Life is so precious, so anytime news of the death/passing of a dear friend or loved one, can still come as a shock, especially given that to some of us the person was still considered young. Case in point Tom Joyner announced the passing of a fellow radio/television personality…Bo Griffin, a Greenville, South Carolina native whose bubbly personality was enjoyed by listeners and viewers everywhere. I personally remember her appearances on the TV show ‘Extra’ and becoming a designer for women’s apparel. Just 51 years young, Bo succumbed to cancer, and the question of  ‘why so soon, why so young’  has entered the minds of the TJMS family. As we remember Bo, please remember that life is short and tomorrow is promised to NO ONE, so I want to encourage all of us to PLEASE take better care of ourselves, and don’t wait to the last minute to see a Doctor or Physician. And may we continue to be the soldiers in the fight against Cancer, Diabetes, Stroke, High Blood Pressure and other factors that took a dear friend like Bo Griffin, ‘just a little too soon.’

February 14th marks a special day for lovers everywhere, and as you fine folks celebrate the love of your mate and/or significant other let Valentine’s Day remind you that its more that just how many flowers, or how well in advance you book dinner reservations…they are nice ‘accessories’, but your true love from your heart, soul, and spirit can be the greatest gift(s) in itself! It should be a love that can stand the test to time and get you through even the toughest of days, and your TRUE valentine will understand and appreciate what your love represents. So to all Valentines, everywhere, although I can’t send you a bouquet of flowers or a box or candy…just know that MY love I send to you comes not just on Valentine’s Day…but everyday!… and yes I do LOVE YOU and please make sure you show YOURSELF some love….I’m just saying:)

Sending out the battle cry for ALL prayers going towards ENDING this now miserable winter weather. It was a beautiful site at the beginning of last weekend, given that we haven’t had a really good snow in several years. BUT when it starts happening on the regular…and a pattern seems to be developing here…remember the Friday/weekend going into the Christmas holiday of 2009? Last weekend of course and now this weekend only leaving Sunday, which for most of us is the last day of trying to get any type of rest before heading back to work(good luck on this by the way with this being the BIG GAME WEEKEND)..Alright everyone, let’s get into the prayer position(s) and pray this weather away…at least for another day!

Not only do we reflect on the history of African-Americans, but Black History Month allows ALL of us to learn and gather a respect of the rich contributions of men and women who were doctors, lawyers, city council members, teachers, athletes, great orators,  preachers, mothers, fathers, grand-parents… any and everyone who made a difference in our schools, neighborhoods, churches, and in every nook and cranny of our society!

Sadly, there’s history that this country should continue to be very ashamed of from denying the rights of voting, going to a college or university of our choosing, or not able to ride in the front of a bus or other forms of public transportation or drinking out of a water fountain marked ‘white’ and ‘colored’ and eating in separate restaurants and other public places that serve food.

But we (African-Americans) as  a people continue to have a strong faith that has helped us overcome adversity and has brought us a mighty long way, although we will always have a long way to go…but the journey in the process continues to give us the hope and strength we need to survive and carry on!

Just the recent events that February 1, 2010 brought us with the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, just seeing and hearing from the remaining 3 survivors of the N.C. A&T 4 that sparked a change in black history forever (February 1, 1960), should be a reminder to us all that history never stops being made! So let’s continue to teach, talk about, and especially inspire one another to never forget where we come from and that WE ALL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY to make history!

I was reading a very interesting article on ‘Why black women believe men so easily when it comes to religion. The author went on to say that she interviewed over 250 single, married and divorced women combined and the one thing that the majority of them had in common was religion and wanting a religious man. They were from different socialand economical backrounds but they shared religion common. The majority of the ladies said that they are attracted to men who say they attend church  and/or express religious beliefs. Some of the ladies say that their men only expressed those beliefs to impress them and they didn’t go to church before they started to date or before they got married.  They said  there men talked one thing but actions said another. Have you even thought about this before? Do you know someone who believes any and everything a person says as long as it’s about religion? It’s not just black women although it might seem like it because in our culture the churches are busting from the seams with black women. Some of the ladies expressed that even when a man has done them wrong they always have the church to fall back on. Every situation is different but the next time your in church just take a look around and you’ll see the make-up of the congregation. The article wasn’t painting anyone who attends church regularly in a bad light it was just showing how people can be manlipulated when there guard is down. It’s the last place and the last thing you’d think someone would lie about but it happens everyday and not always in church. It could be at school, work, or anywhere. The state of Missouri’s Slogan is “The show me state” and that’s how I roll. Talk is real cheap and I’d like to be judged on my actions. In summary just because someone says all the right things about what your passionate about  doesn’t mean you should give them the key to the city without examining things first hand. Satan was extremley knowledgible of the word and you know what happened to him right? There’s an old saying….Believe all of what you SEE and half of what you Hear. Your thoughts are welcome.

There are likely many things in your personal life that get you through those ‘tough’ times- prayer, talking to someone, maybe even writing in a journal to see your thoughts come to life on paper. For me..I like to refer to it as the three ‘p’s…

PRAYER, PERSEVERANCE, and PATIENCE. The most important of these for me is indeed prayer- and shall we say I don’t ‘leave home without it’, always giving thanks to his Almighty for even letting me live to see the day, and giving thanks before I close my eyes and pray that I will live to see just one more day! Perseverance, which at times can run in short supply, reassures me that the next day will always be better than the day prior, because if you really stop and think about it, no two days are ever exactly the same. And lastly patience, which is an extension of perseverance and largely serves as a great back-up plan in making sure what may begin as a rough start to any day, will NOT be the case by the end of the day. So I pass along this blog in hopes of (1) letting you know that we ALL have those days that may start off rocky, but (2) when you meditate on those 3 ‘p’ s, which I often do..everything really is going to be alright. And as I always like to say when saying good-bye for the day on the radio…THERE ARE NO BAD DAYS..SOME DAYS ARE JUST BETTER THAN OTHERS!

Today I celebrate a milestone…turning the big 4-0:)…it’s a day of mixed blessings while the devastation of Haiti still weighs heavy on my mind, but at the same time I reflect in the excitement of thinking back to the years of spending those yearly celebrations with family and close friends, and even meeting and getting to know my extended family like you. Bittersweet because some family(like my grandmother) are no longer here to call and wish me a happy anniversay, but I know she and other dear ones I’ve lost are smiling down from the clouds up above! So I give thanks to my God for letting me celebrate another year..and to you Mommy for bringing me into the world..and who knew your little girl grew up right before your eyes!

Just when you think you’re having a bad day…someone, somewhere has got it worse. That phrase has never been more profound as the country of Haiti desperately tries to make sense of how to survive such a horrific ordeal as an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shook the country to its core. And as this world continues to help in aid with water, medical supplies and trying to comfort those who have lost families, friends, and loved ones, do we ever think of the possibility of  reliving the nightmare(that for some people has never really gone away) of 9-11, and what possible support would we receive on a global scale. I had a friend in College who was Haitian-American, and I can’t even begin to image what possible hell Carla could be going through in trying to contact her family, as she once told me that her Father still remained in the Country with other relatives. For all the indifferences that exist here in the United States…financial bailouts to big banks and Ceo’s getting outrageous bonuses to Senators of both the House and Senate who still can’t agree on a Universal HealthCare plan, a lot of us are blessed in more ways than we care to realize. So the next time I dare start to complain about  i.e. not being ‘rich’ enough or living in a more ’fanciful’ home, please stop me and remind me of a person in Haiti or anywhere in the world where people have nothing and may have to start life over with nothing and to just simply count my blessings(and yours)….one by one!