LindarInsights: November 2015

Thanksgiving With Black Families ~ Curtis Mann

Things to remember for a mistake free Thanksgiving 2015:

• Kraft cheese and macaroni is NOT macaroni and cheese. [I will punch you in your face and set your kitchen on fire if you invite me over with this sitting on your table]

• Stove Top Stuffing is NOT dressing. [I will karate chop your throat and set your kitchen on fire again if you take this out the oven]

• Regardless of how you feel, cranberry sauce (without the cranberries) is essential to any Thanksgiving menu. #period

• Keep your generic watered down hot sauce in the cabinets, on Thanksgiving Franks Red Hot is the only hot sauce that should be on any table.

• If the best dessert you have to offer are 2 over hyped Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pies, please take me off the invite list...on Thanksgiving the only people who should be eating #Pattipies are the Labelles... #letusnotbeLAZY

• If nothing on the table looks or smells right, you're probably at the wrong house...[The eyes and nose don't lie]

• Don't sit until someone directs you where to sit: many-a-guest get cussed out for almost sitting in "Granddaddy's Chair"

• Always, always, always have a reason to leave on standby...no one ever questions, "I gotta get up and go to work in the morning" [even if you're out if town] #thankmelater

• If you can't cook, now is NOT the time to learn. #youWILLgetyourfeelingshurt

• Even if you CAN cook, now is not the time to experiment with new recipes. #itneverturnsoutright

• If it's your first time cooking for a group this large, don't get offended when people ask who made what? #itsjustwhatwedo

• DO get offended if after everyone has eaten there was only a scoop out of the corner of your dish...it means someone (normally the best cook in the family) sampled it and gave it 2 thumbs down. #wordtravelsfast

• Stay in your lane, dont get cute and stick to what you know. [What do I mean? Glad you asked...If you are the greens person stick to greens, if you are the sweet potato person stick to sweet potatoes, if you are the dressing person, say it with me...STICK TO DRESSING]

• Don't be that person who starts eating before the matriarch or patriarch OFFICIALLY blesses the food [everyone will begin to question your hometraining]...not sure what a #matriarch or #patriarch is? I suggest you #Google it before Thursday.

• Just because all the family is together doesn't mean it's time for show and tell...[all announcements aren't good announcements] #ijs

• When people begin to argue [and yes they will argue] if it isn't your momma or something being said about your momma, mind your business and continue eating your Macaroni and Cheese...

• Please don't stop talking abruptly, making things more awkward/uncomfortable when your uncle walks in the door with his new girlfriend while his ex-wife of 2 weeks and kids are sitting on the couch talking to granny - just mind your business and continue eating your Macaroni and Cheese...

• Don't tell people to be at your house at 3pm and start cooking at 2:30. [This is not the time to be fashionably late or on CP time]

• If your skills in Spades or Taboo are subpar trying to play on Thanksgiving day is a NO-NO. Just do everyone a favor and join the kids in the den playing chutes and ladders...

• Know who to let bless the food. You'll mess around look up and your cousins are preparing to take offering... #JesusweptAmen

• Bringing over your own to go plate supplies is smart yet tacky and frowned upon in many establishments. [So be smart and discreet about yours].

I can't express the importance of this next one, it could potentially save jail time, lawsuits and friendships:

• Don't leave your friends alone with your drunk uncle. [This scenario could end in so many ways - none of which are good]

• Looks can be deceiving, please understand EVERYONE has a drunk uncle no matter what they say...

• If it's not your house DON'T change the channel - even if you're the only person in the room. #trustme

• NEVER accept an invite to Thanksgiving dinner from someone you aren't serious about...no matter how hungry you are [trust me it never ends well].

• Make sure you don't stuff yourself so you can be at my bday bash [The 9th Annual Sagittarius Birthday Bash] on the 28th @ Taste!!! Doors open at 10:30pm and we rocking late...

• [lastly] Enjoy your time with your family and friends and be THANKFUL for the things you do have...

Cheers to a mistake free Thanksgiving 😉

This post was gently lifted from Curtis Mann's Facebook Page. I had to share it. 😊

https://www.facebook.com/curtmann.1906/posts/10101553358060186

How Did You Get Here?

I spend a great deal of time working on me and attempting to be at my best self. I was on this journey and I was doing well.. Until.

Until I had to make some really hard decisions. Until I had to decide if I wanted temporary pleasure at the cost of my integrity, my character. Until I had to decide if I wanted a few occupied evenings by someone who was not completely available to me, not completely honest with me.

I had to look at my brand and although it hasn't gone mainstream yet, LindarInsights is based on my belief in God and that He'll work things out for my good, that He'll perfect those things that concern me. I write about those things and post online. So how did I get here? With him? And he's not a bad person, just at this point in our lives he's not the one for me.

And so he comes back into my life after a couple of years to "see". See if we can try again. To work out the wrongs of years ago. He extends his hand for me to walk through this open door but as I begin to walk through this door I see the same stuff that was there years ago. The same people, the same actions and I know immediately that I deserve so much more.

Yeah, maybe I deserve someone to love me and to spend time with me but not at the expense of me losing me. So I express this to him and eventually he cuts me out of his life. If it can't be his way then it's no way. So now I have to choose. Do I hang in there or bust a move? I made the choice and it's been so hard to not speak to him or be around him but like my pastor said on last Sunday. I had to do something. I had to make a move. That move was to simply respect his boundaries of cutting me out of his life and deal with it.

The past 2 months have been so difficult but I don't want to stay here, in this place of sadness, hurt and rejection. Just like before I have to move from it and not be hard on myself or bitter with him. I don't know why we met up but then again his "no's" make me run straight to my Daddy who will forever perfect those things that concern me.

I wrote this 3 years ago and it really seems like only minutes ago.

MeKayla Smith invokes the presence of God at MECCA Conference!

Ryan S. Ragland, J.D. ~ What Excellence Looks Like

First let me say I've been waiting for years to be able to post these pictures of when Ryan was a little girl. Her mom and I would sit in my parents living room, probably watching BET and eating trail mix while Ryan got her hair combed. My father, who didn't miss too many moments, captured Ryan in a not so happy state.

On tomorrow family and friends will travel to Columbus, Ohio to witness this amazing young lady being sworn in at the State House as an attorney. Wow!!! It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were trying to figure out the word lists at Marva Collins, watching her excel with honors at Walnut Hills or moving her into her UC apartment when Ike decided to hit our city.

Ryan has always been an achiever, sometimes it's hard to believe that she worries about anything because she works so hard at "doing well". I thought this blog would be hard to write because I've seen her go through high school and college. I've listened to her in good times and adverse times. The road has been hers to travel and Ms. Ryan, you've done it in complete excellence. You are what excellence looks like. You've keep your eyes on your goals and one by one you've achieved them all. The village celebrates you and all of your accomplishments.

We all love you so much and we are looking forward to the amazing journey that awaits you.