“The Beast”

"You don’t know the nature of the beast." I heard that statement a lot, but there are times you do know the nature of the beast yet you hope or you believe you could change his/her nature… hmm

“She Kept Forgiving”

They met at a soirée and the first thing she noticed was how handsome and debonair he was. His voice was soft and he sounded smart. They talked and she enjoyed the time spent with him. When she noticed the wedding band on his finger, she asked politely about his wife, but he said, “That person is not a topic for discussion.”
“I’m so sorry. I did not mean to step out of line.”
“No need to be apologetic.” After he said that, he talked a little bit about her and how badly she treats him. She felt sorry for him and an affair started. It was beautiful in the beginning, but then he became abusive. He told her that his attitude was due to the terrible way his wife treats him. She forgave him, but he did not stop and she kept forgiving...

“A Time Zone Of Unhappiness”

She was amazed by conversations she had with some people. Out of the group, two were happy and the other three were sad. Everything they talked about was negative, and they were all agreeing with each other~ just adding more and more unhappy stories. It was as though these three people were stuck in a time zone of unhappiness. The two happy people looked at each other then one of them rolled her eyes as she said, “Ladies, I am leaving. I will talk to you all another time.”
When she walked away, the other happy person wanted to leave, but then she said, “We are in the third month of the year and I am wondering~ Is there anything that made any of you laugh, or give your heart a burst of joy? Is there anything?...”

“Your Word”

I know I must be sounding like a broken record, but I love to give dues when it is due~ I always have to give Jack his jacket and Jim his Jim-boots so here we go again~ The old folks got it right~ My father used to say this, “Your word is your bond… When you promise to do something, do it” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1
We wonder why our lives go haywire at times~ How many broken promises are on your list?… hmm…

“She Seems Angry”

I dressed in my spring coat yesterday. When I walked through the front door, I said, “Oh jees-an’-ages! I stood contemplating, whether or not to go and put on my winter coat. A neighbor walked by and said, “It is a chilly morning.”
“A chilly morning is an understatement~ This is a bitterly cold morning~ Winter is back~ She seems angry to me, and I feel the same way~ I am pissed!”…

“Oh! It’s You”

One day she was talking to her mother. “When was the last time, you spoke to your aunt Marian?” Her mother asked.
“In all honesty, I cannot remember.”
“You must give her a call, she asked about you. She said that you don’t visit or call her. I think you should pay her a visit soon.”
“I will.”
After the conversation with her mother she thought about her aunt and how much she disliked her. Aunt Marian was polite to her on a number of occasions, and those occasions could be counted on the fingers of one hand. She felt that a phone call should suffice because she had no intentions of having a face to face. As she dialed her Aunt Marian’s phone number, her inkling was saying don’t, but she ignored it.
“Hello!” Her aunt said.
“Hi Aunt Marian.”
“Oh! It’s you!”
The intonation of the words told her that her aunt was actually saying, “Why, the hell, are you calling me?!”
Although she felt a bit put off, she politely said, “Yes it’s me. How are you?”
“I’m fine and I am very busy!”
“Okay. Have a nice day,” she said then hung up the phone. A few minutes later it started ringing. She picked up the receiver and again her intuition, was saying don’t.
“Hello?”
“Who the hell do you think you are?! How dare you hang up the phone on me?!…

“Are You Stupid”

At times we all take life for granted~
We do and say the unthinkable about others, ignoring the consequences~
If someone told a lie about you, which was really bad, are you stupid for feeling sorry for them?…

“It Is Scary”

I have a son… A black male and it is scary to think about what each day will bring into his life… I am thinking about Trayvon Martin, and how heartbreaking it is for his parents.
At a very young age, I told my son, and it was sad to say, but it was the truth… You have strikes against you…
1. You are black.
2. You are a male.
3. You don’t have an education…
You cannot change yourself, but you can make changes to your educational status. Go to school and get a good education…
When you go to the store, the workers in the store may shadow you… ignore them… get what you want, pay for it, let them give you a bag and your receipt…
If you are stopped by the police make sure they could see your hands…
Now I have to remind my son to be aware of the neighborhood watch… He might be packing heat, and easily upset when he sees a black man.

“I Will Question You”

Yes I am an author, but I am a mother first. You are my son and daughter~
You could be 21 or older~
You are still my baby~
I will question you~
What is going on?
Is everything okay?
What is the latest important situation you are dealing with?
Are you crazy~ are you nuts~ what is wrong with you?”
I will question you…

“It Is So Hard To Be Strong”

I don’t mean, physically powerful, or burly, or brawny, or muscular, or strapping, or sturdy, or well-built, or tough~ I mean it is so hard to be emotionally strong~ Just having the required emotional characteristics to deal with, GRIEF, LOSS and many other difficulties… It is so hard to be strong…

Staying Emotionally Strong in Times of Adversity… by Jonathan
As much as we love smooth waters, an Arab proverb states that smooth waters do not make skillful sailors. In this journey called life, the question is not, “Will storms arise?” Rather, the question is, “When will the next storm arise?” And even more important than that question is, “What type of person will I be when the next storm arises?” Advanced life skills are needed to navigate these sometimes treacherous waters…

“This Beautiful Feeling”

I was feeling a bit down and wondering if today would be like the days gone by. Looking through the window about five this morning, I saw that a damp dense fog blanketed the area~ I felt like~ ‘Oh gosh another drab day’… Hours later, the sun burnt it all away.
I thanked God for making me see another day~
For lightening up the sky so brightly~
For calming my spirit~
For being able to walk, see, talk, eat, think, type~
For my vivid imagination and the clarity of it all~
For my appreciation of this sunny, spring morning, to be able to post this and~
For this beautiful feeling…

“God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try”~ Mother Theresa

“A Little Bit Of Kindness”

Stop for a moment, and hold on to the people you love and the people who love you~
Stop for a moment, and make someone happy~
It only takes a moment~
A little bit of kindness~ Goes a long way…

“Kindness Is A Gift”

It is love transferred~
You either have it or you don’t~
Some people accept it~
Some people don’t~
Kindness is a gift~ It is love transferred…

“As Usual”

Me and the old folks… A young girl was telling her grandmother that some of her classmates don’t like and some hate her.
Her grandmother said, “In this world, there are all kinds of people~ Liker and Disliker~ Lover and Hater. I have dealt with many of them and I am still dealing with them~ I must say, I love the liker and lover… I like the disliker and hater because I love to know where I stand.”
Get used to the idea that for the rest of your life, somebody out there is going to dislike and or hate you…

“Challenging Days”

I am grateful for seeing another day.
I am walking on an enchanting road.
I am facing challenging days.
I am not going to be discouraged by it.
I am blessed.

“I Say Patience”

A man sowed precious seed. While he slept an evil one went forth and sowed a measure full of darnel seed, then went his way. The soil was good, and so the wheat and darnel grew.
When the servants saw the weedy grass among the wheat, they said to the owner, “You sowed good seed, but where did this weedy grass come from?”
“An enemy has done this,” said the man.
“Shall we go out and pull up by the root, the grass?”
“No. The wheat and the grass grow close together in the soil. If you pull the grass you would destroy the wheat. Let them grow together until the harvest… Matt. 13:24-30
I say, PATIENCE!!!!!

The Eloquent Drunkard

One day, I woke up feeling tired and just not in the mood for the day… I had to go to the market to buy some ground provisions because I was going to make saltfish buljhol. I walked around the house just out of it. About mid-day, I left home and arrived at the back of the market. There were lots of people around. A man stood in a drunken state arguing with another man. People were laughing hard at the fluid language that was going back and forth… I was hearing some of it, but I was still in my despondent mood until one man said, “Get away from here, you drunkard,”
In a slow eloquent tone the drunkard said, “One think I know is that when I wake-up in the morning, I will be sober, but when you wake up in the morning… you still go be ugly.”
I had a fit of laughter…
Oh, what a nice day it was after all…

(Buljhol – A dish of de-salted codfish, oil, onion tomatoes etc)

“Lies Deceit Jealousy”

Hits you like a ton of bricks~ If you wallow in self-pity they gain strength…

“Here We Go Again”

There goes the clock~ An hour ahead.
Do I like it? No!
Can I do anything about it? No!
I could ask the last question again.
Can I do anything about it? Yes!
Don’t spiral the clock an hour ahead. Attend every event an hour later… Be prepared for the backlash from living as though it’s fall~ And accept it~ I wonder…

“Another Cold Day”

Yes it was cold, but it was beautiful. The sun was out in full blast. Shining so brightly in the blue sky, but there were streaks of clouds floating by… I loved it even though my hands were freezing because~ I forgot that this time of the year in NY, the glowing sun doesn’t necessarily mean that the atmosphere is warm…

“A Suspicious Mind”

The first day she met him, she thought to herself what a handsome and articulate man he was. They exchanged numbers~ conversed on the phone weekly and met at social events. She knew that a relationship would not ensue because she was four years older than him, and she had a rule~ “Never to date a younger man.”
One day, he said, “What would you say if I ask you to have dinner with me?”
“That will be nice,” she said and her heart fluttered.
“I am going to take this a little further. What would you say if I tell you, I would like to date you?”
Now her heart was on override, but she said, “That would be great.”
They started dating and were both happy with each other so they got married. Their relationship was perfect, and they were in love.
One day, she phoned his office… he did not answer nor did his secretary. She tried his cell phone~ then his pager, but he still did not answer. This has never happened, so she became apprehensive and she wondered what he was really up too. Fifteen minutes went by, and he did not call. Her wondering mind flowed to her husband’s secretary~ This woman was young and beautiful so she was thinking that they might be having an affair. “It is after six and the office is closed so they are probably together right at this moment,” she whispered and was livid because she broke her rule about dating younger men… now she was married to one. The phone started ringing and she answered.
“Hi, Sweetheart, is everything okay? I got your phone calls, but I couldn’t answer because I was in a meeting with Management~ I have just been promoted to Marketing Director…You and I have to go out tonight and celebrate,” He said sounding exciting…

“Oil and Water”

When I was a child, I always heard my parents say, “Oil and water don’t mix~ If water is put into hot oil it explodes.” I know those are two important facts to remember… hmm.
Yesterday, I was going to make curry shrimps with potato so I put a little oil in the pot to hot. The moment the oil was hot, I put garlic in it, although I knew my hands were wet… Mistake! After the wet garlic hit the oil, a big bubbling~ popping~ splashing of oil started… I ended up with three little burns on my face… Oh drama~ my fault. Now the cocoa butter with vitamin E oil has to work its magic on my face…

“Love And Faith”

Money cannot buy love and it cannot be sold for gold….
Ditto Faith.
Love and faith go hand in hand…

“Conquering The Stars”

We all have a talent. It is our passion so if we pursue it, it can lead us to higher ground~ Conquering the stars. Instead, we spend our time and energy trampling on the person/persons, who are in pursuit of theirs…

“Bitterly Cold”

Looking through the window I whispered, “Oh what a beautiful sunny and warm morning it is today. It really looks like a day to dress in, a tank top and short pants. ”
I did not let that moment of excitement blind me to truth, the temperature in this part of NY is 27º F and it feels like 17º F – A bitterly cold winter is back for a day~ Tomorrow is another story…

“Over-thinking”

It is not that great to spend too much time in your own head… In my opinion, I believe that most over-thinkers are pessimist~ naysayer~ worrywart~ cynic~ gloomy Gus~ wet blanket… Welcome to the club… I am an over-thinker, but I put pen to paper and my thoughts flow into a fictitious tale~ Nice~ Real nice! Who knows, maybe this is a fictitious tale~ hmm…

“I Don't Throw It Away”

I talked about this on a friends FB page the other day, but I want to share again in the defense of days old homemade bread. Today someone told me that they like freshly baked homemade bread, but they throw away what remains after two days. I told them that I don’t throw it away. I put the tawa –platten or a frying pan on a low fire. Put thin slices of homemade bread on the tawa or in the frying pan and leave it to toast. I turn the slices over every ten minutes until it is toasted to a golden brown.
When I was in Trinbago. I would eat it with Fernleaf butter, now I put grated extra sharp cheddar cheese on it… Yummy!

“Patience Is A Virtue”

I know it and I think it is the best, but there are times it just evades me…

“What Is Wrong With This”

He is 68 years and has never been married. She is 56 years and is a divorcee. They started dated and she fell in love with him. One night while they were having dinner, he asked her to marry him, and she said yes.
Then he said, “I want us to get engaged for two years; then we will get married.”
The moment he said those words, her happiness slipped away as she questioned his proposal~ What is wrong with this?…

“Another Gloomy Day”

Today I had a meeting and the people in the meeting, looked and sounded downhearted.
I smiled happily as I asked, “What’s going on?”
“It is another gloomy day. The stillness and the darkness outside, is depressing,” said one.
“On days like these everyone around me looks unhappy. Look at the people in the room!” said another.
I honestly was not paying attention to the atmosphere so the day was not bothering me. Although I was not feeling like them, I turned off my smile and I said in a depressing tone, It is really a, dampen the spirits, kind of day…