Essence Magazine

I just found out - my poem Pre Destiny will be published in Essence Magazine. Can you believe that? Now, I don't want to get too emotional, I am normally pretty good at masking that. But...do you know what a milestone Essence magazine is for me?

When I was about 10, I read Terry McMillan's Discovering Acts. I remember it because I was, and am, a voracious reader and I had never read anything so real before. Toni and Alice felt so abstract in their writing (to my young mind) but Terry was real life. And with that I sat down and put pen to paper. I must've wrote twenty articles for Essence. But I had no idea how to get the article to them and no idea how to even ask for help. So they just faded away. And when teenage angst sank in, along with depression, I gave up hope of every realizing that dream. I was to busy tryin to survive.

And now it has happened. Not an article, or a book excerpt, like I had planned, but still. Something of mine will be in Essence. Whew...I have come along way ya'll. And I am still just getting started!! Which is both tiring and thrilling at the same time. So stay tuned for updates on the Essence issue...

Georgetown

So, I went to the Gtown game tonight. And I had a good time. We are friends with one of the Hoya freshmen and his family. It is something to watch him play at this level, it is mindblowing that he, or any other young man, can make it to this level. Playing for JT III? I am proud of him. He makes it look easy, but I know this journey couldn't have been all roses. No ones is, after you scratch past the surface. I hope his dreams come true and when he looks back he can feel contentment, no regret. What more could you wish for for someone?

I am proud of my son. I am proud of his circle of friends. I am thankful to God for placing us in Maryland during this time period, where my son could find other black young men with goals and focus, who didn't have to waste energy on proving their blackness through imitation thuggery, thereby being unecessarily distracted from their gifts, callings and abilities. It is purely divine intervention.


(I am only posting this because it is already on facebook - mine is in center, blue shirt, sunglasses and vest)







(mine in the loud red shirt(smile))






So as I sat at the Verizon center tonite, with my son and his friend, watching freshman Hoya accomplish the near impossible, discussing their futures which, for me and my friends was definitely impossible, I simply felt thankful. So humbly thankful...