The blessings 3

it was easy
the conversation
connection
the smile

mostly the smile

i like this part
the beginning
the words
sharing
worlds

The blessings 2

Last Sunday Reverdia and I sat in the back room at Vibrations and talked. Shared. We talked about what matters to poets. We talked about words and how we use them and throw them away like they are nothing. Reverdia and I know that they are not...nothing. We made a pact with each other that we would remember to cherish our words and remember that our words produce what is real in our worlds. Especially the words we say about ourselves. For women, I think, especially women who are sensitive about the weight of words and women who use words for a living, the crimes we commit the most often are the lies we tell about ourselves. The way we kill ourselves with our own words. This, I think, is worse than suicide. Because we kill ourselves and then wake up to kill ourselves again.

On this blog I posted a series of posts called bus stories. I even have a new book called My bus stories. Side note, the book is not complete in its most finished form but I have been selling the manuscript. The posts are real in the book. I write about the drama and stories and sayings I hear and see on the buses and trains I take mostly in Los Angeles. There are many. I noticed that keeping the journal of the bus stories made riding public transportation a bit easier. Funnier. I found myself looking forward to the next bus to see what the next drama was going to be. And there was always something. Such is life. Such are our thoughts. What we are looking for usually shows up. So this led me to create the next series of posts that I hope you will read and be inspired by as well. The next series will be the blessings posts. I will rename that eventually because it sounds (very hi pitched voice here) a liiiiiittle bit corny.

In the blessings posts I will share those moments and miracles when God made a way for me when it seemed like there was no way. Those days when The Great Mother gently ushered me out of harms way. Those hours when Awesome Father protected me and opened doors for me that I could not open myself. Doors that were not going to be opened anyway. Sometimes when we are in a pinch, and by we I mean I, we forget that we have been there before. We wonder how we will ever see our way through. Wonder who we can call on. We forget that God has always been there. We forget that the Universe is always in support of our highest good. Always.

I am a list maker. I love lists. Groceries, friends, people to invite to my shows, my favorite whatevers. Lists. I guess this is no different. The blessings series will be me listing, if you will, God's blessings to me. As if I could ever complete it! What this does for me is remind me that He has always been there. Just as the bus stories kept me looking for the next bus drama, the blessings posts will keep me looking for God's next miracle and reminding me that I am always embraced and held securely in Her bosom.

And that's the blessing to share today. The blessing of remembering God's love. I usually wake up very early to start my day. Sometimes I don't actually leave the house until the afternoon but I get up and get dressed because staying in bed is not so good for me too often. You know the saying about an idle mind? Well, yeah. My mind gets bored with too much rest and starts drudging up old conversations and dramas and pieces of my past that are not good for me and from there I can slip into a depression I don't easily come out of. And so, I love myself enough to get up. I love myself enough to remember that I am made in the image of God. A God who loves me. Who KNOWS me. A God who sets my mind on the right path. Yes, that's the blessing to share. I woke up this morning in my right mind. A mind willing and ready to think on goodness. A mind excited about producing love in world.

What's on your mind?

The blessings 1

I was on the plane coming from New York going home to Georgia (when I was living in Georgia.) I didn't have any cash on me and no one was coming to pick me up from the airport. I said a quiet prayer and made a request to God that I get a ride from the shuttle service from the airport to my exit in McDonough for only $20. I knew full well that the fee is usually $80. I said the prayer and rested the in knowing that God is always working everything out for my highest good.

When I got off of the plane I walked over to the shuttle station and the vans and drivers were all lined up. I walked to the first driver and asked how much he would charge me to take me to McDonough. "$80." He told me. I thanked him and went to the next one and asked him. He said the same thing so I went to the next one and asked him. He said, "Well, I don't even go to McDonough." I asked, "Yeah, but how much would you charge me to take me there?" He said, "Weeeelll, I do go past there. I'll let you off at the exit for $20." I thanked him and got on the shuttle.

God is always looking out. Always. I know it.