One Night with the King (Juanita Bynum)

Just wanted to share. I have such a love and appreciation for music. I saw this video on the Word Network last year and it has stayed with me.

One night with the King truly changes everything.

Lindar

Forgiveness

In the 1990's I had a wonderful manager at the phone company. She was very centered in astrology and being holistic. She was also a dynamic cook. For the 4th of July one summer she invited the entire staff over to her home. There are two things that I remembered, one she kept the ice tea coming. While we were drinking ice tea she was boiling more in a pot. I thought how cool is that. Never thought it was that simply until I saw the process.

As I walked about her home I noticed a bag of stones and a book. I asked her about them and she told me they were ancient runes. She suggested I think of something that was going on in my life and pull a stone from the bag. I pulled the stone of Serenity. The book provided information about serenity and that was my first encounter with the serenity prayer.

For Christmas that year Bonnie gave me the exact same book and bag of runes, that I still use to this day. The past few weeks, actually the past year has been a test for me. So I decided to pull a rune to speak to those situations. I pulled the rune of Forgiveness tonight.

The passage in the book told me that I have to forgive myself as I heal and then I have to forgive others. You know you can be in a situation and place blame on others and not see what part you played in that situation. Tonight as I begin to heal from the failed marriage and the broken friendships I have to remember to be forgiving of myself for harm or pain I may have caused to others. Maybe when the marriage ended I didn't take that time to take care of me and so the wounds were still open causing more hurt to me and to others.

Remember to take out the time to see yourself in your situations. It isn't always the other person's fault entirely, you always have to look at the part you played also.

Be forgiving of yourself.

Lindar

CDF Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Initiative Slideshow

About four years ago I taught at a mental health facility. As part of my orientation into the program I was shown this video. It immediately brought me to tears.

Sometimes as parents, educators, and community members we have to ask ourselves critical questions about our youth today. To say they are in a crisis is an understatement.

I ask that you view this video and really listen to the words of this song by Yolanda Adams. We need to pray for our youth and for the parents who are raising them.

In His Will
Lindar

Snow Day

Our city has been hit very hard this week between several inches of snow and an ice storm. Our school district has been out of school for two days and tomorrow will make three. What has been the best part of these snow days is the quality time I have spent with my sons.

We have cooked together, camped out in the living room and played indoor basketball. Now that Ty is learning new words, we have to shoot hoops with the songs on loud. That translates into turn up the radio mommy. Oh! We have watched more than our share of Noggin.

If I can say one important thing about my life, I can say that I love being a mother. I could not imagine not making sure they went to bed at night or waking them up in the morning.

So many parents disregard their children, abuse their children, or place them in foster care for selfish reasons. Children aid our growth as people. I remember when my oldest was born I had no clue what it meant to be a mother and I was and am very fortunate to have strong women in my family as role models. My mother was definitely the model but she made sure I carried out my responsiblities.

Our lives are so busy with school, work and sports. Seldom do we have time just to be, the three of us, uninterrupted. These snow days are more than us not having to leave the house to go to school and work it truly has been our time to reconnect and revisit our fun and love for each other.

Happy Snow Day

Lindar

Keep Your Head Up

I have to be honest and say that I hear this song at very interesting parts of my life. It just came on the radio and I had to add it to my blog.

This song represents so much to me, means so much to me. It would be so easy for me to give up persuing my dreams and raising my superstars but I know that God has a plan for me and for them. So I know I have to continue to press my way through.

Not everybody understands, not everybody gets it, but deep in my heart I know that everything that I have been through and am going through if for a greater good.

So when life deals me lemons I have to make the best lemonade I know how. And when people directly and indirectly try to bring me down. I have to remember to keep my head up.

Be Blessed
Lindar

Never Let A Man Call You A B....

In the movie Notorious there is a scene when B.I.G. is sitting with his daughter and he receives a phone call. In that call he makes some negative comments to one of his love interests. He then looks at his daughter and realizes that he has to tell her something important. Some information that will help her in dealing with men.

He puts his daughter on his lap and tells her to never let a man call her a b.... Wow! That was one of those moments when I began to reflect on my relationships with men. I don't know if I have one of those memories where I was told, by my father, that being called a b.... was not a good thing to do. I am not saying that he didn't. I am saying that I do not remember.

Over the years I have been involved in relationships where I was not valued. If I did not do something the other person wanted I was either a b.... or I was acting like one. That scene from the movie has stayed with me all tonight, and into the early morning, as I really think about particular situations I have been in. By being called a b.... have I allowed men to come into my life and chip away at my self-worth, my self-confidence to the point that I am numb to being called such names.

I share my blog with others, friends and family alike, and in doing so I become transparent and brutally honest about my experiences. I don't know how that will sit. But on my road to recovery from dealing with men who come into my life and crushed my heart and my soul I have to get it, the pain, the hurt and the frustration, out. I remember sitting down with my aunt one evening. She told me that my experiences, with men, were not for me but for someone else. I am now ready to go and speak about my life. I know that I was put here for a reason, my purpose has been established.

I am not a bitch. I am not dumb and stupid. I am not fake nor phony. I am my parents' daughter. I am my sons' mother. I am attractive, smart, beautiful, and intelligent. I am a writer, a thinker, and a very creative soul. No longer will I settle for any man who will refer to me as anything but wonderful.

Be Blessed

Lindar

Biggie Smalls - Juicy [Music Video]

Biggie Smalls

Yesterday I went to the movies to see Notorious. I must say that I really enjoyed the movie and I felt that the movie was not simply about B.I.G. It also dealt with his relationships with his mother, his love interests and his daughter.

I have tremendous respect for his mother. By the end of the movie I was in tears and so was my friend. If I told you at what point that the tears came it may ruin the movie for you. I will say that in the end I believe Ms. Wallace realized that although her son had not finished school, like she may have wanted him to, he had touched many people with his stories. She was also able to stay strong for her son and his children through her own personal struggles and accomplishments.

My teenage son also went to the movie with us. I think it was important for him to see the movie with me. This music set the foundation for his introduction to hip hop. For years he would hear his father and me go crazy when "Juicy" came on. He definitely has a better understanding of why hip hop is important to society and his parents. It was so cool to sit with him and be able to discuss different points of the movie for clarity. I knew that when the movie came out he would be with me to view it.

I will see this movie again. It was truly an incredible movie. I knew a great deal about Mr. Wallace's life via magazines and interviews but seeing the movie put it all together in away that showed he wasn't just handed his title of one of the greatest rappers ever. He truly earned it and he truly deserves it. I think I will be 50 years old and still enjoy listening to his music. I will always love Big Poppa.

Lindar

Urban Poetry4

Something About His Swagger
Lindar

So many men and boys alike want that look
That image they perceive to be “in”
When they walk by they think people should stop and stare
And say “Who Is He?”
Well, my man does that effortlessly

I can be watching t.v. , reading or sitting
Waiting for him to emerge
I can only imagine other people thinking
“Is he yours?”

It’s just something about him that
Makes you stop and look back
There are days I stop and stare
Get completely off focus and lose my train of thought
To be honest a few times I was caught
In my amazement of who he is.

His walk makes you want to talk.
His eyes make you want to shine.
And please don’t let him trim up and put on an outfit.
You might not be ready for that moment.

All eyes are on him, from women and men.
He so him, he don’t even see it coming.
His presence can pierce your heart with a dagger.
Believe me when I say
It’s just something about his swagger.


©Lindar Publishing

UrbanPoetry3

My Black Butterfly
bruceWayne

“Yo! Do you see that?”

“It’s a rare lovely colored butterfly!”

“Please stop that red hearted true to love, Please!”

This a revolutionary warmth and kindness, according to belief of course!

So, I leap into the unknown, something seized my mind

A rare, lovely colored butterfly

My mind had a special plea

But the butterflies only gave gifts of music, love, poetry, science, nature, hugs, and goodness!

“Fine by me, why?” I was touched by a butterfly.

Stole a dance from my heart without asking.

Focus mind and body, to leap the universe to embark on a quest for a social conversation to cast a breeze, did not stop or preserve.

Express myself, all dangers are real, so my heart spoke out saying

“Oh butterfly, butterfly?”

She spoke replying, “What an awesome thing it is feelin’ oneself.”

On the verge of the possibility of really knowin’ another person.

I feel alone on a mountain, on the edge of a new world.

It could be dangerous probably just as like light she came and in a mist she was gone.

Fine by me. “Why?” “Because, I was touched by a butterfly.”

So bye-bye lady butterfly, I wish you peace, free mind and body, grace and goodness!

Live and let live. Lady butterfly.