Beauty Day

This passed Saturday I invited a number of ladies over my house to participate in a Beauty Day. This was a day for women to get away from their day-to-day tasks of being mother, wife, or lover to someone. It was an opportunity for them to pamper themselves and be the beautiful women they are without the distractions.



We all had such a great time. I do plan on doing this again. Who doesn't want to feel beautiful?


You may write me down in history 
With your bitter, twisted lies, 
You may trod me in the very dirt 
But still, like dust, I'll rise. 

Does my sassiness upset you? 
Why are you beset with gloom? 
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells pumping in my living room. 

Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, 
Just like hopes springing high, 
Still I'll rise. 

Did you want to see me broken? 
Bowed head and lowered eyes? 
Shoulders falling down like teardrops. 
Weakened by my soulful cries. 

Does my haughtiness offend you? 
Don't you take it awful hard 
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines 
Diggin' in my own back yard. 

You may shoot me with your words, 
You may cut me with your eyes, 
You may kill me with your hatefulness, 
But still, like air, I'll rise. 

Does my sexiness upset you? 
Does it come as a surprise 
That I dance like I've got diamonds 
At the meeting of my thighs? 

Out of the huts of history's shame 
I rise 
Up from a past that's rooted in pain 
I rise 

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, 
Welling and swelling 
I bear in the tide. 
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear 
I rise 

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear 
I rise 
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, 
I am the dream and the hope of the slave. 
I rise 
I rise
I rise. 

~ Still I Rise, Dr. Maya Angelou 

 Still a work in progress

Finally Happy

I just took a step back and looked at my life. I have finally realized something of great importance. I realized that I am no longer bitter. No more angry-black-woman-wanting-to-curse-out-the-world-for-the-shitty-hand-that-I've-been-dealt bitter. For the longest time I remember putting on this fake, happy facade but underneath it all, I was seething inside. I know everyone has a story and have been through storms and hard times. A lot of people don't know the things I have gone through and experienced. I wouldn't wish any of it on even my worse enemy. In all honesty, the script of my life doesn't matter because it has all led me to this moment.

So smile with me.

Still a work in progress

Jesus vs Religion

I want to send a very special person a "Thank You" for sharing this with me. It has uplifted my spirit this morning and put me in a good place.

via Dawn Lynn

Still a work in progress

Happy New Years

Its not only a new year but its also a new day. I am blessed for yesterday and today. I am happy to have brought in the new year with family and friends that I love oh so much.

Angel & I before be went to Bacana Brasil for New Years Eve Dinner



I am not one to really make New Year Resolutions but if I had to make one, all I would hope for is to do things as I have previously done but so much better. As the only guarantee in life is change, I just want to continually flow and move with the punches thrown my way. I want to have little, to no, bruises to show for the obstacles encountered; I would still love to have growth and strength to share with others.

Still a work in progress

Love

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."
~Zora Neale Hurston

I'd be lying if I said that my last relationship had not left me with reservations about pursing a new one. I am proud that I can admit the truth. My heart was broken and has been mended by time and space. But just like anything that has been shattered, some fragments have been lost and cannot be put back together.

Don't lose faith though, all my hopefuls, my heart will eventually thaw and come out to play.

Still a work in progress

How Quickly Things Change

Its amazing how things can change so quickly. One minute everything seems to be going perfectly fine. You're on cloud nine and nothing can make your feet touch the ground. The next moment you are sinking and you can barely lift your head up out of the sorrow to simply even breath.

Wondering when I will be able to take my very next deep breath. 

Still a work in progress

Loving Rihanna's New Song

We Found Love

Still a work in progress

Graduation is Finally Here

The day has finally come. Assignments completed, papers written, quizzes taken and exams aces (or at least passed). Who would have thought that walking across a stage and shaking sweaty hands would give one person so much pleasure (thinking of, where was the hand sanitizer? Hello? It's cold season. I wonder why their hands were so sweaty? nerves? cough? sneeze? oh the grossness...)?

Any way, today was awesome. One of the best of my life actually. Big accomplishment. The people that I loved and those that loved me showed up and showed out.

Pictures below are of family and friends as we gathered.

Before Graduation: Angel, Ma, Me, & Tauna

Angel and Me

Angel & I (after graduaton ceremony)

Brian, Angel, & I

Sandra & I

Drianne & I

Drianne & Zack

Still a work in progress

Full Sew-In w/Invisible Part (No Glue)

My cousin, Ashley, did my hair last night. I love it. She is a full sew-in weave with an invisible part. There is absolutely no glue involved, just needle and thread. I love my hair even more than I did when I went to the salon last year and got a sew-in. I will definitely, have her do my hair again.

One w/ glasses (and shiny forehead) LOL

Thanks, Ash, I Love My Hair!

Still a work in progress

4 Reasons to Give Thanks in the Midst of Hard Times

Balance is everything. In order to have peace of mind, we must let go and allow ourselves to accept everything that life has to offer - the ups and the downs - without judgement. Highs come with lows, mistakes come with success and pleasure comes with pain. As we live through the extremes that create balance, we learn to ride the waves. We don't get to choose balance, it's divinely a part of this life. Our choice is whether we accept it or fight against it. When we look for meaning in the unpleasant and uncomfortable things that happen in our lives, we learn to embrace a consistent energy of gratitude that can sustain us through any and everything.

In the spirit of embracing balance, consider the following opportunities to give thanks even in the midst of hard times:

*Thanks for broken relationships. This one's for the relationships that didn't last. Over and over we ask ourselves what we could have done differently. But if every relationship is about growth and development, then there are times that we just have to let go once we learn what we are meant to learn. We can be thankful for the presence of mind to move beyond the emotion and look for the growth. Somewhere beyond the grief and pain is an important lesson waiting to be learned.

*Thanks for disappointment. Life is challenging. There will be change, discomfort, betrayal, misunderstandings, obstacles, mysteries, and grief. We will at times feel lost and forgotten. There will be situations that seem unfair. What looks bad today, can turn around and bless us tomorrow. We should ultimately be thankful for all these things because they are necessary detours we have to take to get where we're going. We can't avoid disappointment, but we can reframe how we think about it.

*Thanks for criticism. Let's be thankful for the critics in our lives that push us to gain a firmer understanding of who we are. Through criticism we learn to develop a thick skin and a strong sense of self. Thanks to criticism, we learn that we can't please everyone, so we might as well shine and be fulfilled from within. Likewise, we can stop taking everything so personally and looking for reasons to feel sorry for ourselves. Some criticism is constructive and some is not, but we have to go through it to learn the difference.

*Thanks for being alone. Many of us fear separation; the idea of being alone, and seemingly unwanted can be terrifying. We keep buffers around to avoid spending too much time on our own. There's a special kind of wisdom that comes from appreciating and cherishing time alone. Sometimes we have to step out on our own and make a new way. Sometimes we have to spend time alone to discover that special thing that we love to do. We don't necessarily welcome that alone time at first. But here's to loving yourself enough to take time out to relate to your inner world, even when it's not easy to do so.

What challenging aspects of life are you thankful for? Can you think back on difficult situations that you've faced and see the opportunities for growth and self-awareness?


by GG of PeaceLoveandPrettyThings




Still a work in progress