Lessons from Mama; Happy Mother's Day

A mother is an irreplaceable asset in a person's life. Good or bad, dead or alive, we are born of one mother, that can never be changed. Thanks to our mothers, without them, history wouldn't know us. Many of us are where we are because of or mothers and the role they played, or are still playing. Long live our mothers.

As the world celebrates mothers, I join in celebrating too, because I owe who I am to my mother. The lessons I learned from her are worth sharing.

1. Do it. Don't wait for others to do what you can do. Don't wait to be told what to do, find something and do it. Don't be idle.

2. Take responsibility. No one will account for your life but you, be accountable. Learn to take responsibility, whenever, wherever. If you don't learn now, you'll learn it the hard way.

3. Be humble. Pride comes before a fall. No one knows what tomorrow may bring. Be as humble as you can be, humility will take you places pride will under look, and that's where your blessings lie. Do not look down on anyone.

4. Zip it! If you know nothing about it, say nothing. Yet still if you know it, unless it is necessary and helpful, shut your mouth. Your words are so powerful. They will build or destroy you. Watch your tongue, tame it.

5. Be smart. Think. Be critical, analyze before taking part in anything. Have a stand, do not follow a crowd.

6. Learn to say NO. It is easier said than done, but learn to say no. It is better to say no then change your mind later, than say no later after being trusted to do something.

7. Accept corrections. Have a teachable spirit, corrections will make you better if heeded unto. Take no offense, those who care to correct you want the best of you.

8. Be descent. From speech to dressing. Be presentable.

9. Read. Read experience matters.

10. Pray and trust in God. Above all, life and all the efforts will amount to nothing without God. He has all the answers.

The wisest man of all said
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there. We celebrate you.

WHY AM I BLACK?

To be born black and of black parents  was my first gift of nature. Many are times when the question "why are you black?" has been thrown at me, sometimes leaving me speechless. At first, I thought I was born black because my ancestors were black, my country men are black and so on. Yet I have discovered that there is a purpose in my being black, where black signifies the color of my skin as referred to by the world.

I don't know about you, but my world defines black as a relative of evil. From black mail to black list, black is not a good thing, no. So my sisters from another mother don't want to be associated with black, they bleach their skin to look "not black" though they remain black as far as race is concerned.  Black is beautiful, and handsome too. I have seen nothing as good as black. A melanin strong enough to withstand the scorching sun. Coming to think of it, I'm advantaged. There's nothing to regret about being black, thank God I'm black.

The first purpose of my being black is to change the world's definition of a black man. The color of my skin has nothing to do with my capabilities. If I can, I can. From Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela, name them all  and those yet to come, it is evident that there's nothing impossible for a black man to achieve. The world I live in associates the black man with failure, I'm black to bring the point home. Success favors no man because of their origin, everyone will reap what they sow . Life knows no skin either, it happens to us all.

I am the definition of beauty. My world has its own standards of defining beauty, making my siblings feel lesser because they are black. To define beauty from the content of a person's skin is shallow, let alone from physical appearance. Beauty is what lies within, after what is without looses all its form.

There is a degree of beauty in each and every person, only if we look out for more than what meets the eye.

So why am I black anyway? I am black to let the world know that being black is not a disability, neither is it an inability. It is all in-between the ears.  I can dream, I can impact lives positively, I can change my world just like any other.

I'm proud of my race, it is the source of my grace.