Land Me on the Pot

Let's start with the flight back home. We flew thru the horrible storms on Wednesday. We shook and bounced for one hour and twenty-five minutes. HECK NAH no more plane rides for me! That was it! I prayed for one hour and twenty-five minutes. Lightning hitting the ground, black clouds. WHAT IN THE NAME!? Needless to say that I got sick and packed with ice to calm down.

Proud of a legacy and heritage! Yesterday, we had a fantastic program at church where the children gave a report on someone in their family that they considered a "hero." Black History is not only Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. DuBois, Fredrick Douglas, Thurgood Marshall. BLACK HISTORY INCLUDES ME! My niece, Brittany did her report on Jerry P Shands an educator and church organizer. Informallyeducated at Biddle Memorial Institute now known as Johnson C. Smith University, his father's (Barry Shands) eye was put out when he was taught to read by the master's children, lost 80 acres of land when he had a stroke on the way to get the deed stamp. I will post her report later.

Essence has peed on the potty twice. No spanking, hollering, etc either. Just as simple as putting on the pot after getting out of the bed. Yes, this may be easier than I thought!

Well Essence is terrifying the computer. LATER!

I think my niece gave the pilot driving lessons!

What in the name of my precious life!? Flying is NOT my cup of tea. Climbing in altitude, descending, turning right, turning left, plop goes the landing gear. I HAVE A MIGRAINE! Look a here there has to be a better way to travel great distances in less time. BEAM ME UP SOMEBODY!

It's been a busy two weeks. Essence travelled with mommy to Spelman College. Essence and Mom Townes had a great time walking the grounds (that's the engineering word for campus) and dining with the students. Essence wanted everyone to see her so the word of the week was "ME!" Me means I'm here, look at me, etc. then she waved and said "Bye". Sorry no pictures of Essence on campus.

NO cute Valentine's pictures. No president day pictures. Ok no pictures because the batteries are dead and mommy just cannot remember to capture all the precious moments.

Oh, Essence danced for the first time with the praise dancers at church. Sorry BATTERIES DEAD (bad mommy!). It was so precious and cute. I'm going to do better with the pictures.

Now, I'm in Selma, Al while Essence is at home : ( I know she is missing mommy!

Elephants, Tigers, Horses THAT'S ALL!

Ok I survived my first circus experience. I was looking for more animals (I guess I need to go to the zoo). Essence's eyes sparkled the entire time. I hope she understood the DON'T try this at home song and dance! Anyway, I needed interpretation last night for the tiger trainer. Essence started to speak back scary!

20 more days until Lent Season start. I am preparing my body and mind for much praying and fasting (40days) Let's see -will it be the Daniel Fast or no meats and soda? If you have never participated in the Lent Season, I strongly encourage you to. Think on the excerpt below.
Lent is about mortality and transformation. We begin the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the sign of the cross smeared on our foreheads with ashes as the words are spoken over us, "Dust thou art, and to dust thou wilt return." We begin this season of Lent not only reminded of our death, but also marked for death.
The Lenten journey, with its climax in Holy Week and Good Friday and Easter, is about participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Put somewhat abstractly, this means dying to an old identity.the identity conferred by culture, by tradition, by parents, perhaps.and being born into a new identity.an identity centered in the Spirit of God. It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God.
Put slightly more concretely, this path of death and resurrection, of radical centering in God, may mean for some of us that we need to die to specific things in our lives.perhaps to a behavior or a pattern of behavior that has become destructive or dysfunctional; perhaps to a relationship that has ended or gone bad; perhaps to an unresolved grief that needs to be let go of; perhaps to a career or job that has either been taken from us or that no longer nourishes us; or perhaps even we need to die to a deadness in our lives.
You can even die to deadness, and this dying is also oftentimes a daily rhythm in our lives.that daily occurrence that happens to some of us as we remind ourselves of the reality of God in our relationship to God; that reminder that can take us out of ourselves, lift us out of our confinement, take away our feeling of being burdened and weighed down.
That's the first focal point of a life that takes Jesus seriously: that radical centering in the Spirit of God that is at the very center of the Christian life.
Dr. Marcus Borg - from "Taking Jesus Seriously

Interpretation

I have the gift to interpret unknown tongue. Curcle = Circle, I bought Essence a foam memory game that has shapes. The first one I showed her was a curcle. I turn them over and she picks them up until she finds the curcle (or hexagon ok to her they look alike). She is soooo happy when she finds the red curcle that she repeats the word over and over and displays it. Essence favorite words include (spelled like she says them) daddyyyyyyyy; momma; git dat; i un dat; duce = juice; memememe = pick me up, move, come here; molk = milk; da = Dora; cat; dough = dog; Jewsus=Jesus; uh + Elmo, MP3 player, keyboard = i want to hear music; and booc (soft c sound) = book. As soon as I interpret the finger pointing with words, then I will be a millionaire and on the beach in St Thomas!

It's a marvel how a toddler's mind works. Essence has an Elmo phone. The red button allows you to record a message and the green button plays back. Jamie or I will record a message and FINALLY she has figured out how to play it back. She has color recognition! YEAH! Every milestone seems so simple but they are so unique. She is too inquisitive.

It's hump day and the circus is tonight. I hate to admit, but this is my first BIG circus because I don't like animals, but Jamie and Essence are the opposite. Pray that I don't cut a fool and embarrass Jamie, Essence or myself. I hope the big cat is not angered and jump in the crowd. I don't have time to be a statistic and that's not how I want to pay off my bills (death!).

Somebody has left the door open and it's cold outside. When is the heat coming back on (Spring Equinox)? I know we must kill the insects and plants in order to have a new season. The flu is not as virulent. OH my we may have a bad spring.

I still have a job so it's time to get off of break and do another report that's the only bailout plan I have!

I hope everyone is having a blessed week and if NOT, then you are not putting in in order to receive. It is NOT a way one door!

Baby shoes, Dawn's feet and my knees!

Ok adult shoes give or take a 1/2 size, but baby shoes. NOOOOOOOOOO. First of all why so many widths? Why the same price as adults? Why my baby shoes look like skis? Grannie Mae and Grandma Shirley says high tops, I like mary janes. I just want a pair of shoes <$20 that are cute too. At this point, I really don't care as long as her feet don't have blisters and corns.

Dawn, college friend, and I attended Adrienne's surprise b-day party. It started with a wreck on 85 (I hope everyone is ok) so we were late. We parked "8 country miles" that two blocks for normal talk away from the location. We are still cute so we both had on heels (mine 4"). What in the world were we thinking? My knees had buckled on block one, my toes were cold, Dawn was complaining about the walk. SURPRISE ADRIENNE, we are tired let's sitdown and get a drink before mingling oh and put my shoes on (Yes, I walk bare feet up the 31 stairs.) Electric slide, Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide and 4" heels (HECK NAW)! Finally we got a ride back to our car (I sat in a car seat so everyone could have room in the car). Dawn has blisters and could not go to the altar for prayer on Sunday! We are still DIVAS even if our bodies are falling apart! WORK THAT GIRL!