At last...

This is the day that the Lord has made...

On the pulse of the morning I see a new dawn
A new new day has finally come on

I am so elated
I can hardly find words
I am crying this moment
I am indeed unnerved
Its a special time
Its a joyous hour
I cannot believe Barack Obama has been given this power
His wife is Michelle Wow she is as black as me
And those sweet little girls Sasha and Malia

I cant believe it. Is it a dream?
Is it real?
I can barely describe the way I feel

It's been a long time coming
It's been a long time coming
But CHANGE is finally here

I see you smiling. Obama, Oh joy!
Your grandmother blessed you when you were a boy
You are so pleasant, so cool, so wise
I see a beautiful future for America in your eyes
You are such an inspiration
Such a melody of peace
A smile so promising
A word so sweet
I am almost breathless
I have been giving an unthinkable wish

I never thought it would happen
Truly I never imagined this

A sweet sweet victory for democrats, for Black people, for America, for the world
The red white and blue of the flag unfurls
For you, For us, For the dream

In DC. Full Capacity. Many smiling faces. In awe. Black&White. Goodness abounds.

I haven't written a poem in a very long time
But today this is the best way to let you know what is in my mind
I am so elated
I am so happy
So surprised
God has orchestrated this day to come at this time
In honor of my grandmother
In honor of the slaves
The sharecroppers
The soldiers
The lives lost
The Katrina victims
The September 11 victims
The fire fighters
The Red Cross
In honor of all the families who have suffered or lost
This one is for you

I am so glad to have you Obama
President Obama
Thank you restoring hope to the hopeless
You are so pleasant, so cool, so wise
I see a beautiful future for America in your eyes

Welcome, Obama family!
This one is for you
This is not a dream...It's a dream come true

Happy New Year!!!

I hope my bad days are all a thing of the past. I hope you and your family come to realize how wonderful you are and appreciate each other everyday. It's Obama Year yall! I know this year we are going to learn so many new and exciting things! Whew! I learned so much in 2008. I learned that before a person can find love from others they must first accept and love their family. I also learned that patience is the key...for real. If you are not patient there is so much you can miss out on. I also realized some things...

*Real Love is not always romantic
*The truth is liberating although costly
*A job cannot be your all and all
*Nothing on earth can make you happy, it comes from within
*God is not playing when he says he will be there for you
*Respect is paramount in a relationship
*Your words can ruin or save you
*People are so different but everyone desires to be loved & accepted
*The simple things in life are more valuable than diamonds
*It is better to smile than cry
*Changing your mind, will change your finances
*Effective Communication is most important
*Emotional stability trumps Financial stability
*You are the most important, nobody else can love you like you can
*Being happy is a necessity not an option
*Everything is possible as long as you BELIEVE

In this new year, 2009, I vow to put Sun first. Here is a message a stranger sent me:
"May in incoming year reflect the brightness of your name.
So powerful in radiance that it over shadows the turbulence of yesterday through the seconds of the morning. Awaken with a smile, knowing you bring a newness of life".

Isn't that amazing?

This year I will also change my wardrobe;

*No more boot cut jeans; (been wearing em' since I was 14..enough is enough)
*Pumps are a must. All colors. solid blk, purple, red, silver, etc.
*Everything I wear will make a statement and be cute in some shape or form

Last but not least, I will "do me" which I have found out from deep analytical research...it means to do what makes me ME. I am unique and I know what I enjoy so no matter how fly or intelligent someone else is, I must have my own thing going on...make myself happy...and to me, that is what being beautiful is all about.

Don't you agree?

Someone asked What holds teachers back from doing what's needed and I replied...

What holds us back from doing what's needed? US. In todays education system there is an emphasis on regulation, test scores and protocol. Some teachers know the school is sinking fast but they don't want to "rock the boat' and speak out against it in an effective manner.

On the other hand (I see the problem on both sides of the coin) I get so sick of all these movies about super hero teachers who changed the mental capacity and structure of their schools. The movies give you the notion that being a renegade is easy and those of us who teach like regular people are fearful and brainless conformist. Well the truth is...it is hard to be a leader in the education system nowadays. The administration will get rid of you. They will write you up. They will outcast you and make your life hell just for trying to be innovative and creative in your classroom.

They want every teacher to teach their children the same way and they judge your performance based on state mandated exams. These exams are not even a part of the curriculum or text books they provide. I can be a super hero in the classroom. Sure, I can make a difference. I do make a difference.

A lot of times though it calls for teachers spending their own money making that difference and their own time. I work 80 hrs a week as a teacher. The resources are low. We have 120 kids on our rosters but they only provide an extra $200 a school year for supplies. The kids refuse to bring school supplies with them. They refuse to do Homework. The parents are at work. Everything is put on the teacher's shoulders. I have 10th graders who read on a 3rd grade level. I have 12th graders who don't know how to write a research paper (or even a paragraph). Yes, I can be a super hero teacher but what will they gain in the small amount of time I have them if they will not reinforce what they learn at home...with homework.

Some of my students don't even see books until they come to school. Teachers can improve their attentiveness and be more personally involved with their students...but there are 120 of them and they refuse to come to tutoring. Many kids have lives that do not support the demands education can place on ones life. You can be nice. You can be strict. You can be in between but if the motivation to learn and the importance of learning has not been instilled in them at home, you are wasting your time. The best thing we can do is train the parents to be better parents. The next thing we can do is restructure the entire education system. Get rid of the desks and get work stations. Get rid of the dry erase boards and use LCD screens and pointers that can write directly on the screen. This is 2008 and the education system and schools are still structured like they were in the 6os. If you drop a rose into a pile of horse manure to do a job don't be surprised if, after a while, the rose starts smelling like horse manure. No matter how great a teacher you are the ineffective nature and nurture of the environment in which you work will have a bigger voice.

All we can do is push on. Some teachers are doing the best they can but their test scores still stink. The morale of the students still stink. The class average still stinks. Teaching has become a frustrating endeavor with little rewards. Criticism comes from "experts" with no vested interest in the teacher. All teachers are completely different. Everyone needs individual accommodations in order to reach their full potential. Just like the students the teachers need one on one time with people who ACTUALLY care. We can all help; Teachers, Administration, Parents, Students and Community to stop the reeking of this mess we have created.
The rose smells like horse crap and whose fault is it? You be the judge.

I have seen the Mountain Top

I am satisfied with the election. But I think everyone is just waiting for the shock to wear off or for some Fox news Expose' to come out causing us to change our minds about our new Pres. They say When things seem too good to be true, they probably are. But it seems that this is really real; Obama is really in there-all the way. Democrats reign again!! ...Right?

Can we really have our cake and eat it too ? Can we really have the lighthearted, fortune-filled days of Bill Clinton all over again? Can we really live in the sky like Obama makes us feel?

Well, I am quite afraid but, just in case, I have dug HOPE out of storage and I have sent my old wings to the dry cleaners...

OBAMA FOR AMERICA!!! XOXOXOXOXO

I am so elated and amazed at the turn of events on November 4th. I watched it all happen on a big screen at a church up the street from my house and witnessed the roar, screams and cries of excitement when the words " Breaking news: Obama elected President of the US" flashed across CNN. It was UNBELIEVABLE.

The crowd was so loud, I am sure people probably heard us across town. It was as if Jesus himself had made a surprise appearance. People were crying, wailing, shouting and stomping. It was like a big bomb filled with hope, love and joy had dropped.

I still cannot tell you exactly what it was like...it was probably equal to the terror of the moment when that second airplane crashed into the 2nd tower in NY. IT WAS THE SURPRISE OF ALL SURPRISES. It was the best Christmas gift. It was so fulfilling. It was something that puts a permenant smile on my heart. I love that man. Wow, and I love our creator. And AMERICA!

I am so OVERJOYED and PROUD to be a citizen of a country such as this. Obama will you marry me? Will you hug me with your smile? Will your policies embrace me and protect me as I age?

Obama, will you lead me to higher heights and brighter skies? Will you give the youth a new hero? It is a blessing and a miracle to be able to share a country with a force, a voice, a Christian such as you. MUAH!

It's a shame, I am in love with Michelle's man. God so loved the world that he gave us Jesus and Jesus so loved America that he gave us that man; Barack Obama.

Is that over-reaching? maybe. But the history books will say: In 2008 a beautiful"Change" came and the world has never been the same.