For my family, ushering in a New Year is synonymous with the celebration of my anniversary with my lovely wife (and my babies’ mama), Sonia.  I can’t imagine my life without her…much less another year.

I value marriage and family.

For many, success is determined by some public accomplishment.  However, any amount of success I might ever attain should be measured by my private life…by how my wife and children see me as a husband and father.

Our society doesn’t value marriage and family.

Oh well (to society)…Happy Anniversary to me…and Happy New Year to You and yours.

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND GONE RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES! But here we are saying good-bye to 2009 and ushering in 2010 in what many of us hope will be better than the year prior. As I write this blog, the song “Teach Me” from Musiq Soulchild was played during the Best of The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and it’s one lyric of the song that stands out the most in my mind…Teach Me How To Love….something that I believe this world is so sorely lacking in the latter half of this decade! Yes call me crazy and overly sentimental, but what the world needs is LOVE and much more that what we’ve expressed to one another as of late. Sadly everytime I listen to the news I watch stories of death and pure hatred between countries or stories of young people who never will have the chance to be productive citizens or a future President of the United States because their lives were tragically cut short at the hands of an adult who molested or sodomized them and even kills not just the body but the spirit!! And I know that death is imminent will all of us, but can we show a little more love and respect and kindness going into a new year…in fact let’s add on to some of the good things that took place before 2009 comes to an end…like having our first(and hopefully not our last) President of Color! So in closing I ask, “What’s in store for you as a new year is about to begin..I’m just saying!!!!

One day I was shopping over the holidays and over heard a women commenting about an interracial couple in the store.  She was very loud and damn near rude when she remarked how could HE be with that white B****! She followed that up with a giggle and told the other person on the phone be blessed and I’ll see you in church Sunday! I know many would say that’s just an isolated incident but is it? You know someone just like that and it seems to me they are growing in numbers. You know the holier than thou on Sunday but Monday thru Saturday they’re talking about folk, cheating, drunk, high and whatever else. Where does it say that love is for just one race, one color, one heritage? Is it me or does that sound like the opposite of a christian? So tell me just how religious are you? Do you think like this?

Every year, some well meaning individual will stroll up to me and ask, “Are you ready for Christmas?”  I clearly understand their perspective.  Anyone who has braved the malls and strips over the past several days should be crowned as winner of “Survivor..The Concrete Commercial Jungle Edition”. 

However, I’ve learned how to respond to that question.  I simply say, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for Christmas, but I know Christmas is always ready for me.” 

The greatest gift any of us will ever have (and fewer of us will ever receive) will never be found under a tree, but instead hung, bled, and died on one, on a hill called Calvary. 

Are you ready for Christmas?  Christmas is ready for you!

On behalf of my lovely wife, Sonia…our daughters, Shanda and Brittani, sons Joseph, Joshua and Jeremy, and our baby girl Jordan, we pray God’s best for you and yours this “holy-day” season.  Merry Christmas!

Come January 2010 the kid here turns the big….20/20:) and during the holiday season of 2009, I’ve discovered that the more anniversaries I celebrate, the TRUE meaning of Christmas comes into play. As a child growing up, sure there were the fantastical stories of Santa Claus sliding down a chimney with a sack full of toys, and if I was a really good girl, Santa would bring the one toy that was a must-have from an already extremely long list! Now fast forward a little bit to Christmas 2009 and it is so NOT about how many presents I receive but the GIFT of life, love, fellowship, family and friends and how Jesus died for my sins so that I may have everlasting life! And finally I’ve come to realize that I REALLY do like the new meaning that Christmas this year and every year to follow has become:)

Here we are, exactly one week before Christmas Day, and we are facing a Winter Storm of “epic” proportions…well, at least for the Triad.   For some, this is simply dreamy…a real life Christmas postcard.  For others, it’s a living nightmare. 

Although it is the same weather event, it yields two polarizing experiences.  Some will embrace the charm, serenity and beauty of the falling snow, while others will fear the cancellations and postponements, power outages, treacherous driving conditions, and overall inconvenience.  Yet, again, it’s the same weather event.

However, it’s nothing new for people to be a part of the same situation and have two totally different experiences.  Ask any husband and wife? 

Today, I choose to embrace the charm, serenity and beauty of the falling snow.  Let it…snow!

The first official…using that term loosely….winter storm of the season is here and there’s ALWAYS this tendency to make a mad dash to the grocery stores to stock up like we won’t see the light of a highway or street for the next several days! What makes us so determined to out drive, and in most cases out shop one another, because goodness knows by the the time I’M able to get to the stores, most of the bread, milk, and other items are completely gone! Remember when you do pay a visit to stock up for safety and/or survival PLEASE try to be kind and courteous(no snatching… or cussing the other person out for grabbing the last carton of liquid please)and above all PLEASE BE SAFE THIS WINTER!!!!

Ahhh…it’s that time of year again, when we ALL vow to stop smoking, lose weight, save (more) money or whatever the case may be. Last year, MY New Year’s resolution was NOT to make a New Year’s resolution and I’m happy to say…I stuck to it!!! This year, I think I’m going to make one though. I’m on a mission to help INSPIRE more people to be positive. Be positive about what they say and what they do. I’m also going to do it myself. I’m also encouraging people not to take whatever negative situations they may be going through INTO the new year. Resolve it NOW. If it can’t be resolved…then agree to disagree and move on. Life is too short to always be angry and harbor negativity. You push out negativity by being positive. Embrace positivity and bring about great things! This is my New Year’s Resolution. What’s yours?

Ok I know you just can’t ask a lady to choose one over the other but tonite for “Ladies Night” what would you rather have….A good Meal, a good movie or a good gift!

This particular subject struck me to write this blog after running into my former High School Band Teacher, whom I just happen to run into Tuesday afternoon, December 15th while shopping for some holiday cards. He and his wife look absolutely fabulous and immediately I begin to think to myself…(1) how long they’ve been married and (2) how many years young he was…but out of respect I declined to ask him face-to-face. Nonetheless, and I’m guessing here, well over 40 plus years of togetherness between the two. And then I reflect on the recent infidelities of Tiger Woods and a marriage that may be NO longer to his wife Elin, now that his many flings with MANY woman has come to light! A part of me feels kind of sorry for him because children are involved(although they’re way too you young and don’t a clue as to what’s going on), but mad as you know what for not leaving his ’sowing of wild oats’ behind and honestly respecting the sanctity of marriage. And thus I end by asking: “ Are you a strong soldier of marriage?”(cue music from Sade’s, I’M A SOLDIER OF LOVE) Do you try to respect and fulfull those vows, ’til death do us part?’… I’m just saying!!