*Sneeze*

‘Xcuse me…and all the dust and the little dust bunnies. It has been a minute, huh? What can I say? Life happens.

Just breezing through to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

As you move through the day, I hope that you are reminded of all the blessings in your life, all the thing that really matter, those little moments that string together to create priceless memories.

Give thanks for it all. It all serves a purpose. Yes, even the rough spots. Not just those “pretty moments” but the places where life got hard or uncomfortable. Those are the places that afford us “growth spurts” - mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

Take time to count your blessings - big or small, easy or hard. Count them all. And then count it all joy.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy ThanksLiving!

Ms. Jayy & Fam

Following a three-decade-long exile, Miriam Makeba’s return to South Africa was celebrated as though a queen was restoring her monarchy. The response was fitting as Makeba remains the most important female vocalist to emerge out of South Africa. Hailed as the Empress of African Song and Mama Africa, Makeba helped bring African music to a global audience in the 1960s. Nearly five decades after her debut with the Manhattan Brothers, she continues to play an important role in the growth of African music.

Makeba’s life has been consistently marked by struggle. As the daughter of a sangoma, a mystical traditional healer of the Xhosa tribe, she spent six months of her birth year in jail with her mother. Gifted with a dynamic vocal tone, Makeba recorded her debut single, “Lakutshona Llange,” as a member of the Manhattan Brothers in 1953. Although she left to form an all-female group named the Skylarks in 1958, she reunited with members of the Manhattan Brothers when she accepted the lead female role in a musical version of King Kong, which told the tragic tale of Black African boxer, Ezekiel “King Kong” Dlamani, in 1959. The same year, she began an 18 month tour of South Africa with Alf Herbert’s musical extravaganza, African Jazz And Variety, and made an appearance in a documentary film, Come Back Africa. These successes led to invitations to perform in Europe and the United States.

Makeba was embraced by the African-American community. “Pata Pata,” Makeba’s signature tune was written by Dorothy Masuka and recorded in South Africa in 1956 before eventually becoming a major hit in the U.S. in 1967. In late-1959, she performed for four weeks at the Village Vanguard in New York. She later made a guest appearance during Harry Belafonte’s ground-breaking concerts at Carnegie Hall. A double-album of the event, released in 1960, received a Grammy award. Makeba has continued to periodically renew her collaboration with Belafonte, releasing an album in 1972 titled Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte. Makeba then made a special guest appearance at the Harry Belafonte Tribute at Madison Square Garden in 1997.

Makeba’s successes as a vocalist were also balanced by her outspoken views about apartheid. In 1960, the government of South Africa revoked her citizenship. For the next thirty years, she was forced to be a ‘citizen of the world.’ Makeba received the Dag Hammerskjold Peace Prize in 1968. After marrying radical Black activist Stokely Carmichael, many of her concerts were cancelled, and her recording contract with RCA was dropped, resulting in even more problems for the artist. She eventually relocated to Guinea at the invitation of president Sekou Toure and agreed to serve as Guinea’s delegate to the United Nations. In 1964 and 1975, she addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on the horrors of apartheid.

Makeba remained active as a musician over the years. In 1975, she recorded an album, A Promise, with Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of the Crusaders. Makeba joined Paul Simon and South Africa ’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour in 1987 and 1988. Two years later, she joined Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.

Makeba published her autobiography, Miriam: My Story, in English in 1988 and had it subsequently translated and published in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Following Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990. She performed her first concert in her homeland in thirty years in April 1991. Makeba appeared in South African award-winning musical, Sarafina, in the role of Sarafina’s mother in 1992. Two years later, she reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope tour. In 1995, Makeba formed a charity organization to raise funds to help protect the women of South Africa. The same year, she performed at the Vatican’s Nevi Hall during a world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. Makeba’s first studio album in a decade, Homeland, was released in 2000. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide

Every second we choose to nourish ourselves in a way that supports or depletes our lives, and to think and speak about other people in a way that is honoring or dishonoring. What choice are YOU going to make today?

~*~ Gregg Braden~*~

Over the course of my life, I’ve given up a few things…some permanently, others for long stretches of time. Shoe shopping. Manicures. Pedicures. Sodas. Fried food. Pork. Chocolate. Shopping for clothes. Just to name a few…

After taking inventory of my tea stash a few months ago, (and AFTER I purchased loose teas from my favorite place Not Just Tea), I decided to give up future tea purchases. I mean, with all the tea in my pantry, I could drink 6 cups (BIG cups) each day for now through New Years and still have enough to stage my own “Boston Tea Party”.

And I was doing the darn thing. Carrying my private stash of tea bags to work. Brewing up a hot mug (or two) when I got home in the evenings. Always pulling from the stash on the 2nd shelf, right corner of my pantry. Making sure I rotate flavors so I don’t drink all my favorites too soon.

And then…I find Lipton has a new tea. Well, TEAS actually. Called “Lipton Pyramid Teas”. The tea bag is pyramid-shaped. Gossamer-like tea bag. It’s long leaf loose tea with real pieces of fruit so you get that whole tea infusion effect.

*Lawd-ham-mercy! Not real fruit Father!*

*faint*

Real fruit AND $1 off coupon?

It don’t look good ya’ll.

I tried. I really did.

Ya’ll be sure to tell my Mama that I tried, ‘kay? Thanks.

Ok, so I’m going to buy ONE box (praying they have a sampler box so I get multiple flavors). That’s it. Just ONE box. For now….

But um…in the meantime? You run cross a coupon?

Holla at cha girl.

For real.

It’s ALWAYS tea time Baby,
~*~ MsJayy ~*~

Growing up, whenever we saw someone on crutches and/or with a cast, they always had some cool story about how “it” happened. They got lots of attention too. So…when I was younger, I thought it would be cool to be on crutches or have a cast. (Surprisingly, for a child as clumsy as I was, I never once ended up with either.)

Here we are, many years removed from that time, and I realize that in many ways, I AM on crutches and have been at various times in my life. Didn’t dawn on me when I was coveting the attention that normally what led to the crutches/cast was painful. That manuevering around on them was awkward. That the “help” the crutches/cast provided was temporary. To promote healing.

Thinking back on it now, I laugh. Why? Because how many OTHER things did I grow up thinking were cool or wanting that in hindsight are laughable? A lot.

And so, I decided to rid myself of my crutches…one by one. Starting here. Starting now. To be sure, some of them are long-ago memories, things I cast by the wayside years ago. Others apparently were used with velcro and/or superglue because they are still clinging to me (um…well, I’m still clinging to them. Um…moving on…)

Let’s see what memories of crutches we find as we stroll down Memory Lane, shall we?

I’ve sure you’ve heard these phrases and others like them. You’ve probably even said them a time or two. I have. Heard them and said them.

And while I do believe that what God has for any of us IS indeed for us, I wonder how many of us tend to us that as an excuse for not having done our part. (Ask me how I know.)

Like I said, I do believe that what God has for me, is for me. I believe that when the time is right, things move in divine order.

But…I’m also realistic enough to know that none of that happens just by me *saying* I want it to be so. It requires effort on my part. Preparation. Something deeper than mere words or thoughts. Action.

There has to be some effort on your part between the “believing” and “achieving”. Yes, believing your “it” will happen is a great place to start. Yet, “belief” alone won’t make it so. You have to roll up your sleeves and make it happen. Do the work.

I’m not sure what causes this disconnect between wanting and doing. When and where we got the idea that life was like a wishing well.

Hell, even with the power of those magical ruby red slippers, Dorothy still had to do something.

*sigh*

Don’t mind me…just a little note to myself…..

~*~ MsJayy *~*

Barack Obama
Elected President of the United States of America

Barack Obama…44th President of the United States of America….

I was about to call it a night (yes, without having heard the final outcome…todl you I was under the weather. You know I had to be WAY under the weather to even consider missing this moment.). I’d been waiting for the final verdict on how Virginia voted. Traditionally, my home state is a red state AND the pundits are able to call the vote by 8pm.

Oh, but not this time. THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA WENT BLUE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY, MANY YEARS.

Wow. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America.

Michelle Obama. First Lady.

And Sasha and Malia. They will FINALLY get that puppy they’d been promised.

Obama has been elected but do not take this as a sign that the ‘hard work’ has been done. To the contrary - it’s just beginning. Don’t be so quick to change your chants of “YES WE CAN” to “YES WE DID” . Now is when the real work begins. When “THE CHANGE YOU NEED”, “THE CHANGE WE SEEK” is forged. When “THE CHANGE YOU NEED” is built and refined.

YES WE STILL CAN.

And we will.

(PS…um…can somebody tape “The View” for me tomorrow? What? I’m just saying…)

Finally.

Election Day.

I crashed last night. About 8pm. Feeling under the weather. Thinking I didn’t wanna stand in line to vote while fighting off the chills and naseau but…*shrug*

Set the alarm. Crawled under the covers and shivered/sweated my way through the night.

Luckily enough for me, I woke up EARLY cause the um, “set the alarm” part? Not so much.

I showered, dressed and headed out to vote. Lots of people there but the line wasn’t “that”long. Or so I thought.

I was right outside the door to the school so I’m thinking cool, only a few steps to the auditorium and then it’s on.

Er’ruh. Nope. Actually the line went down one side of the hall, hung a right, down another side of the hall, hung another right, through the double doors, circled around the room, then back out the door on the opposite side of the halls we’d just passed. LOL (Coulda been worse – when I left, it was out the door, down the sidewalk, around the building and all the back to the parking lot…and it was starting to rain. Hang in there folks!!)

Oh well. The line moved quickly enough. I saw some friends, some former coworkers, some of my neighbors (now why they ask me why I didn’t carpool? Cause ya’ll late for everything!).

In line @ 5:30am, voted and on my way out of the parking lot before 7am. Shoot, I wasn’t even “almost late” for work. LOL

Now to just fight off these frigging hot/cold episodes until I can get back home.

I hear my bed calling me.

If you have to wait in line, I hope you have the kind of “line company” I had this morning.

No matter the outcome or who your candidate is - regardless of the outcome - know that CHANGE is here people. NOW.

How will you embrace it?

And yes, I was Voter #72 this morning.

Happy Election Day!