Friday, April 25, 2014

I Love You Spring 1998: The Majestic Heirs of The 25th Legacy

Today is a special day because it marks my 16th Deltaversary. What is a Deltaversary? Well it is a day that members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated celebrate each year as the day they marched into Deltaland. Sixteen years ago today myself and 16 other amazing women became members of this amazing sisterhood and have been in the bond ever since. These women who I went through hell and high water with will always and forever have a special place in my heart.


I have learned many lessons from these women. I have learned that you can be a woman of faith and still be stylish and have fun. I have learned that it is ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. I have learned that you have to take life one day at a time. I have learned that there is nothing wrong with being a little selfish once in awhile and doing something for yourself. I have learned how to be a better woman and friend. I have learned more than you can possibly imagine and I know that as life goes on the lessons I will learn from my line sisters will continue.


Each one of my line sisters is accomplished in their own right. Some of them are very talented dancers, choreographers, and singers. Some are accomplished attorney's and health professionals. Then there are those who have chosen to help mold students of all ages as school administrators, guidance counselors, and college advisors. We even have an engineer, women who have worked on Capital Hill, and women who work for worthy non-profits. All 16 of the ladies that I call my line sisters mean something dearly to me; especially our fallen Angel Charmane.


Charmane was a very intelligent, accomplished, beautiful, stylish, and loving person. She had a smile that could light up a room. I remember road tripping with her, Aseelah, Nikki, and Erica to Tiffany's wedding. It was a blast and it is one of the trips I will never forget. I also remember when her, myself, and Nikki stayed up all day and night at FSU's Dance Marathon. We were tired as hell, but it was well worth it and yet another memory to cherish. This fallen Angel, and Dani, will always be remembered because they had so much still to give but we honor them everyday by remembering who they were and what they stood for.


When you become a member of Delta Sigma Theta you become a member of a great sisterhood, and as a Soror who came through Kappa Epsilon you have an even tighter bond with the other women who have had similar experiences, but your line sisters mean so much more. They are the women you have formed a special bond with that can never be broken. Before I came to Florida State I never really had a lot of female friends, much less close friends. The last really close friend that I had was in high school. Then I came to Florida State and was chosen to become a member of this illustrious sisterhood along with 16 other women and instantly gained sisters for life.


Are we all perfect? No of course not, but then again nobody is. Do we always get along? Again, no we don't and if we did that would make life a little boring and dull. I may not always like what some of them has to say either to me or someone else, but I value their opinions and feelings nonetheless. I think that I can honestly say that all seventeen of us are strong women with strong opinions about many things and that can often create a little friction, but if you were always around people of the exact same mindset as you then you would never grow and you would never change, and these women have helped me to do that.


Change has always been hard for me. Even though change is good, for me it is still hard. Each one of these women at some point in my life has supported me through major and minor changes and even coaxed me into making changes for the better. Like the decision to move. Many of them have been telling me for years that I needed a change and my husband and I should move out of Tallahassee. Well, I didn't listen for many years but we finally made a move to the Central Florida area and it feels good. My line sisters, as usual, were right.


The picture above was the pictoral tribute my front, Wendy, created for our line last year on our 15th Deltaversary. These women have been there through birth's, marriages, job changes, death's, and so much more. I know that our bond can only get stronger if we continue to confide in one another, open up to one another, and love one another. Of course everyone has someone they talk to more often than others, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, at our core we remain the same. At our core we remain smart, talented, strong, independent, beautiful, stylish, fun-loving, creative, amazing, and extraordinary women. I could go on and on about these women because they mean so much to me and I will tell each of them individually how I feel because they are part of my heart. But for now let me say that the world should continue to look out for The Majestic Heirs of the 25th Legacy because the KE Spring 1998 line is not done yet!! Happy Deltaversary Wendy, Yeura, Brischelle, Chantina, Tiffany, Raishell, Erica, Charmane (our fallen Angel), Dechauna, Rasheedra, Alero, Kim, Morneque, Aysha, Nikki, and Aseelah. I love you all and I wish you all of the happiness and success that your heart and hand can hold.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Easter: What is it about? What do you do?


The holidays are a terrific time to gather with loved ones and celebrate special occasions. This past weekend people across the United States celebrated Easter, or as many have come to call it: Resurrection Sunday. The purpose for celebrating this holiday is to honor the sacrifice that Jesus made for all mankind. He gave his life and died on the cross so that all sins could be forgiven. Over the years families have developed their own traditions for this special holiday and even intertwined some secular events with the holy day. For example: the Easter bunny, Easter egg hunts, and every child's favorite the Easter basket.

There are some who may not engage in the secular portions of the holiday for one reason or another, but primarily for religious reasons. Just because a parent gives their child an Easter basket or takes them to an Easter egg hunt does not mean they don't believe in the sacrifice Jesus made. They are simply allowing their child to engage in something fun that brightens their day. There is nothing wrong with letting a child have some fun and some treats as long as you also make sure they understand the reason for celebrating.

Of course every parent must make their own choice. But, do not prevent a child from Easter egg hunts if you still put up a Christmas tree. Do not refuse to give them an Easter basket if you let them dress up and go trick or treating on Halloween. My husband and I have chosen to allow our kids to participate in all of these things, but we also make sure that our kids understand the reason for celebrating every holiday and that they know what is most important is being with loved ones. So remember next time you think about what you do to celebrate Easter, or any other holiday, always remember your reason for celebrating; but don't be so high and mighty that you can't have a little fun too.