REMEMBER
Remembering
WHEN YOU’VE RANTED MUCH TOO MUCH
These words churning in the pit of my stomach
Are like fire breathing dragons devouring the vowels that give them meaning
They leave an empty script void of meaning, a sickening death like cauldron that can only be sweetened by your touch
and I have alienated you by my reckless use of them
I no longer consider them my friend (words)
But they are all I have to ask you to stay; You are clearly the best thing
to come into my life. I love you with my whole self. I’m still that one you
chose to open up to. Those qualities you admired in me still exist
Even though I’m a little misguided in some areas, I hold you in the highest esteem
I can’t imagine my life without you.
(When you’ve ran your mouth too much; you must eat crow no matter how bitter)
Tasty Recipe for Greens
2 bunches of Kale
2pks frozen spinach
2 ham hocks
Boil hocks about 1 1/2 – 2hrs (until soft)
Add Kale and Spinach
More water if needed
Cook 45 minutes.
Season to taste
Fry cornbread in skillet
Finger lickin good!
Excellent for keeping you regular
TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON
On yesterday God set Whitney free.
Everyone that has ever loved anyone was touched by her music.
At the very core of her being was her love for Jesus and she knew He loved her.
The charismatic sound of gospel rang out of her no matter where she was singing or what she was singing.
The world knew that Whitney loved God.
DOES THE WORLD KNOW YOU LOVE GOD?
When thinking of our significant others, we weren’t listening to, “Precious Lord”, or “Nearer my God to Thee”, but it was Whitney’s ” The Greatest Love of All”, “Run To You” and “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”.
Before we knew God like some of us know him now, it was Whitney that pulled us through some heart wrenching situations. Think about what you almost let take you away from God before you got it right, or what you still allow to hinder your destiny.
Why didn’t God deliver her? I’m so glad you asked. It was not because He wasn’t able to do it and keep her alive. Our little pea brain cannot understand the infinite wisdom of God. We are not qualified to pass judgement on anyone .
I can tell you this, we are getting ready to leave here. If you are in tune to God you can feel it in the atmosphere. Just because the train has been at the stations for a long time doesn’t mean it isn’t fueled and ready to pull out. The world may not come to an end, but your little bit could be winding up.
It is getting late in the evening and the sun is going down. What contributions have you made to comfort or lift someone’s burden?
WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?
THANKSGIVING WITH MOLLY
Steamy kitchen windows
Oxtails boiling in the pot
Cornbread baking in the oven
It will surely hit the spot
Grandpa’s churning butter
Mama’s peeling apples for the pie
Papa cutting wood outback
And I’m sitting here ’bout to die
My best friend Molly’s coming over
And it’s Thanksgiving day
She’s expecting turkey with trimmings
And Papa said, “No way”
He don’t like that Pilgrim bird
Says it hangs around too long
All week we’ve talked about it
Me and Molly sang his song
Well, I don’t know what to tell her
And it’s killing me inside
Guess I’ll tell her we’re allergic
It make goose bumps on our hide
HOME – FAMILY = HOUSE
Phyllis and Mary Lee’s Home
Never thought I’d leave you
And surely not for good
Letting go of you made me blue
Never thought I could
I’ll cherish the memories
That were made within these walls
We laughed, we cried, we prayed
Goodness and mercy follows
us all
FORGETTING
Forgetting, one of the hazards of getting older
Never thought it would be such a big part of my life
I misplace my keys
Can’t find my purse
Lose items of clothing
And the list goes on
Now when I leave a place,
I always check my surroundings
One day while doing Nursing Home Ministry
I met a little old lady who asked me,
“Do you know where my mama went?”
“Do you know my name?”
She clearly could not answer these questions
I left there in tears
That that I want to remember I don’t
However, the lady at the nursing home
Those that hurt my heart
I want to forget and I can’t
RELATIONSHIPS
Some relationships are for a reason
Some for a season
Very few for a lifetime
All are beneficial
In that they build character
And introduce you to your true self
THE ROMANCE I ENJOY WITH THE SEA
I woke up this morning determined to watch the approaching storm roll in at Folly Beach. A category 3 hurricane by the name of Irene was bearing down on the South Carolina coast. I needed a place of tranquility to gather my thoughts, evaluate my options, and prioritize my responsibilities. The sea has always been very settling for me.
My funds were extremely low: I had not started to work, my house had not been rented back in Ohio, and I was looking straight in the face of September unable to pay rent and a mortgage payment. I needed an email from God this morning.
Traffic was extremely heavy on Folly Road. As I approached the bridge, traffic came to a halt. The man in the pick-up in front of me walked back to my car and said,
“They say it will be 2 to 3 hours before we get moving, there are power lines down on the bridge.”
Some people turned around, but a few of us waited it out . To our surprise, we were moving in about 30 minutes.
I quickly found a place to park. There were about 50 people on the beach. Although signs were posted DO NOT GO IN THE WATER, surfer paid no attention and a few swimmers braved the crashing waves that at time were 9ft high.
A tranquil place, this was not.
When I was a kid, I fell in love with the sea on the Jersey shore. You would have thought a serious jellyfish sting would have deterred me from going back in the water, but three days after I was treated at Atlantic City hospital, right back in the water I went.
Being on Folly Beach took me back to my days of innocence and the aspirations I had at 14 years old on Indiana Avenue in Atlantic City, NJ where I spent my summers at my uncle’s place if I didn’t go to my great grandmothers in Richmond County NC. My uncle owned a dry cleaners and he was a tailor to the stars that appeared at the Cotton Club. It was commonplace to see stars like Sammy Davis Jr. and Harry Belafonte in the Artic Avenue shop.
My family was poor. My mother and father separated when I was a toddler. She said he changed when he came home from the war. They parted; he went to Chicago and she and I remained in Ohio. They tried to reconcile when I was 8 years old, but it didn’t work. By that time we all had gotten use to doing things our own way and we were not willing to compromise. Let me rephrase my statement about being poor. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we were millionaires spiritually, emotionally and we had the favor of God on our lives. We thought we could do anything the Rockafella’s did within limits,of course.
The earth was exceptionally angry this past week. There was an eartquake in the east, a death in our family and now an approaching hurricane.
I took off my shoes and walked along the beach as the surf cooled my ever hot feet and ankles. Dark blue clouds hovered over Folly Island almost touching the waves. It grew darker and darker but no one left. It was scary but I didn’t want to be the first one to break ranks. The wind came faster and faster while I took pictures and picked up pretty shells. A wind funnel swept the beach creating a sand storm that whipped my legs into submission. I ran for the car just before the downpour. As I started back across the bridge, traffic stopped and 80 mile an hour winds rocked my car on that bridge.
I wanted off that bridge. I sat there 20minutes. I still had not heard what I wanted to hear from God. He was saying things like when are you going to do this; or when are you going to handle that. His remarks were humbling me. In my spirit I began to tell him God, I feel bad enough and you are making it worse. He got quiet and I got angry because I had not lived up to my end of the bargain.
I vowed not to talk to Him again until I had done my chores. That night I laid out my plans. The net day I began to execute them. What a relief I felt; and you know what, my problems weren’t solved yet. I made a declaration right there that I’d rather throw myself into the churning sea instead of failing God and returning to my former home. I chose to fight for this faith of mine that is built on the rock and not on the eroding shore line I witnessed slipping into the Atlantic.
I quoted ‘the kingdom of God suffereth violently and the violent take it by force’. My help came within 48 hrs.
My battle is not over, but I am confident that when I take care of His business, He’ll have my back.
Slackness will cause hardships and we all experience it at one time or another, but the scripture says, ‘be not weary in well doing for you will reap if you faint not’
. There will be a time of rest for us, but He will schedule it. Not we ourselves.
