Who am I

Part of being a friend to someone else is being able to be a friend to yourself. I am working everyday on being a better friend to myself so that I can be a better friend to others. As I continue to be a better friend to myself; l am spending time with me, learning about me, discovering who I am. This is who I am... Who are you? Please share...

Who Am I?

who am i?

I am a joyful, powerful, loving, risk-taking, vulnerable,

strong black woman

what makes me strong?

my heritage, my ancestors, my family, my journey

what makes me weak?

my negative beliefs, my belief that my beliefs are facts, and my fears

what makes me compassionate?

my experiences, my tests and my trials, my failures

what keeps me honest?

the knowledge that I must go to sleep with myself, wake up with myself and that I have to look at myself when I look in the mirror

what sustains my curiosity? keeps my mind active and alert?

my continued thirst for knowledge

what teaches me?

the mistakes I make

what keeps me strong?

getting up every time I fall

what lifts my head?

self-confidence

what makes me a winner?

my desire to climb,

what keeps me victorious?

my desire to keep going in the face of obstacles,

what keeps  me going?

remembering what I have been through and how far I have come

what if I can’t go on?

That is so not an option

what makes me competent?

my need to do it and do it right

****

what makes  me sensual?

my awareness of my inner essence

what makes me sexy?

my inner confidence

what makes me beautiful?

my goodness and joy

what keeps me glowing?

my inner light

****

where do I find my spirituality?

in meditation and prayer

what makes me kind?

the desire to see another smile

what keeps me kind

the pleasure doing a kindness leaves behind in me

what keeps hope alive in me

the belief that things really do work out in the end

what keeps my faith strong

seeing beauty, joy and love in the world, seeing kindness

****

what makes me joyful?

choosing to see the world through happy eyes

what makes me powerful?

believing that I am deserving of good

what makes me loving?

my creator, my heart and soul, my very being

what keeps me loving?

my need, the world, the need to be loved

what makes me risk-taking?

confidence that the universe will catch me

what makes me vulnerable?

the choice to be soft, open and trusting

****

who empowers me?

I do

who decides what I do, when I do it, how I do it,  and why?

I do

who decides who I am?

I do

Who am I?

I am woman and I am proud

--written by asd --

We are not InViSiBLe. We MaTTeR

WE are not invisible

You matter.

I matter.

We MaTTeR

I just read this article that reminded me, not that I ever need reminding, that there are people in this world who dont see me. Literally. They dont see me - not because I dont exist but because i dont matter and so, to them, I dont exist. While I can relate to being invisible to others, I cannot relate to being privileged such that I actually dont see others, that they dont exist for me, that they dont matter to my life. While it is weird for me to think about, I know there are plenty of people who live this way. They only see the people who matter in their world. I have also witnessed it.

My favorite example - years ago, a bunch of friends, my mom, and I took my daughter to a fancy restaurant for a birthday dinner. The set-up of the restaurant was very "chi, chi, poo poo" if you know what I mean. We even had our own personal waiters. Yes, I did say waiters!!! And most of us, we were all fairly young - our early to mid thirties, were so impressed, we commented (quietly) on everything. Near us was a family having dinner. When the man wanted something, he help up his fingers - just his fingers, and a waiter would approach. The man never looked for a waiter, he just held up his fingers; knowing a waiter would be there to attend to his needs and wishes. When the waiter appeared at his table, the man would, each time, speak to the waiter but never look at the waiter. When a waiter poured water or provided some other service, the man continued whatever he was doing as though the waiter was not there, as though the service was just supposed to happen. It was strange to watch and experience. I have, on occasion, tried to act as though I dont see the waiter, just to see... but I am unable to pull it off. I see the waiter, I know he is there, I dont just assume things are going to happen for me because that is what I am entitled to or what i expect.

I think that is a good thing. While I will never experience what it feels like to be privileged, I have experienced what it feels like to be ignored - and so I try never to ignore others. I have been treated as though I dont matter -  and so I will never forget that everyone matters, that just our presence makes a difference. I have experienced trying to speak to those who dont see me or who choose to ignore me - and so I see everyone and try not to ignore those who reach out. I have known lack - and so offer help whenever I am able, to people brave enough to ask, because I see them.

Most whites dont see people of color. Most men don't see women. Those that have often don't see those that dont. It is a frightening, vicious, unending cycle. I wish I knew how to end it but I dont. I do think opening the lines of communication helps. I think acknowledging and accepting our differences helps. I think empathy - never pity, helps. I think acknowledging that there are people we dont see and then actually seeing those people goes a long way to bridging the divide that exists. We alone cannot change the world overnight but we can make a difference. One drop in the the ocean sends ripples out that can bring about a change. We can be that ripple because WE MaTTeR.

I almost can't believe we have finally hit 250 likes. We are truly happy and feeling quite blessed. A lot of things have come up during our stint as page administrators. Once or twice we have talked of shutting down the page, But the love and caring that all of you have provided this past year have given us the encouragement to stay the course.

We THANK you all

We will continue to post and we ask your continued support with liking, sharing and commenting. If there are topics you would like to discuss, pictures you would like to share, stories you would like to tell or questions you would like feedback on, please do so. We, and all at sISTA gIRLS, are here for you. We are dedicated and committed to encouraging the growth of strong women and their dreams through healthy, supportive, loving female friendships.

sISTA gIRLS

sISTA gIRLS are

our female friends

our friends forever

and cherished people.

We carry each other 

warmly in our hearts

wherever we go on 

our journey in this life

They are unforgettable.

They are fun-loving, 

warmhearted, strong, 

powerful and yet vulnerable

They are the women we

dream with and plan with

the women we share 

our present and our futures with

They accept us as we are

encourage us to become who

we aspire us to be

and support us on our path

Our sISTA gIRLS 

are our anam cara

our race of Joseph

and we are grateful for their 

presence in our lives