No Justice? No Peace? Know Justice...Know Peace!!!

Well Well I am back with my point of view on somethings that have been happening lately.... Hello People! How the heck are you doing???!!! I hope this blog finds you well and that you have peace! I am staying at my mom's while she is away on vacation and although she is not here, the people who live in her house keep her presences known by keeping the heat set on HELL!!! Yes that is a temperature check your thermostats or better yet read your Bible. BUT that's another story. It is 3:55 a.m. as I start to write this BUT I have been awake since 2:30 a.m., partly because it is too hot in here to sleep and then partly because I made the mistake of looking at my phone going through my Facebook timeline and now I have this uneasiness a feeling that unnecessary loss of life is about to happen in an absurd amount. The Ferguson verdict came bak last night no indictment for Darren Wilson an Officer for the Ferguson Police Department, a White man who shot an unarmed Black kid 6 times...not guilty. NO JUSTICE! NO PEACE! Officer Wilson shot an unarmed Black kid who allegedly was going for his gun, after being suspected of being involved in a robbery. Unfortunately Michael Brown fit the 'profile' of the suspect and was being stopped and something happened that cost him his life. What happened? We will probably never truly know based on the statement read before the verdict was announced people who were supposed to be 'eye witnesses' were telling different stories, stories changed depending on who you talked to and the TRUTH sadly was probably lossed somewhere along the way. It seems to me from the start of this whole tragic scene the victim was made out to be a villian.(Alleged robbery suspect Michael Brown was shot...gangster pictures posted all over the news...suspect Michael Brown....)Michael Brown was a teenaged kid who died before his life ever really started and that is sad no matter how you look at it, no matter how it seemed his life 'may have' gone he still deserved to live it as best he could. Now that the verdict has come back for no indictment for Officer Wilson Ferguson Missouri is on fire. Literally! That's sad. Burning down businesses and looting and rioting will not make Michael Brown come back to life, his life is gone and now you are risking your life demonstrating your anger by being violent and destructive. And who are you hurting...yourself. You are burning down businesses in your own neighborhood, Black owned businesses for what? Michael Brown's death is a tragedy and should not have happened but it did and in order to stop it from happening to someone else's child what are you willing to do? Now this is where I am probably going to piss some people off...it won't be the first time and most likely it won't be the last time. Michael Brown's death could bring some unity and positive attention to the Black community just like Trayvon Martin's death could have...but it didn't. Why? Cause we as Black people don't know how to come together to get positive things done, not since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, John F. and Robert Kennedy...protesting in the 60s had a purpose that brought us to where we are today and look how different the protesting has become. Dr. King used non-violence and was able to start the Civil Rights movement, which gave Black people more rights than they had ever had before. (I want you to note that I said protest in the SIXTIES it wasn't that long ago only 50 years....) Malcolm X thought that violence was the answer but realized that in the end violence solves NOTHING! Protesting today has no real purpose what is burning down buildings and looting stores and shooting going to do? Yes it appears to be an appropriate reaction to the situation, but once you have burned down the buildings and looted all the stores and shot possibly other people then what? Now you are out of a job, there is no food or business going on in your neighborhood so you are left with...The only thing I have seen Black people come together to do POSITIVELY is tear each other down. (Look at what is going on with Bill Cosby, that mess was all started by a Black man who got mad cause Dr. Cosby said pull up your pants and stop naming your kids names they can't spell. And look how quickly every other Black person was quick to jump on the bash Bill bandwagon. SAD!) We stopped trying to lift each other up a long time ago and that is sad...I have heard stories that when Dr. King was assassinated people were trying to get their '15 minutes of fame' back then by smearing his blood on themselves so they could say they were in closer proximity to him than they were when he was shot. Trying to make themselves more than they are in that moment so they can have the spotlight for a moment, and have all eyes on me! Sad!!! I have said this before and I say it again now, I truly do not believe that Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcolm X, and ALL the others who died before us died so that we could walk around with our pants hanging down and calling ourselves Niggas or Niggers, whichever you prefer! I believe many a grave has been moved by our Civil Rights leaders turning over in their graves at what they see going on today, and not only them BUT those who were brought here in chains and hung from trees are weeping at what we are doing to ourselves. It is time to stop blaming others for what is happening and start taking a look at ourselves. YES racism is a live and well in America today, it never stopped and it never will until WE DEMAND BETTER! We need to stop greeting each other using the word Nigga/Nigger as a term or endearment. IT'S NOT A TERM OF ENDEARMENT!!! It is a derogatory word that was used to demean and disparage your ancestors, a way to keep them inline and make them feel like they were not only less of a man or woman but not even human. Know Justice....KNOW PEACE! Pull your pants up on your ass and be about something! If you don't have no respect for yourself why should anybody else?! And NO you might think walking around with your ass showing is respectful BUT it's NOT!! Tell me where the respect is in that...show me why I should respect you looking like that and talking some made up language that I don't understand deserves respect? Nahmean?! Do you know what I mean?! Seriously!! Instead of going up to the school cussing out the teacher because they tried to make Shabooboo and Shaquane behave, perhaps you should have stayed out the club and taught them how to behave at home. Just a thought. Stop expecting other people to raise your children and raise them the way you want them to be raised yourself! Yes it takes a village to raise a child....sometimes BUT it depends on who is living in the village. In my neighborhood all the parents at that time were raising their kids to be respectful of authority, adults, and themselves. Kids these days talk back, interrupt, DEMAND things and will actually fight their parents. A thought that would never cross my mind and I think it is safe to say the minds of any of the kids I grew up with. Why? Because you see we were taught better than that AND we wanted to live and keep our teeth in our mouth. Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin that 12 year old boy waving the BB Gun around at the playground when are we going to say ENOUGH??!!! Before we can truly demand better respect or respect in general from White people, we as Black people need to better respect ourselves. Once we truly respect ourselves in our words and our actions then respect is what will be required from everyone else. BUT as long as we continue to kill each other, tolerate gang violence and abuse of drugs, habitual offenders who can only thrive behind bars, coveting our neighbors wife, ass, house, car, etc., walking around with your pants hanging off your ass, greeting each other as Niggas/Niggers and not trying to be about SOMETHING...then we can expect another Michael Brown....another Trayon Martin...another kid waving a BB Gun around on the playground. My eyes were blurry from reading all the posts and comments about Michael Brown and I was sad to see that Ebony feels she has to tell her sons they have no value in today's society "unless they are an athlete and then they are just a million dollar slave". Tears. And to see that Bubba is still bitter because some White girl in Flagstaff couldn't go out with him because her parents saw him as nothing more than a "Nigger". WOW! Your sons have value OUR sons have value and we are so much more than Niggers, we just need to remember that ourselves and respect ourselves enough to demand better. See ya when I see ya! Peace! Mattie

Be Sure Of Your Words....

Hello People! How the heck are you???? It's been a LONG time since I have been on here lots to say but no time to say it. I decided to take time to say this at this time. I received a text message this morning asking me if I knew that a friend of mine had passed away over the weekend. Of course I had no idea that she was gone...tear... SO I had this friend who I met when she was a Senior in High School, I think I could of been her mother, she always said I was twice her age! She would come into my office and harass me and annoy me and sometimes I would just want to strangle her. Some times Sara would sleep on the floor, she could do that cause my office was in the basement of the 'house' we were in and no one every came down there. I'd ask Sara what was wrong with her and she would say 'they changed my medication again'... Then Sara went off to College. I would get a phone call or a email or text from her saying she missed her only 'Black' friend. I would tell her, well I would say you are my only Jewish friend but I have others BUT you are my strangest Jewish friend?! Then I would get a call about her being on Probation at school or about some of the wild parties that went on or losing something while intoxicated...I would yell at her! Threaten to tell her mother on her... then when Sara would call with a problem I would give her my advice on what I thought about one thing or another. I'd ask her if she is taking her medication. To my knowledge they were always adjusting or trying to figure out the right combination of her medication...I guess they never did...my friend is gone now. SAD. Before my friend passed away...we had one of our arguments....BUT this time it was a argument that neither one of us would back down from. I am sorry that Sara is gone. If I had a chance to redo the last argument would I change anything? Probably not, just like I am sure that she wouldn't either. SAD. When you think about the possibility that the last words that you say to someone could actually be the last words you say to them. If you knew that you would probably choose your words more carefully. It is good to be sure of what you believe in and to stand up for what you believe in, but just be sure that when you are saying whatever it is you have to say to someone that those words won't haunt you when they are gone. Although Sara and I stopped speaking I remember that when we were talking we had a lot of laughs...a lot of smiles....lots of memories. I have been searching through my old emails reading old chats, I found one where Sara says "do you really think hooters was the appropriate place to take high school kids for lunch? she clearly doesn't exercise good judgment. Also I think it's funny that we radically disagree on EVERYTHING". We did disagree on everything...I think it may have been that we just wanted to argue she would say Black and I would say White...it didn't matter. Hard to believe she is gone...another message..."she totally deserved it. and admitted that she deserved it. classic. it was like the old days in the basement of the huff. now I just need to shoot rubber bands at someone."....this one was FUNNY "Every time I yell at a driver it ends up being an old person, and then I feel like a total ass-hat. I the remember to breathe before calling someone a fucker." HILARIOUS!! She was funny...she was opinionated. I will miss you my friend its too bad we were both too stubborn to apologize after the last argument...now it can't be done. At least I told her that I loved her and that she would always be my friend no matter what. Just remember when you are arguing with someone or you get mad or angry....BE SURE OF YOUR WORDS as they maybe the last ones you speak to someone. See ya when I see ya! Peace! Mattie

Don't Look Under The Bed....

Hello People!!! How the heck are you??? I hope this blog finds you well!!! I just came back from our Family Reunion in Texas where everything is bigger, like the bugs and the attitudes... We had an awesome time at the reunion, it was the family's 25th reunion, the person who has been responsible for putting the reunion together is stepping down after 25 years this was suppose to be our last reunion...SAD! BUT fortunately another cousin has stepped up and said she will carry on the annual tradition! THANK YOU Theresa C. for all your years of service and THANK YOU Deborah for picking up where Theresa left off. so in 2016 we will gather again and give thanks to God for his mercy and grace and bringing all of us together again. Those are some BIG shoes to fill, but if you are not afraid to ask for help,I am sure you will fit them well. THANK GOD FOR THE 2014 REUNION AND ALL WHO WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT TEXAS!!! The Reunion was GREAT but the accommodations...well...We(my sister Cece and Karen, Ivory and Sydney) arrive in Beaumont, TX on Thursday night and check into our hotels. I am staying at the Hampton Inn and thy are staying at the Fairfield Marriott...NICE! This first night we all have our own bed to sleep in, but after this night people will be doubling up. NOT ME...but anyway....traveling to Texas included a 5 hour layover in Denver. When we left Arizona it was on fire, when we got to Denver we were under tornado warnings, perhaps we should have taken that as a hint and stayed home?! But we didn't. Friday morning I get up to take my shower and get ready we are meeting at the local Waffle House at 10:00 a.m. for breakfast then out to the family plot to remember those who have gone home. While I was in the shower the water went cold so I was standing there freezing....then after awhile it heated back and I finished my shower. I step out of the shower and mirror is all steamed up. I start to dry off but I notice something out of the corner of my eye and I think I am seeing things. I look up at the mirror and across the top of the mirror in the steam it reads, "Don't look under the bed". Don't look under the bed....WHAT THE #%^&%!!! I stare at the mirror looking right to left, left to right and I am thinking there is NO WAY anybody could have come in this bathroom and me not see them, so how did that get on the mirror? I think about it and then I dry off and get dressed...after I look under the bed! Then after I look under the bed I realize that I have obviously been spending too much time with my pigmentary challenged friends, as a person of darker pigmentation would have said AH HELL NAH!!! AND RAN SCREAMING from the room! nekkid (naked in a redneck tone)!! I knew the beds were on pedestals and there was no real way to get under the bed...but I checked anyway. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!! People who do stuff like that end up dead!!! Ask the people in Halloween and Friday the 13th!!!! I knew it was impossible for someone to be under the bed but... the scripture II Timothy 1:7 reads, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of a sound mind..." When I started my new job that scripture was typed up and stuck on computer monitor, very appropriate especially for me and it helped me maintain and not run out of my room with no clothes! Crazy to think that was written on the bathroom mirror so when you get out...it also made me think these people aren't cleaning these mirrors like they are suppose to!!! REALLY!!!! Come on now...if you were spraying the mirrors and cleaning them like you are supposed to then I would have never seen that...and I wouldn't have had to call the front desk and go off on that lady....see what you made me do!!!:D) I have other stories to tell BUT now the tired is sneaking up on me and I have to work tomorrow so until the next time.... See ya when I see ya! Peace! Mattie

My Buddy!!!!

Coco and Cat!!!

Well its been about two weeks since Daisy was put to sleep….Coco has strangely found a new buddy in a stranger who just happened to show up on our door step one day….I am sure it was divine intervention for such a time as this, so that when Daisy had to go Coco would have someone to help her ease her pain.

I still have no idea where Cat came from and I don't why Gary took to feeding her and taking her to the Vet for a check up and to be spayed or neutered...BUT Cat is here now and it is apparent that she was meant to be, I wonder how long she will stay?

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

Honesty is the Best Policy UNLESS….

SO People! How the heck are you?  I hope this blog finds you well.

I got a letter in the mail today that really just chaps my hide!!!

I have been taking care of my niece, Lou Lou, who has Down Syndrome and other issues that are irrelevant to this story. When I got Guardianship back in January of 2013 I tried to sign her up for all the services I thought she would need or that could help her.  My Attorney had asked me if I wanted child support for her, I said NO! That just sounded weird to me, then he said that I could check into getting her Social Security for her disability. I went down to the SSI place and talked to them about it, got her all signed up and they started paying her about $640.00 per month.  They are currently withholding money from her pay because of something her parents did…WHATEVER it doesn't matter I don't have anything to spend the money on anyway.  

SO I got a letter last month saying they were going to stop her payments because back in 2012 when she was living with her mother in Alabama, her mother earned $1200++ during that year and they may have overpaid Lou Lou during that time.  So unless I come down and explain the money earned by her mother they are going to stop her SSI payments.  I go down there spend 2/3 hours sitting there waiting then I talk to this lady and tell her everything I know, which ain't much cause how do I know what her mother was doing in ALABAMA I live in ARIZONA!  I tell the lady here is Lou Lou's account, her balance is $1600++ and the account is set up like this…. I told her there is a lot of money in her account because I am really not sure what I can spend her money on, so I have just used it to buy her some clothes, shoes and pay for things at school for her, i.e. lunch money etc. I mainly try to keep the balance under $2000.00 cause I know she goes over that amount she will lose it. The lady says, "Oh let me give you this brochure it tells you what the money can be used for, you can charge her rent, a portion of the utilities, food etc." I said oh okay now that I know I will start doing that, I just didn't want to do anything wrong with the money, so unless she needed something I wasn't using it.  She said read the brochure it will give you the guidelines…she was really nice about it really seemed to be trying to help.

TODAY I get a letter in the mail from SSI saying again that they believe they have overpaid Lou Lou for the period of April 2013 through February 2014 in the amount of $2660.10?? This means that they believe that from the time she started receiving payments, when I set them up, until now they have been over paying her. HERE IS THE KICKER….the reason they believe she has been overpaid is "because someone else was providing her FOOD AND SHELTER" they may have been paying her more than she is entitled to receive.  Seriously??? Because I was giving her a place to stay and food to eat and not charging her for it you want your money back now? REALLY!!!! Is the government that hard up for money that they need to take from those in need? REALLY???!!!! I come into your office tell you the WHOLE TRUTH about the situation and now you are going to hold it against me?!!! WOW!

I work for a family law attorney and we tell our Clients to always do the right thing. It chaps my hide when they are making their payments (child support, etc.) and then they get screwed…They are making their payments paying on their arrearages (back payments) and then they get their income taxes withheld, their bank accounts frozen, liens on their property etc., even though they are making the payments like they are suppose to. THAT is crazy to me. Just as CRAZY as SSI saying they overpaid my niece cause I gave her a place to stay and food to eat. WTF!!!  Honesty is the best policy….UNLESS you are dealing with the government! Who does that??????!!!!

I was talking to my sister about this and as I was getting ready to go off, this scripture popped in my head, "Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up…" God even knew there would come a time when it appears that those who know how to work the system and get over for doing NOTHING…would cause us who try to play by the rules and try to do what is right say…what is the point?  BUT don't get discouraged!!! Even if nobody else sees you HE does and that's all that matters.  

SO I will just cling to that scripture that when I go back down to the SSI place AGAIN whoever I deal with will have heard the audible POP of their head popping out of their ass and understand the lunacy of saying my niece (me) owes them $2660++ because I didn't charge her rent or for the food I gave her. 

WHO DOES THAT???!!!!!!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

It works!!!!

Hello People!!!!

How the heck are you???? It has been a while since I was on here…. my computer Internet SUCKED!!! SO I just decided not use it..BUT it is up and running now!!!

YAY!!!! Now I am back on the trail or track or whatever it maybe….

Even though I have been gone for a few days…week or whatever I am too tired to type now.

I am sure something worth typing about will happen tomorrow and I will be off and typing again!!!

It is good to be back.

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

Childhood Memories…..

What's up people! How the heck are you doing? I hope this finds you well and in good health!!!

It is past my bedtime but I thought I would jot these notes down…

Today we had Chalupa for dinner and Cheesecake for dessert…as I was preparing the 'New York' style cheesecake made in my new springform pan (this is only the second time I have used it…) I started thinking about the holidays when we were little. My mom would be in the kitchen for days cooking cakes, pies, cookies, etc.  She never let us help her she would always tell us to get out of her damn kitchen!!  She said that even when my dad told us to go help her…"Y'all gals go help your momma in the kitchen".  BUT we always got sent away….SAD! 

I have a knack for cooking and I am pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.  And while I was cooking I remembered this one Thanksgiving I think? Might have been Christmas... my mom's friend Marge had sent her son over to the house to borrow some chicken broth or chicken stock…something to do with chicken. He came over in Marge's new car, and where we lived there was a corner you had to go around and then a dip as you were leaving the housing development that we lived in. As he turned the corner the 'chicken' stuff spilled and fell on the floor, and I suppose out of instinct he just immediately grabbed for it and drove off the side of the road into the 'canyon'!!! It was crazy! Everybody in Brannen Homes was talking about that for a LONG time especially since Marge's husband had just bought her that car! He was okay obviously he was scared/shook up after driving off the road, but he had no injuries.  I don't think you could say the same for the car though. Those were the days when you could go to your neighbor or friends' house and 'borrow' food, or seasoning, or Kool-Aid… "go down to Ms. Annie T.'s and ask her if she has some…" go around to Ms. Mary Graham's and get me some…" You could always go to the neighbors for stuff….OR go to the 'Little Sto' and get it from Jalisco!!! Good neighbors and good food makes for good childhood memories!

I am going to be selling my house hopefully…actually the best scenario would be that I get to keep this house AND get another in town. I want a house with a big kitchen and a good size pantry, we had a pantry when I was growing up. You can keep lots of stuff in there AND it is a good place to hide at least it was when I was a kid.  Get me a good size kitchen with plenty of counter space there is no telling what kind of memories I can make!!!:D)

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

Conversations….

Hello People!

How the heck are you doing??!!!!! I hope y'all are doing well!

I missed blogging yesterday, I went to happy hour with a friend of mine and her friends, and got home to late to write…coherently!!!:D) Just kidding I have to far to drive to over indulge and there are too many large animals that can jump out at any time! Like elk or as my cousin's husband calls them…moose, deer, etc. OR even big piles of horse $%^&*!!!!

ANYWAY! I went to see my 'hair stylist' today to get my hair done and we were talking and it seems all our conversations centered around previous posts and blogs that I have written.   

It was weird as I don't believe she even knows I write a blog nor is she my friend on Facebook.  Or was it confirmation that as I thought…I am right!

She mentioned that over the holidays she had watched Shawshank Redemption with Morgan Freeman and after the movie they had a biography episode featuring Morgan Freeman.  She said that during the biography they showed Freeman doing an interview with Mike Wallace, and Mike Wallace said to him , "as a "Black" man…", she said Freeman said to Wallace "from now on I am going to start calling you a "White man"! Freeman said, "What does the color of my skin have to do with anything." Mr. Wallace then asked, "that is how society sees you so how do we get pass this then?" Mr. Freeman said "STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! That's how…" I said I agree. In order for something not to be a big deal you have to stop making a big deal out of it. She said yeah, it is just like the gay community they identify themselves by being a 'gay' whatever…Again I agree! Why is that your claim to fame…what else do you have to offer why is that the most important thing we need know about you? The conversation went on from there….I was thinking this is weird…or it just confirms what I have been saying for a while now.

Then we were talking about parents who raise their children but don't teach their children…so actually they are not really raising them they are just providing their needs with the exception of their moral, spiritual and emotional needs.  My hair dresser says she has a roommate who is in her 20s as a matter of fact I believe she turns 21 next week, her parents treated her like "a princess on a shelf". According to my hair dresser, the roommates parents didn't engage her, or interact with her or show her any affection they just gave her money. Now that they are roommates she has had to teach her little things, social things, she said that the roommate even asked her "do you think I should eat this or get something else????" My hair dresser said she told her I have no opinion on anything you are asking me, which upset the roommate because she thought she was saying she doesn't care. She went to explain to her that she needs to find value in her own opinions and choices! When you are asking someone what do they think about every thing you do...Basically that means you don't have enough confidence in yourself to choose anything or do anything…to believe that you can make a choice that is good for you. You want someone else to think for you that way when things don't work out you have someone to blame it on. Parents should go back to raising their children to have respect for themselves and their elders, confidence in their abilities and to be able to do things and make GOOD choices for themselves.  The conversation went on from there…I was in the chair for seven (7) hours so we had time for plenty of conversations...

Conversations are good things to have I think we need to get back to that…like visiting your neighbors and sitting down at the table talking to each other.

You can learn a lot in the salon chair…about people…gossip and you can also find out different ways to change positions when your butt falls asleep!!! 

Start a conversation with someone you will be surprised what you find out!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Question(s)...

Hello People!

It is the 16th day of January in the year 2014 time appears to be picking up speed and the year just started. Enjoy your moments!!!:D)

I have a question.

Do you have a sexual preference? 

Do you think it is necessary to announce to the world every time someone chooses their sexuality? I mean do you hear or read about every heterosexual that is heterosexual? Do you hear about every virgin that is a virgin? Every celibate person that is celibate Do we need to know that??? Really…

So why do we have to know about every 'Gay' person that "comes out" or "comes out of the closet" or pops up out the cake or busts through the wall…shot out of a cannon whatever….Do we really need to know that???? Really….

Just wondering….

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Don't Forget the Good Times….

Hello People!

I am going to make this short and brief…hopefully!

I hope this blogs finds you all well and smiling!!!!:D) Smiles can show the world that you will not be beaten no matter what comes your way.  AND you won't! Just remember people will only do what you allow them to do…SO don't let them do it!!!

I work in the legal field and unfortunately the area of practice is not one of the most glamorous…is there a glamorous field in law? I don't know I just know that Family Law is not it….well I guess maybe if you were working on getting children adopted that would be good. BUT...

People going through divorces or custody battles seem to lose themselves in the battle, they are so set on being able to 'get' the other person that they do things I don't think they would normally do if they weren't consumed with the fight. It's like once the papers are filed they forget the years they spent,long each other or strongly liking each other, starting a family, raising children or starting a business and growing it from the ground up. What about the good memories…what was it that made you say "I DO" when you said those words. In the throws of divorce or a custody battle nothing seems to be out of bounds, personal attacks and the children are all fair game. SAD!!!  

God forbid any of you should find yourself in this predicament….BUT should this be the path your life takes…try to remember to take the high road, don't wallow in the mud(pain) and drag everybody else in with you(children…personal attacks). Focus on the good times you had during your marriage, remember why you said I DO! And if all else fails remember that just because this door is closing, there is also another one opening…walk through it with your head held high and a smile on your face and you will see how much sooner you will get over it. The good times and a good support system and you will be surprised how quickly things will change. 

I'm just sayin'

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Tuesday...

Hey People!

How the heck are you doing?!

Sorry but I fell asleep yesterday…I was more tired than I thought cause I fell asleep playing Candy Crush. BUT it turned out to be a good thing since I passed a level in my sleep! I don't know how I did that I just know that this morning when I got up and turned on Candy Crush it said Level Completed….WOW!!!! AWESOME!!!!

I was going to skip tonight BUT I thought once I start skipping then I will find an excuse to skip everyday!

Yesterday was my nephew, Michael's birthday. I remember when he was born his mom had to be air vac down to Phoenix, to St. Luke's Children's hospital. His mom didn't know she was pregnant so when she went into labor….SURPRISE! Michael was born with a heart problem and had to be on a heart monitor for the first year of his life. Talk about moving quickly and heart stopping moments when that monitor would go off!!! WHOA NELLY!!!! Thank God that it was usually because the monitor wasn't making a good connection to the leads or something had gotten underneath the lead.  I remember I took him to church one time with that monitor…he was so tiny…I almost dropped him! I was trying to get him, the monitor, the baby bag with the bottles and stuff and then he was wrapped in all these blankets…I lost him somewhere in the blankets and when I got to the car I was freaking out cause I couldn't find him!!!! FINALLY at the bottom of the all the blankets hanging on barely there he was. THANK GOD I DIDN'T DROP HIM!!!!

I don't have any children, God knew better than that! BUT I am currently responsible for two people who are just as helpless as my nephew was at that time. My sister who has brain damage and is "mentally handicapped" and my niece who has Down Syndrome.  I don't know if it is the same as what most mothers go through BUT I can tell you my hair is gray…what little I have left AND sometimes I don't sleep thinking about what could happen to them. How do you moms do it? That is a LOT of pressure!!!!

Happy birthday MICHAEL DOUGLAS WESTBROOK!!!!

Hats off to all you mothers out there!!!! YOU ROCK!!!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

A New Week Is Starting….

Hello People!

I was thinking about this scripture after a conversation I had with someone and I couldn't get it right in my head. Then I talked to my sister and she quoted the same scripture I was trying to say but was getting wrong! Confirmation of what I was thinking….

Matthew 7:6 "Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (King James Version) 

"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." (Standard English Version)

My translation on this scripture, and it could be completely wrong, but it is what occurred to me is that you should not allow someone to ruin your dreams and discourage you from what you want to do. If you believe you can do it…DO IT!!!

I was thinking that people who have nothing better to do and don't want to see you doing anything will say things whether intentional or unintentional to steal your joy. Don't let them do that…IF you think what they said was hurtful which, I am sure it was, don't wallow in the pain. Acknowledge it, say ouch and move on.  AND forgive them for they are idiots and know not what they do. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do anything. You can do everything you set your mind to do.  JUST DO IT!!! I need one of those big check marks now…

I have been watching The Ultimate Survivor Alaska on National Geographic channel…or NTGEO it is an endurance test of man against nature….in ALASKA! Think about that…they are fighting the elements, glaciers…freezing water, bears…BUGS, etc.  They give them rations of 2 pound of rice and beans for them to travel at least 50 miles in this insane terrain, with 3 days to make it to the 'pick up' point for the next drop off!!!! I think we should all learn to live off the land or at least eat more than the fish…cause if we are all trying to get the fish somebody is going to go hungry! BUT I digress…

Anyway…if you don't remember anything I say to you…just remember this…DON'T LET ANYBODY STEAL YOUR JOY!!!! You can be what you want to be and do what you want to do!!!

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

It's Just Mattie: Saturday….

It's Just Mattie: Saturday….: Hello People! Here is a simple blog…basically it will be my journal for today.   Saturday, January 11, 2014...I have to get up earl...

See ya when I see ya!Peace! Mattie

Saturday….

Hello People!

Here is a simple blog…basically it will be my journal for today.  

Saturday, January 11, 2014...I have to get up early so I can drive an hour to see my niece play basketball, that starts at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning…really???!!!. OH JOY AND RAPTURE!!!

I get up at 7:30….NOT GOOD! See I don't have to just get myself together…I have to get my sister AND myself together in the midst of Gary talking about how YOU over slept again! You always over sleep when you have something important to do!!! I don't understand how you do that…you know you have to get up and yet you hit the snooze button or don't set your alarm at all! I told you last night to set the alarm….this is about the time when my eyes roll up in the back of my head and I picture someone choking and gasping for air…then it is quiet!!! Aaaahhhh silence is golden…golden…..that's a song isn't it?! Anyway…I digress…

SO I leave the house at 8:10 or 8:15 this is not good I am going to be late and you know my car only goes 65 well actually it is more like 63 miles per hour. UNLESS you want to hear that noise it makes you push it past that point….ttttttwwaaaaaannnnnnngggggggg……ttttttttwwwwwaaaaannnnnngggggg! I finally get to the school…they have just started playing so I didn't miss much. My niece is on the court…now I am 6'2", her dad is about 6'5"and for an 8 year old she is pretty tall so chances are she is going to be in the WNBA. NOT! I played basketball, I was pretty good I always 'fouled' out in the first quarter because when I put my hands up to block, I would BLOCK out the sight of the other girls and since the ref couldn't see them he ASSUMED I was fouling them! Is it my fault that the girls were short and even with their hands up they were maybe 5'8??? No it's not!…Anyway...her dad played basketball he was good but he went into the military instead so what are you going to do. I don't think she likes playing basketball BUT because she is tall you know…(NOTE TO YOU PIGMENTLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE…JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE BLACK or AFRICAN AMERICAN and TALL DOES NOT MEAN YOU PLAY BASKETBALL OR PLAYED BASKETBALL OR EVEN LIKE IT…just saying') Back to the story…

My niece is on the court, they match the kids up as closely as possible to a kid on the other team who is equal in height….the teams consist of boys and girls and they play 8 minute quarters. My niece is guarding her man…she has him behind her and her arms are stretched out to her sides so that no ball can't get by her, she is intense and confused…. throughout the entire game she is playing DEFENSE!!! DEFENSE when the other team has the ball….DEFENSE when her team has the ball…DEFENSE is the word for the day for her! Dribble…NO! Hands up! NO! Can I get a little hustle…NO!!! DEFENSE is all you are going to get! The ball was dropped at her feet…she put her arms down and picked it up and ran down the court for two points! JUST KIDDING!!! She didn't pick it up and the other team got it and they ran down the court and scored two points. DEFENSE…she spent some time on the bench after that one….when the game was over we had a little talk…I showed her how to dribble low center so they can't knock the ball away from you. HEAD UP watching the court looking where you are going….then Ms. Davis told me stop dribbling the ball. I had to do what she said since she is my elder and also she was one of my neighbors growing up…I think she still has cart blanc to whoop my butt…my mom gave it to ALL the neighbors when we were little, so if they see us doing something wrong they could WHOOP ASS!  SO since she shut me down...I will work with her at another time. I also told my niece that if she wants me to get up EARLY on a Saturday to come and watch her play…I am going to need a little hustle!!!

I go to the grocery store to pick up a couple things and as I am putting the things in the car this lady comes up to me and she says, "I know you don't I? You are friends with Pat and Donna." I said I am sorry I don't even know who Pat and Donna are. "What is your name?" I said Mattie. "THEN IT IS YOU! You are the one that was at Pat and Donna's party for their son when he graduated high school!"  Okay…yeah that was me (in my head I am saying just don't make direct eye contact and don't make any sudden moves and MAYBE she will go away…) Then she said I knew it! You were at their house on____street…I said OH! You mean Jacque and Pat!!! Either way I was just going to agree cause she was very adamant that she knew me and that I knew Pat and Donna!  You never want to stir the crazy when it is staring you in the face…

I get home and I want to take a nap but my sister decides that this is the time for her to touch EVERYTHING and make all kinds of NOISE and just be excited about life…WHY???!!! Cause I want a nap...

I am tired and want to go bed now or at least take a nap!!!!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Friday Night….

It is Friday Night…

I just got paid…I didn't but for purposes of this post I will just say that…I think there was a song about that in the 80s maybe the 90s….Friday night…I just paid…party jumping feeling right….booty shaking all around….I JUST GOT PAID!!! Then the music would escalate into a good stomping the floor beat!!!

80s and the 90s were 'the good ole days'!!! Good music and good movies…then we moved on to the years starting with 2---, sadly that's when things starting going to hell in a hand basket! With pretty corners on the wrapping paper AND wrapped with a bow!!! I was wondering how long will it last and how long will it go on…I feel sorry for the kids that born and being raised during this time, who will teach them right from wrong? Who will teach them how to work hard for things and that everything does not come instantly sometimes you have to wait for things. AND good things come to those who wait. This day and age you want something and presto-bingo there it is! You want to know something…GOOGLE it! No more going to the library and using the 'Dewy' decimal system. They probably don't even teach about that system in school anymore. No more learning to add in your head quickly or otherwise, cause now-a-days calculators are allowed in math class. In fact I think calculators are part of the school supplies that you have to bring when you go to school isn't it? I was pleased to see that my niece was practicing her cursive writing…I had heard that they stopped teaching that, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her write her name. 

How far into the 2000s will we go do you think? Will we become so advanced in our technology that we won't have to do anything for ourselves anymore? I mean will we be able to think…'I am hungry I want some'…and POOF it appears…or scarier yet once you have the thought, then you feel full just like that and you have the sensation that you just ate whatever it is you were thinking about and you're actually full??!!!

I was talking to a friend today and she was telling me that her Uncle is having 'renal' problems…his kidneys are starting to shut down, he has HIV/AIDS and he has had it since the 70s or 80s, he was afforded some experimental treatment because he has a twin and they wanted to try somethings with genetics, transfusions and stuff so he got the best treatment there was! Paid for by your tax dollars. Now he is losing the battle with the failure of his kidneys and she was wondering if there were any options. This is the year of 2014…shouldn't there be some cures for AIDS and CANCER by now? Or for that matter the common cold? We have progressed in a LOT of things but it appears in some other things we are slow to make progress.

Are you excited about the future…I remember being in Elementary School saying I didn't want to be around for the year 2000. I am glad that I am here to see what has happened...Now that it is here there is so much to see and do…yet...

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

HI!

Hello People!

How the heck are you doing? I hope this finds you well….

HI!!!!

That's all I got!!!!


See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

SO….

Hello People!

This is day 8 and I guess this is why I haven't finished (actually I started but I need to start over…) my book! Some days I just don't have anything to say. 

I have been flipping back forth on the channels watching The Secret Lives of Bees and Duck Dynasty…the two have nothing to do with each other but…

I read the book The Secret Lives of Bees…it is a really good book I almost read it in one day but I knew I was talking a road trip so I made it last for the trip. I read the part of the book where May was tired of all the sorrow and pain in the world so she decided to remove herself from the pain, and thus left this world.  I cried from the outskirts of Las Vegas to the Welcome to Mesquite sign…It is a very good book, you should read it if you get the chance. I was sort of surprised by the casting I think I would have had someone else play the part Alicia Keys played. Not that she didn't do a good job it is just after reading the book I had these people pictured in my mind and she wasn't part of the picture.  I don't know…I want to write a book that is going to be a page turner and make you want to read the whole thing in one day. HOPEFULLY I am inspired to write it and that my words are able to inspire someone to write a book as well.

Keep checking the local book stores you never know when you might see my name on the shelf!!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Happy 85th Birthday DADDY!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

I wish you had time for many more, but sadly your time has come and gone and now we celebrate the memory of you and wish that you were actually here. I bet if you were here momma would make you a coconut cake with lots of coconut probably 3 or 4 layers high….yellow cake, white frosting and toasted coconut just for you.  Everybody would be wishing you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and asking you the same question you ask us…"How does it feel to be stumbling around on this earth for 85 years???!!!" I wish you were here to answer that question, but sadly you are not. You were here but a short while and now you are gone…are you able to see us here…what words of wisdom do you have for us…I can see you doing that silly dance you always did whenever Stevie Wonder was playing…I think your favorite was Superstition. Where is Superstitious…writing on the wall…where is superstitious letters 'bout to fall… Superstition ain't the way…hey hey…

Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you…happy birthday dear Daddy! Happy birthday to you!!!

I wish you were here for the 25th Family Reunion, you were the reason we started having them …this year should the biggest one ever.  They have been changing the shirts every year, they are trying to switch them up…I have about 7 or 8 or them…I think I have one of your old ones too.  They have put together a Family Reunion Book of sorts it has all kinds of family information in there some going back to the 1800s…I wonder how far back it could go.  Grandma's birthday was December 30th, IF she was alive, and that's a BIG IF she would be 112. That would sound ridiculous to believe someone could be that old but oddly enough I don't think she would make the Guinness Book of records. 

I met a man a last year I think it was last year, and he said he worked with you and you were a good man! I think so too. I remember you walking in the snow to the store to buy groceries for us and walking back…we are talking walking about 5 miles 10 miles round trip back in the day when they measure snow in FEET and not inches…I don't think I ever said thanks. THANKS Dad for walking to the store…THANKS Dad for getting my arm out of the washing machine…THANKS Dad for daddy Saturdays of pot pies or foot long hot dogs…THANKS Dad for dancing around the kitchen with Mom even though she would pretend like she didn't want to. THANKS DAD for being my Dad. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And many more!!!!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

I Got Nothing…..

Hello People!

How the heck are you doing? I am working on this blogging I am on what day 6…six days in a row…BUT I got nothing! 

I am sitting here watching this show on the Food Network called "Mystery Diners". They bring in these hidden cameras to restaurants and secret guest, like secret shopper, to  check out what the staff is doing. It is a way to keep an eye on your staff when you get are getting too many complaints from customers. They showed this delivery driver eating the customers food and then when she refused the order because it wasn't right he called her a BITCH! WOW….seriously dude?! Your fat ^&% is eating the customers food and then you got the nerve to be getting mad at the customers.  This is funny on the one hand and on the other hand it makes you want to not own a business. If you can't trust your employees who can you trust? It is sad when you think about all the people who are looking for a job and can't find one, then you have people who have jobs and just screw their employer…just cause they can. WOW!!

What is even more sadder than this…is when you have an employer who screws their good employees for an employee who is just trying to get over! You need to know the difference!!!

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

Day 5… Random Thoughts or A.A.D.H.D.

Hello People!

I think this blogging is going to be hard to do everyday…nothing exciting happened today so I really don't have anything to tell you other than I ate too much…I had heart burn all night and I need a nap! BUT it's bedtime SO….

I checked the want ads and I see that the AG's office is now looking for a legal secretary. I hope those other people who interviewed for that position have jobs or gets jobs soon…

I was going to try my hand at making something up to post here but nothing comes to mind…oddly enough when something happens to me I can imagine all kinds of things happening as the outcome to the situation. BUT to sit here and make up a story….I GOT NOTHING!!!! Now that is a gift that I need to work on obtaining!

School starts tomorrow for the kids, and my niece has been sitting on GO since Christmas vacation started. She really likes school even though sometimes she goes out of her way to get sent home.  Since this vacation though I believe she is going to do well for the rest of the year. YAY school!! 

I was looking at Facebook a minute ago and they have a page on there regarding the history of Flagstaff and the snow of 1967 which had total of 83 inches of snow! Back when we were going to school it took almost an act of Congress to get a snow day from school…Now-a-days a flake falls and they call school off, what a racket!!! We have had a mild winter so far this year, BUT you never know when that one storm is going to roll in and wreak havoc. Like in 2010 when they shut down I-40 and had to declare a State of Emergency.  I remember a snow when I was little that was roof top to roof top. I remember my dad climbing up on the roof and shoveling the snow off so the roof wouldn't collapse…that was ONE of the rare occasions when we got a snow day from school!!!!:D)

Enjoy your first full week of January in the year 2014!!!! I am starting that 52 Week Savings Challenge by the time the end of the year comes you should have saved almost $1400! That's like found money!!! You do frivolous stuff with found money…hhhhmm what shall I do?! The way the savings challenge works is each week you 'save' that amount of money, i.e. week one you save $1, week two $2, week three $3 and so on and so on and so….and she'll tell two friends and they'll tell two friends and so on and so on and so on….SORRY! That A.D.D. random thoughts just take over when you least expect it.:D) HEY along with the savings challenge lets also do 52 weeks of random acts of kindness. Come on….let's DO IT!!!:D)

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Just Going Through The Motions

Hello People!

I am still blogging…this makes number 4…hopefully I will keep having things to blog about since I haven't quite mastered the skill of making things up.

ANYWAY…this occurred to me the other day. I applied for a job at the Attorney General's Office, I got an interview and although I thought I sucked during the interview process, I have subsequently found out I didn't. YAY ME! Anyway…I had seen on the news that they are not going to extend the unemployment insurance payments to those people who have been unemployed for a long period of time, I think they said they are going to have about six more months of payments and that is it. I also heard or the radio or saw it on the news that employers are not going to be hiring people who have been unemployed for a long period of time, no matter what the reason. SAD, why yes it is. The current economic situation is not something that people have any control over. I know everybody wants to blame the President, more so because of his Race than his ability as the President but I don't think it is his fault either. I think people in general or as a whole got greedy and the 'bubble' that we were previously existing in couldn't sustain the false growth…you know how you blow up a balloon and you see it has a weak spot in it but you keep blowing anyway until it pops in your face?! Yeah that was the United States prior to the crash and here we are…. BUT I digress!

As I said I applied for the job, interviewed and found out that I did not get the job. Officially I haven't been told yet, but I was told by someone who should know, that the job went to someone else. The reason this person got the job over me is because they have been working as at the AG's Office for the past 10 years and they felt obligated to give her a chance and not ignore the face that she has put in 10 years of service already. I can understand that. Loyalty is something that should be rewarded whether by your employer or in a relationship. The sad part is that those who are applying for these jobs end up participating in a exercise in futility! I guess employers are obligated to post the job openings and go through the motions, while knowing that they already have someone in mind that they are going to give the job too. But what about that person who got their hopes up? There was a job at the Superior Court that I wish I had applied for too, I know the Judge and I had convinced myself that had I applied for the job I would have gotten it. BUT I went to a party the other day and was talking to a Court Reporter and asked her what Judge she worked for, she told me and I mentioned the position for the Judicial Assistant and she said yeah that was rigged. They already had someone in mind they were going to give the job too, who as in the case of the AG's office, worked for the Court already and she got the job.  It is sad that people in need of jobs see a potential job that they know they can do, they go through the motions of applying and perhaps even get an interview, only to have the job go to someone else. Then hopefully they don't find out as I did, but no doubt at some point they find out that the job went to someone else. SAD! I am not that upset about the position at the AG's office as I wasn't sure it was something I would be able to do once they told me what it entailed. Now don't get me wrong the job itself is something I could do, that is why I applied. It is just that the job dealt with people accused of child abuse…I wasn't sure if I could deal with that or not. Especially since I was told I would be front line to see the graphic pictures and children affected by the abuse. I don't know if I could handle that…I would like to think I could with the motivation being I am helping this child get justice by putting the ASSHOLE behind bars…BUT seeing such negativity I am sure at some point would take its toll. 

I have a job and the attorney I work for told me I could work there as long as I wanted too...I hope that the people out there looking for a job are afforded to the opportunity to get a job as well and stop exercising in a process that will not end in employment. I hope the employers who are posting these positions out there take into consideration that every person who has been unemployed for a long period of time may not be someone taking advantage of the system. AND THINK perhaps that these people have been trying to better themselves, but unfortunately they just haven't be given a break. I pray that GOD opens doors for those in need and that the break you are looking for comes sooner than you think.

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

Well….let me see….

Today is the first Friday of 2014… January 3, 2014

I just found out today that today is my parents anniversary they never told us when they got married, actually in all honesty they never talked about anything pertaining to them or their childhood.  SAD! Yes it is… BUT we have learned some things about my dad and his family his parents were alive when we were little so we got to know them a little growing up going to their house each summer. Can you believe that they had an outhouse the first time we went to visit them?! Talk about holding it until your eyes are floating!!! My mom's parents were both dead before we were born, I believe they both died of some form of cancer. It is unfortunate that we didn't get to know that much about our parents, we have asked and asked but…NOTHING! Every now and then my mom will say something or talk about her childhood briefly but not in detail. I know she picked cotton, BUT she was not a slave...I have heard her say that it takes two and a half rows to fill a bundle or something like that. Then she would make gestures on how you would pick it…But if you ask her questions she won't answer them. She also won't write down her recipes, which is sad 'cause she is one HELL OF A COOK just ask anybody that has eaten her food. Or ate at NAU or the church…or…I know her mom didn't take no crap off of anybody, at least according to the one story she tells…I know my dad started working at the age of 12 and served in the Korean War. There were twins on both my dad and my mom's side of the family…actually I can't remember if they were on my mom's side or not???? I forgot. BUT I do know that in both instances they died.  

It is really important that you know where you came from, it helps you figure out where you are going. If you have the opportunity to get to know your parents childhood and find out where you came from, DO IT!  You can't know where you are going unless you know where you came from. TRUE! My mom is still with us and I will keep bugging her and we'll see what happens. My dad died in 2003 11 years gone next month…it seems like just yesterday. Fortunately he still has brothers and sisters alive to tell the tale of their life when they were kids. If I don't get my mom talking soon….well. 

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie

SO Here I Am Again….

Happy January 2nd 2014!

That is just so weird to say 2014….WOW that is a LOT of years. I can remember when I was in elementary school and we had to write the year on our papers and I remember just going from one year to the next once freaking me out and I said I don't want to be here in the year 2000 that would just be weird they will probably have space ships and aliens roaming around. Well thankfully God allowed me to still be here cause look what I would have missed. All the people I have met since the 70s and having the opportunity to jot down my thoughts and likes and dislikes….whatever comes to mind I can put on here and HOPEFULLY people will read it. And like it… 

BUT like it or not I am putting it all out there.

I have an acquaintance/friend I am not sure what to say here… how about this… there is this lady I took a writing class with she has a blog Barefoot in the Nettles…she writes very well I read her stuff sometimes and think you just made this up? Really? Your mind just works like that huh? WOW! NOW I will say her stuff is not for little children or even PG 13. This is GROWN FOLK writings and although I can write like that…I ain't made at her!  AND she is not a poke in the eye men. BUT I think she is married…sorry!!!! Check it out some of you may like it. I think all writers should be able to express themselves in the way that captures the readers and draws them in, I hope I do that I am sure that Marybeth does…NOT saying I condone it or whatever it is just good writing!

See ya when I see ya! 

Peace! 

Mattie

2014 May It Bring Us New Eyes To See!!!

Hey People ! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I hope that you all had a fabulous 2013 and that 2014 is better than you expected.  I hope that BLESSINGS run you down and take you over. BLESSINGS that you never thought possible and those that you thought were unattainable!!! To put it simply I hope and pray that this year, 2014, you are BLESSED!

I have said it in my mind that I am going to write these daily blogs, I know, I know I have said it before but I have a feeling that this year there will be something that I have an urge to blog about on a daily basis. SERIOUSLY!:D)

This year is starting off kind of odd…where I live there is usually snow and LOTS of it, but the ground today is sparsely white…just spotty in places and the mountains that are usually covered in white, look in the distance to be a dark blue with white spots here and there. Odd. This year started off with a new moon…new moon…new year….new possibilities…new opportunities…new life!

I have been told that this year we'll have two 'Blood Moons' the first on April 4, 2014 which is also the beginning of the Jewish Passover and on October 8, 2014 which is the Feast of the Tabernacles another Jewish holiday.  These 'Blood Moons' will appear again in 2015 on April 4, 2015 and September 28, 2015 again on Jewish holidays.  I have read that some believe the coincidence of this is too much to be actual coincidence but more Biblical…"For example, when it happened in 1493 and 1494 Jews were expelled from Spain. The blood moons in 1949 and 1950 came right after the nation of Israel was assembled, giving the Jews a homeland for the first time in thousands of years. And in 1967 and 1968 it was linked to the Six-Day War. “This is something that just is beyond coincidental,” Hagee told Fox. He explained that the prophecies in the Bible note that when the sun refuses to shine – and a solar eclipse is expected in the 2014-2015 time frame – and the moon will be turned to blood, then man’s redemption draweth near."

Interesting. I am sure you all will have something to say about John Hagee but Hagee is inconsequential to point. When reading the book of Revelation it talks about all these things that will happen in the 'end times'…signs and wonders.  Do you think this is the generation that will see the return of Christ? Do you believe in Christ? Do you believe that this world will remain or will it pass away and something new be put in its place? I look at it this way I believe what the Bible says if I am wrong what does it costs me? A couple of "friends"? Then they weren't really friends then if my firm belief in something was enough to make them leave. I don't try to force my beliefs on anyone I just tell you what I believe, what you believe is on you.  Or some pissed off people? I like that….if I can piss you off then that means you have strong convictions of your own and when challenged you are vulnerable enough to be emotional about them, but yet solid enough to hold onto your beliefs.  I like it!!! On the opposite side of the coin though, what if what I believe is right? Look at what I have to gain! Are you willing to die in your beliefs and accept whatever happens once the slow singing and flower bringing is done? Do you think this is it and that is all there is? What if its not…Just something to think about…or not…choices we all have them.

Anyway…the reason I wanted to blog today was...I was listening to the TV I like background noise what can I say.  It comes from living alone for 16 years and not having a reason to open my mouth for hours at a time, and then when I did it was only to eat.  BUT I digress…I was listening to the TV and I heard this promo for the show 'Being Mary Jane' on BET, that's Black Entertainment Television for those of you that don't know. Anyway, during the promo this man says "I came out!" And Mary Jane says to him with no look of surprise on her face and matter-a-factly "Gay is the new Black…" I pushed the back button and played it again to make sure that I heard it correctly and yeah that is what she said…WOW!! Gay is the new Black…. I was speechless I still am. I am sure that some of you have seen my posts on Facebook regarding the recent Phil Robertson fiasco and the Gay and Black controversey…this has been a point of contention recently and now it appears that it is what a joke...WOW! 

I am hoping that 2014 is an eye opener for all of us.

See ya when I see ya!

Peace!

Mattie