HAVE A WONDERFUL, GRACIOUS AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 A QUOTE AND THOUGHTS WORTH REMEMBERING:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow".

~ Melody Beattie ~

These are troubling times and many are left with feelings of hopelessness, despair and frankly an attitude of skepticism on what this day means to millions of folks not only in this country but around the world.  The haves vs the have-nots which is a common refrain on the nightly news and on many sites in cyberspace.

We have each other and there are caring folks who not only stock the food pantries on holidays such as this but during the year.  They raise funds to help those  who've been treated unfairly by happenstance and continue to advocate utilizing various venues for those of us who are unemployed, homeless and marginalized by the larger societies.  Although for many there is very little to be thankful for; go deep within and find some gratitude for just being...gratitude for those who fight tirelessly for humanity...gratitude that yes things could be worse for many of us but we are still here and eking out a living for a better day. For those who are doing well or okay...let us not look in disdain and contempt toward those who have fallen on harder times.                             

The prayer of sharing should be in our hearts and thankfulness that you can make donations and  assist those who have various needs in such a way that they can eventually do for themselves.  In remembrance of this spirit; may your efforts become a part of who you are--not only during the holiday season but throughout the year.  This is my Thanksgiving appeal!

Peace and love....
Carolyn Moon 
 

The Importance of This Viral Success

I was at the emending stage of a post regarding aging and relationships when I first viewed this most pleasant and heartwarming father daughter dance team.  The implications and significance of how popular it became struck a chord for me especially in the area of group racial stereotypes.  It also  warranted a brief departure from the task at hand.  It was a success on YouTube and a lot of the black blogs showcased it.  As it were, when I awoke to Good Morning America and again viewed them in Times Square after a brief interview; I was struck by mainstream media wanting to share in the moment.  As they reenacted their dance routine I noticed that it was also on the huge LED Video Billboard as well.


It occurred to me that we-- meaning black bloggers and the mainstream media tend to focus on the harsh realities and dysfunctional behaviors in some of our communities and when something like this comes along; it's seen as the exception by most.  I recognize that when you have so many exceptions and anecdotal experiences to the contrary; it is no longer an anomaly or exception to the rule.  


There is a need for us to showcase more of what is wonderful and great about black people.... especially in some quarters.  It is stunning to me; how our resilience and determination as a group under the most harsh and oppressive circumstances continues despite the barriers and ongoing challenges we face.  I wrote a post on colorism and featured Dr. Na'im Akbar (July 20, 2011), a black psychologist whom I read and studied for many years and utilized his unique psychological perspective when it came to people of color in this country.  He made it clear that despite the efforts to make us as group feel less than...we have this ability to not only survive but persevere and for many do quite well.  There are many casualties but he recognizes that our ability to love ourselves is tantamount to how far we've come.  We have a distance to go but it's an amazing feat.  


Some-- I'm sure will think that my observations regarding this father daughter wedding reception dance are overstated.  However, what I saw and have seen on many occasions is that strong bond between daughters and fathers in our community and that so many of our fathers are loving and care for their children and families.  When that is portrayed in the black blogosphere and mainstream media--it is a good thing for we've been deluged with the absent father syndrome and family dysfunction as a "black thing".  The above video says to the world that what you see here is also a "black thing".  We need to love ourselves more. There have been a few entries to this effect on some of the blogs.  With all that said what we need is balance so we can view these events without that stale tape of exceptionalism running in our heads.
 

 

Video of Father & Daughter Dance Team as featured on GMA