Protection is a strange thing. Most of the time, you donโt notice it until itโs gone. You donโt realize how much stability you live inside of until you move somewhereโsay, an islandโwhere the infrastructure falters and the basics you once took for granted suddenly feel fragile. In the United States, many of us move through our days with the quiet assurance that if we call the police, they will come; if our house catches fire, the fire department will show up. That sense of safety shapes how we live, how we move, and how we dream.
I write often about โgetting in the gameโ because I know what it feels like to be talked out of your position. And I also know what it looks like when young people step into theirs. When I was in high school in Seoul, some of our friends were soldiersโenlisted, but still only eighteen. Kids, really. I remember the day they were deployed to war zones. The air shifted. We were suddenly separated by a reality they had to face and we didnโt. It was a moment that reminded me, in a way I could never forget, that freedom is not free. Someone pays for it. Someoneโs child. Someoneโs friend.
I was never in the military, and watching so many young people leave for war made it clear that it wasnโt my path. But I never forgot the price they paid. Whenever I can, I try to help people understand that the military matters. Protection matters. Being protected allows us to move through our neighborhoods, our country, and our homes with a sense of comfort. And when that comfort slips, even a little, we owe it to ourselves to pause, reassess, and recalibrate.
I also wish more people understood how multiโlayered the military truly is. Itโs not just uniforms and ranksโitโs families, stories, sacrifices, and entire lifetimes of service. Two of the proudest moments of my life came from witnessing that up close. The first was at my grandfather CSM Calvin Morseโs funeral, when my grandmother was presented with a folded American flag after 56 years of marriage. The second was watching my stepfather be promoted to full Colonel and seeing my mother salute him. For the first time, I saw them as equalsโtwo Lt. Colonels who had built a life together, standing in their shared accomplishment. His journey from private to Colonel was shaped by education, discipline, and taking every opportunity available to him.
When I write about education, culture, finance, or history, itโs because I understand how deeply the personal is political. As artists, writers, storytellers, and Americans, we shape the narrative for whoever is listening. We do it through dance, visual culture, books, music, and every creative form we touch. I hope we continue to protect our freedom of speech, even in this tense moment. Maybe that tension is part of what makes democracy so powerful.
I am proud of the people who keep going, even when the work is misunderstood or unseen. I know itโs hard. I know even soldiers want to give up sometimes. But they keep going.
And Iโm proud of everyday Americans who havenโt given up eitherโwho havenโt fled, who havenโt abandoned their communities, who continue to build and rebuild even when the odds are stacked against them. Iโve lived in other places, and the people were wonderful. But there is something distinct about the American fighter spirit. Itโs stubborn, hopeful, relentless. And Iโm proud to be part of that lineage.
Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.
We love to snuggle and watch movies. I don’t know if it is a tradition but it’s fun to do. We love to watch movies together. We love it so much that we purchased a popcorn machine and bought a projector.
If I want something I pretty much go for it. I always shoot my shot. I don’t shoot a bunch of shots, I shoot the target and generally have no regrets. But there is one time that I made a choice out of duty. It was a tough choice to make because five alarm fires were going off in my head. I typically listen to my intuition, but I didn’t in this moment. I felt loyal to the idea of thing, only to find that I really didn’t believe in what they were selling. While I’ve tried to make it up on the back end, on a subconscious level it stings. I betrayed myself to some degree. In a crazy way it has emboldened me to be truthful in all areas and all ways. Had I stayed with a status quo, I would never have gotten this level of courage.
Moral of the story: Follow your heart. Follow your conscious, and you won’t have to wish about what could have been. You will be in the flow of truth.
Over the past few days I took a break on social media in order to spend some quality time with my family watching movies. I am very into inspirational movies that have a lot of high drama and then wrap up with a happy ending. I must admit, I am a sucker for love and a hopeless romantic.
I watched a really crazy one called The Kept Woman, that I felt I needed to be rescued from. There was so much symbolism in there that was clearly inferencing conservatives vs liberals in a tongue in cheek, Norman Bates meets Laverne and Shirley type of way. The not so subtle politics of it all got me thinking.
An Interesting Politiview
I used to secretly call myself a liberal traditionalist. Itโs a name I coined which means, I believe in tradition for me and liberal values for you, if you chose them. But, as a law professor I worked with once said, โyou just want to do what you want and have someone else pay for it.โ Iโd never thought of it that way, but I plead the fifth to that statement. Iโve given this statement a bit of thought over the years and have come to the conclusion that itโs basically a common sense moderate. ๏ฟผ
When I turned 18 and was finally able to vote I was an environmental girl. It made sense that I was planning to cast for the Green Party yet I clearly remember being told by a classmate at the University of Michigan that โweโ were all voting blue. So I voted for President Clinton, and I didnโt give it much thought because I was not fully invested in politics. Like lot of young people I was concerned about rushing, partying, going to classes and dating. Also, I thought he did a great job. I donโt regret voting for him. My money looked great at the time he was in office. I mean, what was not to love?. Iโve since learned that life is more nuanced than that and I know many people had a fair amount of complaints during that time.
During those years, I was very much into my church. Although I occasionally went to mass by myself, I considered my church home to be the non denominational church, Word of Faith. I was very into my church sorority/fraternity on campus and they thought differently about politics. I simply assumed that my pastor was a Democrat. I learned later that he was not. He was the person that advised me to stay in school and then pursue my acting dreams and Iโd be blessed. I wish I listened. I went my own way, only to come back to what he said, and finally get back on track.
In college I was close with his daughter as well. We lived in the same dorm and she was a good friend and even mentor. They were a family strong on family values and adamantly against abortion. At the time, it was not a big deal for me. Again, I was against it, but I also didnโt feel that connected to the issue. I didnโt know anyone that had one. I didnโt plan to get one and I figured that it would all take care of itself. This is the mindset of a lot of wait and see individuals.
I also regretfully condemned people on other issues. Those typical Christian arguments about not being fully submitted to God or who drank alcohol. Ironically, as I began to enter the Feminist arena later in life I took the simple stance of women being equal. Equal pay, equal opportunity, etc. That was until I learned about the movement during the 19th century and the role of African American club women. LThese highly privileged women did not resonate with me at the time, but they would later in my life. They share my values and beliefs and their ideas of advancement work in tandem with men. Yet, I still remained dissociated from my politics, like a lot of people, because I figured it would all work out by the hands of โthey/them.โ
At some point, that changed. When I grew deeper into my faith as a Catholic, I did not become political but I did have a fire lit for life and service. I also began to think logically about how a non profit could help, or my challenges and losses could benefit others, and myself. Additionally the trials of Women in the Bible inspired me and their stories are not always spoken in the way Iโd like to see them. They are juicy, controversial and powerfulโthey are the blueprint.
I hate to pit one value against another politically because ideally we should all be independent. We should embrace the ideals of charting a new course while giving a portion to those that need it and who are finding their way.
I have spent the last year continuing to create my own new plan. I had to take a step back to take a step forward. I kept asking, โLord what is your will for me?โ Even if it is slower going, I believe when we are given a vision it is to be carried out.
This vision changed how I see things politically. As an entrepreneur, how am I best served? I know that as a person, I will help others. But how can I be in a position to do that? What are my beliefs around food and medicine? Who is aligned with what I actually believe? For many of us, the area is gray. But who is that?
I am not the first to say it, nor would I be the last, but we are more alike than we are different. Which is why we focus on issues that are more personal and make them grand scale. Government should focus on major issues that are often out of our control. They shouldnโt be like a helicopter parent telling us how to live our lives. However, there are times when it has to be. This is unfortunate because we continue to slide back into rhetoric that pulls us back and causes us to behave in a way that is detrimental to our societal civility. I want to be where the rhetoric is for all. Where I feel uplifted and not like a fool. I want to feel like I am moving forward and not stuck and where my difference is ok.
The very thing that makes this country great is its diversity. No one should be minimized or should minimize themselves. If you carry the light of the world in your heart, you donโt want to see anyone abused and downtrodden. Itโs like a marriage.
A Marriage of Opposites
In my marriage I used to say, letโs try to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Letโs see the good in each other instead of clinging fast to the negative narrative. The truth is being told to you, right here and right now. Can you see it? Yes. But sometimes itโs hard to feel it. We want to feel the difference and thatโs harder.
Friends, I have to be honest. My ideas often did not get through. In a marriage of complete opposites and beliefs in every way, agreeing is struggle on all levels. However, through that lens and challenge came an understanding that for some people it is harder to have them see a new way. Their heart is hardened from hurt and disappointment. They may never recover or believe what they see. They want change but they want the comfort of knowing that the one in front of them is still the boogeymanโthen they can be right.
This is also our political arena. So, for me faith is very important. You can do and say all that you want, but faith and hope are required for change and that is a spiritual design. That takes time.
I too suffer from my own limited beliefs. I canโt let myself off the hook entirely. You may be like this, โI believe in change and goodness, just not from you neighbor! You are a hopeless case.โ Well, that is a little true. And we are all someoneโs hopeless case. But the biggest rewards come to those who endure big challenges. Similarly, to take on the Feminist ideology of the personal is political, it all still holds true. Our lives effect our choices depending on the day. Iโm also still green leaning. I believe compassionate people care about this earth. Caring about space and nature brings us into the magnificence of creation and a natural connection to each other.
In conclusion, I have changed only in the regard of me being aligned in an intentional and logical way when it comes to how I view politics.
Here are some things to consider:
Do you care about what happens to your immediate life or on a grand scale? Who makes those decisions?
If you are a new parent, changed religions, or identify with the LGBTQ community or have family that is incarcerated how does that affect your decisions?
If you are largely stable and you want as much of a melting pot with shared values within a pluralist society how does that affect your decisions?
These thoughts help to align us with our true selves and allow us to authentically negotiate what is right and true in our lives.
You may lose a lot following your convictions. I didnโt do anything radical but talk about my spiritual walk and it caused my world to crash down. However, that is ok. What is good still stands and old things continue to pass away. This too shall pass.
Iโve really lost that fun gene. Iโm either no fun or too much fun. Either way, I think itโs time for more of the latter. The truth is I am in a stage of re-discovery. Iโm Slowly learning what I like and donโt like. I have my staple activities like movies, art and yoga but I can see travel in my future.
Lately Iโve been looking at various yoga retreats and artist residencies in an attempt to mix work with pleasure. These are so cost effective itโs hard not to pass up.
In this season of my life I can say itโs beautiful but itโs also bittersweet. I lost a lot in my pursuit of happiness and regaining of myself. But, it had to be done. Now that all thatโs left behind me is a bunch of foreign land itโs time to rebuild. Itโs time to think about what kind of life I want to build this go round. I want to build something beautiful.
I want creativity, colors, and the wonders of nature and enterprise. Something that is an accurate reflection of who I truly am. For this, I am willing to take time. But, I can see some fun along the way.
Believe it or not, there is nothing in my life that hasnโt been foreshadowed. It just always looks different when it arrives. I had a dream last night that left me with a very warm feeling. The best is yet to come. (No rush though) I never have just stopped and smelled the roses of life and this past year I have done that. When you slow down, take a back seat, or a lesser job like I did โyou can see what you want. You can also see what you donโt want. Knowing what you want and donโt want is new territory for me. Itโs scary, but I wonโt compromise it. Itโs been the best gift to myself.
Iโve recently switched my news watching to comedy shows. I like to laugh. Laughing and being lighthearted is something that has fallen by the wayside and I am on a serious mission to recover it.
If you are having fun, I would love some tips. What are some cool things youโd recommend?
Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.
When I think about a man who has positively impacted my life, itโs hard to pick just one. Iโve met lots of gentlemen in my life. Itโs the reason I know they exist and they can be difficult to find. A characteristic that I appreciate the most in men, outside of kindness, is wisdom. Believe it or not, wisdom is hard to come by. You can find intelligence, but wisdom is a bit more difficult.
I grew up in a two-parent household with my stepfather who raised me. I actually felt he was hard on me most times, and that made me angry growing up. But, when I think about how I present myself to the world in professional situations, how I interview well, how to persevere, and how to tap into my feminine sideโthat came from my dad.
I think itโs a misconception that strong women have no men in their life. Itโs actually quite the opposite. I like to tell the story of how my dad taught me to drive and he took me to get my learnerโs and I failed because I couldnโt parallel park. So he told me to wear something โbetterโ and flash a bright smile so I could pass my test the next time. Well, letโs just I passed the next time with flying colors!
My dad was a wellspring of advice. His famous line of, โboys only want the cookies without the milkโ to when I was down telling me to โdo what I got to do to make it throughโ and then buying me jewelry always brightened my day. I didnโt always get gifts but I got a lot. It made me appreciate nice things and thatโs important to experience.
My biological father was brilliant as well. I didnโt grow up with him and I actually reconnected with him in adulthood, but he made me feel special. Maybe because we looked so much alike. He was someone blessed with a with a wellspring of ideas. He always had new ideas, each one better than the next. He reminded me of Walter Younger from A Raisin In The Sun. Sort of like a giant among ants. Throughout my life, I have had spiritual fathers of different races that felt compelled to take me under their wing over the years and I believe itโs part of the reason my mind is so expansive. I am a good listener and I listen to everything that wise people impart.
Iโm so quiet, I think they forget Iโm there, but I have sat at some powerful tables listening and often taking notes.
I only have had two challenging relationships in my lifetime. Overall, I have been treated well in love. I donโt have a ton of people to compare it to but the challenging relationship had an imbalance of feminine energy.
I am more on the soft side as a default but I have toughened up over the last few years. I am not a woman that understands men naturally, I actually learned the mind of man from having a teenage son.
All I hear about day in and day out is his โmanhood.โ That always makes me smile. I also see the way his little sister adores him and how much he adores her. They are my inspiration when I think of a good give and take. One of my favorite things about my son is his ability to express himself, say he is sorry, and remember your favorite things.
So when I think about a man who positively impacted my life I canโt think of simply one. But I think about that loyal, encouraging, wise, and even at times funny, characteristic that runs through them all.
I remember the first time I got married, and the very exciting yet awkward day after. Although there hasn’t been a second time yet, I like to think of the first time. Before I’d gotten married I thought that there was something major that happened in order to get there. Basically, you can say “I do,” and head on out to Chick-fil-A if you wanted to. It’s really that simple, you just need to complete the paperwork. Although my mother and stepfather had been married for 20 years, I had no inside track on the mechanics of a relationship. In fact, their marriage was sadly ending, as mine was beginning. Fortunately, they remain good friends.
I am a person that is wired for optimism. I am always hopeful and full of belief that someone or somewhere out there, things will look up for us all. I write these things, while existing in some challenging times in my own life–but I still believe in the promises of goodness. I believe them even more today when I see the miracle of compassion that has been transforming on the inside of me.
The first time I got married it was at a bed and breakfast in Baltimore County. It was a small wedding, and the wedding package included a honeymoon suite with a ginormous hot tub. This was a shotgun wedding from the standpoint of me being three months pregnant. But, we knew at the time we wanted to get married. By the time we got to that room after saying “I do” something strange happened. I felt like I was looking at my husband for the first time, and I also felt like I had married someone else’s husband. The latter is a feeling I never was able to shake. Now that I am fully invested in healing work, spiritual education, and the practical and sacred spiritual life of women and families–I understand these thoughts often have legitimacy. Also, for the sake of this conversation, we should understand that some ties are spiritual, not necessarily physical. However, the day after my wedding I was expecting to do something. I felt like I should be doing something, when what I needed to be was still. I never quite shook that feeling either. I believe that comes from lack of understanding of womanhood, and a practical understanding of the spiritual nature of the male and female relationship.
I have often said that, the ministry of mom is very different than the ministry of wife. Unfortunately, they don’t often mesh well at the same time. This is often why relationships end in divorce during those stressful toddler years. A person can’t serve two masters. This is even sometimes why a second marriage may prove more successful than the first, because the stressors may not be there. However, I know that within some communities, there is still lots of work that needs to be done when it comes to positively building relationships not built on dogma or trauma. My love mantra for anyone is, be with whoever is the best fit for you. Whoever gives you the peace you desire, whoever makes you feel seen and accepted, whoever feels like they are for you and not against you–make your allegiance to that person. Cultivate a safe haven of happiness for yourself. Don’t suffer in silence.
In 2019, I actually stopped gossiping and denounced Babylon. For me, that simply meant living by truth, not by a lie. When I stopped gossiping, just about everyone I knew fell off. I never said, “I don’t gossip” I just stopped or changed the subject. Additionally the ringing of my phone also stopped. No one close to me took that proclamation seriously, and that’s okay. It was a hard right turn onto a path that would ultimately pave the way for my life’s purpose. Here I am today, five years later, still on my journey. As a woman who also considers herself to be a divine feminine, not in the sense of popular culture, but as one close to the will of my Creator. For me, divinity works from the inside to the outside. When I am called to shift an environment, or embody the spirit of the Proverbs 31 woman, while still being who I am in the world, that comes from spiritual discipline. Life is going to life, and it has taken a long time to become the steady boat on rocky waters.
The work within me is not over. It will never be over until I take my last breath. I know at any moment, I can be a mess, but I bounce back very quickly. See, I have come a long way from needing validation like I did on day one of my wedding night. I wanted to be a perfect wife out the gate and that desire caused me to often fall short of that goal. We can’t make smart decisions and choices in desperation.
Someone recently said to me, “never let anyone take away your shine.” I pass that on to you. We are designed to be the light of the world and therefore we need to make our main love a vertical love first. When that love is addressed, you will have what you need to face the day. With that understanding, you won’t feel a desire to be anything other than joy, peace, love and sometimes enraged if it comes to that. But, you will sure bounce back as long as you are connected to the Light and maintaining that shine. Looking back on the innocence of my first day of my marriage it makes me smile. It was a moment of firsts that can’t be replicated and I look on it fondly. I was 100% open, innocent, and believing. Through out the tough times, I like to reach back for that hopeful woman and continue to bring the beauty of her heart forward. You should try that too.
If you would like a nice mediation music to bring peace to your day, here is one to help heal those memories and wounds.
What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?
This was my lowkey Italian themed holiday. Believe it or not, everything was not shown in the pictureโand it was under $100. That should make anyone who feels they need to break the bank this holiday season smile deep down on the inside. I created the event in this way to demonstrate that the Thanksgiving holiday is about love and communionโnot long suffering. Iโm thankful that I did it.
I love Thanksgiving and this one was no different. I opted to do something small at home, and it was probably the most laid back dinner with my kiddos, Iโve ever had. I used to have my judgey glasses on when people would opt to spend a holiday apart from their family, but now I get it. Not to cheapen it, but itโs a meal. Albeit a grand and commemorative one, itโs still a meal overall.
I know when you think of Thanksgiving you donโt think of Italy, but how many holidays have you run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make foods that half of the people in attendance wonโt even like?
Exactly.
Thatโs what I think of when I consider all of the turkey eating and wasting. Yet, when I mention that I donโt like turkey, people often want to believe itโs because I need it cooked a different way. Actually itโs simply not my forte.
In fact nearly 35% of Americans dislike turkey. Thatโs a lot. Consider what you are actually doing, youโre partaking in an event where youโre forced to pretend (you donโt like turkey or your Uncle Bob) and then grin and bear it for the sake of family. This is the perpetuation of suffering. I donโt know whatโs worse, little kids having to answer the question of โhowโs school?โ a million times, or eating bad potato salad until I bust.
What I will say about this Thanksgiving is that it may have been lowkey but there were days of leftovers and the kids liked everything on the table. This is a win for mitigating food waste in our household. Studies have shown that approximately 312 million pounds of food will be wasted this holiday. Considering the overall high cost of food and the impact of food waste on the environment, it may be time to reconsider how we celebrate with food this holiday season.
While itโs safe to say that you donโt want too many holidays to pass without seeing your elderly family members and chuckle over some dried out bird and boxed stuffingโitโs equally ok to sit one out from time to time.
The Most Positive Thing Of All
Overall, the most positive thing to come out of this year was me regaining my voice, strength and my light.
Over the years, and for a variety of reasons, Iโve lost a lot of the things that made me sparkle and shine. Anyone can lose them when you fail to be honest about how you feel and take action towards resolving things that no longer serve you. When you donโt you are only left with a mound of complaints, no solutions, and fewer opportunities to get it right.
There are seemingly a great many barriers to happiness. However, putting all things into perspective, puts all things into perspective. It makes you think about what is it you really want. What do you really want to be doing? What really makes me happy or would make me happy right now? A lot of times we give a knee jerk answer instead of putting our thoughts through the fire and monitoring our actions.
Thatโs what I did this year.
I didnโt just say โI want this! I like this! I had to exorcise all the junk and things I did not like from my consciousness over a period of months, unlearn some bad behaviors, and consider my true feelings.
Do you know how you truly feel about things? When it gets quiet, if you have the luxury of stillness, do you remember who you are? I believe we come in this life knowing who we are and then we forget and then it becomes a fight of a lifetime to recall all of the things that made you sparkle.
Todayโs Spiritual Foundation For Leadership
This Thanksgiving I was thankful for finding the love of my lifeโme. Itโs been so long since Iโve met up with myself itโs been like discovering a twin flame connection. This reconnection with my lost and forgotten self has created a peace and wholeness within me. Itโs not only made me question a lot of decisions Iโve made in the past, but has brought about a newfound hope for the future.
No one in life can wave a magic wand and make all of our problems go away over night. But, wouldnโt it be great to know that you could begin to do that for yourself. First, accept your life. Accept where you are. Accept who you are and seek to find comfort with the circumstances of your existence. If you can find gratitude in the small things, you can count on the blessings of good things coming around the corner.
If we are beautifully and wonderfully made, then we are made to be love, give love, receive love, and to reflect it out into the world. You can only do this by telling the truth, accepting the truth, changing it if necessary, and then living it.
I donโt know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. ~ Bill Cosby
The quickest way to your downfall is trying to please others by any means necessary. Donโt despise humble beginnings or humble moments. Those are the moments where we have the ability to rediscover ourselves and design a life of truth and significant meaning.
Growing up I was very impulsive. Like hop in cars and on planes on a whim, and even down to get engaged because: I-felt -like it–impulsive. Looking back, I never really had a bunch of regrets because I was so caught up in the moment. Which can be good. Living in the moment is a constant reminder that today is really the only day that’s promised and so you live it full out. I tend to believe I was always following my heart and passions and that my gut checks were largely right. I have no regrets when I look back on life. It was definitely full force ahead.
Well, I did have my blind spots. The only place I never seem to follow my instincts full out is when it comes to love. You know that reckless abandon that makes you want to run towards someone and never look back? Yeah, that’s always been scary for me. I mean, what if I fall in love myself? Kind of like what ended up happening over and over any way–but that’s another story for another time.
I think the best relationships don’t worry about the fall out, or maybe they do worry about it and don’t care, either way it’s a gamble. You never can tell what’ll happen on the crazy, sexy, outrageous train of love.
There is another side to making strange gut decisions, and that is feeling something and ignoring it. How many times, have you felt like,” this person is sooo perfect. Wait, no they’re too perfect…let me check out someone a bit more flawed or familiar?” That’s actually trauma. That’s an unhealed area of life and maybe even a revelation on allowing television and social media to shape your relationships.
The correct choice was probably the person that you may have had to take a leap of faith with. Maybe they weren’t that exciting but they made you laugh or they studied you intently when you spoke. Maybe they were the person that made you lose track of time, or you feel safe, when you’re used to feeling reckless.
Or when it comes to love and relationships you can be so detached from your sacral and root chakras, and detached from the truth of who you are, and what you want, that you decide to just date someone’s resume. That way, you know you won’t make a mistake. It’s a quiet kept secret but men do this too. They often go towards someone’s resume and what their parents want and fully ignore what makes they happy. Later on down the line they find themselves suffering in silence over the one that got away.
“Reflections of You” (2021) Korean Drama
That kind of love that has your stomach twisted in knots, but is forbidden on so many levels, is depicted so well in the Korean drama “Reflections of You”. I have never seen two people look so miserable apart, and while one stays attached to the one he was loyal to from the beginning and the other lives her best painter life but has an empty marriage, it is an ongoing cat-and-mouse chase of self-denial and unnecessary hell. They both could have kept their smiles and become the artists they were born to be had they simply stayed together. But loyalty called them both, and they paid for it royally. Don’t get me wrong I would done the same thing and have done the same thing, but we are looking at the road less travelled during the road to reconstructing the self.
It’s a position where you have to ask yourself what is more important: instinct or loyalty? It’s a difference between the devil you know and the devil you don’t know.
Needless to say, if this was a easy cut and dry topic, there wouldn’t be so many relationship podcasts out there pondering the subject. Following your instincts are for those who are willing to take big risks for a big reward. Oftentimes, it calls for going against tradition and even coming up against naysayers. What would you do? Do you often follow your instincts? Or do you follow them in some instances and not in others?
My goal for life going forward is to take on the courage of my spiritual guides and advisors. I plan to go big or go home. I may seem to be taking baby steps, but in my mind I am leaping forward. How about you?
Over the past two years I’ve started a feather collection. It’s not huge but it does have some pretty nice and unique feathers in it. I love collecting feathers of different varieties. For me, they represent angelic communication, good omens, and kisses from God. I can remember where I found most of my feathers, and the stories behind them. A lot of my feathers I discovered while walking around with my daughter in parks and on beaches. Others seemed to serendipitously land at our feet while talking. We love finding feathers together, it’s a special mother-daughter hobby we share.
Over the years, I’ve received large feathers at retreats and in yoga circles as parting gifts. However, my favorite feathers are the ones that seem to find me. Especially small white ones. Small white flowers always seem to float towards me when I need to remember to smile. Any connection to animals, nature and especially the ocean I tried to capture like lightning in a bottle. Considering the profound connection between humans and animals, you may want to keep fossils and feathers in your home to start an ongoing spiritual discourse with our lived environment. It makes a difference when you are becoming intentional about preserving and caring for the world around you. Sometimes it begins with something as small as a feather.
At the moment I keep them in a small mason jar on my praying space and imagine them bringing in a calming energy and connecting me to nature. In Native American culture, feathers represent the spiritual and ancestral connection. I love that connection because I believe all objects, even the ones that are considered to be inanimate, carry life force energy within them.
So the next time you’re outside and you find a feather, consider setting an intention with it. Or even better, repurpose it by getting some ink and using it to write with. I’ve done it, and it writes beautifully. You can collect several feathers and make your own dream catcher. Or just place them in a jar. Another option is leaving them on the ground to remain one with the Earth.
There’s nowhere to take them because essentially they’re already home.
Over the past two years I’ve started a feather collection. It’s not huge but it does have some pretty nice and unique feathers in it. I love collecting feathers of different varieties. For me, they represent angelic communication, good omens, and kisses from God. I can remember where I found most of my feathers, and the stories behind them. A lot of my feathers I discovered while walking around with my daughter in parks and on beaches. Others seemed to serendipitously land at our feet while talking. We love finding feathers together, it’s a special mother-daughter hobby we share.
Over the years, I’ve received large feathers at retreats and in yoga circles as parting gifts. However, my favorite feathers are the ones that seem to find me. Especially small white ones. Small white flowers always seem to float towards me when I need to remember to smile. Any connection to animals, nature and especially the ocean I tried to capture like lightning in a bottle. Considering the profound connection between humans and animals, you may want to keep fossils and feathers in your home to start an ongoing spiritual discourse with our lived environment. It makes a difference when you are becoming intentional about preserving and caring for the world around you. Sometimes it begins with something as small as a feather.
At the moment I keep them in a small mason jar on my praying space and imagine them bringing in a calming energy and connecting me to nature. In Native American culture, feathers represent the spiritual and ancestral connection. I love that connection because I believe all objects, even the ones that are considered to be inanimate, carry life force energy within them.
So the next time you’re outside and you find a feather, consider setting an intention with it. Or even better, repurpose it by getting some ink and using it to write with. I’ve done it, and it writes beautifully. You can collect several feathers and make your own dream catcher. Or just place them in a jar. Another option is leaving them on the ground to remain one with the Earth.
There’s nowhere to take them because essentially they’re already home.
A lot of people are up in arms about the Washington Post’s recent decision to not endorse a political candidate. However, I have to admit, I never liked the idea of mainstream media endorsing candidates, due to its sway over the masses. Malcolm X spoke about this power of the media to make the “innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent.”
Now, in fairness, we depend on the news media to hold themselves to a high standard of journalistic integrity. But, with money as a strong influence behind the scenes, many wonder if that’s possible. Especially when there are bills to be paid and doors that need to be kept open for employees. But we are not ignorant of the power of media in all its forms. I am very familiar with the power of influence and the effect it can have on one’s life. I watched one influencer for ten years straight. She was mom and she had several failed relationships and she was always chasing a dream and a dollar. She was very beautiful, very vulnerable, and a stay at home mom like me at the time. I resonated with each crying spell and homemade fried chicken enchilada. But, the more I watched her, the more my life mirrored hers. I was slowly becoming a volatile red-lipped mess yelling at my kids to clean, and dreaming of dreams that I wasn’t working towards.
That is the power of influence and the reason I pay more attention to what I consume. You should too. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Remember, not only are we who they say we are, but we become what we focus on. It’s the reason I thought long and hard about the importance of sharing the problems, but highlighting the solutions of our world.
Plato once said that, “those that are able to see beyond the shadows and the lies of their culture, will never be understood, let alone believed by the masses.”
I have personal experience with being ahead of my time. It kind of forces you into a corner or the outskirts of your social circle. No one has the time or the capacity to think too deeply, too long, or too hard–and it’s an exhausting endeavor to be believed. But, I feel that change is coming. Who other than the news media, the most powerful entity in the world, should bare the responsibility of being factual and neutral? We are reliant on those overseeing our information to be fair, just, non-biased and balanced. Now, the people who work at institutions have opinions and they should, but they shouldn’t make it to the media.
“One of the reasons that we are in a free speech battle and many other societal battles at this time is because we have given freedom to the masses without parameters and ethics”–Luz
Yet when you think about the press and why people start them up, (myself included) it happens because you feel either misrepresented or overlooked. We do this because of those words imparted by Plato and Malcolm X–we need control and representation! You may feel that major outlets aren’t covering your issues. That’s a fair assessment as well. But, one of the reasons that we are in a free speech battle and many other societal battles at this time is because we have given freedom to the masses without parameters and ethics. I am largely speaking in the realm of journalism but you get my point.
Therefore in my opinion, major news outlets should not endorse candidates. They should remain objective and allow the people to make their decisions. Now, concerning the onslaught of misinformation administered by citizen journalists, and bloggers focused on entertainment operating with or without ethics, only reinforces the necessity of major news outlets being the standard-bearers of neutrality. In doing so, it serves as a form of checks and balances in the realm of reporting and influence. In my opinion, it was the right thing to do, and strong move for helping skeptical readers regain trust in their information sources.
What do you think? Should mainstream newspapers endorse candidates or lean heavily into religion?
“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything” Hebrews 3:4
Growing up, I moved around a lot, and I always dreaded the question “Where are you from?” I never stayed in one place too long while growing up, so the question often threw me off. Many people identify home with a person or believe home is where they were born, but for me, home is wherever I am.
In our world, we get so caught up with “repping” things, and in many ways, these conventions are things that can weigh us down and keep us from taking flight in life and enjoying what the world has to offer. For me, life is about taking in as many experiences as possible and making memories, and for a while, I have enjoyed making those memories from home.
When my personal space is tranquil and filled with delicious seasonal smells and laughter from loved ones, I feel like the wealthiest person in the world. If you follow me on social media, every now and then I will mention my love for snacks. In my household, snacks are a big part of making any home feel comfortable, and I go on a snack run daily.
“Then Jesus declared, โI am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” John :35
In my past, I was known for going out regularly and I enjoyed every minute of it. However, once I settled in and became a mom, I started to relish my home life. Home is the one place that I consider to be a buffer to the outside world. Throughout my life, I looked for comfort outside, but that was because my living spaces were not comfortable enough. I didn’t invest enough in my living spaces because I always had my eyes on my future home. I was more focused on my future living spaces instead of tending to the present living space that I was so fortunate to have. However, once I made the small shift in my mentality to focus on what I had been given stewardship over, my living space began to transform. I began to think less about getting my artwork into a gallery or a show, and more about showcasing my work in my home. I thought less about going to the latest restaurants and tried my hand at recreating some of my favorite takeout meals and got quite good at it.
Now, it seems like my homecooked food is the better option because of the freshness and love I put into it. When I transformed my mentality, not only did my home transform, but the things I wanted to manifest outside of it were coming into fruition. This is called being a good steward of what we are blessed to have, and the reward is abundance. In many ways, our homes are a reflection of who we are spiritually and how we view the world. While I am imperfect and fall short of my goals sometimes in my inner and outer sanctums, I strive to build my foundation on solid ground. In doing so, home is wherever I am. If it is not in the condition I desire, then I know it is within me to make it what I desire.
The spirit of the Divine resides in my heart, and I know that I am empowered to create beauty all around me, no matter what the circumstance. Wherever the Lord is, my home is, and I know it is well. So if you get around me and feel comfortableโthat is what you are feeling. You are feeling the love and peace of home, and that makes me happy.
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When it comes to African Americans taking control of their lives in any way that appears to reflect autonomy it becomes threatening. People coloring outside of the lines, going off of the beaten path, attempting to live outside of “groupthink” can appear suspect. However, a visionary’s job is to see what is coming and therefore it takes a few discerning individuals to be able to follow the signs of them that believe.
I have been on my spiritual path since the age of twelve. It began to shift into high gear at 13 and every five years thereafter. This last five years has been quite mind blowing in terms of intel and has caused me to finally answer the call by incorporating the wisdom of various interreligious elders with similar experiences as mine.
Pictured above is Aunt Caroline Dye. She was a 19th century healer, hoodoo woman, rental property investor,ย soothsayer,ย rootworkerย and conjuror from Arkansas. She was more like a prophet than a fortune teller and she used playing cards to keep her concentration straight. I have mentioned before in my writings, that it was a woman like this, and La Madama, that appeared in my home with a cleaning item ( a broom) pointing to cards on a shelf for me. At the time, I denied them. I was scared. Also, I felt it went against my beliefs. But as I studied the narratives of enslaved people in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Sea Islands of America, Virginia, and the Carolinas–my people–we were the medicine women. We were the people with the answers. The people you don’t touch, even to this day. The day I touched my playing cards for myself, the sky looked brighter.
Since then, I have come into a oneness of self. I didn’t need to be “taught,” everything simply came to me. That’s the spirit of my heritage I am most proud of and a large part of what continues to change my countenance. I also believe that we need to be open spiritually and grounded in morality in order to discern and perceive resources and opportunities correctly. If not, we will continue to spin the wheel as we have always done. The salt of the Earth has produced many fruits but has eaten none and it’s time that has changed.
I love to travel and live in other countries. But there is no place like home. There is no place like America. As Americans, we are in the best place for opportunity. We are in the ripest season to rewrite and reshare all of the international dishes and cuisines at the table of opportunity and narrative history. The opportunity is here and the harvest is here. But, many of us are looking at the food and we can’t eat it. We can’t pick it up. We need to be reeducated and things need to be paced out. But first we have to clear our blocks and break our binds–daily. Every single day. That is why forgiveness is instant but healing takes time.
Although this work is not easy it is not necessarily arduous and you can have a good time doing it with family, culture and traditions. Remember these quotes by Mary Church Terrell and John F. Kennedy Jr.: “Lifting As We Climb” and “One person can make a difference, everyone should try.” Yes, that’s how I see it sometimes.
The Conjure Woman, by Charles W. Chestnutt is an interesting read. One that could almost echo todays societal voices.
The ancestors don’t desire for me to be as earthy as they were, but they do want me to help people as they did. Aunt Caroline drew people from all races to her seeking her wisdom and council. Many from over 400 miles away. I already get requests. Many more formal than I did in the past, and I like to imagine Aunt Caroline and many others watching over me.
Daily writing prompt
What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?
