My mother said to me the other day Oh so and so stopped by my office and said she is graduating from college this semester and the only way she made it through is because she held in mind what you told her. So I said WHO is so and so.? I had no idea of who she was even talking about. So after further discussion I remembered who this Sista was and what our conversation was about. This had been over 2 years ago when I spoke to her at a Cook out and she has revealed to me that she had lost her job after all of these years and was finding herself in a position where she needed to go back to school after trying to find employment again and was unsuccessful. She was uncertain about many things, one being her age, another was her teenage Sons and the other was a very unsupportive husband. I saw the torment in her eyes while she told her story. But What I did say to her was to go register for school and not to be held back by what she was experiencing. She had no confidence in her early 40’s she hadn’t been inside a classroom in years much less a college one, she had so many things to come to terms with, facing and just one thing after another. I also shared with her a little piece of my story she could not believe some of the things I had revealed to her. I had to let her know that when we feel struggle we are not struggling alone. The only difference between her and I was how I handle things when I’m faced with adversity. So the moral of the story and the bottom line is that this Sista is graduating from college with Honors. She stayed the course and she kept our conversation her only source of inspiration in her Heart to see her through.
Starting Over
A very dear Sista friend who I have been friends with for at least 12 years now, went through a complete transition in her life. In a blink of an eye, she found her and her 3 children homeless and on welfare, living in a hotel. Her loss of employment caused her to lose just about everything except for her mind. Through this time she decided to go nursing school and as I sat with her and ate lunch one day, she inspired me. What helped her was that she had recognized all of her bad choices in her life period and had no intentions on repeating them. She was at a point where she wanted better for her and her children. Life living in a hotel was not easy in one room with 3 kids. She said nothing was more embarrassing than having a school bus pick her kids up from a hotel. As I sat with her teary eyed her strength gave me life. We talked about the system and how they make it so hard. Here she was worked all her life and needed help and they were making it almost impossible to get it. She never lost determination or hope from that hotel room. She started nursing school making top grades. Eventually she found an apartment and received help paying for it. She even met a decent brotha, who was so crazy about her and her children that he married her and provided a life for her. She also graduated school with a Bachelors degree in Nursing and finished with Honors. The last time her and I met up, we cried and hugged each other for like 20 minutes. She has a brand new beautiful baby girl with her husband and a new spirit a sense of self. She used the system as a resource to make a better life for her and her children, not to stay stuck. She stayed the course. She didn’t let the twists and turns that life presented, ready or not, stop her.
A Miracle
When I was 6 months pregnant with my Son I was in a very bad car accident. I thought that I was ok even though the next day I would find out that there was a tear in my placenta that was more than likely to end my pregnancy involuntarily because my son would not get the nutrients he needed. After talking to my doctor he said I should go on bed rest and let the pregnancy end itself. I hadn’t felt my son move in a couple of days even though his heart beat was present. I was very depressed and discouraged. I didn’t know how I was going to get through any of what was happening. One peaceful car ride to work had turned into an instant disaster possibly changing my life forever. I had spoken to many people but I needed the wisdom and insight of my grandmother. My grandmother lived and loved long 82 years of beauty and grace. She never had much schooling but her wisdom and insight stretched way beyond any school. She told me that no matter what happened I had to continue on even though I didn’t feel like it, I couldn’t stay stuck in that painful place. She also told me that the baby was going to be fine and that my pregnancy was not going to end in 2 weeks. She never believed anything a doctor said anyway of how she grew up with home remedies and very little medical care. She asked me “how was I falling apart and things hadn’t even fell apart yet”? She told me to keep going to continue to pray, continue on with my plans, and to stay focused. The following week the doctor had called me in to do another sonogram and after reviewing them several times. They could no longer locate the place where my placenta had torn. He couldn’t understand, he said it was a miracle. Maybe, but I had taken my grandmothers advice I didn’t focus on any of the outside circumstances, not the accident, not my car, not what doctor’s were saying, not even in how I felt or how I thought. I stayed the course. I asked the Universe for what I needed and that was for my baby to Survive and he did. A Miracle
The End
Without Question there are times when Life’s pressures will knock us down, whether it’s expected or unexpected. But when we are balanced in whatever our Higher Power is and trust the Universe Life, will never Knock Us Out. Most of all we have to believe in ourselves that a current situation, no matter how bad it is does NOT define us. The crisis that was assigned us does not apply. We have the power to change any situation. Everyday we have to put on our spiritual Armor and be ready so that Even if we do lose someone or something, family, friends, employment, material things, finances a home, that we are better prepared and we don’t lose our way. We Stay the Course.
Don't Give Up and Don't Give In. Peace, Love, Light and Universal Blessings/Nakia
