It is the season for reflection. The spring and summer have boomed and faded and what is left is cold and barren. It is the natural order of things for life in the Mid-Atlantic. I have asked myself, as I do everyday, what am I grateful for. Somewhere on my list, is my home birth.

My home birth means so much to me because it illustrated that my body services my mind, demonstrated my physical and mental strength and unequivocally boosted my self esteem 100 fold. I did what in this modern era many women in America are afraid to even think about. At 38, I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Nearly a month early and weighing 7 pounds, her father, sister, and I were all witness to a miracle.

I just finished this awesome article by Laura Munson and was so touched, I just had to share. As a mother, partner and friend I found this article inspiring for numerous reasons.

I hope you find it valuable too.

Peace. Love. Light.

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Fear has many faces, descriptions and definitions. Simply put it is any thought or feeling, which stands in the way of you doing anything you can conceive. Here is how I combat my fears when they arise. I recite the Litany against Fear from one of my all time favorite novels, Dune by Frank Herbert.

“I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain.”

Reciting or “chanting” this litany has helped me to overcome paralyzing fear when: I decided to leave my job, the ground exploded near Grand Central Station and I was on my way home, I decided to enter a new relationship, I was fired, and  finally when I gave birth at home. In all of these incidences, reciting this litany  helped to center me and allowed my mind to function again. Fear is an instinct which serves us well. It helps make us aware of our surroundings and stimulates our adrenaline.  i.e., When there was a huge explosion at Grand Central Station, my body knew to cover itself as the debris from the sky fell on top of me and my legs instinctively knew to turn and run (yes I did jump over a women who had been knocked down, although I did stop for a moment and look back.) It was the fear that got me moving away from the threat.The instinctual mind is often called our lower nature. As is true for nearly everything on this planet it serves it’s purpose, but can cause imbalance if overused.

Many times, more is needed than just an instinctual reaction. The knowledgeable or reasoning mind is called upon  for strategdy and discipline.  These two parts of your mind (instinctual and reasoning) are split. Becoming enlightened involves joining them so that they act as one. “As above, so below.”  Here is where FAITH comes into play. I have a very good idea that the universe conspires to my success everyday, all day. This is called Faith. When my Faith wavers, it is this litany which brings me out of darkness, home again, to peace, love and light.

I have been super busy this mornig getting  a head start on the me part of my day. The biggest being the changes I made to the blog. I will be making more changes for a few days/weeks until I get this puppy looking just right. What do you all think so far? All feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Peace. Love. Light.

I know this is late but today was one of those days and I am just getting over it all. I got up and got everyone ready to get Alana to school. I had kept a Zipcar overnight and used it to get to a diner for breakfast. While the three of us sat and ate breakfast (Asherah had some toast) the Zipcar was hit outside. I was paying the bill and as usual someone was saying hello to Asherah and laughing and giggling with her. The woman looked at me and asked, “Are you driving a Zipcar?” I answered yes and she said, “It just got hit. I saw you with the baby and I saw the car seat and it clicked she said.” I ran outside and sure enough, someone had hit the Zipcar.

He was a nice young man. Most probably a student or recent graduate of Pratt. He was very honest and even though he wanted to just handle the situation between him and myself, I had to tell him I couldn’t because it was not my car. He understood and we both got our needs met. He realized that I did not take it personally and we got to chatting about this and that and I kept repeating to him, “Shit happens.” It does, it happens all the time. It is how we respond that determines of more shit will happen.

I played with my daughters, smiled and laughed at Alana’s insistence that she not go to school at all and at Asherah’s grunts. I got extra time with my daughters, lots of sun, and a chance to calm down, relax and do nothing (we waited almost an hour for cops to come for the accident report).  I lost an hour worth of errand time so I actually had to get a plan to get everything done ASAP. I got everything done and  feel really good about that.

Truthfully though, I survived it with grace and a smile. I liked my attitude so much today that I reflect with a big fat grin!

I am that I am.
I am a shining being,
dwelling in Light.
And I am made from the limbs
Of Divine!

In the ancient homes and temples along the Hapi (Nile) river, this prayer was sung in response to the words gracing every temple entrance: Know Thyself

Today we stand in celebration of ourselves. Our beauty is the core of our wealth and prosperity. Together we shine.

Below I list 5 reasons why I am Beautiful. What are yours?

1. My Traditional African Figure
2. My Smile
3. My Wit
4. Graciousness
5. Off-Beat Sense of Humor.
   

My daughter attends a Charter School called Community Roots housed in PS 67 and we absolutely love the experience. This past Saturday, we participated in yet another community building activity, the result of which is phenomenal. Take a look at what Community Roots and PS 67 did together. We all had a great time.

Getting the week off on the right foot is important to me. I try to get to bed on time Sunday night so I can be on time for everything Monday morning because if Monday goes well chances are the rest of the week will go well too.   Because so much of the rest of my week depends on how things go on Monday, I decided to do everything possible to make sure Mondays are fantastic days. Each Monday, I will pen an invocation or other writing that I hope will inspire you all in some way. The Invocations I post are not necessarily religious but you can substitute the name of your God/Goddess.