I celebrate the fathers in my life

 Good morning!!

An excerpt that I wrote....

"....My father celebrated me in the way his father celebrated me, and it makes me think of the fact that my grandfathers’ father celebrated him and his siblings in that amazing way, bathing with love. And I find it ironic that I am sharing this on father’s day and being filled with the warmness and fondness of memory of the fathers in my life that held me up with joyful gratitude. And ALL of them went through such strife in their lives and personal self-doubting and hardships….and yet, could pass on a legacy of love and celebration. And boom! As I reflect on the choice I made at 12 to be a good parent, I realize that I passed on that love and celebration to my own boys to share with others."

#thankyouGod #lovingWithDelight #LeavingaLoveLegacy #Oneanotherlove #DivineGifts #Happyfathersday

Could you learn even more of those around you?

 

I just LOVE those in my life who love without condition and from their childlike innocence....my dear cashier at my local grocery store that I have probably known for as long as I've had children just shared with me the "heart" of change.

She was so excited to see me and even more excited to share what she has learned...she leaned in with her masked face and said... "...so, I've been doing my part and this is what I recently learned from history....". And then she processed to share a poem about change and light. She said that sometimes we have to get a little angry and pushed to passion to make a change...

So...you don't have a mean bone in your body...good! But could you learn even more of those around you? I know I spend a part of my day doing just that and didn't even realize it until my beautiful friend shared what she is doing

Now to track down that poem.

#oneanotherlove #wecanLovemore #childlikejoy

Bias! Have you questioned biases that you are holding?

 Good morning!

Bias!

I have had a lot of people try and convince that something or someone is wrong by only showing me all the faults.

I guess from way back when, when people would share about my horoscope and point out the "scale" of balance as an aspect of character I should strive for while they pointed out everything they found wrong with me LOL.

You see, the funny part is, as I heard these things, I KNEW that I knew all the stuff that was good about me that they chose not to see.

It's interesting that in this moment, I am filled with such gratitude to those who persisted in this way...even now! They continue to help reinforce that "balance" of observation and reminded me to look for that glimmer of good in others...and nurture that.

You can try and convince me that someone is an awful person, but unless you can ALSO point out the good they ARE doing, then you are operating in bias. (LOL, and yes, that is a decided bias on my part 😉)

I've been unravelling my OWN biases lately and questioning how they serve. Have you questioned biases that you are holding?

#ThankyouGod #gratitude #Divinegifts #INjoy #weAREmore #BEYONDbias #seemoeclear #2020visionary

Self love is a radical act (written by Thando Hopa)

 

#LoveFirst

...."You know self love is a radical act. I'm not talking about self-love from a beauty angle I am talking about it from a general political standpoint. So many of our identities are devalued in a capitalist system. Our blackness, our womanhood, our age, our socio-economic status, the colour of our skins and and and... We are trying to be creative, be family orientated, make a living, build healthy relationships, foster value creation in what we do, BUT, while this is happening, we are multitasking, because we're simultaneously carrying bodies that have to fight off stigmatization threat, consider harm avoidance, undertake risk analysis in contexts where we lack social capital. This can be seriously exhausting and will probably hurt you in ways you can't immediately unpack.

My understanding of self love (as I learn it) is that it is a practice that needs effort, because you're consistently countering many forms of built in cultural devaluation towards your body.

Self love, to me, is to commit to living and speaking your truth even when it is inconvenient. It is to pursue compassion for yourself by looking for the wins in battles you feel you've lost. It is to believe that you are capable of improvement and growth. It is to understand that your self worth is not up for negotiation to anyone. . It is to believe that you are deserving of joy and lightness. It is to know that you're doing the best you can under the circumstances.

What I have tried to practice in my recent history is that when your mind is hurt because you've fought off psychological warfare that comes with a capitalist culture, and you are not in good shape at the end of the day – return to spaces that remind you of love. This can be family, cooking, writing, reading, cuddling with your partner... whatever it is. Return to a place where the unedited version of you feels at home, accepted and gets to re-experience love during those moments.

Calm your mind, rejuvenate, laugh, center yourself and move out into the world once more armed with self love as your most potent tool of resistance. . "

Photo credit @mytruth.tv