The Precious Gift of Life

Watching the news of late has been very hard.
Every day some innocent person is killed.  The
accidents are difficult to accept but understood.
I cannot understand the unnecessary deaths that
occur each and every day.  It is especially hard
to listen to a report of innocent people being
mowed down by a vehicle, bombed or murdered
for the color of their skin.



Every day we live is a gift.
Treasure the gift of your life,
but also treasure the gift of each and
every life, regardless of color, station,
race or any other differences that may exist.

None of us have the ability to recreate a life,
so we definitely have no right to take a life.

That authority belongs to God alone.
Before you decide to take a life,
think of this.  You may be willing to
surrender your own, but that person has not
granted you permission to take theirs.  Please,
please, have respect for the gift of life.  It is
a precious gift granted to us all.  Love, the gift,
Thank God for the gift, but most of all, respect
the gift.  

What it means to be called an American

When we look back on our history, from our humble beginnings to where we are today, I am mindful of those who came before and how, through their struggles and tribulations, this country was birthed,  It was their beliefs and their aspirations that formed the foundation and the principals that, through the years, has governed this country.  As Americans, they stood strong and united in their convictions to insure the promise, that to every man who called America home, certain rights would always be guaranteed.  Further, these rights were established by written decree so that, without question, they would be what consolidated our unity.  This was an act of great courage and humility.   I am so grateful for those accomplishments, because I know the cost.  It was their ability to consider the greater good that brought them to the decision to write the Declaration that granted us the freedoms we now embrace.  For us, they stood as a United nation, sealing our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  That, was their promise, that was their decree.  Now, more than ever, we need  to consider our history, and decide just how much it means to us to preserve it and what it stands for.
Let us agree to stand, once again, as one nation, united for the common good of us all.  For as Americans who truly believe in the solidarity and unity that preserves our creed, this is what we should willingly do.  In conclusion, remember this:

America is not just me.
It's not just you.
It is us.
The one thing that describes us all
and unites us all,
regardless of our station or place in this great land,
Is that we are all Americans.
When we forget that, then, we forget what being an American really means.

Celebrating His Resurrection

Time stood still

On Calvary’s hill

The Angels had tears in their eyes

The day he was crucified.

To see the one they loved so

Beaten from head to toe

It was hard to watch him endure

What he had to endure

But they knew it had to be.

If we were to live eternally,

It had to be

In that final hour,

He could have cried why me?

Father, why me?

He could have begged for mercy

But he knew it had to be

No one else would have paid such a price

He became a living sacrifice

He laid down his life

For you and me

He knew it had to be

He suffered and died

Was unjustly crucified.

Time stood still

On Calvary’s hill

Oh that he didn’t have to suffer

That he didn’t have to die

He could have asked why,

But he knew it had to be.

It had to be

If we were to live eternally

It had to be.

Would that you could see

Just how much he cared.

He willing placed himself there

He died on the cross

To save a world that was lost.

No one else would have given their life.

No one else would have paid such a price

But he loved us so much

He died for us

He knew it had to be.

In order for us to have life,

And have it more abundantly,

He knew it had to be

It had to be

It had to be.

He knew he had to die

So, he never asked why

He willingly gave his life

For us he made the sacrifice

For us, time stood still

On Calvary's Hill

copyright P. Newman-Harris

Because by T.D. Jakes

Sometimes as women, we put our lives on hold, waiting for that 

special one to come along.  Society has taught us to put our worth in

who we are as a wife and Mother, not to say that this is not important.

The last thing I want to do is undermine the importance of being either.

Unfortunately, some of us may never be either.  One of the most challenging

realities I had to face as a woman was realizing I would never have children.

It is not an easy thing to accept, but life goes on.  That's why this poem resonated so

much with me.  I had to learn to accept that nothing in life is fair.  I know that God,

in his infinite wisdom, does not make mistakes.  

Just Because

by T.D.Jakes

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize

what a gold mine you are, doesn't mean you shine any less.

Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out

that you can't be topped, doesn't stop you from being the best.

Just because no one has come along to share your life,

Doesn't mean that day isn't coming.

Just because no one has made this race worthwhile, doesn't

give you permission to stop running.

Just because no one has realized how much of an awesome

woman you are, doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.

Just because no one has show up who can love you on your level,.

Doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.

Just because you deserve the very best there is,

Doesn't mean that life is always fair

Just because God is still preparing your King,

Doesn't mean that you are not already a Queen.

Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing

right now, doesn't mean you need to change a thing.

Keep shining, keep running, keep hoping, and keep praying,

Keep exactly what you are already...COMPLETE11

Share this with your female friends who need to keep on doing

what they do best.

Celebrating Women---I See the Rest

This month is Women's History month, so I celebrate and honor all of our women, from the greatest to the least, past and present.  For all that you have done, are doing and will do in the future, I say thank you.  One day soon, we will be totally appreciated and respected completely and not just for the way we look, but for who we are.

Women of the world,

I see you there

Your hair,

Your dress,

Impeccable,

Yes.

I see you,

But I look beyond

Your hair,

Your dress

And see the rest.

Without a doubt,

You are beautiful inside and out,

But you want the world to see you,

In your entirety.

To look beyond your polished nails

and high heel shoes;

Not to be perceived as tough as nails,

But as someone who can compete

No matter what shoes she has on her feet.

Someone who is taken seriously by all

No matter how big or how small.

Someone who can stand firmly in position

Without being unfairly degraded by the competition.

The "phenomenal woman," that Maya described.

What a glorious tribe!
the Tribe called Woman.
I see you in all your glory.
I see your beauty
Your hair
Your dress,
Impeccable,
Yes
I see you
but I look beyond
your hair, your dress,
And see the rest.
Would that the world could see the rest!

Copyright 2017, Patricia Newman-Harris

To the women of the world who are not always taken seriously and are not viewed for the totality of
who they are, walk in faith, walk, in courage, and do not fear, because You've Got This!

Celebrating Black History Month-Leaving a Legacy

Recently, I went to a Memorial Service for a woman who was like family

As I sat and listened to her family talk about her life; how she had helped them, inspired them taught and instructed them throughout their lives, I thought.  Here was a lady that had an ordinary life, yet she had influenced those around her tremendously.  She lived to pour into the lives of three generations.  What a blessing that was for her family.  It was not only a gift to family, it was also her legacy.  It was echoed in the words of her children as well as they reflected on her words and related the things they had experienced through her.   Yes, her work on this earth had been completed, but it will live on long after she has gone.  She didn’t have a great fortune to leave her family; but, what she left was far more valuable.  It was something that will never lose value with time.  I know many of you can reflect on things that your Mother or Father has said and done.  Those things can either influence us positively or negatively.  As parents, Aunts, Uncles, Older Sisters and Brothers, we have an awesome responsibility to our family.  What we say and do does matter.  It matters now and it will matter long after we are gone.  So, I ask, what will your legacy be?

What Will Your Legacy Be?

When we look back on your life, what will we see?

What will your legacy be?

Will your memory live on

long after you are gone?

Will you have lived in such a way

that someone will have something good to say?

We have a dream to fulfill,

A foundation to build.

Will you leave behind a useful design?

Will your life be a tapestry for generations to be?

Will your children respect what you have left?

Will they be able to follow in your steps,

run with your shadow and learn all there is to know?

Are you living the proper lifestyle?

Are you doing something worthwhile?

will your life be an open book

For anyone who wants to take a look?

Are you building a foundation that will endure;

one that is secure?

You do not have to be a Queen or a King

To make your life count for something.

You do not have to be Rosa Parks

To leave your mark.

When we look back on your life, what will we see?

What will your legacy be?

Is your life so set apart

that it can change someone’s heart?

Whose life will you have changed for the good?

Can anyone be proud to stand where you once stood?

Can your children walk in your steps without regret?

Will your words still speak?

Will they inspire the weak?

Will your teachings live on long after you are gone?

Will your prayers see your family through the trying years?

Can they draw on your wisdom and your strength

When you are no longer here?

If anyone drinks from your cup,

Will they be lifted up,

challenged and inspired to go to a higher place?

Can they take your baton and win the race?

Are you creating a history that will last

From generation to generation?

Because as it is, so shall it forever be

your family legacy.

When we look back on your life, what will we see?

What will your legacy be?

copyright Patricia Newman-Harris

Celebrating Black History Month by saying thank you

This Black History Month we take time to celebrate and remember our past by giving thanks to those who have contributed and sacrificed to bring us to where we are today.  I want to take this time to honor our former President, President Barack Obama.  I am so grateful for his service as President.   I think he is the embodiment of Dr. King's dream.  He understood the dream, he believed the dream and he is lived the dream.  Thank you President Obama.  This is my tribute to you.

As President of the United States, you showed the nation what it was like to have a President with conviction, honor and integrity.  You demonstrated to the nation your belief in the term, "By the people, for the people."   

I still remember that day back in 2008, when you became America's first Black President.   I still feel the significance of that day,  My eyes still fill with tears when I recall the image of Americans, of all colors standing together as you took office.   You see, as a child of the sixties it represented so much for me.  Most of all, it represented the fulfillment of Martin's dream, a dream I never thought I would live to see fulfilled.  You gave me the ability to believe in man's ability to reach beyond the barrier of race.  

Thank you for forging us back on a path to freedom, justice and equality for all.  It has been a rocky road filled with set backs, but because of you I still believe that we can continue on the path you have blazed for this nation.  

Just like Martin, you have taken us to the mountain top.  You pointed and "we ran up."  You  are no longer able to continue as our leader but because of you, we can continue the climb with the hope and the audacity to believe that, no matter who we are or where we are from, we can live the American dream.