I’ve recently been enamored with the PBS series All Creatures Great and Small, which is based on a book series by the English writer James Herriott. I have a collection of his books, and it was wonderful to see PBS create the series. I’m a little late; it’s been around a while, so I’m enjoying that I have so many seasons to watch on my own time. I’ve got family members who like a little wholesome sweetness to watch. It just feels good. Yes, I do have issues with the British Empire, but the English countryside can easily steal one’s imagination. Just like the Victorian period pieces, there’s something calming about an idyllic little town set in the 1930s and its quirky and pleasant people. Yes, completely romanticized, but I find a little romantic TV is an escape from the harsh realities of life and is a welcome reprieve from daily drudgery that can burden us in a news cycle.

I’m also preparing myself for ten days in Paris, France coming up soon. This trip has been in the making for many months now, and now we’re just planning our possible activities and teaching ourselves about the metro and getting around. Going in the fall should cut down a little bit on the crowds, but not much. Paris is always an international bonanza of tourists, a destination on many people’s bucket lists. It should be a time, I believe. I’m excited and enjoying watching YouTube videos on the city.

Also, on YouTube, I’ve been watching Pema Chödron interviews. The Buddhist nun has turned 90 and is still writing and teaching us about mindfulness and contentment. I do enjoy watching, reading, and listening to Buddhist philosophy because I like to practice releasing ego, expectations, cravings, and other habits that weaken the soul. There is something to say about finding contentment in life by accepting things you cannot control, being thankful for all the blessings in one’s life, living humbly and not seeking out praise, fame, or any attention that detracts from self-growth. Releasing the noise of other people’s thoughts about you is also a way to find contentment. Just enjoying being yourself without holding onto the expectations of others does bring peace.

One way to connect back to our purpose is to accept that boredom is a part of life that we should embrace. In this modern day, we can erase boredom with distractions from our phones and devices at any time. Sometimes we miss out on just sitting with our thoughts and with our environment because we are constantly escaping and constantly seeking entertainment. I find accepting boredom challenging because I can always find some sort of entertainment like music, books, movies, or TV to distract me. It’s rare you’ll see me just sitting with my thoughts, contemplating the feelings of the space around me and meditating on finding a calmness within. I do practice better when I’m walking or gardening, but still, I have to remind myself often to turn off the devices and just be.

I’m also trying to take up the mantra that self-promotion is not that necessary. For those interested in my writings, what I’ve created will inspire them when the time is right. For those I’m meant to teach, the books will organically find their way into their hands by that person’s searching, word of mouth, time, and a little luck. But pressing the issue doesn’t serve me. Letting the words organically be embraced by those seeking what I have to offer is good enough. It helps me remember that branding myself and creating a name for myself isn’t the goal. It’s the message of mindfulness, meditation, and peaceful ways of living that I want to spread. This idea of removing myself from the message and focusing on the message is challenging in this day and age of marketing, branding, advertising, etc. It reminds me to ask myself if the business of book promotion is more important than the message. Yes, ideally, getting the message out to more people would be nice, but having faith that it will reach and touch the people it’s meant to might be enough and might be the best way to proceed to keep my soul intact and growing with contentment. The striving one must have for the business side of book selling, especially when it is not primary income, may just be more trouble than it’s worth. Contentment may be what I need now.

Those are some mindsets I’m working on these days. A fall down my deck stairs today also reminds me that tragedy or pain can strike unexpectedly at any time. As I nurse the bruises, scrapes, and swollen ankle, I know that I’ve been reminded that my human form is just a vessel for the spirit and can go at any time. It’s a matter of preserving my spirit and soul and peace of mind in this life. That’s the goal because these frail human bodies are just temporary encasings we must deal with and must say goodbye to eventually. I’m human. And one day I’ll have to say goodbye to my loved ones. But I like to think my love binds me to others and my soul is like a perennial flower; it will grow again somewhere else, in the next season, in the next lifetime, organically and well-tended with the good things I fed it in this season.

So dear reader, I wish you contentment. And good luck with the scrapes and bruises of this lifetime. They make us stronger on the infinite journey of our souls. Peace and blessings to you on this fine day.

There’s a reason so many of us are depressed. We spend too much time indoors. Oprah just had a lovely podcast on how little time we spend outdoors with Dr. John Le Puma, a medical doctor who has compiled the research in his book Indoor Epidemic. We’re not regulating our circadian rhythm by experiencing the morning sun, for one. The special morning light sets the tone for the day, and being outdoors in the morning increases our mood, decreases our anxiety, and extends our lives.

I can testify to these facts. I can feel the difference in my body when I don’t regularly walk in the mornings. And as soon as I get back in the garden, hike, or walk, my mood immediately elevates. My book Essays on Awakening touches on this subject as well. I encourage my readers to be outdoors and to adopt nature as our ultimate healer. Nature has been my greatest teacher and healer over the years.

Most of us spend way too much time indoors. We don’t take the time to let the green trees, blue sky, and blue ocean truly do the magic they were intended to do in regulating our bodies. Being so focused on screens throughout the day is really hurting us.

My bestie has adopted needlepoint as a new hobby, and the revitalization she says it gives her to listen to an audiobook and keep her hands busy outside of her phone is quite telling. She described it as peaceful. Even putting our phones down an hour before bedtime will help reduce the effects of blue light that recharges our brains instead of lulling us to sleep like screen-free time will do.

I’ve always been surprised when I’m outside how few people in my neighborhood are outside with me. Some days it’s like I have the whole neighborhood to myself. One doctor in the podcast prescribes outdoor time to patients coming in with panic attacks and anxiety. I believe it works because my doctor did the same thing to me. She always wants to know how much time I’m spending exercising. And my walking is completely enough. She doesn’t pressure me to do high-intensity activities. A simple walk will do wonders, she says. And I agree. Watching my body transform as well is uplifting. Not only am I sleeping without sleeping pills most of the time now, but I’ve lost a few dress sizes. Staying active changes things for the better. I’m living proof that life can do a 180-degree shift if you just set your mind to getting outdoors. My mom has long touted morning gardening as something that keeps her sleeping well and in shape. I call my garden time garden meditation because it’s as good as meditating. Get out there and pick up a good book to settle into at bedtime instead of getting on your phone. I’m still working on putting down my phone, but as we all know, it’s a hard addiction to break. But I’m trying. And that’s all I ask you to do as well - try to make changes for the better. Peace and love to you, dear readers!

Francia at Indie Bookstore Charis

Essays on Awakening on Amazon

Where the Ancestors Keep our Names

I realize that I’m living a blessed life to be able to celebrate my books and my birthday with family and friends so wholeheartedly. I’m so touched by the reviews left on Essays on Awakening’s Amazon profile. It’s really reaching people. And I’m also so pleased to have Where the Ancestors Keep our Names: A Book of Poems out as well, right around my 49th birthday. I know I’ve put out good energy through these books from the kind words of the readers. I’ll be selling at the Decatur Book Festival and an Atlanta Writers Club Conference in the fall.

My mother and I recently had a good talk on our trip to and from DC this past weekend to see family. My bread-and-butter income still stems from teaching, and even though I don’t have the capacity mentally to teach full time, it may still be a good idea to get certification to get a bump in pay. It’s an investment I want to make in myself. Yes, I feel like I’ve achieved a personal goal of building my portfolio of books, but I also must realize the stability of teaching will always take care of me.

Sometimes, following a dream is not for fiscal success. Sometimes, the best things in life don’t make us a lot of money or fame. Sometimes, dreams can continue to flourish just by being of service (my teaching). I’ve never made much from my art or writing, but what I do earn is so meaningful because the patrons that do invest in me truly believe in me. I have a message, and slowly, but surely, it’s getting out there.

Philip from Serapex on Substack said:

“Normalize having a hobby that costs you money and produces zero income. Normalize making art that never sees a screen. Normalize doing things purely because you are alive, time is passing, and it feels good to hold a camera or shape a piece of clay. Not everything needs to be a side hustle. Defend your useless joys.”

What better quote is that? Defend your useless joys. If we did more of this, more people would feel contentment. We have to divest from capitalist structures that base our worth on financial rewards over contentment, emotional satisfaction, and just pure joy. The day I started focusing on joy is the day I released myself from depression and anxiety. I found that medicine wasn’t the only thing that would help me come around. It was deciding to live fully in my joyful activities - writing, creating art, gardening, and teaching.

I found what makes me feel alive and happy. I found things that challenge me. I keep growing by continuing to study these crafts and continuing to share with others my insights, my creativity, and my knowledge. But I had to be broken thoroughly by stress and a system that oppresses to see my ability to find worth in myself. When a system chooses not to acknowledge you, you can grow by defining your worth on your own terms, not what is expected, what others believe about you, or what makes you the most money.

49 and feeling fabulous!

Pastels

My blue hair

will be pink soon…

The whimsical nature of pastel blue and cotton candy…

watering cans and

stickers…

In the cool breeze of night,

these things remind me of the garden…

before the rising of the blossoms

In late spring grandeur…

When all colors burst

Onto the scene

Along the scenic highway

To be seen

For miles and miles

Back to my watering cans!

The pierced white top showers

sumptuous rain

on the community garden plot.

Far from a spigot…

I fill up at my childhood house

Mom’s abode,

the balancing act trek,

sloshing as I go,

across the cul de sac

To the creek side.

A loving, happy dog leashed to my hip…

Toting pink and blue

Love for the flowers…

just seeds now

that will burst forth

Yellows, reds, greens, purples…

My word!

Daily, I will do this

Until the rain comes

If Mother Nature decides to show up this year…

so picky on where she chooses to land

these days.

Book of Poems

Photo credit: Deanna Oaks

The spirit is soothed being back in Jamaica, the land of my birth, for a short run. It has been familial reunions and duties, mostly with an anniversary celebration, a funeral, and visiting loved ones across the island. Crime is down, so movement feels a little safer than my last visit. Hurricane Melissa ransacked the western parts of the island, and the damage is still quite visible. God bless the trees and plants that pushed through and are blooming again. Prayers for the families who suffered substantial damage to their homes, churches, and businesses that are still recovering. If what I’m seeing is months later, I can only imagine the initial devastation. Despite the setbacks, people are doing what they can, and there are many good things on the island to give thanks for.

The heat is something else, but the fruits that blossom in this heat are divine. I’ve been enjoying otaheti apple, star fruit, a variety of mangos, and other delights. So much bounty. We must give thanks for what we are able to produce and keep making improvements in ways that make a difference. A hungry belly is an awful thing, and I just keep the humans and animals in dire straits in my prayers that they find sustenance soon. Luckily, families looking out for each other definitely help in hard times, and there’s strong community ties in many spaces that have seen hard times.

This really hasn’t been a visit for touristy things, to be honest. But I try to snap pictures of the flora where I can. Even pictures from a car window can be stunning. Today is a full moon, so maybe, just maybe, I got a good shot tonight. I’m about to review all my shots for the day. What many Americans fail to understand is the level of struggle that other countries that aren’t blessed with financial riches benefit from loved ones being able to send a little something home to help. Jamaicans abroad usually do the jobs most Americans don’t want to do. And with those little jobs, they can make a big difference. It’s a shame because of trade disparities, Americans can’t enjoy some of the lovely fruit we have in Jamaica on a regular basis. The variety here equals rare delicacies in the US. I feel for you if you’ve never had a Jamaican apple or a ripe, yellow star fruit. That’s what makes bearing the summer heat tolerable: the bounty.

So yes, it is a sweet visit tinged with bittersweet realities of the global south bearing the brunt of climate change, unfair trade agreements, Trump’s war on immigrants, and other inequities making it so hard for everyone. Visit an island in the Caribbean this summer, get yourself some fresh fruit off the tree, visit a pristine beach, and support communities in need. I’m going to drag myself on that plane because I’m not ready to leave. I have two homes. I love them both. So saying goodbye to Jamaica makes me sad, but I’m happy to return to my family in America.

Peace and love, dear readers. Until next time…

Book on Amazon

Book on Bookshop.org

I’m so excited to be shipping off my first batch of books. Your support means so much, so I hope you’ll consider purchasing now that copies are in hand and ready to ship. It’s a compilation of my best work, and I know you’ll enjoy it. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sending out the preorders and gifts. So be patient if your copy hasn’t arrived yet. It’s on the way. Tell your friends, write a review! You, dear readers, can leave reviews based on the writing you know you’ve enjoyed on this blog if you choose. This space is my note to you that I appreciate you, and I thank you for being dedicated readers. Consider putting my work on your bookshelf! Talk to you soon. Peace and Love!

Write a Review

I recently returned from a weekend getaway in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. My Girl Scouts whitewater rafted and indulged in the awesome attractions and rides at Dollywood. We have succeeded at another adventure, the latest Frannie Mac expedition. We enjoyed some down-home southern hospitality from our cabin hosts and the many we encountered along our way. I was able to pay it forward to a family with children by giving them five tickets to ride a mountain roller coaster in town. My time in Tennessee did not reflect the current travesty conservative politicians are inflicting on the Black community in the state legislature now that gerrymandering is the law of the land. Tennessee and other southern states are trying to dilute the power of the Black vote. Why Tennesseans would put up with this stems from the fact that many in the state fear they are being left behind, while Black communities and immigrants seem to be succeeding more than the average white family.

Yes, Pigeon Forge is bustling with tourism dollars from Dollywood and other attractions, hotels, restaurants, etc. However, many places in Tennessee, like the rest of America, have seen businesses and jobs shutter as corporations moved abroad for cheaper labor. They’ve seen rural hospitals close. They’ve seen spikes in drug and alcohol related addictions and death. They’ve seen food benefit programs stopped, making it harder to feed their families. They’ve known suffering, and it is easy to blame people with brown skin and liberal agendas as the source of their problems. Alas, we are not the problem. Both Democrats and Republicans contributed to the fleecing of the American family. The problem is how money flows in this country, not an us-versus-them issue between Whites and basically everybody else.

The melding of poor whites with the civil rights movement is what scared white people with means to have Martin Luther King, Jr. killed. Uniting people would upend the corporate entities run by the wealthy, free-range money-grabbing at the expense of the working family. For as long as America has existed, poor whites have voted against their own best interest on the idea that rich white people and poor white people have common nemeses- progressives, Blacks, Browns, Immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people. It is hard to accept that you have more in common with an inner-city Black family, or a migrant working family, than a wealthy family with the means to relocate factories abroad, upend farm subsidies, pay little to no taxes, and take away SNAP and healthcare. When, as a young White American, you were fed a diet of hate and racism, it’s hard to see the similarities between oneself and the marginalized.

But that shift in perspective needs to hit White America soon if it hasn’t hit already. Trump caters to rich people, not working families. Bill Clinton was also guilty of selling out the working family by pushing NAFTA through and gutting the American job infrastructure. This isn’t Democrat versus Republican alone. This is the rich and their corporate entities versus working families. I know it’s hard for people to wake up to the truth when you think Black people are living lives of splendor when you’re eating from the food banks. TV will have you twisted in thinking, and that is by design. It’s not the truth. People of different shades, religions, identities, and more should be allies, not enemies, in solving the problems of the American family.

Taxing the rich and corporations. Stopping American businesses from crumbling due to Wall Street investors taking profits and cutting workforces. Rethinking the American farm from monoculture to diverse, organic crops. Creating an unbreakable system of universal healthcare, housing, and education. These are some of the solutions to the many woes facing American families.

One thing’s for sure, Tennessee is one of the prettiest places in this remarkably beautiful country. And when the working class of Tennesseans and other southern states stop blaming other working families and start rethinking the way they vote, we can see actual change in the trajectory. One must focus on the fact that money trumps the American family, and that’s the way things work right now. All working families are trying to make a way under bleak circumstances. Let’s focus on unity and kindness with our neighbors, not trying to strip everyone of their rights, their legal status, their elected officials, and all the good parts of American culture that are inclusive.

Go visit Tennessee. See the Smoky Mountains for yourself. It’s exquisite. But remember, their small towns look like your small towns. And we all need care and sustenance from our government, things we are definitely not getting presently.

It’s time to imagine the future. It’s time to speak it into existence and to see to it that this is the future that happens, and there’s no question about it. What we will not do is 1) Erase Black women from the picture. We will not be subjected to doing less than leading what we see as a destruction of this country in the hands of feeble, racists led by weak, greedy, declining White men who don’t understand the progressive, nation-building, inclusive community that is destined to happen to the United States of America. 2) We will be pushing into a Post Scarcity mindset where reparations happen in a way that all Black people are paid forward their due for slavery, Jim Crow, the denial of benefits, land theft, terroristic threats and actions against bodies, the theft of autonomy to our bodies and our vote. 3) We will accept that the Afrofuturist stories written are the guideposts and the voices of the youth are the definitions we set ourselves to going forward.

What we will NOT be doing is finding disunity amongst the people that leads to fascist, racist, white supremacist, patriarchal pedagogy ruling this land into ruin, disrepair, and chaos. What we will also do is hold those currently thieving from the coffers of the American people to prop up white supremacists by feeding them money and resources based on the taxes of the hard-working people of America, will be held accountable and will get their due. If you dare to steal from the American people, dare to feel the consequences of that theft. We are calculating the damages, and you will see it paid back tenfold.

Get into formation, ladies. Get into formation, gentlemen who consider themselves progressive and ready to step back and let the ladies drag you out of the dregs you’ve condemned us to with the current defunct, thieving, disgusting administration you’ve created with your patriarchal selves.

What we will not do is knock our hard work over the last two centuries to bring us back generations, leaving our children with fewer rights than we had. We will not be going back. We are going forward and the afrofuturists have been tasked to writing that future where we have land, we have reparations, we have our vote, we have our elected officials of our choice, we have our healthcare, we have safety for every black woman choosing birth or abortion, her choice and always her choice, and every woman and gender inclusive of all peoples will feel the warmth of the new day born from this union we will see into fruition with the dismantling of the robber baron oligarchs terrorizing the American people.

We will not be going backward in time, no matter how hard you try. We are recording your racist rants and taking names. We are watching you, and we will see how you are thieving from the people, terrorizing Black women, denying rights to Black and Indigenous people, and attempting to incarcerate the people you assumed wouldn’t fight back. That was your biggest mistake. Every incarceration is being recorded. Every death is being recorded. Every concentration camp will be dismantled.

We will not step off the battlefield. We will fight you, and you will succumb, simple as that. You will not steal from the American people. You will not kill us in childbirth, you will not kill us with lack of healthcare, you will not enslave us with unlivable minimum wage jobs. You will not deny us the ability to unionize.

I’m ready for this fight. We’re ready for this fight. And we are much larger than you, white supremacists, and your fight for dollars. You will see that the unloved amongst you will be cast out of the American dream, and we will reclaim it for what we are, a united people.

The collective is not crumbling; the collective is not about the individual self. Our community is at stake, and we are fighting for it to be inclusive regardless of gender, creed, race, religion or background. Who is not included in this America? White supremacists, oligarchs, and people robbing the American people blind. You just wait. Keep fanning the fires. Keep destroying our beautiful union, and see what comes of every one of you. We’re taking names and taking score.

I suggest you correct yourselves and get on the right side of justice before you end up feeling the wrath of the progressive movement about to take over this land that will hold your sins and thievery to task and hold you accountable.

Keep it up and see what happens.

Greetings, dear readers. I hope you’ve been well since I last wrote. The spring is keeping me busy with gardening, conferences, teaching, and mothering busy children. I’ve also been keeping busy finishing up two books, Essays on Awakening and a book of poems called On Love and Death. I hope to release both books this summer. They’ve been in the last stages of editing and formatting for self-publishing. In the fall, I hope to pitch them to agents, but for now, I’m going out on my own and sharing with my audience. The book of essays is a compilation of some of my strongest Substack pieces related to resilience, rest, and finding peace in turbulent times. I think it is a testament to ecosocialism, womanist philosophy that can be a foundation for change and strength in a time where patriarchal forces are so aggressively trying to take away the rights of marginalized communities, particularly women of color. But this book has something for everyone. But as a Black woman, I hope to inspire other Black women struggling to find peace in the turbulence.

With almost 700,000 of us Black women now unemployed under the Trump administration, I know we will fight back by empowering ourselves, organizing, and strengthening our commitment to each other. The gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court is just another thing we have to create laws to protect ourselves and other Americans once we are in power again, which we will be, despite Trump’s lackeys trying to get him illegally elected for a third term. They are nothing more than disgusting in their dismantling of the values of American society that hold all people equal and with basic human rights.

I refuse to look around, confused and hopeless. I’m ready to fight. And millions are with me. Dare I say billions? Fascists are outnumbered by decent people. They just have a lot of power because they have a lot of money. But I believe the power is in the people, and we will not be laid bare to authoritarianism forever. The other shoe will drop, and we will prevail as a better, stronger country with a plan that will prevent an administration like this from ever happening again. This is a long game. Fascists studied Black, Brown, and Indigenous cultures thoroughly to try to take away our power, autonomy, and ability to fight back. They have another thing coming if they think they’ll get away with it. Just you wait. You will see. This country will be wrenched from the dirty hands of bigots, racists, and misogynists. They are outnumbered in the long run. Never forget that. They are outnumbered. The people are getting more and more organized and efficient every day. What we must realize is that to prevent takeovers like this, our children must be educated with American history, which includes Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ history. They must study the master plan Martin Luther King, Jr. laid out for us in his final testament, which asks us whether we want chaos or community. I choose community. We choose community. The fascists choose chaos. They will not win, so help me God. I’m going to fight and fight and fight, and I’m not alone. We’re in this together. Start with educating the children. Make them eloquent writers who can read newspapers and history books. Teach them that pop stars and what outfit they’re wearing to school are not the priority. Distractions are what got us into this situation in the first place. The people aren’t aware that voting is a right that can be taken away with lack of use. Children are leaving school unable to write essays and are not prepared for higher education. Those choosing a different path into the trades are not able to fight for unions and organize themselves to protect themselves from corporate slavery and abuse. It takes an education to truly fight. It takes electing officials ready to fight for you, not opportunists who like to seek name recognition. We must be organized, efficient, and ready for the 200-year plan, the long game. Anything less than a thorough ass beating of Republicans is unacceptable. They sold out their party to the scum of the earth, and it’s destroying so much. We must regain a semblance of decency and normalcy in this country. Who’s with me?

Here’s the link to preorder Essays on Awakening

Please support my writing so I can keep bringing you loving, but fierce words to inspire and unite people. I’m on a mission for good, and your support helps continue the fight.

Subscribe now

Let us celebrate our Earth Mother today! Blessed Earth Day, humanity! What a splendid moment to give thanks for all she gives us and to remember that healing her ecosystems will, in turn, heal ourselves. I wake slightly congested from the pollen in the air, but I don’t mind. The grasses and trees are enjoying a sensual feast of activity through releasing their spores. I adjust, take my medicine, and accept the sniffles of spring, for the feast of the eyes and senses from all the budding flowers makes it all worth it. It is early morning, and the air is still cool. I’ve refilled the bird feeder since I saw numerous little ones searching and searching for the last morsels of feed. They will have full bellies this morning.

On this Earth Day, let us give thanks for what she has given us and let us work towards healing the ailments she faces. Her success is our success. Let us work at protecting the life that is threatened by climate change and habitat loss. We have ways of loving and living with Earth that are less harmful. Let us see the fields of monoculture diversify in healthy ways that still feed us and our livestock. Let us focus on renewable energy and not let the oligarchs tell us it’s not possible to create new energy streams. We can, and we will.

What I ask of you is to be optimistic. Yes, the world feels like a bonfire right now, but the world is also an oasis hosting us and loving us in ways we cannot fathom. We are still here. It is our turn to care for our Earth Mother as she’s cared for us for millions of years. We must remember she is billions of years old, a gem in the universe that hosts the life of billions of life forms.

Let us focus on loving each other, which is the entire message of the species anyway. Our loving attachments to each other are the glue that binds us to God, Earth, and humanity.

I just finished Dog Songs by Mary Oliver. I’m left feeling so loved by my animal babies. How she expresses the sentiments of our faithful companions and our shared love brings the reader peace and contentment. I highly recommend reading Mary Oliver in these stressful times. Her books will ground you back to your loving senses. She will inspire you to get outside and take a walk. Before her passing, she left us guides back to nature in her writings. Let us get on with caring for our planet and ourselves with lovingkindness to each other and our plant and animal relations.

Ways to ground yourself in the joy of our earth and the good side of our human nature include:

1. Going to the library.

2. Feeding the birds.

3. Planting a garden.

4. Adopting a dog.

5. Visiting a park.

6. Going to a museum.

7. Reading a book.

8. Telling someone you love them.

9. Being nice to a neighbor.

10. Not being afraid to apologize.

We heal our Mother Earth by healing ourselves. Our wounds are bleeding now as we see old institutions crumbling. In order to get to the garden of our earth, sometimes we have to let systems that no longer serve us die. Let the old systems burn and rebuild anew with hope, integrity, and fortitude. We can do this. I truly believe we are destined for new beginnings where all is well with our species and our planet. After all, Earth Mother has billions of years of practice creating anew. Let us learn from the scorching fires that life will blossom after the rapture of chaos. We will be in the garden oasis that is our Earth Mother, living peacefully with each other. Pray on it, give thanks for the breath that woke you up this morning, and know you are divinely loved. God will never forsake you. Earth Mother is your Garden of Eden. Care for her, and the rebirth will be yours.

Peace and love, dear readers!

Sweet, sweet spring. It may be parched, but it’s still nice out. I’m truly enjoying the warm weather, especially sunrise and sunset when it is crisp and cool. There’s a cardinal at my feeder right now. The cardinals are here daily, along with the woodpecker, sparrow, towhee, cowbird, finch, and squirrel. Yes, the squirrels can now eat freely without me chasing them away. They share more, it seems, now that they have their fill. I guess we all gotta eat, even the squirrels. I’m learning patience with them. I have an interesting albino chipmunk racing around the yard. Never seen that before. I had my walk early this morning, and it was beautiful. I came across a lovely tulip poplar that had dropped from the trees.

I’ve been journaling daily, and I plan to create a new outline for my novel today, as it changes with the rewrites. I’m trying to set up little guideposts to push me along and give me structure for the plot. Again, not this nonfiction writer’s strong suit, but I’m getting there. I was able to compile a book of poetry recently. I will have beta readers take a look soon.

This season of rebirth has me thinking of how many changes I’ve gone through over the years. From youth to middle age, I’ve awakened many times, finding inspiration from sages, nature’s cycles, and the family that loves me. I recently had a car accident on the highway, and we’re lucky to be safe and sound after a dump truck side-swiped us and almost ran us into traffic. I pivoted, redirecting us after disconnecting from the truck well enough that there was just damage to the car, not to our bodies. The mental anguish of not feeling safe on the roads is real, though. Sadly, the other driver is lying about his mistake, and my witness, being related to me, is not enough, according to insurance. We’ll see what the criminal courts say. I believe I will press charges. It was a hit and run, and I was lucky to track his DOT info to catch him. I’m tired of these unsafe roads. I wrote a poem that will be published in my library’s journal.

These roads beat us down.

Fame, prestige, and intelligence cannot

prevent chaos…

Remember Angie Stone? My brother, Malcolm?

I sit waiting on this hot asphalt

etched with yellow and white hatched lines,

for flashing lights

of ambulance, police, fire, and AAA.

We wait.

On our way to the geyser and grizzlies of Yellowstone

then up to the massive goliaths of Muir Woods…

Can I be on these roadways?

Or will some dump truck run me off again?

Crunching into my side

Threatening death,

Or at least,

A permanent mangling…

Where I stop walking,

Limbs gone.

Stop seeing,

Eyes gone.

Stop writing,

Fingers gone.

The roads are terrorist territory.

On the way to Zion Canyon

More wreckage.

Mother fears the road.

I do not.

I want the destination to move me, inspire me…

So I fight the road rage

To see my beautiful country.

Still, I cruise through, coasting on these highways

passing another heart stopped

Another littered road,

filled with glass - metal - blood.

I so badly want to take to the highways to see this beautiful country, but is it safe? It’s proven quite dangerous, and there is truth to the fact that it’s safer to fly than to drive in America. A terribly sad truth. There are scammers peddling insurance companies for money, drunk and intoxicated drivers, distracted drivers…the list goes on. But I just pray God keeps my loved ones and me safe. At the end of the day, I just do my best on these roads and forgive the liars and cheats out there, making life harder for others.

On another note, I’ve been doing better at preparing meals I enjoy, like steamed whole fish, Trini Crab and Callaloo (or Spinach), and shrimp dishes full of veggies. I’m not a pescatarian, but my husband is, and I realize I, too, prefer to make fish and seafood my primary protein. In my area, I’m blessed with markets offering fish that I enjoy. Now that I’m spending less time online, I’m finding time to cook more. I’ve realized how much time was dedicated to online pursuits, and while it was entertaining, it was mostly time wasted. I still like to create and share, so I post regularly to Substack Notes, Podcast, and Articles to keep me active in sharing my joy and struggles. I post less to IG and Facebook since I have no real financial incentive and little reader loyalty to post there. I encourage my dedicated followers to come to Substack to get my emails and even become paid subscribers. It makes them not miss my content, and it makes me happier to share with those actually interested in what I have to say. I’d say that’s a win/win.

By the way, this weekend, particularly the 18th and 19th, is a great time to get plants that will grow above ground into the earth. The moon will be waxing, and that encourages plant growth. Mom and I are planting with the moon cycles after she saw how successful I was doing that last year. I will certainly miss the publication of the Farmer’s Almanac, which has helped growers do this for more than a century. The information is readily available online now, so that’s nice.

It’s about that time for my Artist Date. If you know the path of the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, you are well aware of taking yourself somewhere new for inspiration. I’m ready to start checking out museums and gardens that I haven’t been to yet. I hope to share that journey here.

Anyway, I think that’s enough pontificating for one day. Thank you for reading, and know I’ll be back with more photos and insights in my Notes, so check regularly! Peace and love, dear readers!

The spring is here, and our part of Earth is waking up. The blueberries have tiny, round babies that will be ready in a month or two. I’ve cooked skinny, tasty asparagus sprouts that are now coming up a few years after planting the mama seeds. I have one on the counter that I may eat with my eggs tomorrow morning. The hydrangea buds have taken a beating because of our unseasonably cold days the last few months, so we’ll see if anything actually flowers. I’m hoping the native hydrangea is hardy enough to still bloom.

I’ve been busy investing in my writing, hiring editors and mentors to help me churn out books by Christmas season, hopefully. Maybe even summer if the rewrites aren’t too intense. I learned so much from the Atlanta Writers’ Club meeting and then their Self Publishing conference. I’ve been active since I was introduced to the organization by my local library. The libraries hold treasures for all; we just have to go and discover them. The crew at my local branch is pretty amazing.

You don’t have to go far; local libraries get to know their communities’ needs and oblige when they can. They are so important to building intelligent thinkers that influence the world that they are being defunded at every opportunity. Sadly, many don’t respect an intellectual populace. They are active in the community, and it’s harder to take advantage of them. As they used to say in my youth, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

I remember enjoying Reading Rainbow as a child, knowing that I, too, had an amazing library to run to like the children on screen. I’ve been thrown down memory lane with the Count of Monte Cristo on PBS currently. The Alexandre Dumas book was one of my favorites as a teen. So I immediately engrossed myself in the series. Fantastic week of television for me. Virgin River on Netflix also has my interest.

I’ve steadily decreased the amount of time I spend scrolling. Better to knit and watch TV or pick up a book when I need entertainment. It’s not all terrible, though. Someone posted about the Macon, Ga Cherry Blossoms, so my daughter and I enjoyed a road trip there to stroll around town and enjoy the blossoms. I ended up picking up an LP of Otis Redding, one of the many greats that came out of Macon, for my Dad.

Despite so much chaos in the world, I believe there’s also an internal peace I insist on maintaining because my well-being depends on it. I read my Bible and Dharma texts for grounding that reminds me there’s a bigger picture and I may not see all the angles from my perspective. When the world blows a dark, cold wind on the souls of many, be the light in the tunnel illuminating the way for others. Hope is paramount in hard times. Knowing that sometimes, it’s a game of chess, not checkers, at play, and sometimes, one must persevere through the hard times that will eventually blossom into new beginnings down the road.

This country is in the middle of a reckoning. The simple fact is that the workings of this country are based on racism; the entire country must deal with the fact that many would rather experience hell than vote for a Black woman. So hell it is.

My soul will not reside in the dystopia so many seem to want to create. My soul is fortified by grace, faith, knowledge, patience, and wisdom. I cannot be easily shaken by the tyrants of the world. When you have a solid foundation, it is hard to sway you into the depths of darkness. If you feel the light of love in your heart, no one can lead you away from believing in hope and justice.

In Jaiya John’s latest piece, he reminds us that we must release our tears to water the earth. Our grief allows things to break open, to grow. We must know our strength in hard times.

“Crying out, you water souls with your tender song. After you weep, your soul, your soil, is soft. This is a good time to plant healing seeds.

Day is a river. If you soak yourself in it, day will wash your spirit clean. You and day will be two flowing waters, a harmony. Stay in your spirit. Life flows easier this way. Like mountain spring water trembling and bright from birth, flows the purity of your heart. Breathe and grow calm. If you slow your river, more light can dance in it,” - Jaiya John

Let us learn from this wisdom. I find it is easy to grow a callused heart in these times. So much grief that you become numb. Don’t let that happen. I tell this to myself as well. Let the tears flow. Do not be hardened by life where you don’t feel the exquisite flow of rain from your body.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This, too, shall pass.

Let not your heart carry on the burdens of the world. Give the burdens to God to carry. However you visualize God, that maker that made you, the heavens and stars, that Universal entity coursing through all our bodies that makes us one with this planet. Whatever you may believe, even if it’s just in the philosophers or encyclopedias, believe that something, someone, sees a perspective you don’t see and will hold your burdens wholeheartedly.

Think about these words and let me know your thoughts if you’d like to share. I hope you find inspiration in that budding blueberry or the Milky Way above. Find peace in the simple things, and know that if God created the heavens, he can create peace within your heart. Strive for the blessings that are yours to have. And through a peaceful heart, one is given the world.

I am pleased with how this turned out.

Read more