Pages

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Let me hydrate ya!!

Don't forget your water today!! 

Some folks (not you of course ðŸ˜œðŸ˜œ) may be taking in a lot of salt & sugar today. So if your Granny's yams got 3 generations of diabetes in it and Uncle's fried turkey robbed the Dead Sea of its salt...you might want to try this today and everyday. Here's a reminder to flush it out. Don't sit around with that food until the new year. Keep it moving, my dear!

8am - Mornin' sexy!!!

10am - I'll drink 2 that!!
12pm - Don't fail me now!!
2pm - You ain't let me down yet!
4pm - You fancy now!!
6pm - Let me hydrate you!!
8pm - Get low, GET LOW!!
9pm - Bottoms up!!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Women: The balm of Gilead


Women are the answer. We are the balm of Gilead. We are the lotus. We are the salve and the healing. Our stories are in ingredient in that balm. We mix it with some breathing, some movement, some herbs & love and we got a balm that can do something. We will tell our stories, commit to our healing and support the healing of other women. A focus on the healing of women is a focus on the healing of this world. 
We do so much. We heal so many. It's time we come home and go in and heal our own hearts minds and souls. We do so much work in small pockets. We are always working to connect. We will continue to expand. We must expand and welcome all levels and be as inclusive as possible. 
I'm done waiting for the masses to address the healing of women particularly women of color. I'm over the collective silence around ‪#‎RelishaRudd‬‪#‎ArneshaBowers‬ and the too many to name. 
We will lift these names and continue to mobilize to create change around policies that destroy us. We will connect the dots between the women doing this work around the world. We will shift this paradigm.
The beauty is that we have the tools to help each other. We have a lot to offer each other as we walk towards our personal and collective healing. Let's continue to actively share them and use them while supporting others in doing the same. 
If you know someone that can benefit from being connected to resources, articles, books, places that support and sustain healing, please share this link with them. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1522516798072446/

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Brown woman facing away from camera. Profile of her face and crying.
Syrita. Victim of Police Officer Daniel Holzclaw (photo from bbc.com)
Enough. (Trigger warning for survivors of sexual assault. This is a lot to take in. Love, MelaniN.)
We talk about gun violence, police brutality, racism on campus, classism...we are covering a lot yet remain silent about sexual assault. If you are not talking about sexual assault/support for survivors you don't know the women in your life. PERIOD. YOU DON'T KNOW THEM.
If you are not asking about sexual assault or ACTIVELY concerned, you don't know the women in your life. You might not know your mother, your daughter, your sister, your friends, your lover or your wife. If u dismiss sexual assault or are silent about molestation/rape/incest etc., then YOU DON'T KNOW THEM. YOU KNOW OF THEM.
& you probably don't know some of the men in ur life. Actually...because of how men are so sexualized at an early age- u might not know yourself.
Sad thing is that only a case this egregious would make it to trial. Not one of these women could make this case alone. ‪#‎WeAllWeGot‬ As horrible as the ‪#‎DanielHolzclaw‬ case is - impacting so many lives in one city, it is still not being covered by the media.
Truth is cases of our mothers, daughters, sisters, lovers, friends, wives are not being covered by their own families and friends. Often, they are not told or not listened to.
This is not just Oklahoma. This is in our homes and on our block. & support to assist in the healing is needed. We all deal with sexual assault. Even if you are not a victim, chances are you know a few. If you know 5 women, 2 are probably survivors.Think of women close to u. Have u asked them if they were ever sexually assaulted? I'm not saying to ask them. Just asking have u asked?
68% of survivors don't report. 98% of rapist are not convicted. Consider this b4 saying why didn't they tell.
If u know women, you know a few survivors of sexual assault. You may think you don't but you do. You may know a lot of survivors. If you know me - you know 1 survivor & I didn't report and I am not alone.
Let that sink in...
Sometimes, I look at how that impacted me & I'm just happy to be here. Focused, intentional healing was/is the best gift I gave/give to myself. That being said, no matter what it looks like from the outside, I get up every morning and do battle with my demons and sometimes we battle it out through the night. It used to seem impossible to manage. Therapy, support, art, service, diet, exercise, meditation make it easier to win. 
Listen, with social media and the constant sharing of stories, day to day living can be a land mind for a survivor. If you or someone you know needs support in their recovery from sexual trauma, please provide them with the number to the National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800 656 4673. 
If you or someone u know are in Baltimore/Maryland & need support, I suggest contacting Turn Around.  http://ow.ly/V0S7q
I was going to post the article about Holtzclaw but, that's all over the place. What is not everywhere is support for survivors. Let's stop talking about the trauma without offering some tools for healing. 
If you want to ask me about what I do to support my healing, feel free. Keep in mind that I am not a trained therapist. I am not professionally trained to help you through your story and/or trauma. However, I can share some resources that have helped me TREMENDOUSLY.
If you want to support survivors, start at home. Look into ways to create a safe house and neighborhood. This is beyond Oklahoma, The Duggers, Cosby, the rhetoric of those who victim blame and shame...this is in our families. People we know and love are suffering because of sexual assault. We have to be more healing focused. 
Start to listen to the women (and men) in your life. Listen to their stories. If the time is right, ask them if they have endured a sexual assault or know someone who has. After a while, it will become clear that we are facing an epidemic of epic proportions. We have to focus on healing and supporting survivors and providing resources to their families and communities. This issue needs to be pushed to the front and discussed along with police brutality, racism, classism. We can multi-task. We always have. We can now.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

The color of womanhood, amethyst and serenity.

Woke up this morning and the sky was the color of womanhood, amethyst and serenity.
Thank you, God. ‪#‎nofilter‬

Sunday, September 27, 2015

And a child shall lead them

‪#‎balloflight‬ has shown me that these little people are galaxies of their own. We think that we are here to guide them and often they are here to guide us. In the past 2 weeks she has inquired about each and every corner of myself that I didn't know she knew about and wondered how I would ever teacher her. Just after the last new moon, she found a bowl of stones/crystals and wanted to know about each one and how to clean them. This 3 year old sat down for over an hour - learning about each stone and helping me clean them. Her favorites? Amethyst and lumerian with a special liking for garnet. She was so patient with each one and even asked if she could put certain ones in the window so "the sun could touch them."
Last night, she was a model student for dance and sacred movement and then concluded the lesson by leading me through a series of yoga poses while adjusting my 3 legged downward dog pose - like a pro! After that she worked on her school projects with an impeccable discipline and focus. As usual, she led me in a simple and poignant prayer before bedtime. Something along the lines of, "I love everyone. I love life. God, bless all that I love. Amen! Ase'O!!"
This morning, she brought my waist beads into the room while I was dressing and asked if I was going to wear them today and when could she get her own. 
Dear #balloflight,
One day, you will have your own beads, gems and adornments. Time will make sure of it. These things will accent you the way light reflecting off of water adds color to the sun setting and hug you like clouds kissing a full moon rising; but, the sun is still the sun, the moon is still the moon and you little girl, are still a galaxy unto yourself. A magical part of a larger universe full of wonder and everything I seek to understand. 
I tell you this every day and I hope you never forget: you are made of the same material of stars, event horizons and galaxies that we have yet to encounter or dream of. You are magic. A supernova dipped in dark honey and ether. I touch these hips that opened to bring you here and I am humbled. I look at my jawline on your face, my grandfather's grandfather's dip in your upper lip and the concept of time is redefined. In your laugh, I hear my grandmothers singing. Every part of me and your father is woven into your smile. Each day, I am blown away by the power of blood, bones, skin and melanin. 
#balloflight, thank you. You assuage my fears. I was worried that somewhere between leaving our home with only you on my back and shifting my world into a life I came to live could possibly be the wrong for you. However, every day you teach me that it is important for mothers of daughters to rise to our best and holiest selves. It is important for us to be the dream that we have for you. Womanhood can not be outlined in speeches shoved down the mouth of preteens juggling red moons and patriarchy. Womanhood is learned through eyes, ears and every quiet moment. Becoming a woman is the art of a witness. It's easier to be what you see. Every day you remind me that I am giving you something that inspires and that the best me equals the best you. 
Little girl, thank you for blessing me. You are the closest to God that I have ever known. I love being your mother, your guide and a witness to your journey.
I love you.
Love,
Mama

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Flute Maker

The Flute Maker
(or how I learned to re member)
close up of man's mouth and hands while playing the flute
Photo Credit: Anton Croos (WikiCommons)

I watched him
bend
break
burn
women
to his liking.
Cutting them
down.
Digging them
up.
Ancient tree
burned-
cut into drum.
Precious metal
boiled-

bent into flute.
So sweetly he would say...
Mark time for me.
Keep my harmony.
So sweetly he would say...
Look what I did for you.
How beautiful you sound!
So sweetly he would say...
Kiss these hands
that have cut you.
Love this fire
that has burned you.
I have made you
an instrument.
Sing!
Hold time for me.
And the women would dance
And beat themselves
Hands hitting rings
that once told time
Rings now shined
into decorative marks
with his spit.
One keeps dancing
holding time
And beating herself.
Metal
that harnessed the energy
of the earth's poles
Now, waiting for his breathe
so she can
Sing...
Another would dance
Her feet keeping time
Forgetting that
She was a tree.
Ancient and older than he.
Another would sing
When his breathe came
like the wind
Forgetting that
She was metal.
The core of earth and eternity.
Forgetting.
I saw them forget.
I watched him
bend,
break
burn women
to his liking.
Cutting them down...
Digging them up...
Ancient tree
burned
cut into drum.
Precious metal
boiled
bent into flute.
I watched them
And this
Is how I learned
to
re
member.
-MelaniN
150915