DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

By Vernalee

A smile is medicinal. It brightens your day and is an outer expression that shows the world that you are happy! Smiles also have tremendous therapeutic effects; for you and from others. It is amazing how someone else’s pleasures can bring joy into another person’s life. A 100 kilowatt smile can illuminate your space. Its brilliance is healing as it lightens up your spirit. Why feel sad all the time if you don’t have to? There is always something to smile about. Often, you don’t have to look far. Smiles are contagiously infectious. Sometimes, we smile back at someone who smiled at us, whether we know them or not. Imagine that! Smiles signify joy and satisfaction which is better than the inverse. I love wearing smiles and seeing people smile. Don’t you? After all, a smile is just a frown turned upside down. Which is better? The smile is of course! Put on your happy face now! Smile! Don't worry; be happy ... even if it is just for a little while ... but hopefully for a longer stretch of time!

Photo credit: www.amazon.com

I'M NOT JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS ANYMORE

By Vernalee

Listen up! I'm not jumping through hoops anymore ... for anyone who will not do it for me! You heard it right! That's my position and I'm sticking to it! After years of adjustments, finally I am comfortable in my own skin! Yippee!

Over the years, I‘ve considerably learned a thing or two about hoops. Some days, I didn’t make the winning shots, but I kept practicing. Playing ball “one on one“ can be a strengthening tool. Practice makes perfect! It helps you to sharpen your skill set and to outwit your opponent. LeBron James told me that! Yes, we can learn from younger folks; kids even. In fact, those daily drills perfected my proficiency level to a "tee." I even learned to dribble the ball behind my back while demonstrating stellar footwork and showmanship. Imagine that! Alright, I’ll stop with the comparative analogies and far reaching sports jargon. All kidding aside, I had to learn to play the game; the business game, that is. It was not instinctively a natural process. Without fail, I worked hard practicing my craft every day. It wasn’t easy.

I had to ”toughen up” to make ends meet. I was not alone, many others had to do the same!

To survive, I could no longer be a “softie.” Tough skin was/is necessary. Yes, that’s right. I grew! I learned! I made the necessary changes! Along with that came purification. Those who were deterrents and not helping companions had to go! Shedding dead weight (i.e. the wrong people) makes your load lighter. As their noncontributory moves were casted aside, my realignments became assets on my side of the ledger. Sure, I'm still playing ball. I’m still at it! I earned the right to call the shots!

The rules haven't changed, but I have! Swish! Nothing but nets!

Photo credit: www.fvectorstock.com

VOTING IS NOT JUST A RIGHT. IT'S A DUTY

By Vernalee

Greetings...

Allow me to share a brief story. Before my Mother passed and went home to be with the Lord, I had the honorable privilege to be her caregiver. I brought her from Mississippi to Ohio to live with me. It was now my precious turn to take care of the woman who so elegantly took care of me! I praised God for that experience because I learned so much more (history and life lessons) from her. During that time, there was an election, so she had a mail in ballot. I am here to testify that my Mother worried everybody - my niece, my daughter, her great-granddaughter, and me - about that ballot! She was uneasy until it arrived and uneasy until it was mailed. I remember sending it via Federal Express and verifying the receipt (of course by showing her the tracking information) to assure her that it was signed, sealed & delivered to the Board of Elections in Mississippi before the due date; very early in fact. What was the hype? You see my Mother grew up in an era where they were administered written tests and where they had to pay poll taxes - (which many Black folks couldn't afford) - to earn the right to vote. So voting was one of the unalienable civil rights where some Black people were threatened by their White plantation owners; while others were jailed; some even were killed for their constitutional right to go to the polls and cast their ballots. So, my Mother wanted to make sure that her vote was counted! Neither did I witness what she did, nor saw up close and personal what her eyes saw ... for Black folks to obtain the right to vote. So when I casted my ballot, I voted not only for my preferred candidates, I voted for my Mother and all of those who sacrificed and fought for me to have that privilege! So, today...Vote!

https://www.nba.com/warriors/video/teams/warriors/2020/08/06/3359702/1596740565304-beyond28-voting-rights-act-3359702

Video: nba.com

Photo Credit: bostonglobe.com