day one

just started day one of my observation of Ramadan. I really want to observe as many of the facets of this holy holiday as possible . so, i just had my morning meal (the suhoor) and prayer. Being a good southern girl ; my breakfast was a fried bologna sandwich and my prayer was to lil baby Jesus.

one of the things i prayed and meditated on was the life of homeless or poverity stricken people. the strength i asked for to complete this day (and month) is one they must say a thousand times a day......365 days a year.

i wish the spirit of empathy was more alive in this world. if each person took the time to give a hand to another human being daily, what an even more beautiful world we would live in!

here's a link that explains the suhoor way better than i can! now, time for a couple more hours of sleep.

p://blog.beliefnet.com/ramadan/2007/10/the-solitude-of-the-suhoor-the.html

fasting

Today (or tomorrow depending on the moon or something) begins Ramadan. The month where Muslims fast during the daylight hours and pray during certain times of the day. I'm not Muslim......just your average a Southern Baptist christian. But, something about this religious practice has always intrigued me. Spending a month, not taking in any nourishment from sunrise to sunset and abstaining from any worldly pleasures, with the intent of not only cleansing yourself spiritually but also as a reminder of the less fortunate is an admirable mission. So, I'm going to give it a try. Just smoked my last cig and had my last drink. I'm not promising I'm going to last a month but I'm going to give it my best shot! Happy Ramadan!

no phony bolognie

Mrs. Loney was my bus driver from kindergarten to sixth grade. She also was a member of my church and close family friend. She drove her bus with an iron fist. I remember one time some kids were acting up and she pulled the bus over. There were about six of us left and I was about two minutes from home. We stayed there for what seemed like forever until she decided we had all learned our lesson. If we misbehaved she would ask what our parents would think.....and then call them that evening or tell them on Sunday so we would find out.

She took her job seriously. We never had to worry about the trip to and from school. If we weren't met by an adult she made sure we got to our door no matter how long the line of cars was behind the bus. Along the way, she taught us about respect and responsibility.. She knew when we got report cards; always celebrating our successes and giving us encouragement when we needed it.

Today, two little girls in the after school program where I teach, asked me for a ride home. They didn't want to walk past the MEN hanging outside on their way home knowing they would call out for them to come over. The other teacher asked the girls what they thought the men wanted and one of them answered: "I don't know but I don"t want to find out".

Where are these children's Mrs. Loneys? Instead of a free bus that makes sure people can shop with ease, how about a Charm City Circulator that ensures our kids can get home safely; at least a ride home on a dark, cold winter's night. If we don't start investing in our kids; helping to fight the horrible circumstances some of them are surrounded by, how can we expect them not to succumb to their environment?

get out the way!

yes Kim K. You look a lil "cray cray"









ughhh! i really am my own worst enemy sometimes. i think too much about everything and that stops me from doing anything. for example, this blog. it was meant to be a way to hone my writing skills and put down on paper (well computer screen) how i feel about topics big and small. the other day, i decided i wanna talk about kim kardashian's new cornrowed hairdoo. i had a lot of witty comments in my head......"you got all that butt and every african-american football player on speed dial. can we at least keep a hairstyle?" and in response to the fact that she took a nap and woke up with this new look..."uhhh, no one sleeps while getting their hair braided..it's one of the top ten pain causing events a black women goes through.....and usually a 8 hour process".

so i have these things i wanna say and i sit at my laptop and freeze. i start thinking about kim kardashian who i really like and who gives me a serious case of butt envy (i mean really if i had that butt, i could probably rule the world!). i don't want to hurt her feelings! i think about all my white good girlfriends....i don't wanna make them uncomfortable! so, i froze. i have been staring at this screen for an hour. you wanna know what i realized? kim kardashian could care less what i think about her and my true friends know my heart. i will stop censoring what i want to say and just write! hey look...i did it!

the eve of a new year

I find it quite trite (hee hee) that I am writing my first entry on New Years Eve. But, I gotta start somewhere! This has been a year for sure. Some things changed and some stayed the same. As I move forward with this whole blogging thing, I am going to share my thoughts on the world and all it's idiosyncrasies. I hope everyone will enjoy my take on life and that I, in turn, will become the writer I hope is still inside the cocoon...waiting to become a butterfly.