A cuddle, devotion and a glass ceiling that sometimes still feels pretty high

What am I doing to advance the dream?  Am I continuing the legacy started decades ago by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and instilled in me by my parents, pastor, siblings, mentors....and so many others who wanted better....better jobs, better civil rights, a better life....for them and others?  I cuddle with Grace and I tell her how beautiful, smart, special and amazing she is.  Surely, that's a part of advancing the dream, right?  Allowing my daughter to grow up knowing she's great and destined for even greater because of who she is and WHOSE she is, has to count.  I devote my life and time to furthering God's kingdom, living a life that speaks volumes about my integrity, sense of purpose and self...and feeling dauntingly inadequate when I fall short.  And I work for and talk for and fight for a world where moms and CEO'S and minorities and the sexually ambiguous are cared for and treated fairly.  PERIOD.  I'm not the most outspoken and certainly there are bigger advocates for justice than I.  But, I do what I can in my little corner of the world and hope that the lives I touch and the impact I may have spreads far and wide enough to go that much farther... and make that much more of a difference. 

Lord, let there be peace (justice, healing, love) on earth
AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME



Expecting more than I could ever think or imagine!

Lima Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Turkey Legs....

One of my favorite meals is lima beans, sweet potatoes and turkey wings or legs.  I grew up on it and to this day, feel comforted by it.  Today my momma, who cooked me that meal more times than I can count, would have been 78 years old.  I remember her with joy in my heart because of the things she taught me (how to be a girl, a woman, a lady, a wife, a mom).  I know the seriousness of clinical depression because of her; a woman with devout faith, but real issues with chemical imbalances that would cause a need for medication to simply want to get up in the mornings.  I smile at some (many) of the things I say and do as she did because I now believe them to be true, though back then, I was doubtful.  I am a practical diva with only semi bourgeois taste that include designer handbags and shoes because ....I was raised that way :o)  (that's my answer and I'm sticking to it!)  I know that it's best to just...be quiet sometimes and let a husband (a man) reign supreme.  Okay, well....I'm working on it as an actual practice.  I am that I am in great part because of momma!  Continue to rest in peace...Marsell Bullock Williams.  You are gone but never forgotten.
Here's to her favorite poem and inspiration! 

Don't Quit

by Anonymous

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit Rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and its turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about When they might have won, had they stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace seems slow, You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up When he might have captured the victor's cup; And he learned too late when the night came down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

Ask and you shall receive.....

I decide this morning that I didn't want to squander my afternoon away watching tv (except for Super Soul Sunday with India.Aria on OWN and I missed it again).  Anyhoo,
I got a Facebook message from an old college classmate to call her because I'd been on her mind  (and in her spirit and God told her to reach out to me is the translation), and so I did.  When I say it was everything I'd already asked God for in my prayer time; I mean it was. I wanted to spend a portion of the day reflecting and then retreating so I could emerge with the things of this season for me.  I said in my last post that I know there is more work to do.  Well, God sent that in the least of expected forms, and when I tell you that she blessed my soul with what God has for her and what she's been through and the good place that she''s in right now...WON'T HE DO IT!  
I'm grateful for the revelations as I sit in what I'm calling my "grow room".  It's a loft area at the top of the stairs and it has some chairs and a chess board and other games and photo albums to see "from whence you've come. "  It's a small space with big potential and today I was able to maximize in it.  When I say God knows what you need when you need it.....TRUST AND BELIEVE! Want a husband ...God's got it...want babies....God's got it....want a better job...God's got it....want closure on a deteriorating relationship....God's got it...want to know what's next....GOD'S.GOT.IT!
Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.

EXPECTING MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER THINK OR IMAGINE!