Roses for Mother

Letter to My Mom, Mildred Blackmon McEwen

Give her roses while she can still enjoy them. ~ Earnest McEwen, Jr. (my father)

Dear Mama ~

It isn’t your birthday or Mother’s Day. Christmas is over. Epiphany, too. It’s the beginning of a glorious New Year… 2009… and I’m writing this letter to honor you. I want to thank you for the singular blessing you’ve poured and continue to pour into my life: you!

You are that blessing. Your life is a poem, a mighty spiritual, a testimony of gratitude, faith, and love. And this letter is a celebration of you.

Your road has been long; your journey has not been easy. Bigotry and prejudice fortified you, teaching you how to love even more deeply and how to see not just with your anatomical eyes, but also to see with the eyes of your heart. Greatest of all, you relied on God’s love and strength rather than your own. In this you gave me the gift of faith and unconditional love for myself and others.

You also gave me what my sister-friend and fellow poet Nikky Finney would say is the gift of being “a woman with keys.” A woman with keys moves in a particular way and she has a responsibility, an obligation to help others find theirs, help them move through their rooms, cross their thresholds, unlock their windows and doors on the journey to claim their promise.

I remember as a little girl, you gave me the precious gift of encouragement. When you said over and again, “Be all that God intended you to be—no matter what, come what may.” I now offer that gift back to my daughter, other family members, my students, clients, and friends.

I remember your humility and sacrifice. For many long years you and Daddy toiled and sacrificed so that my sisters and I could have a better life than the ones you’d known. I remember your and Dad’s Mississippi stories of struggle and strife, of Dad’s deep longing to go to college to better himself and improve our lot, of him working as a janitor at Ole Miss and there, by the grace of God, William Faulkner came into his life and paid for Dad to attend Alcorn A&M College, with no strings attached. I remember you working as a teacher and cook in the nursery school to help make ends meet, Dad’s working at low-paying jobs even with his college degree. I remember you both standing on your rock-solid values of hard work, gratitude, faith, love, and integrity.

I also remember the profound lessons you taught me—to lend others a helping hand, to be of service to others… your constant reminders to do something with my time, to make myself useful. Even if I was already occupied doing something! Today your words echo in my soul as the voice of legacy. Early on, you taught me, Doris, Annie, Debbie, and Vera that you make a living by what you choose as your work, and you make a life by what you do for others.

I remember when I asked what compelled you to go along with Daddy’s “impossible” dreams, you said, “I loved your father and I believed in him. More importantly, we had an abiding faith in Almighty God, and He never gave us more than we could handle, and His grace always saw us through.” Even when you didn’t have any idea of how our family would make it, your love and faith sustained you.

Thank you for giving me a legacy that values education, character, as well as loving, lifting up, and helping others with no strings attached. Thank you for painting on the canvas of eternity with your unshakable belief in the nobility of the human spirit, for painting with a palette imbued with the qualities of humility, faith, love, triumph, and the capacity to treat every human being with dignity and respect. Through you, I have a small glimpse of God’s magnificence, devotion, and triumph.

Because of you, I know—deep in my bones—a few things: if you want change, you must stir the waters and be willing to get out of the boat. If you want change, then you have to invest your heart and soul in the generations to come. I also know that each person must live the legacy that God has intended just for him or her, which means that you can’t hide your light under a bushel. You have to dare to wear your soul on the outside, and keep on keeping on—no matter what, and we have to pass it on by building sturdy bridges for others to cross.

Mother, thank you for being a diva in my life, for not merely talking about blessings… but for being the blessing, and for passing it on!

Love and honor, your daughter Gloria

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Let Your Friend Be the First to Let Go

This post is by Vera McEwen. Thanks for sharing your heart, Sis.

Legacy Living…Daring to Wear My Soul on the Outside, these books in addition to the your wonderful workshops guide and inspire me.

Leaving my job of nearly 20 years to home school and open a CranioSacral Therapy (CST) practice was a huge leap of faith.  We are heading into our fifth amazing year and I am thrilled!  Thank you for the spur :o).

We have our times of stress and we’ve found that spending time in nature removes all stress.

Not to long ago we had a very stressful week!  We’d finally settled into our new home after the third move in less than a year; the practice…very busy; my daughter Adrianna however, was feeling a bit left out.  I did not know it at the time, but a mini-break to the country was just what we needed.  As we began to leave the city, I rolled the windows down, the fresh smell of hay, and greenness filled the car.  As we left the car to walk toward the horses, peace surrounded us guiding us toward two lovely horses.  Mmm…it was so nice to feel the warmth of their skin next to mine, and they took all tension out of my hands, arms, shoulders, neck, head, and spine.  I was engulfed in a sea of horse hair, it tickled my nose, and made me smile.  We tacked up and rode.  Adrianna, was initially at odds with her lovely black and white paint horse.  Then as the tension and stress of the week passed, she became one with her horse.  It is amazing to watch someone transform from rider to whisperer. She was amazing.  Many thanks to Michele Deboer, she offers lessons and de-stress days for only $20 per person.  She creates a safe environment; it is slow, peaceful, gentle, relaxing, and most of all healthy for horse and rider.  I recommend her place to all who need a gentle break (kids, family, friends, etc).

God has placed us in the care of nature for a reason, that WE may be transformed by it.  Nature, easily removes the stress of your week by allowing you to remember who you are and “whose you are!”  Get out in nature, walk on the soil and leave the pavement behind; let sand surround your toes; tilt your head back, feel the fresh air against your face; and…breath…breath in…fill your lungs with…light.

That night, Adrianna peacefully lay in my arms.  We said the Lords prayer in Latin…together…I stoked her lovely face, long hair and I felt, God’s peace surround me.

We are here to love one another; hug your child, spouse, friend and let him or her be the first to let go.  Tell a friend thank you for kick starting your day with a jog.  Hold hands with your loved ones and feel the warmth of their skin.  Let others see you do these things so that they will know whose you are!

I love you all, may your day be filled with love.

May you be blessed on this liquid sunshine day.

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