Hues of Promise

Born on a Tuesday

Skin the color of Turmeric and Cinnamon 

Fierce hues of promise

Personality

Savory like foods

from Mama's pepper pot

Sure Nuff!

As she grows, she is told to brace for the storms her life will hold....

In the meantime, ......

Indulging on the sweetness of Innocence

Juju beans and ice cream cones

Shaved ice from the corner store.

Fast Forward yet Time Travelled

only to bring back the pain rooted in a time

so far but not far away at all.

She with a hue so beautiful finds herself immobilized

Artwork entitled Angel Wings by Laverne Ross

Shackled by the spirits that seek dominion over her story.

Generational darkness

 Demonic host staking claims to eradicate her future glory.

Purposed legions of invisible defense

Angels, Ancestors come to her rescue and carry her on their wings to safety.

Ministering and Equipping her with

the succors of strength

the elixirs of hope

the food of fortitude

the refreshing waters of resilience

the ground for grit

the anointing of abundance

the light of liberation

and a compass that leads to a destination set by the Divine

Yes, greatness lies within her

like still seeds in fertile low country soil

ready for the first rain to explode.

Inspired by a trip to the AAHM-the African American History Museum.  It is truly a museum that everyone should make a priority to visit. 

Monday Meditation:You Are An Overcomer!

You are an overcomer more than just a survivor. You are healed and blessed!  Sometimes we hear these words and can not receive them.   However, creating affirmations allows one to shift the negative paradigm that we often feel after a serious life changing event.

Personally, I  have incorporated affirmations into my daily ritual.  It has removed years of calcified damage and I believe it could do the same for anyone who commits to it.  'Scripturally' speaking, " the power of life and death lies in the tongue"..... Speak  Life over your healing and future.

2 Prayer, meditation and keeping a journal or diary can also serve as excellent methods to get back to center and honor the God within.  


3. Surround yourself with positive people.  Family and friends can give us so much strength but sometimes the shame of trauma makes it difficult to be transparent .  It is hard to tell the person that has gone through so much anguish as your care taker that you feel hopeless or helpless.  Sometimes, survivors may harbor resentment for  loved ones too.  They may not be able to understand  "your blues" when you have survived and should be ecstatic.
 When you begin to feel yourself internalizing your true feelings, you may need to garner strength from other sources.  You may want to consider professional counselling or support groups for the type of trauma you have experienced..  It is so powerful to meet with others with a shared experience.   Do not let shame or pride stand in your way of getting the circle of grace and support that you need.

We pray that you continue to shift shame to strength  and continue to commit to Strive Daily.

Embrace Your Grown

 Six months before my birthday,   I started feeling a little different from the inside.. deep within. Those of you who are reaching milestones may know what I mean. Kind of  like the developmental charts we have for babies..milk to solid food. creeping to crawling.. 



 I felt a change......a shift. .....I coined it ........Ownership! 

Not home ownership ... car ownership ..designer bag ownership, this was not material in nature even a little bit  but. rather .....
Ownership of my life... on my terms....... My  Stage...My Story......My Life...YASS!
 A "I don't really care how you feel or take this but ___________ "attitude.

 A " Well, that is not quite the look I am going for but I have a plan and am fabulous anyway" attitude.

A" My time is better spent doing  X (fill in the blank with anything.. taking a bath, feeding the homeless, putting my kids to bed,  painting my toe nails, A girl's night in the city!  anything but that) attitude. 

This feeling of ownership sprang up in situations where I least expected it. It was almost Euphoric.

Areas where I would naturally acquiesce due to some level of  loyalty for whatever reason,
 "No!" or a "No, I will not be able to! " became so much easier.

 I felt like Steve Urkele,  "Did I do that!"

 Each time I asserted myself, a shackle to my invisible chains of people pleasing, looking for people's approval about my own life choices and self deprecation seemed to break and I began to move closer to my own emotional freedom. If you had asked me prior to this "new awakening" I would have said I had acquired this type of  freedom when I turned 18 and left for college.  

I, a prisoner who did not realize that she needed to be set free like the people depicted in Plato's Allegory of the Cave.  I began to  finally see the light.   I was alarmed at first.even scared that my new found "ownership"  would be off putting , should I retract my statement, cover up, make up something... a little lie to keep the peace.
 


 I have been an executive for many years, so I would not say that I was afraid of asserting my position in the boardroom but in areas of the heart.. family, friends and even to myself, I struggled like so many other Strong women do.

I sat with my sister- in- law at my 40th Birthday party and she said, "You feel different don't you?" and finally I realized that I was not alone.It was an  'AHA' moment like Oprah says.  My sis-in-law understood and I understood. She laughed. We took a shot of something strong and the merriment continued.

 This was one of those moments in life when you do not learn the secret until you join the club like a sorority, Mommyhood or Wifedom. 

Meditation Monday:Serenity Prayer

Monday Meditation: Prayer of St. Francis

Pray for Peace and to be used as an instrument of God's Peace!  Continue to Strive Daily!

The Dreamer

Dreaming always seemed like a luxury to me

A wasted opportunity for sound sleep or a safe plan

To dream is to risk but I believed that the risk never was worth the cost

I would tell myself 

To Dream brings dischord to the daily drum of our lives

Like the white noise that used to happen when a tv station turned off for the night

It makes us shudder

 Dreams steal the security of knowing what to expect.

Like a home security system ...locking out dreams.. protects us 

One day when my gaurds were down. 

I did it,  I dreamed!

That one dream unlocked my soul and unchained my spirit
The dream was like a blue pill transforming my black and white monotony to a 3d Panaromic multicolored capacity


The dream was a seed that impregnated me
Do I abort this vision that seem too good for me.
Relagate myself back to the solace of  monotony

Am I capable of laboring and giving birth to such a plan?

The hardwork, the struggle, the unknown 

The scrutiny, the tears, the vales and hills that certainly lie ahead

A dreamer on the same path as I turned to me and said,
"Whatever you choose
to pursue or to forget your new awakening"
Your world, Your life and Your  Purposed destiny are now in your hands.

Nicole Peltier Lewis

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Be Grateful!"  I hear myself nagging and challenging my two sons.

The Gratitude Grinch

Start your Gratitude Practice Today!

  I hear myself  doing Gratitude Self Talk while stuck in traffic and expletives are two seconds from parting my lips. Thank you God for this time in traffic. Time to reflect on your goodness! (this does not always work)

November is the month to be Thankful.  Sandwiched betwwen the spookiness of  Halloween and the chaos and cheer of Christmas.

It is the greatest time of the year to form an Attitude of Gratitude while preparing for all the joys and sometimes the pain of the holiday season. 

 Gratitude helps us to gain appreaciation for the little things that we so often take for granted.  According to many clinical studies, people who practice gratitude are healthier, have more meaningful relationships and  grow spiritually.

If  all the talk about red Starbucks cups and November 1st Black Friday sales have you feeling less grateful by the day, exhale and take a look at these suggestions to help gain or regain and Attitude of Gratitude.

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal or Jar. 

Having to reflect on all that we are thankful for and the kind and loving things that happen to us daily is transformative.

 Keep a  daily journal for the remainder of the month or keep it until January 1st to truly affirm a true gratitude practice.

Your entries can be as simple as saying I am grateful for......

Or 

It can also ask the following questions

What attribute/skill am I thankful for?  (the ability to forgive)

How did I show or was shown love today? (a great welcome from my pup)

What do I take for granted daily but today am truly grateful for? ( clean water)

 I do this activity with middle schoolers and you would be astonished and so excited to see how they mature in their awareness by the end of the month and so do I.

2. Get in Touch with Nature

 Spend time taking in Nature.  Even if it is looking at the stars for a moment or taking a nature walk and enjoying the last of the vibrant fall leaves.  

Take your Gratitude journal with you and jot down the vastness of possibilities  and the overwhelming thought that you are loved and are a part of this expansive universe of possibilities.  

Here is a link to an amazing article by the Chopra Center that sums up gratitude in a nutshell. http://www.chopra.com/ccl/cultivate-the-healing-power-of-gratitude

Remember to Strive Daily and Be Grateful.

November 11, 2015 

What are you grateful for? 

How about freedom?  Democracy?  The pursuit of happiness? Thank you to all of our Veterans.