VOTE

This morning I was able to early vote in less than 5 minutes! I was glad because my homeboy and mom both stood in line for over an hour to early vote! This is the first presidential election I have voted for since I was in college, which President Clinton was running for the first term. It felt good this time to know the issues...especially in this economy, it was most important for me to know and understand the issues being presented so that I could better understand how election of one candidate over the other would personally affect me.

During the first election I was able to cast my vote in, I identified with a political party because of race identification with that party, I voted for Clinton because I'm black and at that time, all I knew was black people vote democratic. Over the years I have taken the time to understand the history between the parties, what they support and what they believe. It is really interesting to do this study and find that the original Republican party was responsible for the freedom of slaves under the administration of Lincoln, but over time in history, the issues that effect the working class citizen was better served by Democrats.

At one point, being a Christian, I was thinking that because God opposes moral issues like Abortion and same-sex marriages, that I should vote for the candidate that does the same. It is now at this time in my life, where I understand that God is in control of everything. Thank God we don't have to worry about the economy, our jobs, what we will eat, but that God has it! Thank you God!

No matter what your position is, I urge you to exercise a right that wasn't available to my forefathers because they were black and/or women! I choose to exercise my right to vote, because millions were told we can't and not only can we in these days, but we have the opportunity to make history! Yes, you can too! VOTE!

Aloof

Distance can sometimes be the perfect aid to moving forward. Constantly I find myself intensely immersed in my work and it seems like there's never enough time in the day or enough work to keep me busy. I frequently move from one project to another tirelessly as I am on the road to achieving my goals, and am willing to work into the wee hours of the morning in order to progress at the pace needed to prepare and align myself. BUT, there are times, when my body just won't go anymore. It literally goes on power save mode, shuts down and forces me to rest. At those times I become seeming distant to people and things in my life and just chill for a much needed time frame of rest. It is a good time for me to reassess, realign and adjust to the impending situations around me.

Don't be aloof to the point it hurts you, but enough to regroup and move.

Progress

Progress is a beautiful thing. It especially is good when you can look around you and notice that things are different. That is how I felt today. I can see the change, I can see the wave of "it" finally coming toward me. Those are true litmus tests of the breakthrough I have been warring for, finally yielding! I feel like I can exhale. I feel like there's space to dream more.

It was a great day, although I am a bit tired, it is always worth the push. Art class with my fabulous student, Jacob, was enlightening. I was very proud today to be his teacher, to pull creativity out of him while teaching fundamentals. It felt great!

Right after class, I had to head back to Arlington for a speaking engagement at the Teen Youth Chat Center. This is my second time speaking with their organization. My topic this time was Anger Management. This basics of what I taught was that God doesn't wants us to manage our anger, because that implies holding on to it. Instead he wants us to have self-control and control our emotions and how we react to people and situations and in turn if we are provoked to anger, do as the word says, Be angry and sin not...nor let the sun go down on our wrath! Meaning that he doesn't want anger to fester within us, but yet wants us to give it over to him with the rest of our worries, doubts and other life-robbing emotions. Give the anger to him, and forgive and move on with life.

Love is greater than all things. Keep moving forward.

Earnistine Brifo, Executive Director of TYCC

Time to Push

In this time, things are uncertain. In my life, I have seen some things that have never directly affected me such as the current financial crisis has. Not even 9/11 impacted me in the way that seeing the stock market plummet, hear about the rise of unemployment, watch as federal indictments are underway for CEO's and their morally corrupt friends, and have my job in jeopardy; and my ex-husband is a fireman and we were still married during the attacks. This time is one that we have never seen before. Moral decay is running prevalent, war is draining our economy, natural disasters are ripping apart homes and cities and people are sticking up other people for gas! GAS man! But the crazier part is this is America, land of the free, home of the brave, but for who? When we are now indebted to countries, bailing out our own, we as taxpayers of the lower tax income bracket are slaves, called to rebuild companies, our economy and this country. This country that was built originally by slaves, not only from Africa, but also Ireland and other "lowly regarded" ethnic groups. It is a shame that it seems like the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Where do I fit in? I struggle to make ends meet like many of my fellow Americans, trying to make it. But what do we do? I know what I am going to do. I am going to take the historical presidential election of a brother kick my butt into gear and DO what I was born to do! NO FEAR, cause God has my back... and through it all... I will push through! You can too!

Happy New Year

It is the new year according to the Hebrew calendar, which I believe is God's calendar. I use it to help move from one month to the next. It constantly challenges you to tune into what God is saying through out the year! Take this time to move into this new year like never before! Take God for what he says in His word... don't know what he says? Maybe it's time you start to dive into the Bible more than you have in years passed. It is filled with promises God made to you and me! Enjoy this new year!