A winning Sisterhood: My DST sisters

 

Last week, I attended the 52nd National Convention of my sorority Delta Sigma Theta. It was a grand time indeed. Deltas from all over the country convened to fellowship. The opening ceremony was an amazing sight of thousands of sisters dressed in all white. There were many events throughout the week including praise and worship with singer Marvin Sapp, a Motown revue in the park, the Stepshow, the Gospel Concert, the Literary Café, the Extravaganza with the O'Jays and the Social Action luncheon with United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

One of the best parts for me was having friends from high school Jayme and Jackie in town. We were able to hang out just like old times and it was as if time has stood still. We all are pretty much the same as we were at 15 in terms of personality. We were in a program called  Upward Bound in high school and went to school on Saturdays and spent our summers on the campus of Springhill college, learning, having fun and making lifetime friends. We all graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, earned graduate degrees, are educators and of course Deltas.

I was also able to see a number of friends who were in town for the convention. Some from my hometown, some from my days in the Quad Cities where I pledged Delta and some from my law school days.  We had over 13,000 members attend the convention and it was a wonderful week full of inspiration.

 

 

Where did the year go?

I realize I have not posted on this blog for over a year! I said I would do better but fell into the trap of every day living and forgot about my writing. Why do we always set goals and then do not accomplish them? I know I am not alone in this.

We all want to do better and be better. It takes effort and dedication to stay the course. We all fall off course sometimes but there is nothing wrong with acknowledging this and then moving forward. That is exactly what I am going to do in my writing and other aspects of life.

Dr. King said it best and words to live by.

 

Green Smoothies!

Recently I discovered a book by JJ Smith, a nutritionist and weight loss expert. The book is called the 10-day green smoothie cleanse and you can loose up to 15 pounds in 10 days. I decided to give it a try and posted a note on Facebook to see if any of my family and friends wanted to join in. Well I got three takers and we started on June 1st. The cleanse consists of smoothies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The book has specific recipes for each day and suggests snacks you can eat throughout the day. Days 1-3 were very tasty. I guess I was not particularly fond of day 4 because kale was the green for that day. Days 6, 7 and 9 were also tasty. I made it through the cleanse with a few headaches but nothing that was unbearable. I even gave my group a name, Absoulsmoothly sistas getting it in: winning and losing at the same time! We lost a total of 37 pounds and counting. I decided to continue on the cleanse for three full extra days and then do the modified version that consists of two smoothies and a one healthy meal with snacks in between. I strongly recommend this cleanse to jump start your weight loss process.

Cheers for Green Smoothies!

Houston Happenings

Houston is a great city. At any given time, there is something to do that appeals to everyone. This past weekend, I had the most fun enjoying many of the things the city has to offer. I attended a play at the Ensemble Theatre, the oldest African American theatre in the southwest. The play, The Old Settler is set in the 1940s in Harlem in which a middle aged woman invites a roomer to board in a home and has a fling with him. It was most entertaining as I love live theatre.

On Friday, I went to the Motown Revue at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. It is a free concert in the park which covered timeless classics of legendary Motown artists and many, many more soul music greats. It was indeed a grand time. Part of the enjoyment is waiting for seats and chatting with people in line. We had a great time at the show as usual. Love listening to good R&B tunes.

Long Live Htown!

One Random Act of Kindness Goes a Long Way

This past weekend, I went to Atlanta for Funk Fest. It is two days of concerts with various R&B and rap artists. I stopped by the reception desk at my hotel to ask some questions and met a young lady named Ashley. I was with my fellow NE fan Conesha and we told Ashley we were going to the concert. She had a somber look and said that she wished she could go. I asked why she was not going and she noted she did not have the funds at the time. So I asked her what time she got off work. She said three and I said well I am going upstairs to buy you a ticket and you are going to the concert with us. She was so excited and could not believe someone would do this for her. She came from behind the desk and gave me a big hug. I proceeded upstairs to check for a ticket and wouldn't you know, there was one seat at my table in the VIP section just for her. The concert started at 8pm and Ashley texted me about 7:30 that she was there.

The artists performing that night were SWV, Goodie Mob and Heads of State. I really enjoyed seeing Cee Lo Green perform as I had not before. Of course all the artists were great but everyone who knows me knows my favorites are Heads of State. When they came on stage, we migrated to the front. This venue had a barrier in front of the stage but we were still close. The show was great and when they guys started giving out roses, I made sure Ashley was in front to try and get one and yes she got one from my favorite guy Ralph Tresvant. Here is a picture of us and our roses as Conesha and I got one from Johnny.

Ashley was so appreciative and thankful for the kindness. On the way out, we saw a guy who was working with the show. When he asked if we were going the second day, I said no because I was heading out. When he asked Ashley, she said she was not. I chimed in that if he had a few extra tickets perhaps she would be able to. Sure enough he said he could accommodate that request. I do believe in asking for what you need. Ashley was excited because she knew just who she would take with the second ticket and that was her mom. The next day she posted pictures of performers and her and her mom having a great time. She even got to go backstage. So excited my random act of kindness had a ripple effect and she was able to enjoy the weekend with new friends and family.

My Black Is Beautiful

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an event sponsored by My Black is Beautiful(MBIB, Essence and Walmart. MBIB is seeking six women to serve as Ambassadors.  As an MBIB Ambassador, the women will be provided tools for engaging and inspiring their communities to deliver the “Imagine A Future” mission to reach and teach one million Black girls that their Black is beautiful.

I was selected as a semifinalist for the Dallas search location. The other locations include Atlanta, Chicago and Maryland/DC. The event was a full day of beauty, fitness tips and entertainment by several artists including Avery Sunshine, Sevyn Streeter and Tank. Semi-finalists came from all over. In my group there were ladies from Los Angeles, Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, etc. Everyone was positive and encouraging of each other. The interview consisted of two questions. I felt pretty good about my responses so we will see how it goes. Either way it as a great experience being a semifinalist and meeting so many inspiring women. Kudos to MBIB!

Procrastination

Hello out there! It has been so long since I posted, early February. I am not sure where the time has gone. We all start off with good intentions when we take on tasks or projects but somewhere along the line we sometimes veer off course. I am going to try and get on the right path again and do more blogging. Writing is good for the soul.  Here's to me staying on course!