Blessed & Curvy

Greetings All, I was asked what happened to my posts for the month of March? My answer was the world shut down! I was excited about my birthday month it was going to be the big double nickel year. I had decided I didn't want a birthday party, I had made arrangements for a custom cake and a family birthday dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Literally  I had posted about my father's passing 8 days before my birthday many years ago and within 24 hours one of my nieces was rushed to the  hospital almost dying. I fell apart,  I was begging God please don't let her die, and saying she has a son who needs her. I am older , never married and no kids if anyone can go let it be me and let her live! God's plan is not my plans and I can't bargain with him. So she got better, my birthday party was  canceled, my job sent all of us home to work, and the governor said only come out for gas, groceries  and to the bank.  Th...

G rief and the sickeningly sweet smell of too many flowers hung heavy in the warm air of the late August afternoon. Morgan felt the weight of tears shed and hearts breaking. She rubbed her hands down her black silk suit when she walked slowly toward the simple wooden coffin that held the body of her beloved baby brother, Winston. “ Half -brother.” She could almost imagine her mother, Marie, standing in front of her and uttering the word “half” as if it were some sort of disease. Morgan breathed deeply and pushed Marie’s words from her mind as she exhaled. They had no place here. Winston’s mask-like, powdered face somehow belied the words “heart attack” that still echoed in her head. Morgan stepped away from the coffin and quickly brushed away her tears. She fled the church and barely heard the words of comfort tossed her way. Outside there would be air she could breathe without inhaling the pain of the mourners. Morgan moved quickly once outside. Her legs felt some...

During this time when everyone is shut in the house , looking for something to do, and anxious about what tomorrow will bring.  This is the perfect time to reflect on life and take out your pen and paper to journal. Here's some tips: Always carry journal with you Keep entries short Use a cheap notebook or sketchbook Treat yourself to a splurge on the right journal Don't right on the first page ( I never knew this and I always wrote what my goal was for the year) Don't stress about writing every day  Create a relaxing routine around journaling incorporate it into your existing routine keep it simple make a list don't beat yourself up over mistakes create your own layout practice your handwriting use a ruler try bullet journaling try many types or methods to see what works for you  look into writing prompts  i.e. I did writing sprints when I was writing a book and it made me challenge myself once in a while to let it all out without edit...

What would you do if you took a picture of your child and saw a bright white glow in her eye? How would you feel if the eye doctor said: “Your child has eye cancer and will have emergency surgery to remove the tumor or one or both eyes?” This book tells the story of a 27-year-old deafblind female retinoblastoma cancer survivor through the eyes of the survivor and her mother. This book will inspire parents, guardians, and teenagers who are affected by childhood cancer or who are eye cancer survivors. Sometimes we have to look backward in order to move forward when going through tough times. It is not impossible to move forward with humor and resiliency. This book will show you how to do just that while stepping outside of your comfort zone. Learn how Zaakirah and her mother Khaidah, thrived through life after the rare cancer diagnosis. In this book, they share experiences and what they learned from living with bilateral retinoblastoma and hearing impairment....

We have the pleasure of interviewing political spoken word author Oscar Sanders to discuss his new book  Exposing Politics: A Collection of Poetry 1. What made you decide to write the book ? The void of true information and knowledge for young people that is necessary to embrace your future and understand that you are better off informed and part of the process to improve my quality of life than ignorant hypnotized by their cell phones! Exposing Politics: A Collection of Poetry a social justice spoken word book that delves into the system and processes of racism, discrimination, and inequality. Systemically, dark forces work daily to rollback the rights our ancestors fought for in an effort to chain our humane hopes of personal and professional success. So Exposing Politics is like a crusade for me to improve young consciousness and spur activism at large!  2. About the Author? I was born in the Bronx on September 10, 1960 to two loving a supportive ...

What made me write was the death of my mother! I had so many emotions pinned up that I felt I was in it alone and no one could understand. I took out my journal and the words bled onto the pages. Flooded by tears I went through not just grieving her, I went back to my childhood and memories that I had hid in the back of my mind came forth. I grieved a part of myself that I left in Connecticut, I grieved relationships that were gone, and I grieved a job that was my life. I wrote so much until my family begged me to stopped. I was drowning in my grief and I needed to come back. It was through the ministers at my church that prayed for me, called me,  on occasion had me to come out of the house and talk. Talking through my feeling that I had lost my mother on my watch! I had prepared all appointments, I had taken her to the doctors, and yet I was caught off guard. She had Alzheimer's, I remember the doctor saying if she wants cheesecake let her have it, ...