Category Archives: MUSINGS

Envy Drama

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

God has blessed me with some great girlfriends. I told you last week that I have friends I can call without hesitation and know they will rejoice with me when I rejoice. For the most part I have evaded the drama that some women friendships bring. There was one major exception to this when I was in college. I had a friend who decided she wanted my life. She stole my organizational ideas, copied my style of dress, flirted with my boyfriend and talked about me behind my back. You know I was in full blown strong black woman mode then so when she kissed my boyfriend as close to his mouth as she could without kissing him on his lips in front of me, you know I didn’t stand idly by. I didn’t hit her, but let’s just say she and most of campus knew that I thought she was an envious backstabber trying to snatch my life.

This Lifetime movie drama just doesn’t happen. More often than not, I believe, envy seeds get planted early in a girl’s life and without the proper tools to dig up the roots that take hold, these little girls grow up to be hateful, covetous women. Click here to read my latest EEW Magazine column about how we can help our children (and even ourselves) deal with envy. What have been your experiences with envy? How have you handled them? Yes, as always, I want to know, “What do you think?”

Friday Feature: The Dirty Dozen

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Nikki thought she was allergic to fruit because every time she ate them her mouth and other body parts would tingle and itch. She decided to try eating organic produce and her problem ceased. Though she doesn’t know for sure, she suspects that she may be allergic to one of the pesticides used to grow conventional produce. Her story reminds us that eating fruits and vegetables can be risky business with the number of genetically modified organisms, pesticides and other contaminants used to produce them.

Even with these threats, we need to make sure to eat our daily complement of produce. To help you, the Environmental Working Group, a healthy environment advocacy group, annually produces The Dirty Dozen, a list of the most contaminated produce, so you make a more healthy choice, like buying organic.

The Dirty Dozen
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (Imported)
7. Grapes (Imported)
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (Domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens

Also check out the 15 Clean List (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/) to see which fruits and vegetables have the least pesticide residue. to see which fruits and vegetables have the least pesticide residue.

Showstoppers

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I got the news and knew just who to call: Some old, some new, all good girlfriends, no one who would shout about their lives or sink—be envious—in the midst of my news. They truly could embrace my news and celebrate with me. This can be rare among strong black women, even those recovering strong black women who seek to follow Christ in all aspects of their lives. For them, it can be the fight to see who can get the most folks to delight in them. The war is for the title of the strongest strong black woman, and as they see it, always being on top is the way to this top title. But some folks, like my circle of friends and the superstars I saw Friday, know differently.

Like good girlfriends, three powerhouse singers, Dianne Reeves, Angelique Kidjo and Lizz Wright, graced the stage on Friday at the Detroit Jazz Festival with their show “Sing the Truth,” a tribute to their songstress foremothers and other revolutionary singers. Each freely gave praise and the stage to each other. These superstar sisters didn’t seek to outshine but frequently and easily deferred to one another. They were all showstoppers but none tried to be a show stealer, seeming to feel quite comfortable in their God-given skin.

Check out their video below and make sure to let me know what your experiences have been like with other strong women. You know I want to know, “What do you think?”

Labor Time

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Happy Labor Day!
This is the day we celebrate workers and their contributions to the economy with parades, picnics, barbecues and doing a bunch of nothing if we choose to. This is the day we rest from our labors, and I’m doing that well! But even as we rest let us not forget that we never rest giving our time to God.

It’s Time to Take Time (AKA Commitment to God)

I give a charge to you
One to drive you toward a coup
A feat to beat the devil
at a game where he’s maimed for years.

He’s slashed our senses
cut our cord connecting us to the master,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

We feel his fire
right here on earth
and seek escape from his flames
but we play the game just how he wants.

Had a rough week at work
So we seek support.
We go to church and hear a word
though we haven’t been in two months
won’t return for two months
because things have been going really well.
We’ve been busy
completing reports and such
not leaving much time for lunch or the Lord.

But then it happens again:
Satan rocks our world
spins us in a twirl
and we remember how we felt two months ago.
So to church we go
to bible study we go
and we keep this flow for a few weeks.
But we’re still weak
can’t seem to keep
God where He needs to be
to provide that relief
that stability we need
to have and live a healthy life.

So I give a charge to you
one to drive you toward a coup
a feat to beat the devil
at a game where he’s maimed for years.

I ask you to tithe to God
10 percent of your time
show Him that you mean “He’s mine.”
Jesus took the time
died on a cruel cross
so I could say “He’s mine.”
So I ask you to make the time
for Jesus.
Let us please Him
show Him that you mean “He’s mine.”
Give 10 percent of your time
to study and pray and praise the Word,
God’s Word.
It’s His Word,
not work
or another word or work
that will help us to be where He wants us to be.

So this is a charge to you,
one to drive you toward a coup.
You will beat the devil at a game where he’s maimed for years
if you commit your time to God.

By Rhonda J. Smith
Copyright March 19, 2001

My One Thousand Gifts List

#211-220
God giving me several angles to write about my dad
Becoming more free in my expression of love to God
Pouring in to Bobbi
Being a “blessing” to Tabitha by “being there” for her
Joshua and Nathaniel being able to play outside
Seeing Nathaniel discover in the outdoors
Eating popcorn
Having family devotions
Joshua finally understanding how to give praise reports
Joshua being excited about keeping a gratitude journal

Friday Feature: Round Up Six

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I have been doing a Fourth Friday Round Up but featured a wonderful story last week to round out the month. Because of that I offer you today the First Friday Round Up, stories from around the web that I believe are a good complement to the natural healing stories I have featured on Friday over the past month:

  • To lose weight without drugs and other crash diets, check out suggestions from health and fitness coach and columnist Kimberly Garrison here, here and here.
  • Make sure you take a vacation and when you do make sure you don’t feel awful afterwards because you’ve blown your diet. Read here what Max Goldberg suggests about preparing to eat while on vacation. Though his focus is on eating organic while on vacation, I believe his tips are helpful to all of us who are conscious about what we eat.
  • Though vacations with children often feel more like work, you can ease your anxiety with tips from Natural News found here.