Sign Me UP!

Last Saturday I had an opportunity to do one of the many things I love...I volunteered by reading to some "little ones."

The event took place at a library and at the end of the session I asked the librarian if I could sign up for a card. YES...I already had a card for the County of Los Angeles Public Library, but in my opinion one can NEVER have enough access to books, sooo...I was overjoyed when she told me that I could.

You see, this particular library wasn't part of the CoLAPL system...it was part of the Los Angeles Public Library. I know, I know...they sound like the same entitiy, but...they're not.

It's a good thing too...for oh so many reasons. I'll give you just one of those reasons now.

My bookclub selection for this month (which we will be discussing on Saturday) was Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Well...I couldn't find it through the CoLAPL, but THANKFULLY...I was able to find it through the LAPL, and can now say that I have read it and will be ready to join in on the discussion.

I feel like all I'm missing now is a card from the Long Beach Public Library. If I could get my hands on one'a those, it would feel like Christmas in August.

For now though, I will be content with having the two.

With that...Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time you visited your local library? If you have young children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbor kids...I encourage you to take them and sign them up for a card. With one, they will have the WORLD at their fingertips.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Fed and FULL

This evening after my book club meeting I decided to swing by the nearby Soul Food spot and pick up some dinner.

What I ordered required a 15 minute wait which was fine with me because I always have a book handy to help pass the time.

So I take my seat and begin to read.

A few minutes in, one of the servers turns on some music. No biggie. I can read with music.

Soon thereafter, he starts singing.

Then I hear the lady sitting next to me who's also singing. She was pretty good...and so was he.

Well...he got louder, and the louder he got...the BETTER he got. This dude's singing was OFF DA CHAIN!

I was entranced. I closed my book and just watched him and listened.

Next thing I know, the lady sitting next to me has turned her chair around and asked me, "Who is that? Where's that singing coming from?"

I told her that it was the tall, dark, older gentleman behind the counter. She too agreed that his voice was amazing.

Now I don't know if it was because I'm missing "Joe" while he's out of town (which I'll write about in a later post), but I'll be dag-gone if this dude didn't remind me of him. There was something about the heart and soul that he put into the song...something SPECIAL that he added that made the song his own...just like Joe does. It was like I was listening to Joe 20 years from now. I could have listened to this man ALL NIGHT.

As I continued to wait for my food, the lady told me that she'd heard him singing there before but that she doesn't come too often because she lives in Cerritos. I then told her that I'm also not there often because I live near Cerritos (which is no where near the restaraunt we were at).

I then told her that I tend to stop by after my book club meeting and she soon began asking me about the club. Apparently her daughter has been looking for a book club with predominantly African American women and I told the woman that that is exactly what my club is.

What she said next almost made me cry. She said, "I'm gonna tell my daughter about the book club because if YOU'RE in it, then it's where she needs to be. You have AMAZING energy." That was such a compliment to me. I don't know what it is...perhaps it's the "Jesus in me"...I don't really know. What I do know is that there IS something special in me and people just FEEL it when they're around me. I don't say this to toot my own horn...I've just gotten to a point where I accept and acknowledge whatever this is, and if it makes people want to be around me...or know that I'm someone GOOD to be around...then I'll take it...gladly.

She and I talked some more and next thing I knew, we were exchanging numbers. I know...I know...I don't know her from "Eve" but something about it just felt okay.

She wanted my info so that she could give it to her daughter. Sure, she could have just given her daughter the book club info, but before I knew it, she had my number and sent me a text with her info. Something about her just made me so comfortable.

I'm still waiting for my food, and we start talking about books and authors. She tells me about one that I had JUST heard of earlier today. She told me how FANTASTIC this author's books are and that I really need to check out her work.

Next, she tells me about the book club that she's been in for 30 years. She said that the club isn't perfect, but she's been in it so long...she just decided to stick with. Then, she said something that actually did make me tear up a bit. She told me her age. She's 64.

That's the same age that my Mom would have been if she were still here. 64

And at that moment, that whole encounter made sense to me. God was giving me a little bit of what I needed to make me feel better about the ones I'd been missing.

He gave me Teddy (that's the singing server's name)...to remind me of Joe, and make me smile.

And he gave me Katarina (even if just for those few minutes) to remind me of my Mom, and in an odd way...what a Mother's love feels like. The way that I opened up to her just felt so "natural". Now I think I understand why. God just wanted me to feel that motherly connection, even if it was with a complete stranger.

Who knows. Some folks may call me crazy. But in that brief visit to the Soul Food joint, much more than my body got nourished. My soul was fed...and got FULL.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever encountered a stranger who unexpectedly filled a void?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

It Pays to Read!

Have you ever gone through the pockets of your clothes, (maybe as you were about to wash them or give them away) and found money in them that you'd long since forgotten about? Well that just happened to me...sort of. Couldn't find my book club selection through the library so I decided to go ahead and give good ol' Amazon a try. Can't remember the last time I actually BOUGHT a book, my budget has been so tight. But I've gotten tired of missing out on the discussions due to my inability to obtain the book, so I decided to "bite the bullet" and see what I could find.

EUREKA!

I found the book I need...used...for a penny...yes...ONE cent (plus $3.99 for shipping). Not bad. Not bad at all.

As I go to check out I am greeted with this blessing of a message: "Use 4.00 of your $34.00 gift card balance?"

I'm like YES...Yes PLEASE!!!

I had completely forgotten about the gift card that a friend gave me a while back. WOW!

So now...my book is on its way, and I still have some $ left over in case I have a tough time finding any other books through the library. The library will ALWAYS be my first choice, but it's nice to know that I have options.

How 'bout you? Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time you found "forgotten money", and how much was it?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Oh...and just one small thing that I wanted to add about my book club -- we are not REQUIRED to read the book in order to attend the meetings. I just hate being "out of the loop" and need to know what everyone is talking about, so I prefer to read the books before the discussion. That's just me and my quirkiness at work.

Surprised?

Last Saturday I got together with friends and we created our 2015 Vision Boards. One of the things that I had on my board was "Book Club". I either wanted to join one or start one. I've always loved reading and I really enjoy discussing what I read, so a book club is perfect.

Well...a few days ago I found a local group that was meeting this evening...so, I went. And I'm glad I did.

Although I didn't read last month's book, I enjoyed hearing the ladies discuss their opinions. Most didn't like it and were very detailed with their reasons why. This I found quite entertaining.

At one point in the group we went around and did introductions. There was a fairly even split between new members like myself and members who've been in the group since the beginning. They were all very welcoming and I felt like I'd been part of the club forever.

When it came time for the founder to introduce herself she said something that always makes my ears perk up when I hear it. She mentioned that she enjoys getting together with these ladies each month because everyone just gets along so well...no "attitudes", no "weave-pulling", just women of color (Black women) who share a love for reading and togetherness.

I thought, "Hmmm...that sounds just like my running group."

We are a group of Black women who enjoy "hitting the pavement" together, yet we also find ourselves together at pretty much any other social event because we just like each other that much. We truly enjoy sharing each other's company. We travel together, attend concerts & plays together, dine together...you name it.

I wondered why it is that Black women always have to explain the fact that we are able to "get along" when I rarely, if ever, hear women of other races make the same statement.

I realize though that this stems from how we are so negatively portrayed on television. If all people see on television are images of Black women raising their voices at one another, stabbing each other in the back, stealing each other's men, and getting into physical altercations, then that is what the world is going to EXPECT of us, and will continue to be surprised when they see different.

So the question is...what needs to be done in order for the Black woman's image to shift from negative, to the true depiction, which is POSITIVE? I mean seriously...I don't know ANY Black women like the ones we see on television. MY friends are EDUCATORS, DOCTORS, WRITERS, ENGINEERS, ENTREPRENEURS, SOCIAL WORKERS, LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS, and so much more.

Anyhoo...I'm glad to now be a part of yet another POSITIVE group of Black women. And no...it's not like I don't see positivity in other races, because truly, my circle of friends is quite the melting pot. Yet there is a unique energy that comes from being around other Black folks (male and/or female...doesn't matter to me), who are doing great things, that I just feed off of.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Are YOU in a Book Club? If so, is it diverse, or is it specific to YOUR race?

Talk to me!

Til next time...