Depraved Indifference Toward Flint ~ New York Times

“At every juncture when state officials could have avoided or reduced the harm in Flint, they ignored public pleas and made every effort to dismiss the truth.” 

Is what became known as the “Flint water crisis” an indication of a much more serious crisis in the state of Michigan? #MustRead and share a powerful The New York Times Opinion Section article addressing “cynical and callous indifference to the plight of the mostly black, poverty-stricken residents.” http://ow.ly/XprbN

Cincinnati Is Collecting Water For Flint, MI #FlintWaterCrisis

#CincyLovesFlint 

#StandUpCincinnati as volunteers will be at the #HartwellKrogers filling up a truck with cases of water to travel to #Flint in response to the #FlintWaterCrisis

For more information visit the event page on Facebook

North Coast Blue Chips @ Gym Rat MLK Tournament

        On January 15, 2016 North Coast Blue Chips traveled to Fort Wayne, IN for the MLK Tournament at Spiece Fieldhouse Gym Rats. The 5th Grade team placed 2nd & the 3rd Grade team placed 1st. Not bad for North Coast's first tournament. #NCBC We are all excited about what this organization will accomplish this year. North Coast!!!!! 

       

I'm Yours

Last Thursday I am enroute to work. As I am driving up Paddock Road I hear this song. Fortunately I get caught at a red light because I hear this song on the Yolanda Adams Morning Show that has my attention. I tell Tyler to ask Siri who this artist is. Siri responds, "This sounds like 'I'm Yours' by Casey J. Oh, I have to buy this song.

The next day I listen to the CD on iTunes and I decide that I love every song, but there is something about "I'm Yours' that puts me in tears. Not because I'm sad but because I realize how much God loves me, protects me and keeps me. He does all of this even when Arlinda doesn't want to be obedient to God's will for her life. There is nothing like completely surrendering to the One who creates all, knows all and loves all.

You can have all of me
Have all of me
Have all of me
I'm Yours

I give You all of me
Give You all of me
Give You all of me
I'm Yours

Tyler McKinley and Jaiden Arnold Class of 2024 Putting On A Show

Learn To Have Fun In Your Mirror

On December 4th my friend came over and gave me a new look. It's always a fun time getting through the process. Sending me to the hair store is so funny and I think Enjoli now knows to send me with a list or just come with me. There are somethings I get, going to the hair store renders me clueless. What I know for sure is that I love the hair color 1B/30. Love it!!! After a sew in it's always cool to play in my mirror. To capture my new look and to say to myself.. Oh, she cute!! 

Growing up I loved flipping through magazines and looking at my favorite fashion models, Beverly Johnson, Iman, and Wanakee to name a few. I loved and still do love shopping for make up. I love the MAC counter but staying on a budget I stay in Milani Makeup. In this pic I have Milani eyes and Jordana lips. The funny thing about the lip liner is that it's eyeliner but I love the color and I rock it daily. (Easyliner for eyes in Coffee Bean and Lip Out Loud Gloss in TTYL)

I love this picture of me. It really captures the essence of how I see myself most days. If I dwelled on other people's perceptions of me I would be a mess. I have to stay focused on how I see myself and if I don't like what I see I need to determine how to get to my best self. You have to deal with what you see in your mirror. The one you look in daily and not worry about other's thoughts of you. Do you have fun in your mirror? Are you happy with you? If you are not, no one else will be either. Yes, I love hair and makeup but I love Arlinda way more. God has been doing a work on me. I'm hard on myself, sometimes my confidence slips. Sometimes God has to place me in front of a mirror to remind me of the me created by Him. 

Learn not only to have fun in your mirror but to appreciate who you are in your mirror. What you see is looking back at you and it's so very beautiful. 

The Most Natural Thing

Over the past couple of weeks a friend and I had discussed going out to reconnect. To be honest we had not seen each other in a while and we had some catching up to do. Plus he's been wanting to publish a book, so yes, we had to sit and talk. We had discussed getting together but I thought he had things going on and he could get to me later. I didn't perceive him seeing me as a priority. I was really thinking after Christmas but it was clear that it was going to be sooner. After going through my calendar I decided on Friday. Like yesterday Friday. Then I had to decide where to go... Ugh!!! Decisions. Decisions. Taste of Belgium? I really wanted a lavender crepe. I didn't even get it. #sadface 

Y'all I was so mad on Friday morning. I couldn't figure out what to wear and it was the last day of school for Winter Break and the previous night Tyler hits me with, "Can you bring cupcakes to my school?" I just didn't have this type of time. Lol. In my mind I'm like you're going to see this day through. It's all going to work out. It always does. School goes well. Tyler gets his cupcakes. I think I look o.k. I didn't feel cute in my mirror. I looked tired but I wasn't. Then it got mad cold and the wind was blowing and the restaurant had too bright of lighting. Another Ugh!!! He's running late. Hell, I just want to run. I should find another restaurant, I should cancel. I know my girlfriends are reading this and either laughing or laughing really hard. When the going gets tough, Arlinda simply gets gone. Ain't nobody got time for this. Lol

Then he calls and tells me he's parking his car and I check my makeup using my phone's screen. I don't feel cute at all. Though I'm glad I put the effort to appear together. But who cares? Why am I stressing over this? It's just my friend. My friend who I have never went out to eat with. My friend who I have not seen in a long time. My friend who is coming into the restaurant right now. My friend who comes to me and hugs me, while planting a kiss on my cheek, and sits in front of me with this absolutely beautiful brown skin and warm smile. And he's well groomed, well dressed, smells like a cologne sample and I think that somewhere between the time he entered the seating area and sat in front of me I have lost my train of thought. I had to sip my tea. Where's Kermit when you need him?

We talk for well over an hour while eating chicken and waffles and hamburger with goat cheese. The more we talk I notice something. He's sees this as a natural conversation while I all of a sudden need to find the server. "Ice water please! With extra ice." "I can get you extra ice, you want lemon too?" "I don't want extra ice but water please." By now my nose is sweating and I'm blushing constantly. He asked me if I was warm, I told him no, my nose was just sweating. He asks why. No...... Wasn't going to answer that question. Not right then. I'll share now that I'm in more control of my setting. I've learned over the years that my nose sweats when I'm attracted to someone. My nose doesn't sweat often and it hasn't in a very long time so... Yeah. As much as I try to be in control of situations my nose tells on me. Lol. 

As we leave the restaurant he makes it known that he's a gentleman and we continue this conversation as we walk to my car. A couple of hours later we have another conversation and we laughed and laughed. I'm like am I 46 or 16?  I've become a little more comfortable since my nose is trying to clue me in. As we end the conversation he makes it a point to bring up my shyness and the conversation ends on a really good note. As we say our goodbyes he says to me, "That felt natural didn't it?" After I calmed down and understood that he's a part of my journey it actually felt like everything was supposed to happen in the exact manner that it did.

I know I'll see him soon. Instead of trying to force controlling the situation I'll let it flow. Naturally. He's a cool guy and apparently my nose knows. 

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!