I am homegrown feminist. A free woman who celebrates life, love and self. I affirm the core essence of my being through self-care. Self-pampering, regular medical check-ups, long spa visits, extended vacations, passionate interchange with my partner and doing my life work as my career--these are only some of the ways I celebrate me. I was not always this woman.

I grew up with women who knew and owned their power yet celebrated their womanness. Don't get me wrong, these were sisters who loved the brothers--a few were married to some of the most influential Black men in history. What I loved and admired is that they never lost contact with who they were and what they wanted while loving their mates or their children.

The examples they set for me--accomplishing their dreams independent of their mate, not accepting abuse or mistreatment on any level--it is these and other experiences that would serve as a standard for my own life journey of living life in a female body.

So often we as women relinquish our goals for those of our families and those we love. We are falsely taught that this is our role in society and in love--to serve. For me, finding a delicate balance between caring for family and doing what makes me feel passionate and alive, is paramount to my mental, spiritual and physical health.

I feel fortunate to have the consciousness to praise and honor the yearnings of my soul. I came to this place by learning to ask myself life questions related to my own peace and empowerment.

Questions like: What do I really want for my life? Have I given myself permission to live my best life? What kind of work makes me feel happy and content? If my life could be any way I want it, what would that life look like? What makes my body feel good and alive?

I live by these affirmations: I am whole and complete in and of myself. I deserve peace, love and goodness just because I am child of the Most High. I forgive myself daily in the knowingness of my human soul. And the most important: I am enough.

More about Ifalade Ta'Shia Asanti's work can be found at www.tashiaasanti.com.

BROTHER

I'm not well
If you are sick

I'm not rich
If you are poor

I can't live
If you're not free

I depend on you
And you can depend on me

A brother is no bother
We all have the same Father

Submitted by
Hugh Mann
http://organicMD.org

Real Moments for Lovers is one of the great books by Dr. Barbara DeAngelis. She suggests in that book that, "your relationship should be a place you often retreat to, not a place to run from." This is something I try to get across to the couples all the time. In the kind of tough economic times we find ourselves living through 'retreats' and time away is surely getting lost behind job stress. If we are working we find ourselves routinely trying to handle the jobs of two, three or more people. If we are not working we are struggling to make ends meet and with the feeling that we have little to bring to our relationship. I want to encourage you to think about that special person in your life this coming weekend. Give in to "cupid's spell." Let the love bug bite. Spend some intimacy time with that special person in your life and try to stop retreating to the 'man cave,' guys. And ladies stop retreating to your quiet pursuits away from your mate, like reading, meditating or whatever takes you away from the one you love. Valentine's day is what you make it. Make it a great one this year!

Link: http://revjamesfoutherjr.blogspot.com/2009/02/real-moments-for-lovers-and-cupids.html

See the most recent blog post from By Rev. Dr. James Fouther Jr. at the following link:

Something fun...

Locks for Love is a program whereby a person grows their hair over a foot and then cuts it off to give to cancer victims struggling for their lives.

Most of the people who have hair often do not realize what it is like to grow hair for someone. Years ago, O’Henry wrote a short story about a pair of lovers who wanted to share their favorite gift for Christmas; Each thought that the other person would want a special ornament for their beloved. The man had a favorite watch but he had no fob. The woman had long, thick, dark, rich hair that was down to her waste. The man sold his watch to get his beloved a tiara, and the woman cut off her hair to sell for his fob. Both were enraptured when on Christmas the other had devoted what was most special to them for the sake of the other person’s joy. O’Henry was the author’s pseudonym.

In fact, growing hair in this day is an act of love. When I walk down the street or I get hot and sweaty, I realize how significant it is to grow hair for someone else. I always remember that no one is as fortunate as the person who is loved. It is an honor to be able to do this simple act for someone anonymously.

What we have to remember in this era is simple acts of loving kindness and not to dwell on our limits and misfortunes. When we have slipped it is enough hat someone is present to lift us up and walk with us until we regain our balance.

Professor Harding recounted a story of a child who everyday went home to see her mother from school and engage in playful and intimate exchanges. One day the girl came in late and her mother wondered what had kept her. The child recounted that a child she had passed was sitting on the curb because her doll had broken and she could not fix it. The girl was asked by her mother whether she had repaired the doll? The child said, “no, I sat down beside her and cried with her.”

What we see in these intimate messages is that no matter what that there is hope and fulfillment in loving one another and to do requires that we stir one another and love what we encounter. It is important to recall that a warrior is not she who is ready for the battle but she who lifts one another up and stands shoulder to shoulder in the circle of life.

Donate hair to Locks of Love

Locks of Love is an organization that gives hairpieces (made of donated hair) to underprivileged children who have long-term medical hair loss as a result of a diagnosis. In 2002 I co-wrote a package about Locks of Love that aired on the CNN Student News. This got me up close to the people who run the organization, the generous people who donate their hair and the children who receive it … a group that is truly amazing. I traveled to the Locks of Love headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., then headed to a small town in Mass. to meet the young recipient of the hairpiece and ended up at Harvard University where a student cut off 12 inches of beautiful brown hair that we sent to be made into a hairpiece.

It is a great cause and a lot of fun to grow your hair knowing it is going to a child. It is important to note there are very strict guidelines as to what type of hair can be made into a hairpiece. As listed exactly on the Locks of Love site, these are the requirements for an acceptable donation (and men or women can do it!)

My friend Joannie (who writes a terrific beauty blog called BeautyBlogOSphere) donated her long hair to Locks of Love and ended up with a great new A-line bob! Checkout her transformation here.

Donation requirements per Locks of Love:

"Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable. If unsure, ask your stylist. We are not able to accept bleached hair due to a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing process.
Hair that is swept off of the floor is not usable because it is not bundled in a ponytail or braid.
Hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable. If shaving your head, first divide hair into multiple ponytails to cut off.
We cannot accept dreadlocks. Our manufacturer is not able to use them in our children’s hairpieces. We also cannot accept wigs, falls, hair extensions or synthetic hair.
Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches.
Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails.
Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.
10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.

There are also specific details on how to donate when you're ready. Definitely check out their site as it has very comprehensive information.

Also, if you do not want to donate your hair you can support Locks of Love by hosting an event, becoming a participating salon, making a financial donation and more."

Previous Post: SpaFinder President Susie Ellis talks to Indulge

Labels: CNN, Donate Hair, FitFlops, indulge, Indulgence, Locks of Love

This entry was posted by Jacqui Pini, on Monday, July 28, 2008. You can leave your response .

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This tale is about the loss of a woman named Naomi’s husband and two sons, and, it is about the love and devotion of a daughter named Ruth. The two sons and the husband of Naomi died. The sons married two women who lived in Moab. One of the son's married Ruth.

This is the story of Ruth. Naomi returned to the land of Judah, which was her home. Ruth and her sister were told to go back to their families, but Ruth held her mother in law's hand and said, "Do not beg me to leave you or turn away from following you; I will go where you will go. Where thou lie I will lie. Your people will be my people. And your god will be my God. I will die where you die, and there I will be buried. So may the Lord do the same to me, and worse, if anything but death takes me from you." They both went to Bethlehem There she met her husband Boaz and she bore a son named Obed. It was his son Jesse who was the father of David.

But that is not what is important here. What matters is the devotion of a woman to a stranger and her people, and the fidelity and trust with which she lived, and the honor and mystery of the good life that one life is bound in the devotion of one to another. It is a binding love that crosses all rough places and plains. It is a love that crosses all sexual orientation and mystery. It makes all things new. Ruth is a short work of poetry and narrative. It instructs us to devote ourselves to the love of others, no matter what; that if we follow in the path of righteousness and mercy we will live all the days of our lives in grace..

In the spirit of civil rights and social justice, I offer the following poem:

POTUS & FLOTUS 44*

America's Founding Fathers envisioned freedom
but they never could have imagined today

Harriet Tubman ran the Underground Railroad
but she never could have imagined today

Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves
but he never could have imagined today

Susan B. Anthony promoted women's rights
but she never could have imagined today

Eleanor Roosevelt internationalized human rights
but she never could have imagined today

John F. Kennedy legalized civil rights
but he never could have imagined today

Martin Luther King articulated civil rights
but he never could have imagined today

Somewhere in heaven, a jubilant choir is singing,
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

*This poem celebrates Barack and Michelle Obama
as the 44th President of the United States (POTUS)
and First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS).

Hugh Mann
http://organicMD.org