ADQ (A Deeva Quickie)....

From the Root to the Fruit

 ....

One simple thought….

From the Root to the Fruit

 ....

What a wonderful colloquialism that I only wish I could claim as my own. – But I can't. At a recent MLK celebration, the keynote speaker was Bishop T.D. Jakes…the saying is his. 

Uttered from his lips and forever entwined in my psyche.

Six words.

Alone they mean nothing, but put in proper context, they are the beginning of a phenomenal road map by which we should govern our lives. 

 ....

In an eloquent, gregarious and expressive manner, Bishop Jakes linked the plight of Martin Luther King Jr. to the achievements of President Obama (oh, how I love the way that title rolls off one’s tongue.)  Bishop Jakes indicated that in order for us to see the Fruit that is Obama, there had to be a Root, which was Martin Luther King Jr.  One could not be possible without the other. Both are essential tools to get us to where we need to go.

 ....

Among the thunderous applause which engulfed a room filled to capacity, as everyone around me stood and shouted praises, amens and a few, “I know that’s right”, I sat nodding my head in agreement while taking notes.  (I'm a writer…it’s what I do.)  I scribed his powerful words, detailing the images around me, chronically my thoughts, describing my feelings and constructing analogies in my head.  Through Bishop Jakes, I wanted to touch Barack and get a whiff of the smell of Martin.  I needed to inhale and absorb both as if they were part of my current and physical existence; part of my earthly being.  I could stand and applaud later, but at that moment I needed to touch the hem of the garment that made up both of these men...for me, I simply needed to personalize in words, the moment handed to me by God.  I needed to make a lyrical scrapbook of what I was feeling before it became a faint and fleeting memory in the back of my mind.  At that moment I wanted to document the events and environment around me so that I could relive it at a later time and for several more times like it to come. 

 ....

The man before me was a man who days before had the privilege and responsibility of spiritually feeding a hungry sheep, albeit a sheep in the form of the man who would be the next president of the United States.  Before me was the man, who had the task and honor of soothing the soul of our President mere hours before Barack would accept his role.  Spitting out a simple thought of connection was a man who had accepted the challenge of shepardizing the spiritual guidance of a man who will lead us all and yet, Bishop Jakes humbly stood before a large crowd that had gathered to see him and celebrate a dream interpreted several decades earlier by a simple man named Martin.  Oh, how six degrees of separation never felt so surreal. 

 ....

Eagerly, my senses hung on Bishop Jakes’ every word.  He did his job well and earned his appearance fee for the evening while stirring the crowd to feel connected, at least for a moment in time, with Martin and Barack.  Mission accomplished in making a connection that all in the room could personally feel and take home to marinate on the significance of the moment that the 44^th President of the United States brings and how his journey was paved by the blood, sweat and tears of others including, but not limited to Martin Luther King Jr. The moment should not be lost on any of us, the connection should be obvious to all of us, and the significance should be acknowledged even by the worst of us.

 ....

But where Bishop Jakes started, I challenge you to take a step further.

 ....

“From the Root to the Fruit”

 ....

As my favorite Pastor used to say, “I ain’t talking about nobody…just talking about what I’m talking about.”  But for a short moment in time please contemplate this:

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What roots are you nourishing? What seeds are you sowing? 

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For all things to blossom, they must first take root.....

 ....

Take a moment and run with that thought.

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If you want your life to blossom….

            You must plant seeds

                        They must take root.

                                    And then and only then will you see fruit.

 ....

In order for there to be a harvest, you must first tender to the crop.

 ....

Want a healthy marriage?

            Plant the root of fidelity and communication.

Want respectable children, the kind you can be proud of?

            Plant the root of knowledge, wisdom and discipline.

Want a successful career?

            Plant the root of ambition, experience and skill.

Want accomplishment of your dreams?

            Plant the root of steadfast endurance in chasing them.

All things are possible if you follow the road map and remember that in order to get the Fruit, you first have to have a strong, healthy and fertile Root.

 ....

Peace, Favor and blessings to you all,

Lorraine

Aka A Deeva

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ADQ (A Deeva Quickie)

The 44^th President of the United States: The Man, the Movement and Me

It's no secret I have been an Obama supporter from day one.  Even before he announced his candidacy for presidency, he was my candidate of choice.

The Man

My upbringing is one that I was always taught to be a strong black woman, not needing the support of a man, or any other person for my basic needs in life, let alone anything above and beyond that basic need.

I was taught to be self sufficient in all that I do and that a man's presence in my life should be an accessory to who I am, and never should be something I needed to survive or to 'complete' who I was in any manner. 

That is not a put down on men, but a push for independency of women. 

There is a difference…and marinate on it a minute if it is not crystal clear to you. It is a piece of logic and wisdom that I wholeheartedly embrace and spoon-feed to everyone I know…regardless of sex, race or any other factor…Love you…do you…be an entity in and of yourself that does not require the existence of another human being in order to sustain the beauty that is you. Embrace the work of art that you are.  God created you with the supplies that you need to exist in the realm of who you are without the aide of another…this same thing rings true for men and every human being. 

We all should be self-sufficient…allowing anyone we choose to allow along for the ride that is our lives to raise their hands and say "weeee" on the down stroke, only because they have been 'allowed' to ride…not because we "need" them in order to flip the on switch in order for the ride to begin.

That being said…I find it hard to yield to a man.  And Barack was no different…if anything, to win this voter's heart; he had a hard hill to climb.

The Movement

It takes a lot to move me. Yet Barack did. I went to see him before he had officially announced his candidacy and during the time he was testing the waters of "if he could pull this off." From the first speech I heard from him I was smitten. –Caught up in the man, the hype and the hope.  The possibility of changing the world one step at a time was intriguing to me and a concept that I held on to and embraced.

Along with the rest of the world, I was spellbound by his magnificent speeches, delivered in Martin Luther King Jr. style, his elegant and presidential presence and the family aura of a "do right" man. While all those things were the outward makings of a president, the movement that is Obama was even more detailed than that. It moved beyond the picture perfect poster child for change.  It lay in the essence of his beliefs, his dreams, and OUR dreams. Obama is the one.  But not because of his ability to fit into what is acceptable, but because he gives us all hope, he ignites a fire within us all to be better.  And that is what the movement is about.  Not following a man…but following a dream.

And Me

Even after Barak Obama has been crowned President-elect, I'm still the girl raised by a single mother who was taught never to depend on a man or another human being to exist in life.  I am still the girl that is hard to please and who finds it hard to place her beliefs in a man, any man other than her God.  And Barak Obama is no different…he will miss the mark on things, he won't be able to deliver on all things promised, but he will try.  He will think outside of the box in an effort to change the world and for me…that's what I need.  The essence of Me needs to believe again.  The essence of Me needs someone to motivate me, inspire me and lead ME. The essence of my future and the future of my children needed someone who understands, looks like and gets me.  The essence of my attachment to the 44^th President of the United States is that together we can change the world and I have faith in The Man, The Movement and in Me.

This election is extremely hard for a Black Woman. We are the target of much criticism, just as much as both Hilary and Obahma and in some instances more so because OUR vote is being used as a tool to define each and every African American Woman.  For the AA voting American Woman....we are being forced to take sides and we are being defined accordingly.

Personally, I am voting for Obahma.  But I get angry at those who act like I am doing so solely because he is black, and I get angry at those who say I should vote for Hilary instead because she is a woman.

I have read a lot of blogs about why I should vote for a Black man. I have seen and read just as many blogs about why I should vote for a Woman.....as if I in doing either, for some reason people act like I am uneducated and am betraying the other side of who I am.

I have seen comments that go as far as to say, "A black man cannot be elected president, so don't waste your vote on him...put it where it can be of good use."

Huh? 

And that makes sense why? 

If someone had of told slaves, "Don't try and reach the North...you will never be free"....should those slaves have listened?  That is the most preposterous piece of propaganda I have ever heard, yet that is what is being used to sway votes.

As a black woman, to me it seems like we are being targeted by aggressive voters/campaigners who are screaming......

Choose black!!!

Or

Choose the woman!!! 

And if (as a black woman) you don't pick the side they are on....you are a traitor on some level.

(Scratching my head)  Humm....

It's my vote right?

That means I choose whom I like right?

Since when did MY choice become one that I was speaking for everyone that is in the same skin that I am in?

And if that is the case....I choose to opt out.

I never want to be responsible for speaking for every one that wears my skin. I just want to speak for my soul and the skin IT resides within.

When I go to the store and buy a dress that is right for "ME" it's my choice; right?

I am not speaking for the rest of black people when I make that choice, nor am I speaking for the rest of women in general concerning their wardrobe choice.  When I make that choice, I'm speaking only for me.  I am choosing what I like; right?

Why is how I vote being categorized to indicate that I must adhere to some sort of "loyalty" either to my gender or to my race?

Why can't I just pick what "fits" me?

My vote is MY vote.

It is what I want to do with it. 

Our forefathers fought so that I would have the opportunity to cast MY vote how I saw fit...I am using the right that they fought and died for in order that I may be on a blimp on the sensor of my country and say what I think fits my needs.  They fought for my right to vote so that I had a say so to express who I am as an individual.  They fought and died so that my individual voice could be heard. 

Now, it seems like people on both sides of the issues want to tell me that I am no longer an individual with the ability to speak, able to choose according to my wishes.  Now I am being told that I should vote a certain way because that is what I am supposed to do according to my race, or according to my gender.

Humm....

I DON'T THINK SO!

MY VOTE....MY CHOICE!

And it is not based on race or gender, but on the candidate I like.

And as with any situation with more than one side, there will be varying opinions.  Why as a black woman am I wrong no matter what I choose? Why am I put in a box of being a traitor to one side or the other?

Humm.....

I don't think I am. 

To me it's about the candidates. 

I don't give into the race card.

I don't give into the gender card.

I give my vote to the one that I like....and for me that is Obahma.

Not because he is black, not because Oprah endorses him, but because he is MY choice.

My Vote....My choice!

Nobody is in the fitting room when I am picking the dress that "fits" me just right.....nobody else is there telling me what to do then, so why is every group in America today trying to tell me (as a black woman) what candidate "fits" me right?

I don't need help with anything else in my life that "fits" me just right, so I don't need help in telling me who to vote for either.  I know what I like in life....I know what fits me.

I think I am getting sick and tired of everyone making this a campaign of race or gender.....it is no different from any other race. People choose whom they want.  I just hate the fact that in this race black women are being split; we are being forced to define ourselves as others ask/dictate....."Where is your allegiance" they say! 

Is it to your race or is it to your gender?

My answer?

Neither.

My choice is as I think our fore founders intended it to be.

It's to whom I choose to vote for.

My Vote...My choice!

That means, I am voting for whom I think is best for me. 

You do you...I won't categorize you accordingly.

Let me be me....and don't categorize me in some neat tidy package as a black woman as if I speak for others who wear the skin I am in. 

You do you....

I'm gonna do me. 

I won't place you in a box and all I ask is that you don't place me in a box either.

We all should vote.

And by doing so, we should just be indicating our choice.  Our choice as individuals, speaking for no one other than ourselves.

I speak only for Lorraine. 

Not as a black person.

Not as a woman.

I speak not for a category or for a cause.

I speak only for me, not for the skin I am in. I only speak for the the soul in me that lies within.

Next Stop Youville

Hustling,

Bustling,

getting nowhere fast.

Deadlines,

Time clocks,

worrying how ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

to make more cash.

more things to do

than twenty-four, seven will allow,

yet you leap tall buildings

in a single bond

all the while wondering how. 

Your internal bus

is crowded,

standing room is tight

the passengers of

responsibility,

obligations,

and family rearing,

are your plights.

These passengers

aren't always amicable

and on your soul

they take a toll.

sitting next to you,

almost on top of you,

with overwhelming you,

as their goal.

Stare out the window for a moment.

Can you see the sereneness of life?

It's tranquil outside the bus,

free of drama,

stress,

and strife.

Yet your bus

passes it by,

on the way to

self-destruction.

Life is standing still,

But you're

constantly rushing.

Stop basing

your destination

on other's needs.

Slow down the speed

of your bus

is what your heart pleads.

The world won't

stop spinning,

wilt away,

or destruct,

simply because you gave yourself

some time.

That company

you work for