Night

“I like the night.

 Without the dark,

we'd never see the stars.” 

― Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

And I Quote...

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

 – J.R.R. Tolkien

Journey

“It is good to have an end to journey toward;

 but it is the journey that matters, 

in the end.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

I Always See You

You aren't physically here with me 
but I always see you.
I see you every morning
because you're my sunshine.
I see you every afternoon
because you're my dream during my nap.
I see you every evening
because you're my sunset.
And I see you every night
because you're my blanket of stars.

Diana Shawgi Martin

Leave The Drama Behind

Man In The Mirror

I'm gonna make a change

For once in my life

It's gonna feel real good

Gonna make a difference

Gonna make it right

As I, turn up the collar on

My favorite winter coat

This wind is blowing my mind

I see the kids in the streets

With not enough to eat

Who am I to be blind?

Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard, a broken bottle top

And a one man soul

They follow each other on the wind ya' know

'Cause they got nowhere to go

That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love

It's time that I realize

That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan

Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart

And a washed-out dream

They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see

'Cause they got no place to be

That's why I'm starting with me

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make that

Change!

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

(Oh yeah!)

I'm asking him to change his ways

(Better change!)

No message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make the change)

You gotta get it right, while you got the time

You can't close your, your mind!

That man, that man, that man, that man

With the man in the mirror

(Man in the mirror, oh yeah!)

That man, that man, that man

I'm asking him to change his ways

(Better change!)

No message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make the change

Oh no, no no

I'm gonna make a change

It's gonna feel real good!

Chime on!

(Change)

Just lift yourself

You know

You've got to stop it

Yourself!

(Yeah! Make that change!)

I've got to make that change, today!

Hoo!

(Man in the mirror)

You got to

You got to not let yourself

Brother

Hoo!

(Yeah! Make that change!)

You know, I've got to get

That man, that man

(Man in the mirror)

You've got to move! Chime on!

Chime on!

You got to

Stand up! Stand up! Stand up!

(Yeah! Make that change)

Stand up and lift yourself, now!

(Man in the mirror)

You know it!

You know it!

You know it!

You know it

(Change)

Make that change

A Certain Lady

Oh, I can smile for you, and tilt my head,
And drink your rushing words with eager lips,
And paint my mouth for you a fragrant red,
And trace your brows with tutored finger-tips.
When you rehearse your list of loves to me,
Oh, I can laugh and marvel, rapturous-eyed.
And you laugh back, nor can you ever see
The thousand little deaths my heart has died.
And you believe, so well I know my part,
That I am gay as morning, light as snow,
And all the straining things within my heart
You'll never know.
Oh, I can laugh and listen, when we meet,
And you bring tales of fresh adventurings, --
Of ladies delicately indiscreet,
Of lingering hands, and gently whispered things.
And you are pleased with me, and strive anew
To sing me sagas of your late delights.
Thus do you want me -- marveling, gay, and true,
Nor do you see my staring eyes of nights.
And when, in search of novelty, you stray,
Oh, I can kiss you blithely as you go ....
And what goes on, my love, while you're away,
You'll never know.  

~Dorothy Parker

Keep Charleston In Your Prayer's...

Life Is Fine

I went down to the river,

I set down on the bank.

I tried to think but couldn't,

So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!

I came up twice and cried!

If that water hadn't a-been so cold

I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator

Sixteen floors above the ground.

I thought about my baby

And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!

I stood there and I cried!

If it hadn't a-been so high

I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',

I guess I will live on.

I could've died for love--

But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,

And you may see me cry--

I'll be dogged, sweet baby,

If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

Langston Hughes

Problems

2 and 2 are 4.

4 and 4 are 8.

But what would happen

If the last 4 was late?

And how would it be

If one 2 was me?

Or if the first 4 was you

Divided by 2?

Langston Hughes

Stop Being Negative

I Believe....

Don't let people tell you what you can not do...

Knoxville Tennessee

I always like summer

Best

you can eat fresh corn

From daddy's garden

And okra

And greens

And cabbage

And lots of

Barbeque

And buttermilk

And homemade ice-cream

At the church picnic

And listen to

Gospel music

Outside

At the church

Homecoming

And go to the mountains with

Your grandmother

And go barefooted

And be warm

All the time

Not only when you go to bed

And sleep  

~ Nikki Giovanni

Enjoy Your Life

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

It's Your Life...

Live Your Life

Godly Love

Never Felt This Way...Alonzo Adams

*Boy: do you have a boyfriend?
*Girl: No. I don’t want a boyfriend.
*Boy: Genesis 2:18 “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’.”
*Girl: But I don’t love you.
*Boy: 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.”
*Girl: So how do I discern that your words are true?
*Boy: Matthew 12:34 “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."
*Girl: But how can I be sure that you are faithful and honest?
*Boy: Mark 13:31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
*Girl: But why me? There are so many girls out there.
*Boy: Proverbs 31:29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all!”
*Girl: But what do you see in me, that makes you love me?
*Boy: Song of Songs 4:7 " You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."
*Girl: But really, I’m not that beautiful … you’re exaggerating.
*Boy: Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
*Girl: What will happen if I say yes?
*Boy: Genesis 2:24 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."
*Girl: How is it that you know so many Scriptures?
*Boy: Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. "
*Girl: Wooow, I can see you really love God.
*Boy: Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!”
*Girl: Hmmm. Ok please just give me some time to think about this.
*Boy: Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things."
*Girl: owwww I love you already
*Boy: Revelations 22:21 "Amen."


Author Unknown

The Room of My Life

Here,
in the room of my life
the objects keep changing.
Ashtrays to cry into,
the suffering brother of the wood walls,
the forty-eight keys of the typewriter
each an eyeball that is never shut,
the books, each a contestant in a beauty contest,
the black chair, a dog coffin made of Naugahyde,
the sockets on the wall
waiting like a cave of bees,
the gold rug
a conversation of heels and toes,
the fireplace
a knife waiting for someone to pick it up,
the sofa, exhausted with the exertion of a whore,
the phone
two flowers taking root in its crotch,
the doors
opening and closing like sea clams,
the lights
poking at me,
lighting up both the soil and the laugh.
The windows,
the starving windows
that drive the trees like nails into my heart.
Each day I feed the world out there
although birds explode
right and left.
I feed the world in here too,
offering the desk puppy biscuits.
However, nothing is just what it seems to be.
My objects dream and wear new costumes,
compelled to, it seems, by all the words in my hands
and the sea that bangs in my throat.

by Anne Sexton

Love God First...

Love

From the movie "Up"

Love is like a mustard seed;
planted by God
and watered by men
- Muda Saint Michael -

Ashes Of Life

Love has gone and left me and the days are all alike;

Eat I must, and sleep I will,—and would that night were

here!

But ah!—to lie awake and hear the slow hours strike!

Would that it were day again!—with twilight near!

Love has gone and left me and I don't know what to do;

This or that or what you will is all the same to me;

But all the things that I begin I leave before I'm through,—

There's little use in anything as far as I can see.

Love has gone and left me,—and the neighbors knock and

borrow,

And life goes on forever like the gnawing of a mouse,—

And to-morrow and to-morrow and to-morrow and to-morrow

There's this little street and this little house.

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

The Smile Challenge...

It Is What It Is

The City At Night

The city is very beautiful at night.
To see the shimmering lights
In the buildings around, 
Beacons to the mind's eye.
The cars slide through the dark
And then disappear again
Into the dark corners of the nights.
The people weave in and out 
Of the fabric of the night air, 
Appearing briefly as a
Silhouetted puppets in the night sky.
The city is always very beautiful at night.

 Charlie F. Kane

Men....Think and Do

See The Good In Everything...

Love What Makes You Different...

Hold On

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

Audrey Hepburn

You Are The Father, Not The Sitter

Men, when you are alone with your children you are not "babysitting".

It's called parenting; spending quality time with them.  

         Babysitter : to take charge of a child while  the parents are temporarily away.

Father: 

a. A male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child.

b. A man who adopts a child.

c. A man who raises a child.

 I know all men don't call it "babysitting"; But for those of you who do, it's time you stop.

Your children love you and most times they don't want to be with the babysitter.  :-)

~But~

 Even though some of you are calling it "babysitting",

I do love the fact that you are there for and with your child(ren).

I have much love and respect for you.

So with that said, there will be no more babysitting and more "quality time"

. :-)

Alone

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Maya Angelou