"I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of Solomon" Song of Solomon 1:5

I look upon this picture and the words of Song of Solomon jump off the page and seem to make reference of this unnamed woman. The verse is said in a variety of ways, "I am dark, yet comely" or "I am black, but fair formed" but which ever way that it is put, it speaks to the beauty that is beyond the color of the skin but also the beauty of ones spirit. This beauty of blackness speaks also to the situation in which the person is in. In the Biblical reference it goes on to say,

"Don't stare at me because I am dark--the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn't care for myself--my own vineyard." vs 6

Now I don't know this unnamed woman's situation but I do know that there is struggle in her village and in the entire Zimbabwe region. This woman, who is dark skinned has been forced to take care of self ,with limited resources or accessibility to those resources, but doesn't ask for pity or some hand out, which is what most people expect. This woman's skin, doesn't speak to a woman that will be pushed aside, but instead it seems to say how proud she is of her sun scorched skin and if she spoke through this blog, I believe that she would put it in the 70's vernacular by saying- "black is beautiful, man!"

And those words should be quoted by us all, as we look upon this sister, here, as she holds her beautiful child.

Now I'm not talking about a beauty that is dictated by a "colonized mind" but rather a beauty that seems to speak and tell several stories...a story of survival... a story of healing... a story of hope... a story of I will survive... a story that truly says that my blackness isn't a curse but its a blessing. A story that transcends time that allows one to hold their head high and with self assurance say, that "black is beautiful" no matter if the world says otherwise.

Blessings and remember
I AM YOU AS YOU ARE ME

I Didn't Even Think About Clean Water

Today my son lacerated his foot on a nail from my deck of my house. It was a pretty nasty cut and I could tell it needed stitches as I went for clean water, hydrogen peroxide and tissue. As I drove him to the hospital which is about a 15 minute drive, he was experiencing some pain however, it wasn't anything that my strapping 18 year old son couldn't handle. We arrived at the hospital and was seen within a decent time frame and saw all the appropriate doctors, assistants, x-ray technicians and billing all while we both finished our Dasani bottled water.

AND then suddenly there it was.

What began to stand out for me most was one simple word - water.

Even though I had cleaned my sons foot, the doctor took sterile water, flushed the wound and then flushed it some more with that precious commodity - water. Then it dawned on me how many places across the world cannot rely on clean water, not only for sterilization of a wound but for simply drinking and because of that many were suffering from illness.

Here is a quote from an article on www.dailymail.co.uk:

Dirty water is killing the people: 1,123 have died so far and 21,000 have been infected, the United Nations has said.
At one cemetery in Harare, the gravediggers are burying 31 child cholera victims every week. In a chilling prediction, the UN says that 60,000 people may lose their lives before it is all over.

Startling numbers that caused me to stop in my tracks and recap my day. I bathed, without having to walk 3 hours both ways. I drank clean and refreshing water without a second thought. And most importantly, my son received the medical care he needed that first involved...clean water.

So what are we to do...

A man by the name of Kodjo came to our church to talk about his dream of wells and latrines for his village in Togo. A dream of clean water... A dream that should be a reality for every person in every part of the world. No child should have to sacrifice whether they are going to school one day because they have to walk so long just to take a bath. No child should become a victim of deadly diseases all because they don't have clean water within their reach.

That line - "Dirty water is killing people" should haunt our minds daily and cause us to want to make a difference. But how? And to be perfectly honest, I don't know how, its a new train of thought for me...for many of us...but I believe we begin by asking questions like:

How can I stop wasting water?
How can I give to local organizations to help persons that are in need?
How can I find out more about places that are in need?

I don't have the answers but I'm willing to discover more and begin to think of every aspect of my life that may need to be re-evaluated because if I'm honest, before today, I didn't even think about clean water - for everyone. However, that is what all of us deserve, at the very least.

Blessings and remember
I AM YOU AS YOU ARE ME




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1099467/Mugabes-genocide-The-images-despair-reveal-horror-Zimbabwe.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0m3Xb4ls9

How Beautiful Are The Feet

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:15

(image from a NY Times article - unsure of details)

Today I thought about buying new shoes, not for any particular reason but just because. Now its not like I don't have dozens of pairs of shoes in my closet and for those who know me, know that one thing that I am a lover of, its shoes. But as I was moving through the aisles of the store, like an animal searching out its prey, waiting to pounce on the perfect pair of pumps...Selah happened. I paused in that moment and I was suddenly rushed with many questions all beginning with who, what, why, where and how. And as those questions rushed over me like water I realized that they all where connected to an awareness of the people of Africa. Questions like:

• Who really needs a pair of shoes? Do you?
• What could I use this money for that would be a better resource for the greater good?
• Why do I think that I need another pair of shoes when organizations like TOMS Shoes are trying to send them throughout the world for those truly needy?
• Where is my heart?
• How can I use my passion and love in better places other than a shoe store?

I have been pulling images from the Internet over the past month to see the faces, devastation and beauty of Africa and I remembered this one. Of a man, with no shoes on. Now, if he was walking around the United States with feet, exposed to the elements we would probably snub our noses at him and wonder, why in the world does this man have no shoes on? Or worst yet, we would judge him by the ash on his feet and claim that he is just a bum. But is there more that we should be seeing when we see a person, this person, any person without. Not just shoes but anything. People are going without in this world everyday and its not because they are lazy, don't want to do better or whatever excuse we place on them. But the reality is in different parts of the world people are genuinely struggling to make it through and sometimes, just sometimes, that struggle is simply walking from place to place because they don't have a pair of shoes to wear.

Today that line from the Bible speaks to me...how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? And what is that good news. It certainly isn't in the consumerist values that we latch on to daily. It's also not in the way that we snub our sisters and brothers by not even paying attention to their greater needs. But the good news, maybe is locked somewhere in the idea that you/I/we are called to not buy 100s of pairs of shoes just for ourselves. Maybe the good news is somewhere in the idea that you/I/we are called to show the love of God through simple gestures for others. Maybe the good news is in you/I/we when we say no to the societal views of beauty/class/economic standing and see the beauty in a man with "ashy" feet and say that is my brother.

In my Selah moment, I chose not to buy a pair of pumps but instead pause in prayer for my brother, my sister and every child that are without, not only here in the United States or Africa but throughout the world.

Blessings and Remember

I AM YOU AS YOU ARE ME

Mission Possible: Africa

These words are the caption for this photo, "Clutching her Zanu PF membership card required to claim treatment, Destiny, 25, delivered her baby at Bulawayo's Central Hospital two weeks ago. She was separated from the child to be treated for her own malnutrition. She is slowly starving to death" (http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/)

I have dreamed of Africa all of my life.

I have dreamed of looking over to the horizon and seeing a beautiful sunset.

I have dreamed of sitting under a baobab tree watching animals in the distance.

I have dreamed of the Africa that I have seen in movies and the images I have chosen to see.

I have dreamed of a peace-filled Africa.

And I believe that those dreams are real in many ways and I have not been ignorant completely to the atrocities that Africa has faced. But today I also see differently. I see Destiny... and my dreams are coupled now with the reality of what many face today in Africa.

I see in my dreams my sister Destiny and she is Africa. I don't know her and I have no biological ties but there is a bloodline that seems to transcend time and space that draws me to her. She invades my dreams and calls me to a different vision of Africa...

She calls me to a different calling.

Destiny calls me to pick up my paper and pen something that I have been afraid to do because of "teachers" telling me I have a third grade understanding of writing. Destiny calls me to pick up paper and pen because as Zap Mama says, there are causes to defend. Destiny calls me to my destiny. She calls me to realize that truly "I am You As You Are Me"

Destiny is Africa today in many regions especially that of Zimbabwe where as I read more - people are starving and there are mass abductions. I mean, did I ever hear this on the news...I don't recall. Granted, there are many things that I don't pay attention to when it comes to the news because it seems to be the same story different day - but did I hear this? And if so, how did I/We miss it or do we choose to overlook it because its "not personal" or happening here...

The reality is I know that I am hyper sensitive about the issue now because of a pending mission trip. Now, don't get me wrong it is not a trip to "save the heathen" as many think - but it is an opportunity to journey alongside with sisters and brothers on that side of this big Earth in the place that I have dreamed of called Africa and to be perfectly honest - learn from them - to learn from Destiny.

In Destiny's eyes I see pain but I also see strength to press forward as best she can in a situation that is beyond words. In Destiny's eyes I see more than I can begin to articulate and my hope is that through these pages, I can begin to unravel the mystery of the calling that I have to and with the people of Africa.

Blessings and remember

I Am You As You Are Me