Skip to main content

Habari Gani?

Image
By
The good news is that this has been one of the most peaceful holiday seasons.

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa, the principle today being Umoja, Unity.

I think that is what my soul feels.

My family and I had a month of experiences, created memories, and honored each other in our lives.

We started it off with my son's concert, then the girls' had concerts, then my husband had a concert, and we attended performances. These are the things they will remember more than anything that was or wasn't under the tree.

This year, we didn't even go shopping until Christmas Eve, and even then, kept it thoughtful and small. We avoided the commercialism of the season and didn't fight over a pair of overprice, cheaply made, athletic shoes that speak to the lowest of emotions, why spend $180 for that?

The economy probably set our family to thinking about what we really have, what we really need, and what we really want. Maybe, maybe not, I know, it made me think about all that we have and that what I really want is my family.

I felt a peace this year, a sense that everything is going to be ok. Even as good news rolled in on Christmas Eve that stopped hate in its tracks made me pause and smile. I would give Eric HOlder a hug if I could and give President Obama a hand shake and a "thank you" for his continued efforts to stand against the most mean-spirited of parties.

The good news is that we are entering the last week of the year, the first day of Kwanzaa, the opportunity to reflect and renew. I am expecting great things in 2012.

What is your good news?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thoughtful dialogue is appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Hannah's Song

By
We came together last night and sang Hannah's song. Family from California was in town, it was the night before Aunt Hannah's Home Going Celebration. We met at my house late in the evening to fellowship, remember, hug, eat, and laugh. Thom felt the love in the room and I'm sure his mom would've appreciated us doing what she did all her life - love. Aunt Hannah was a gracious woman. Her gentle spirit, sparkling eyes, and constant smile will be remembered. She has left us physically, but never spiritually. The laughter was like music in Thom's ear. For the first time in weeks I saw my cousin relax. He has been in a tornado for the past four weeks from his mother's diagnosis to her death. Even in her final stage, Aunt Hannah was granted her desire. She asked to not suffer long when it was her time to go, she had been a caregiver her whole life and I'm sure her prayer was for her son. In the last days of her life, she still greeted well wishers with a wa...
1 comment
Read more

Brothers, Can we Talk?

By
 I'm a Black woman, born of a Black woman and a Black man. When my mother died, it was my father who nurtured me and instilled in me a sense of pride of self, of my race, of my abilities to do whatever I put my mind to do. He never imposed limitations on me as a Black woman. The only caution he ever gave me was to not burn my candle at both ends and to be mindful of my health, I am an asthmatic. He never stopped me from trying anything and always encouraged me. Daddy was a strong Black man who introduced me to Shirley Chisholm when I was a little girl. He reminded me of the fortitude of my late mother's quest for gender equality in the workplace and of the namesake who marched at Selma.  He is the one who gave me my pseudonym, Tayé. Daddy was a strong tower of empowerment and fought all the way to his last breath for social, gender, and racial justice. It is in remembering my father this morning that I'm asking the brothers, can we talk? What is it, especially those of my g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ashes to Ashes

By
 This is Ash Wednesday. For a lot of Catholics and Anglican Christians, it begins the holy season of Lent. We remember we are but dust and to dust we return, ashes to ashes.  It is a somber reminder of our humanity and the finality of life. We are a mere breath. Today, as a Hospital Chaplain Resident, I am imposing ashes on patients, family, and staff. It is a visible marker of a shared faith and belief. We look with anticipation to the finished work of salvation on the cross and in eager hope of the resurrection. As my day progressed, I noticed how much hope was in the eyes of the ones giving and receiving this reminder of our existence. It was both a somber moment and a joyful moment. Two things can exist at the same time. Like the world we find ourselves in. Even as it seems like the darkest, certainly the darkest I’ve known in my six decades on this earth. Completely imperfect as a nation, there was still a glimmer of light until the nightmare became reality. We wonder abo...
Post a Comment
Read more