect vacations and get aways have become painful memeories and we want everything that reminds us of them to just disappear.So we go out and we search and search until we find what we feel is the perfect piece. With new luggage in tow we are now ready to begin this wonderful new journey. Ready to experience all that life has to offer and ready to pack the old and begin the new journey with our new luggage free from the burdens of the past now tucked away in the old luggage in the attic.

Lost in Transition

Lately, I've been thinking I need to reposition myself. I feel that maybe I'm not where I want or need to be because I'm afraid to let go of old weights that hold me to places I should have left long ago. As I strive to remove dead weights (friendships, habits, bad choices) I realize that part of the hold up also is the fear of new. In the place I am, even if it's not a happy place, it's a familiar and comfortable place and so I hold on even when I know I need to let go. So this morning I woke up and decided a little at a time, and if possible alot at a time I am going to cast off those things that easily weighs me down for those new, exciting and unchartered waters up ahead. Change is well over due and I'm ready to move. So to this I say Bon Voyage!

Cry Peace

No more hatred, the violence needs to cease
Won’t you join with me? Let us all cry peace
Peace to the white man who sees nothing but skin
Peace to the inner me that rages within
No more fighting and killing our black men
Let us all cry peace Then we’ll win
A battle that has been fought for thousands of years
Through blood, sweat and many tears Peace I say Peace is what we need
Let us not have to bury another child
Because of Peace we did not heed Peace

Yet I Hold On

If I should understand what it is that you have given to me
In my life then maybe, just maybe I could move on
I keep searching for words, phrases and meanings that will make sense of it all
Why would I continue to hold on to someone who has yet to offer any form of commitment Verbal or written Not even your body language suggests a hint of something
Yet I hold on Seeing what is not there to be seen
Believing what has never been there to have faith in
Yet I hold on Tightening my grasp as though if I hold on more
This will in turn make you turn and perhaps, just perhaps
Possibly hold on to me as well Yet I hold on
To empty nothing of wistfulness Forsaking all for brief moments of perceived ecstasy
Knowing deep within my muddled thoughts that This fantasy is nothing more than that Fantasy And I am merely a dreamer caught in a dream of my own making
Yet I hold on Suspended within and without
Craving the UN appetizing results of unfruitful-ness
Yet I hold on Seeking that which will never be found
It is and has always been and will forever more be
Your love

Joy Stealers

Beware of joy thieves! They are definitely out there, they disguise themselves as "friends" who only want the best for you but in actuality are jealous of you. They spend most of the time criticizing and minimizing your thoughts, dreams, appearance, etc. Hoping that by destroying you, it will build them. We have to take precautions against joy thieves by making sure that we get to know who we are and who we are becoming so that no one (not even a so called friend) can shake our faith. Joy thieves when given power tend to affect our emotional state. Have you ever been excited about nothing and just filled with joy, then you spoke to that certain "friend" and after that conversation felt down or depressed and couldn't figure out why? You just had an encounter with a joy thief. You allowed that one person in that one moment to take away that exciting joyful feeling and to rob you of your joy! Arm yourself and prepare for war, let the joy thieves in your life know that you are not going to let them come in a rob you like some kind of wimp. Be strong and courageous and get rid of the joy thieves. If you know that there are people like this in your life be strong enough to walk away from them, you won't be missing anything but all the negativity that they so generously shared. Who the heck needs that!

Even Steven

So I was in this friendship with a guy, I'd known for several years and in all those years the routine was the same. I give, he take, I give he take. So on and so on for almost 20 years. Finally it dawned on me that our friendship wasn't a friendship at all but was in actuality a fauxship pretending to be a friendship. Fauxships are not real they are fake. They can seem like friendships and even have some of the characteristics of genuine friendships except for one thing, it's usually one sided. Here I was with my "friend" and he would call me only when he needed something, or when his girlfriend (for the moment) wasn't available. Then he would turn to good old reliable me. And like a fool I allowed that foolishness to go on for years. You have to be able to tell the difference between faux and genuine. Faux means imitation or artificial and that's what you may be experiencing if you find your "friend" is contributing less to the ship then you are. He or she may call every once in a while and only when in need of money, encouragement or comfort. They may not be able to handle when your going through and will rush off when you call or be unavailable at crucial moments. If you find that is the case in your situation then I would like to say abandon ship immediately! Don't waste another moment of your precious time on something that is not real but imitation. You deserve better, heck I deserved better and so I jumped ship in the middle or maybe it was the last of the journey and though the swim home was long and a little lonely it was well worth it. Now when I encounter potential friends I make sure that they are actually genuine friends and not faux in disguise the minute I scent a hint of fakeness, I stop, drop and row the other way. My life and time is too valuable to be wasting it with artificial when the real deal is just out there waiting to be discovered.

Am I speaking English?

I'm finding more and more myself in situations where, I am having to utilize the word no, a lot. I guess being known as having a soft heart is not such a bad thing, it only becomes a problem when people think it's an open door to try and take advantage. Hey girl can you handle this for me? Or hey do you think you can do this for me like right now, thanks your the greatest. Or what about the friends who you never hear from and only call when they require your assistance. "You know I've been thinking about you, I've just been so busy but any way I'm calling now, I need a favor. Are you serious? I mean come on people I'm saved, not a sucker! I don't mind helping out but if I find out the sole reason for our friendship is what I can do for you, then your friendship is no longer desired. Good grief! But what really burns my buttons is when I say no and people respond as though I never said anything at all. As if to say, "Surely that no does not apply to me!" Here's a news flash, from now on, no applies to you, your mama and anybody else in your family who is looking to suck me dry. I'm tired go bug somebody else!