One of my students has colored her hair a bright blond, and of course, we discussed hair. I want mine cut as low as it can possibly go, I want braids, and I also want a bob! (I'm all over the place when it comes to my hair.)
She showed me a picture of her hair when it was cut all the way short; It was similar to the picture above.
I asked her "What made her do it?" and she responded "It was summer, so I asked to go to a barber," and she went on to say "My dad said to go on and do it."
I said: "Why did he say that?"
She said: "I guess that he likes the way that I express myself."
So people, I got something to tell, and I must tell it NOW.
Here it is......
I got fire shut up in my bones.....
and the fire was caused by Toni Morrison and.......
this awesome novel: Song of Solomon!!!! I did a sigh as soon as I got that out.
I have read Song of Solomon so many times, and every time that I read it, the urgency that I feel is unreal: I think about it, and I think about, and I think about, and I see something new every single time, and then I have more to think about, and I think about, and I think about........
I am so blessed that I teach Advanced Placement (AP) English, and I get to teach whatever novel that I want to, and you know that I start every year with Song of Solomon. The discussions that this novel generates is enough to make me need to run around the school at least five times just to squelch some of the excitement that is "shut up in my bones."
Last week, one of my students asked me a question about breastfeeding in relationship to one of the main characters in Song of Solomon who was breastfeed until he was "old enough to talk, stand up, and wear knickers." This lead into a discussion about the woman on the cover of Time Magazine who was breastfeeding her child who was "old enough to talk, stand up, and wear knickers."
I mean, I have a whole classroom full of people to discuss one of my favorite novels with for at least three weeks or until every last one of us get sick and tired.
And every single time I read and discuss this novel, I am given something new to think about....Oh, how BLESSED I am...
Now, I am on chapter four of Song of Solomon, and it's literally like "fire shut up in my bones." As I am reading it and writing this blog, my heart is racing, and I almost want to cry tears of joy that Toni Morrison wrote this incredible book that has taken my love for reading and teaching to a whole 'nother level.
Wow, if you have not read it yet, you MUST......
Please read this novel.....OK
And if you have read it before, Please read it again......
My heart is on fire........
I got to go; Song of Solomon is calling my name!!!!
By the way listen to Toni Morrison talk about Song of Solomon...
"Ain't she amazing?" or in my teacher voice "Isn't she amazing?"
Today is Monday, and I had a really great weekend. I got the chance to do some things that I really wanted to do, and I also got my usual amount of rest.
However, I was moving slowly this morning, and I had to ask myself if I was moving slowly, because that is what is expected on a Monday morning, or was I really tired?
The weekend is time to do things that we enjoy and to rejuvenate in order to get ready for the next week. So, why does EVERYONE say, "I'm so tired, it's Monday." Is it out of habit, or are we really tired?
After I thought about this and really assessed how I was feeling, I'm not more tired than I normally am, and as I matter of fact, I feel rather good!! So, I had to ask myself, "Why was I giving into this Monday IDEA of being tired, when I'm really not tired?"
So, today forward, let's try and change our mind sets about Monday and a whole lot of other stuff, and maybe we will see that many things aren't that bad after all.
I don't need to conform to the thoughts of the world IF what it says does not apply to me.
Ok, back to feeling good on this wonderful Monday morning..........
People, sit for a minute and analyze how you are really feeling today and everyday.
Without a doubt, September is my favorite month, and here are just a few of the reasons why:
Labor Day Weekend and I ran my last half marathon of the year....
Adams Morgan Day!
The H Street Festival!
Congressional Black Caucus!
Spinderalla from the group Salt and Pepper!
Ran into Kenny Rocker whom I went to TU with, and he currently
lives in Nebraska!
Yes, the Honorable Congresswoman Maxine Waters!
The END!
Clarendon 10k race and street festival!
Before the Race!
After the race!
Celebration of 75 Years of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston!
The author Alice Walker
The Writer: E. Ethel Bert
Andy and Alice
The entertainers!
The DC Tuskegee Alumni Club's, Annual Dr. Luther H. Foster Scholarship Breakfast!
In the midst of "loving September," I managed to teach some pretty awesome lessons, I almost caught up on my Bible readings, had my dryer fixed, worked out 5 to 7 days each week, finished all 900 plus pages of The Count of Monte Cristo,got some training in for my century bike ride that is coming up in October and on and on and on....AND, I ain't tired yet!!
Next is always better so, I'm expecting October to "knock me off of my feet." Every September in the DC area is completely awesome...... Try it sometimes!!!!!!!
I was skimming the 9th grade textbook, and I ran across this poem: "My Father Is a Simple Man" by Luis Omar Salinas. Whenever I think of fathers, I have these feelings that cause me to want to cry tears of joy and sorrow. Joy that my father was exactly what I needed, and I wish that every child could have the same. And, sorrow that my father is no longer physically here with us.
My Father Is a Simple Man by Luis Omar Salinas
I walk to town with my father
to buy a newspaper. He walks slower
than I do so I must slow up.
The street is filled with children.
We argue about the price
of pomegranates. I convince
him it is the fruit of scholars.
He has taken me on this journey
and it's been lifelong.
He's sure I'll be healthy
so long as I eat more oranges,
and tells me the orange
has seeds and so is perpetual;
and we too will come back
like the orange trees.
I ask him what he thinks
about death and he says
he will gladly face it when
it comes but won't jump
out in front of a car.
I'd gladly give my life
for this man with a sixth
grade education, whose kindness
and patience are true. . .
The truth of it is, he's the scholar,
and when the bitter-hard reality
comes at me like a punishing
evil stranger, I can always
remember that here was a man
who was a worker and provider,
who learned the simple facts
in life and lived by them,
who held no pretense,
And when he leaves without
benefit of fanfare or applause
I shall have learned what little
there is about greatness.
Ain't nothing like a father who is ALL that his children need!!!
Two winters ago, I decided that I needed to treat myself to a quick weekend getaway. I made reservations at a hotel in downtown Philadelphia and pretended that I was far away from home. Well, I do have friends in Philadelphia, and they met me for brunch at a swanky restaurant in downtown Philadelphia.
Omoiye and Jennifer
Some kind of way we got on the topic of books, and Omoiye, the one on the left in the picture, asked me if I had ever read The Count of Monte Cristo, and she also stated that the author was Black. She forgot to mention that the book is over 900 pages. Not that I don't read extremely long books, but damn!!!
You know me, I instantly downloaded The Count of Monte Cristo, and I started reading it this past August, around 2 years after it was recommended. I really should have started reading it at the beginning of the summer when I had a lot of free, but sometimes we just don't plan things correctly.
Alexandre Dumas' (1802-1870) grandfather was from a noble French family, and his grandmother was a Dominican slave. So, this made his father French and Dominican, and his mother was French soooo, I guess that we can say, if we stretch it, that Dumas was Black. I kind of feel that Omiyoe tricked me, but Omoiye is a trickster! (She's going to deny that she is a trickster, but she is.)
Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo is captivating from the very first page. Edmond Dantes is wrongfully sent to prison, and the entire story is the story of Dante avenging his imprisonment. This novel has a lot of characters, and there are many different stories told about the people whom Edmond takes revenge upon. I would say that this is a mystery novel and Dumas gives clues along the way that makes the reader want to continue to read all 900 plus pages. The writing style of this novel is very similar to the writing of Charles Dickens in Great Expectations; they both tell stories within stories and cleverly puts all of the details together and leaves the reader with a very satisfying feeling.
If you want to work on your cognitive ability and be entertained for quite a long time, I highly recommend The Count of Monte Cristo.
As I am getting older, I am getting stronger physically, mentally, and spiritually! If we continually train our bodies, minds, and spirits, I promise you that we will get better and better....
When I was in my twenties and thirties, I didn't know as much as I know now, I was not as strong as I am now, I was not as spiritually connected as I am now, I could not run as fast and for as long as I can now........ However, I am looking forward to getting smarter, stronger, and so close to God until my thoughts are his thoughts......
We CAN get better with age if only we would take the limits off of our minds: "I can't do this at my age," "I don't want to learn anything new," "I like where I am in life, and this is it," "My doctor said!" Make no excuses...............
Everyday and every year, we CAN get better.........
But, we must train, train, train, train every area of our lives, EVERYDAY. Sounds like a lot? Well, it is, but it is so worth it.......
and Ernestine Shepard is the proof:
She is 75 years old. She started working out at the age of 56. She wakes up at 3am, meditates, and runs 10 miles before lunch, and I know, based on how she looks, she must be eating things that are good for her body regularly......
Train, train, train your body, mind, and spirit everyday, and see what will happen.............
