To Be or Not To Be

What do you choose to reveal about yourself and to whom? My daughter wrote an essay for class and as I read it over, I saw that she only revealed a shell of her true self. Purposely leaving out her choice to be a vegetarian at the age of 4, along with her 1st degree black belt and how she worked for it. She said that kids ask intrusive questions, or poke fun of her values, so she'd rather avoid it, by keeping some things to herself. I've never heard her mention this before, and you should know Mama Bear was in full effect after hearing my daughter voice her concerns. She's come too far to allow another's ignorance to keep her from being authentic. I let her know that she is perfect under our Creator. She should never fear being and becoming what life has in store for her.  May these words keep her grounded, yet allow her to celebrate everything it means to be who she is out LOUD and unapologetic.
#blackgirlmagic
#writing4mylife
#millenniumbeing
#kinyashakur
#Lovethyself #Knowthyself
#diversitymatters

#GoldSeries

GO #Pantene !
With their haircare line, The Gold Series. Just saw the commercial again. My daughter, now at 13 is seeing her textured hair on a high-profile commercial brand & status in the media. It's a great, great start, and we can do more. The flaw here is that the commercial plays on Black Entertainment Television, with the emphasis on BLACK. Mainstream media and the people watching it still see our America as a white western world. It's important for all cultures to see their concerns addressed not only in front of one another; we already know who we are (for the most part). This is an opportunity for ads to play on mainstream television. America's educators, administrators,  politicians, businesses, and ALL of America's children need to see who we are and not continue to marginalize us in our Black corners in the country. The need to understand "where we're coming from. This is how we make #America great - period because we've yet to achieve it. A great start though, so thank you Pantene! #weneedmorediverselooks #millenniummommy
#writing4mylife #notyourmamasjournal

School of Positivity

I saw a post today & I thought, "now why don't I hear MORE of these stories?" I think about what we see for the most part in the news & on social media. I think about that awful person in office (I refuse to say his name out loud), and when I watch the news or scroll through my thread something inside me breaks a little. I am filled with anxiety & my spirit struggles to lift itself back up.  On the contrary, when I read stories of invention, genius, magic, love & rich cultural history; I am  #transcended into that place of #POWERandHOPE
I feel stronger 💪🏽Like I just had a refreshing glass of water - "Ahhhh this is what the mind and body needs",
and I want more! I cannot get enough of those #positivemessages. Do I believe we need to know about our struggles & shed a light on our fight?
Of course! I subscribe to specific feeds & follow a limited number of social media sites & activists - smart people that focus only on those things. I try to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. We must pay attention to what we repost. The enemy loves it when we become so overwhelmed that we are now FEARFUL because of all the "dangers" that lurk in our world. The enemy wants you to keep reading & reposting hurtful & depressing stories...
DO NOT BE USED.
Peace & blessings from @milleniummommy
#freedomthinkers #soulfulsunday
#mindandbody
#writing4mylife #kinyashakur

I Am

I am who God says I am.
I can do what God says I can do.
I can reach what God says I can reach.
Everyday, Practice what the Spirit tells you to practice...My mother says "make sure you get your education so no man can take anything from you." At the same time she'll  say, "Work so you can have something at the end" meaning that social security check...
I am here to say that I am not here to work for man. To be Purposeful is to be dutiful only to THE Spirit. It may or may not take me through an MBA program or a high-end corporate position. I believe however, it will take me to a far better place. As long as I walk with my Spirit, nothing and no one can take anything from me.
These are the words of a #millenniummother & this is not your mother's journal...

The Battle is Not Yours

I listen to Pandora & my tastes in music vary greatly.  JUST today I think I've gone from listening to Lady Gaga to Jagged Edge to Fred Hammond. If you know any one of these artists and looked up the other you would be thoroughly confused, and you would have to admit that there was no such thing as labels...
The final artist of the evening is Yolanda Adams. The gospel song was " the Battle is Not Yours", & I believe I caught what black folks know of as the "holy ghost".  Perhaps I was going through something, but my hands were in the air, fists balled tight, eyes closed shut & then the water works began. My husband was in the bedroom so I had to curb myself less he ask what was wrong. Bless his heart. He tries to fix things he simply cannot. I am blessed to have him...
Back to the moment at hand. I guess thus entry is really about lyrics and what they can do. Lyrics combined with the emotion of the artist at that very moment can transport an individual. I was

Black Card

     I took my daughter to try a hip hop dance class. She thought it was hard and she believed herself to be inadequate. I thought to myself,  "inadequate for what? To whom? For a black girl?" We joke about the black card and when and why it should be revoked. I had to pause and explain to her what it means to be black, and just how ALL encompassing we are!
     No one has the right to contain all and everything that you are and place it in a "Black Box". As an American we've been exposed to so much, and as we continue to travel the world, explore & discover, we will continue to expand who we are.            That brings me great joy! I love being black & I am proud, but I know we sometimes have a tendency to judge one another for stepping out of our culture lane. I think we've been shut out far too long to limit ourselves. Don't you? We have many talents, interests, and our strengths vary. Rhythm is something that some of us has to work on, and that's fine. It doesn't mean we are any less black. There are many of us who have been so ostracized by our own that they've abandoned being black altogether. You know those sisters and brothers who feel like they can't identify with our cause? We label them 'Uncle Toms' and confiscate their black cards.  What is it that made them turn their backs? If we are to move into the future in strength and in numbers we have to remember who we are. The spirit within knows NO boundaries and can never be placed in a black box.

Humanity First

I've been thinking about the new talk about life outside of Earth.
At one time, I believed it to be exciting.  The thought of life other than ours...
Then I thought about all the unjust killings of black people. The disproportionate number of black and brown men incarcerated and I knew that as much as I LOVE to fantasize about the world beyond, we have too much work to do at home.