Celebrating the Birth of a King

Dr. Martin Luther King stated, in his "I Have a Dream" speech:

"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.  This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Right" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Through his sacrifices, Dr. King paved the way for us.  he laid the ground work for all the opportunities we now enjoy.  Yet, some of us are squandering those opportunities.  He placed money in our names long ago in the bank account of opportunity.  If you knew you had been left and inheritance, would you not rush to claim it?  Dr. King risked his life to leave us an inheritance.  It is ours to claim.  I am so grateful for those opportunities.  Every day, I am grateful to Dr. King and to all those on whose shoulders we ride.



Seize the Opportunities

Little boy, little girl
Do you know how your history unfurled?
Do you know of the perils of slavery,
of the price others paid for you to be free?
If it had not been for those who went before,
There would be no open door.
Do you know that there was a day when black people
could not learn to read or write?
Can you imagine what that must have been like?
For our people, knowledge became the key to opportunity.
Ultimately, it was the light that led the way to
our forefather being free.
The same holds true today.
Yet, the wisdom that is ours to take is being thrown away.
That's why so many of us live with our backs against the wall
Barely able to crawl.
Our lives are so enslaved
That our desires and dreams are going to an early grave.
We are so blind we cannot see
That we hold the keys to opportunity.
Some are so complacent they cannot see the subtle attack.
Everything we have earned is slowly being snatched back.
We have to fight to keep what we have earned.
We cannot do this if we refuse to learn.
Ultimately, the decision to live right is ours to make.
We have the wisdom to realize that drugs do not give,
they only take.
They take your home, your will to succeed,
Your wife.
They will even take your life.
Are you willing to pay such a price?
No one in his right mind would willingly lay down his life.
Have you considered this?
Wasted opportunities are opportunities we willingly miss.
Do you realize that you are guilty of ingratitude?
Check your attitude.
Are your actions saying thank you to those who paved the way
Or, are you throwing it all away?
There may come a day when what little we have may be stripped away.
We must prepare for that day.
We have to prepare our minds.
There will be no welfare lines,
There won't be anything to fall back on
in our time of need.
So, take heed.
This is a dog eat dog world,
and only the strong will survive.
If you don't have what you need to make it,
you will be eaten alive.
God opens doors,
but he won't make us walk through them.
We have to seize each and every window
of opportunity that comes our way.
We cannot throw anything away.
Everything we possess
was obtained through the blood, sweat
and tears of those who have gone before.
We must be thankful for every open door,
Accepting the challenge and the responsibility
to seize every opportunity.

Copyright 2014:  Living the Dream, Patricia Newman-Harris

Dr. King's I Have a Dream Speech
delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
can be viewed at Americanrhetoric.com

Tribute to those lost in 2016

2016 was a difficult year for so many of us.  Having to say goodbye to so many talented and well-loved people is hard.  We will miss them all.


While reflecting on life and death, and the loss of so many, I wrote this.

When life begins, God opens the door and sends us forth.
When life ends, he opens his arms and welcomes us home.
Though the doors of life here are closed shut forever,
Our life with God goes on forever.

We can take comfort in the memories we shared, the conversations,  as well as     
the moments of love that were given.  Those are the gifts that are left for the living.
They will be ours to treasure forever; long after our last good-byes, long after our
last cries, they will never die.

My condolences to the families of all who were lost.

To Earth, Wind and Fire, you are all my heart
and I thank Maurice White and the group for
the memories you have allowed me and my
family to make.  You are truly uniquely a
"Shining Star", for the whole world to see.

Celebrating Kwanzaa-Maya Angelou...

Poem:  On the Pulse of Morning

Principles of Kwanzaa

Principles and symbols

Seven candles in a candelabra symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise *Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common". Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:^[9]

• Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
• Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
• Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
• Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
• Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
• Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
• Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles) mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks – all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.^[10] With corn being the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dinning.

Observance

A woman lighting kinara candles

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.^[11] The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa".^[12][13][14]
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?^[15] which is Swahili for "How are you?"^[16]
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's.^[17] Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.
Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry.^[18][19][20]
The holiday has also spread to Canada, and is celebrated by Black Canadians in a similar fashion as in the United States.<sup>[21]

from Wikepedia</sup>

Happy Kwanza

Celebrating one of the principals of Kwanzaa:

Determination:

If not for the determination of our ancestors,
where would we be.  It is up to us to treasure
their gift of endurance and continue the work
with the same endurance.  "For the race is not
given to the swift or the strong, but to the one
who endures until the end."

For Our Gain

I just want to say thank you
For all that was done,
For the victories that were won,
For our gain
The privileges we embrace came at great cost
Lives were lost.
Men, women and children
Scarred and battered;
Their dreams shattered.
They suffered and endured the pain
For our gain.
We have no right to cry woe is me.
Only grace has kept us from hanging from a tree.
We cannot forget from whence we have come,
All that was done
For our gain
For our gain,
Men were sent to their graves,
Not as free men, but as slaves.
We must not forget on whose backs we ride.
For our gain, Rosa took that ride.
For or gain, the Freedom Riders stood with pride.
If we look back at our history,
We cannot help but say, Thank God we are free.
Thank God for every victory,
For every obstacle we have overcome
For everything that was done
For our gain
For our gain.
We cannot fall asleep.
There is a promise to keep.
In case you didn't know,
There is a debt we owe.
If we are to honor our past,
There is a baton to be passed,
A hill to be climbed by all.
It is our destiny and our call.
Martin shared his dream,
In faith, believing
We would know what it means
Oh that he could have lived to see
The defeats being swallowed up in victory.
In faith, he gave his life.
He made that sacrifice.
For our gain!
He did it all
For our gain.

From Living the Dream, copyright 2014
by Patricia Newman-Harris

Remember

To those who believe

Christmas only comes in December

Let’s take a moment to remember.

Remember the Holy one

Remember all that he has done.

Christmas is much more than a season,

Much more than a few days of fun.

Christmas is a time to remember.

Remember the love

That was sent from above.

Remember God’s grace,

Remember his mercy

By showing the same love and trust

That he has shown us.

It’s taking a stance,

Independent of circumstance.

It’s opening your home

When someone is spending Christmas alone.

It’s going out of your way to help the deprived.

It’s offering a ride,

Giving an encouraging word or two,

Doing whatever you can do.

It’s standing in a gap for a sister or brother,

It’s about helping one another.

Regardless of ethnicity, birthplace

Or race.

It’s the caring

It's the sharing

It’s about putting a smile on the face

Of children in India, Africa

And America.

It’s the showing of God’s amazing grace.

Not just one day,

But everyday 

                                                                    It’s the giving.

                                                                    It’s the living.

No matter what the reason

Or whatever the season might be

It’s showing the same love we receive

To those who believe Christmas only comes in December,

Lets take a moment to remember.

Remember God’s love.

Remember his grace.

Remember

Remember

Not just in December

Remember 

He is There..Dedicated to the those who find themselves alone and lonely this holiday season.

He is There

At Christmas time,
it is easy to become disheartened
by circumstance,
A broken romance,
The loss of house and home,
Feeling lonely and alone
Or being far away
From family and friends
on Christmas day.
But no matter where we are,
or what we have to endure,
Our faith in him is secure.
Wherever we are, he is there.
We can feel his presence surrounding us
On a lonely highway or deserted hill.
In the quiet and still,
We can hear him whispering
I am here.
The spirit of Christmas resides in the heart
of every man, woman, boy and girl,
All around the world.
Christmas is not about where we are or how we feel
It's not about a place.
He never stops showering us with his amazing grace.
His joy abounds
All around.
So, when you feel yourself becoming
sad and disheartened,
Remember this,
At the center of the Christmas season is a Savior
Who doesn't need a Christmas list
To grant our every wish.
He has already given us the greatest gift anyone can give.
In him, we live,
breathe and have our being.
Without him, Christmas would have no meaning.
If we call him, he will answer,
wherever we are,
Near or far;
From the hospital bed,
From the desert of Iraq,
from the homeless shelter,
On skid row,
From a cold dark jail cell,
Or from the make shift home under the freeway.
His love and mercy will never go away.
He is everywhere.
Wherever you are, he is there.

Copyright P. Newman Harris
2013