History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King Jr.

So Many Questions

I wish I had known to ask my Grandparents questions about their parents and grandparents before they left the planet.

We get the big parts, slavery, jim crow, separate and unequal but there’s so much more.

How did they meet and fall in love? How did they live during the great depression? When did they get their first automobile? How did it feel to write their name for the first time?

Who IS Hampsin?
I recently met Hampsin, a man who lived in the late 1700’s, while researching my own family genealogy. I’ve been on this journey for about eight to ten years now and it’s a lot of time and repetition of names, but my ancestors won’t let me stop.

Anyway, I came across the story of Hampsin. And even though I had intended on doing a piece about how it felt to see my Great Grandmother Nancy’s mark –her X – as a signature on a document, Hampsin insisted I tell HIS STORY instead.

And so this is for Hampsin, and all the souls whose stories
are waiting to be told.

To view the full letter from the Virginia Gazette about Hampsin click here.

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”

Alan Bennett

I once found a message in a bottle in the ocean while out on a jet ski. I returned the note and bottle to the sea. That’s the magic of Barbados.
Who finds a bottle with a mesage in it?

The world is as big or small as you choose.  Seeing sunsets, endless beaches, and school children playing outside in uniforms, brings me joy.  I will forever wander the world because I never get tired of tasting new adventures and Barbados has a lot to offer a soul like me.

Barbados is small but it’s if full of friendly people, beautiful beaches, lovely greenery and the bluest seas.  From sunrise to sunset, you experience the joy of being in paradise. Of course, the rum helps. 

You can visit the island many times, but you must come back for there is so much to enjoy. Check out my storyline of 10 ways I enjoy Barbados.

TWELVE YEARS OF INTERGRATION

In elementary school, if something came up missing, all the black
kids from class would be sent to the principals office. Ms Martin the white principal would turn off the lights and say “I know one of ya’ll took xyz. Put in on the floor and you will not be punished.”
I once got paddled because the teacher confused me for the other light skin black girl that sat behind me.
Ms Chicken Leg Hardy announced to the history class while telling us how good slaves were treated on plantations, that since my last name was her maiden name that my family came off her families plantation.
She called African Americans “nigarass”.
She told my friend she was fat and lazy and would never amount to anything. That statement initiated my first act of rebellion.

I told her should couldn’t talk to any black person in our class. She had to come to me first.
I WAS SENT TO THE PRINCIPALS OFFICE.
My Mom had to bring me back to school. I thought I would get a whupping but I didn’t. They told my Mom I had a chip on my shoulder.

INTEGRATION

In 1988 School integration reached its all-time high; almost 45% of black students in the United States were attending majority-white schools. After this peak schools in many cities become more segregated.

Integration may have given us better books and facilities, but it exposed us to racism that many of us were shielded from in our homes, and segregated black schools.

I am convinced that integration was NOT the right thing for ME.
CLICK HERE for a timeline of my experience.
Thanks for listening.

You can live life better in this moment just by taking a few deep breathes. Do it – Inhale, filling up those lungs, hold it in, count to four, then slowly release the breath. Lungs love this, it’s what they’re born to do.

It’s Not Complicated
There’s tons of simple actions you can take today to live life better. You can pick up a pen and write your thoughts for ten minutes. Light a candle, make up your bed, eat a delicious meal, straighten up that pile of mail. The smallest action can make life better, so the ball in your court. It’s always been in your court.
One of ways I tune up my life is to surround myself with things that make my heart feel happy. Take a look and maybe it’ll make your life better in this moment. I hope so! Enjoy the show.

https://animoto.com/play/Iv7xCzfjNDObX7o191fVJQ

There are many, many roads in life.
So many in fact, that we will never travel
all of the possible routes available.
Yet All Roads Lead Home.

And where is home?
It’s the place you believe you go when you leave your physical body, and that includes “anywhere or nowhere”.

And while we all have our beliefs regarding where “home” is,
there’s one thing I know for sure. We all die to get “home”.

Since none of us know the day, hour, or minute the departure of our physical body will occur, doesn’t it make sense then that we attempt
to live life to the fullest in every moment?