Can you feel a brand new day?!

On the eve of the new year, I am reflecting, giving thanks and becoming excited about the possibilities. 2007 is coming to a close, and it has been a full year! A year full of trials (trials that we made it through!), blessings (especially the birth of my healthy, Juicy Boy one day after his due date, in spite of his premature intro), and growth (my hair(style)--thanks Omi, mind, and spirit)! I'm sure you can tell it has also been a year of excitement by all of the exclamation points that I've been using:) I am thankful to God for all of last year. Yes, even the trials. They say that without valleys, you never truly enjoy the mountain top experiences. The mountain top experiences are awesome -- as in the real definition of the word, not the valley girl word that everyone uses when they see their newly transformed room on television.

I am looking forward to more mountain top experiences. In 2008, I am focused on the Ps. In 2008...I will be Prayerful. I will Praise God. I will be Positive. I will Progress. I will be Prosperous. I will live in Peace.

I wish these Ps and more for you and your family in 2008. Happy New Year! Can't you feel a brand new day?!

Happy Birthday Mommy! I LOVE YOU!

Today is my mommy's birthday. She is a phenominal woman! I love her very much. This is her favorite version of Happy Birthday, so join me in wishing the best mother in the world (in my opinion!!!) a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Go Glo! It's your birthday! We're gonna party like it's your birthday!!!
Love, Jillie

The Reason for the Season...

I am feeling the Christmas Spirit, but I know some of you are not. Christmas is a tough time of year for many people. When your feeling you're funk, sing this Heather Headley song from a couple years back, He Is. I know this song was played on the radio and many people thought it was about her man. Well, Rev. Hicks, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington DC, broke this song down in a sermon that I will never forget.

Heather Headley sings...He is..the mind injector, the heart protector, the soul defender of anything I fear, the baby conceiver, the make me believer, the joy bringer, the love giver He is the dough increaser, the pleasure releaser ,the hard knocks knower without the scars to show ya, the night school teacher, the good life preacher, the caretaker, the kiss craver, He is the make it alright to get you through the night ,the soul defender of anything I fear, The pain remover, bad times undoer, the joy bringer, the love giver.

When you think about it, God is this and so much more. That is enough to make a smile permeate my heart. I hope it reaches yours...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

This is my favorite time of year! I love the Christmas season! Bear says that I'm like Will Ferrell in ELF, "Santa's Coming!!!!!!!" I get excited the evening of Thanksgiving because WDAS starts playing Christmas carols. My heart feels good singing about and celebrating about the most amazing gift I've ever received...the birth of Christ.

This is the time of year when people seem to understand what it means to celebrate the birth of Christ by being Christ-like. It is the time of year when all Christians give of themselves. People give time to others by spending time with the elderly, sick, and shut in. They sing carols or read stories or just talk about the goodness in the air. People give their talents by performing, creating, crafting, baking, and cooking. People give their energy to plan, coordinate, support, supervise, execute programs, dinners, luncheons, breakfasts, performances and parties. People give their money to help those who are less fortunate than they are. They adopt families and provide them with gifts - a mixture of items they need and want. They adopt children at schools to ensure that they wake with a smile on Christmas morning when they see presents under the tree, and get just what they wanted. People give way...their spirit is more compromising and open, eliminating the negative.

This is a time when the innocence, hope and wonder of children is transferred to adults also. It is a time of belief. Children are told the story of Santa. They hear about him and his magical powers. They never see him, but see evidence of him. They aren't sure how he completes his task, but they believe. Those children are like adults believing in Christ. They hear about him and his magical powers. They don't see Him, but see evidence of him daily. They aren't sure how He continues to bless us in so many ways, but they believe. That's belief is the celebration of the birth and life of Christ. I love sharing my belief in Christ and the celebration of His guidance, sacrifice and good as a collective whole during this season.

I participate in the spiritual celebration of the birth of Christ during this time. I also participate in putting lights and candles on the outside of houses to signify that we believe in Jesus, the Light of the World. Think about that as you drive around to look at home designs. What a wonderful energy to know that those people are believers. I participate in putting up and decorating an evergreen because God is never changing...He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I participate in giving gifts because God gave us the ultimate present...Christ.

I participate in singing Handel's Messiah while putting up the Christmas tree (because my daddy started that tradition). I participate in keeping the gifts for Princess, Juicy Boy (his first!!!), Bear, my family and friends a secret. I participate in getting excited when I think I've found the perfect gift. I participate in staying up late on Christmas Eve with Bear putting together those special gifts with lots of decals, strong wire (Barbie will never slip out of her box!), and tons of tape so they will be waiting when the kids wake in the morning. I participate in making butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and now gingerbread cookies with Princess and NeeNee (because NeeNee did that with Uncle Brownie and I and it the memories just feel right). I participate in spending time visiting friends and family to share in a communal Spirit of Love and Light. I participate in sending and receiving Christmas cards to say I'm thinking of you and to wish that the blessings of the season continue through the next year. I participate in watching the Christmas cartoons (I'm Mr. Heatmiser, I'm Mr. Sun...) with Princess and remembering watching it with Buddah and NeeNee. I participate in cooking a good meal for Christmas day. I participate in dancing with my mom and aunt and singing from out serving spoons in the kitchen...All these things and more....That's what Christmas means to me!

chocolate rain...

Okay, in the past,I've checked out youtube.com when someone told me about a funny video, or when I was trying to share a funny video with someone else. I've also gone to youtube.com to hear a new song, or an old favorite (as you can tell from previous posts), or to check out a new dance. So, when I read about this guy with a frog voice singing about chocolate rain, I went on to check it out.

This guy, Tay Zonday, is an ageless (Is he 17 or 43?), skinny, Black guy singing in a bare studio with an extremely deep baritone. He is expressionless and has some quirky tendencies which you can view on the video. There are a lot of people writing about Tay Zonday on the internet. Some people think he's great and hilariously funny, without trying to be, which is even more funny. Other people think he's coonin' and really needs to stop the madness. Well, I looked at the video and was struck by his quirkiness, his voice, and yes, his appearance. But the song, Chocolate Rain, would not get out of my head!!! I played the video a second time and this time caught some of his lyrics...hey, he's talking about some serious societal ills/realities. This guy may seem like a joke, but listen to what he's saying...

Chocolate Rain
Some stay dry and others feel the pain
Chocolate Rain
A baby born will die before the sin
Chocolate Rain
The school books say it can't be here again
Chocolate Rain
The prisons make you wonder where it went
Chocolate Rain
Build a tent and say the world is dry
Chocolate Rain
Zoom the camera out and see the lie
Chocolate Rain
Forecast to be falling yesterday
Chocolate Rain
Only in the past is what they say
Chocolate Rain
Raised your neighborhood insurance rates
Chocolate Rain
Makes us happy livin' in a gate
Chocolate Rain
Made me cross the street the other day
Chocolate Rain
Made you turn your head the other way
(Chorus)Chocolate Rain
quickly crashing through your veins history
Chocolate Rain
Using you to fall back down again[Repeat]
Chocolate Rain
Seldom mentioned on the radio
Chocolate Rain
Its the fear your leaders call control
Chocolate Rain
Worse than swearing worse than calling names
Chocolate Rain
Say it publicly and you're insane
Chocolate Rain
No one wants to hear about it now
Chocolate Rain
Wish real hard it goes away somehow
Chocolate Rain
Makes the best of friends begin to fight
Chocolate Rain
But did they know each other in the light?
Chocolate Rain
Every February washed away
Chocolate Rain
Stays behind as colors celebrate
Chocolate Rain
The same crime has a higher price to pay
Chocolate Rain
The judge and jury swear it's not the face
(Chorus)
Chocolate Rain
Dirty secrets of economy
Chocolate Rain
Turns that body into GDP
Chocolate Rain
The bell curve blames the baby's DNA
Chocolate Rain
But test scores are how much the parents make
Chocolate Rain
Flippin' cars in France the other night
Chocolate Rain
Cleans the sewers out beneath Mumbai
Chocolate Rain
'Cross the world and back its all the same
Chocolate Rain
Angels cry and shake their heads in shame
Chocolate Rain
Lifts the ark of paradise in sin
Chocolate Rain
Which part do you think you're livin' in?
Chocolate Rain
More than marchin' more than passing law
Chocolate Rain
Remake how we got to where we are.

Tay Zonday is no Langston Hughes (but how many people are?), Amiri Baraka, or Maurice White (yes of EW&F), but his words cause us to stop, look, listen, and respond. Chocolate Rain talks of the daily experience of brown people around the world...

Now, choosing to post this poem/work as a song on youtube.com may seem like he's just out there for laughs. Is he really out there for laughs or is he spreading his message like wild fire to those who wouldn't have a conversation about it, read it in a book, or hear it at spoken word night? Is he crafty? Is he creatively getting out a message that sometimes hurts, stings, and makes us cry? Who's getting the last laugh? You decide...

Chocolate Rain...

Proud Mommy

Today was a day of challenge. I had to deal with a challenge at work that got me fired up! I mean so fired up that I had to have some friends talk to me, help me focus, and calm down. I was still a little fired up when I went to pick up Princess from school...and then I saw her. She slowly started putting out the fire as soon as I saw her face and just took her all in...talking 100 miles a minute. Then when I got home, Juicy Boy, gave me the biggest grin and crawled to me so quickly so that there was only smoldering coals in my system. Bear greeted me with open arms and a hug that melted all of the hurt away. All that was left, was a memory of the fire.

I am thankful for my family. I love my family. I am a proud mommy of two wonderful children. They make me laugh, smile, fill up, run, jump, dance, giggle, sigh, cry (with joy and pain), and just feel good. Juicy Boy, my miracle child, (you can't tell that this time last year, he and I were talking, praying and working with God so he would stay in the womb) is standing up and inching along. My big boy, aka Mitts, (yeah, he's really a big boy) loves to pull up on the back of your legs and hold on while you walk. He's on his way! He is also developing a humorous little personality. He laughs appropriately at what you say to him. He makes eyes at women. Juicy Boy makes the best giggle when you dance with him. When the rhythm hits him, he starts clapping. You should have seen him at the Nutcracker performance we went to last Saturday (thanks to my Pittsburgh crew). Juicy Boy grins constantly...and, checks people out (he and Uncle Brownie had a little contest at Thanksgiving;) Oh, and he looks a lot like his Uncle Brownie did at this age. He loves, loves, loves, his sister. He especially love the princess when she pulls him on a blanket. Now whenever he sees a blanket, he crawls up to it, spreads out, and waits for her to take him on his ride! Juicy Boy is love!

My princess is...my princess. She is growing like a weed. (Her pants that were bought at the beginning of the school year are floods. Yeah, they are so bad that it looks like Noah is coming any day now.) She is a dancing, singing, acting, foreign language speaking (the French that they teach in school, the Spanish that her BFF speaks, and her made up language when she's feeling left out when others are speaking a language she doesn't know!), drawing, cutting, baking ball of energy. She has a great personality that sometimes transforms her into "Dramatica!" Princess gives wonderful hugs and kisses. She still likes to be sung to sleep sometimes. She likes to go to church. She loves dresses and watching basketball and football with her daddy. She is adding numbers at school. She is learning to write in cursive and read!!! I screamed when she brought home her first practice sheets of cursive writing. She loves life. She loves her daddy (she's always saying "just the two of us" to him) and she loves her baby brother. She is magical...

Thank you Lord for the INCOMING blessing of family love. Thank you Lord for my Bear (his post is coming soon). Thank you Lord for my babies...

Happy Feelin's in the Air!

I'm on my break at school and blogging...I can't believe it, but I felt the need to write. I am busy. I know we all are busy with life's schedules...go to work, drop off children at school, complete assignments, make deadlines, go home, bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, and never ever let him forget he's my man! ('cause I'm a woman, Enjoli.) I'm sorry, I got caught up in the song. I am busy. Busier than usual, but...I am not freaking out. I'm happy.

I am happy to be busy because there are a lot of INCOMING blessings that are making me busy. After writing about my need to complete the book I started four years ago, I completed it! The book is a reflection of how I feel about my children, Princess and Juicy Boy. They are indeed blessings. I am now in the process of finding a good agent so I can get it published (If you know of one, or how to get a good agent, please let me know). God is good.

I am also creating cards (and gift bags, and jewelry boxes, and lunchboxes)again. Jillybeans cards are back! I will be participating in a home show on Friday (thanks ms. espresso). I have also been asked to create a special line of cards to accompany jewelry sales (thanks gem of a friend). What a wonderful opportunity to stretch me to develop another line of cards. I have quite a few to do, but I am excited and thankful for the opportunity. I am enjoying the process... God is good.

I am also enjoying blogging. This blog really makes me thankful for all of the blessings I receive. It also makes me look at challenging situations to watch out for the INCOMING blessings. The blog has afforded me the opportunity to have some amazing conversations about God, life, motherhood, marriage, finding your "thing"/talent, and using your gifts. I wish many of those conversations were on the blog as comments (because everyone I speak with has some good stuff to say)...but I know that you, my friends, will respond to the blog and post comments when you feel the urge...God is good.

I am thankful for this busy energy, this creative energy, this openness because it lacks stress. When I realized it wasn't present, I was thankful for moving forward with grace, strength, and abundance while living, laughing, learning, and loving. God is good. So, as Frankie Beverly says, "I've seen the Light, Watched it shine down on me, I'm gonna spread my wings yeah, An' I'm gonna tell all I've seen, These happy feelin's (feel that happy feelin'), I'll spread them all over the world, From deep in my soul, I wish you Happy Feelin's!