The Funeral

Wow! What an amazing day! It started early this morning with Sami...but as the course of the day went on, things got better:

First- My cousin Michael...who just know that he is God's archangel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)). told me that he understands why Satan is so messed up (I wonder if he meant mentally too!). Told me that he went over there for breakfast with Satan's mother and to destroy Satan. Well, while he was giving Satan time to get ready, he sat and ate Steak & Eggs that Satan's mother prepared. Said the food was horrible! My cousin said "No wonder Satan is the way he is...his mother can't cook." WOW! Thank God He can DO ALL THINGS! Satan gon' have to get lost.

Nevertheless, grandmom did not want him going to the funeral (her bestfriend) with us today. And at the end of the day, she was starting to feel the same way about me! But boy did she laugh and have a good time!

When we arrived at (what in the world was the name of the church?) well it's on the corner of the 400 block of Tennessee Ave NE (don't even know the preacher name...shoot... It was like a total of 9 or 10 priests, pastors, ministers--never seen that before!) there was a collage of photos of Mrs. Hawings...

...let me take a min. to tell you about this lady! When I first met her, she was 70...swimming very often...bikinis only...mad at the older men for tryna holla "skunkin' her from gettin' her a youngin;" fussin' with Sami (sami was the only one who would not say "Mrs. Hawkins." She would call her "Hawkins." Mrs. Hawkins would fuss, it's "Mrs. Hawkins to you lil girl.") while demanding her respect and showing much love, simultaneously. In her younger days, she was a hawtty! In her dying days, I told her to get outta that bed so she can slide down the pole in the boom boom room! She replied, "where da pole at?" This lady even went to the movies by herself occassionally (her soulmate went Home years ago). Love her spirit!

Can't believe Mrs. Hawkins filled that church up like that! Never knew she had ties with so many people. The church could not hold all the many diverse people who came to pay respect & see Mrs. Hawkins go back to where she came.

Anyway, Mrs. Hawkins was dressed up in a cream suit with red gloves...looking so peacefully beautiful.

My grandmother, who is normally strong, broke down

(reminds me: my bf posted beautiful pics from Lee's funeral and I cried when I saw her so grieved...saddened me with gma the same way today...she needed the support...(shoulda been w/bf 2)

to wrap it up...

*preacher preached so good, I gotta go back for more...said back in his day they had Chuck Brown, RE and Funk!!!

*grandma got mad at me cuz I was frownin so hard at the pumpkin pie tasting like lard and flour! Told me "fix ur face up in here like that!"

*grandma called Ms. Toni's dad "DADDY" (who btw is a preacher...I made the mistake of asking "u used to be a preacher?" skiiiiirrrrrrrkkkk...use to be!!! everyone jumped down my throat! Shoot he was so old...I didn't know*sorry*)...aw gma...u bet not let granddad hear u call another man daddy!

*three white doves were released flew high and formed a circle! I can see your Halo... (noticed that I couldn't capture any Heavenly moments on camera...guess u had to be there!)

Aunt wanted to laugh so bad at my behavior today *snickering* but she had to be the "good" one at the Funeral. Mrs. Hawkins would have laughed & loved it! I'ma miss you "Hawkins" Thank You for the union! We needed and deserved it! Watch over us please!

The Broken Dish

As a teen girl with a mother on drugs and and absent father, I was broken. I can recall when I was 14, I went around telling people I was pregnant for the attention. I was crying out, lost, neglected and confused. Like this dish, my life was broken and upside down!

It's funny because my mother had me when she was 14. She turned 15 three days later. I wonder if she was feeling these same emotions. She had a mother who worked and a stepdad who worked but I wonder if she was missing the love?

I conceived for the first time at age 31. By this time, I had traveled to Aruba, Dominican Republic, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, St. Thomas and the US Virgin Islands, California, New Jersey, South Carolina and North Carolina.

I had received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and received several Business Development Certificates.

I also started a mentoring and summer camp for 7 girls within my community who were not in summer camp or school. Didn't want them being bored!

After giving birth to my daughter, Sami Damia, I received a Master's in Business Administration, was certified by NIH and HUD as a community educator-Cardiovascular Disease Prevention for HOPE VI Projects and other organizations, communities and individuals who would receive the information, traveled to Disney World, Florida and received my nonprofit 501 (c) (3) status from the IRS. Sami D. is now two thinking she is the boss! As a single mother, it's a struggle but thank God for those who consistently help me with her: her dad, my mother (who has been clean from crack cocaine for 11 years now!) and my 72 year old grandparents.

Future goals consists of, but are not limited to, being trained as a day care provider to provide instructional homeschooling for toddlers, becoming an art & culture instructor-taking honor students around the world to broaden their minds about art & culture, earning a Ph.D. in Epidemiology fighting against children obesity & asthma, being a motivational speaker and owning a boutique all while instilling principles and values in the thoughts of abused and neglected teens.

The road has not been easy but to God be all the glory! He fixed a broken dish and made her into a Diamond in the Rut!

Ms. Little is the first in her family to graduate from college. And is her grandmother's first grandchild (of 34+ grandchildren) to graduate from high school.

What Are We Teaching Our Babies

I have been guilty of saying something that I knew my 2 year old Sami would absorb and then I would quickly try to take it back. It made me realize that I really have to be mindful of the things I say and do around her.

It really breaks my heart when I see little children trying to play the role of an adult.

A disturbing note was discovered by a 7 year old boy's mother in his backpack. The note was written by the boy's classmate (which most likely is a 7 year old girl). They are only in 2nd grade.

It frightens me when I think about what other derogatory things our children are exposed to. Parents, we must do better. We have to put our babies and children in God's hands and then we must try with all our might to instill principles and values and lead by example. The saying, "Do as I say, not as I do" will not be taken seriously by the little people who imitate us.

Imagine if this note came from your daughter or a precious little girl in your life. How would you react?