Kenneth Davis

 T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N 

     Be very very still and allow every new experience to take place in your life without any resistance whatsoever. You do not have to do anything, you simply have to be and let things happen. Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with Love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed.

~Eileen Caddy~

IT'S NOW TIME FOR

JUST JOKING MONDAYS

     In surgery for a heart attack, a middle-aged woman has a vision of God by her bedside. “Will I die?” she asks. God says, “No. You have 30 more years to live.” With 30 years to look forward to, she decides to make the best of it. So since she’s in the hospital, she gets breast implants, liposuction, a tummy tuck, hair transplants, and collagen injections in her lips. She looks great! The day she’s discharged, she exits the hospital with a swagger, crosses the street, and is immediately hit by an ambulance and killed. Up in heaven, she sees God. “You said I had 30 more years to live,” she complains. “That’s true,” says God. “So what happened?” she asks. God shrugs. “I didn’t recognize you.”

~Hank Chawansky~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Manifesting the blessings is not really anything that is complicated or even difficult. Clear out what is not serving you or no longer actively being utilized. Give and share joyously. Receive graciously. Make amends. Adorn yourself first with inner beauty so the outer beauty may benefit from your best intentions. Contribute more than you take. Make each place you find yourself better than you found it. Be an abundant source of good tidings to and from God. In short, let go and let God.

~John Morton~

Kenneth Davis

     Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

~Og Mandino~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

We like someone because. We love someone although. 

Love is not blind--it sees more, not less. Because it sees more, it is willing to see less.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Getting healthy isn't just about losing weight. It's not limited to adjusting our diet and hoping for good physical results. It's about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change - spiritually, physically, and mentally. And the battle really is in all three areas.

~Lysa TerKeurst~

Here’s What ‘Ecotherapy’ Means

(Plus Its Awesome Effects on Your Health), from Experts
Story by Leslie Finlay

     When countries began to lockdown in early 2020, for many people everyday life suddenly shrunk to the boundaries of our own homes. Unsurprisingly, services like online streaming and food delivery surged in demand. But another industry saw an immediate uptick, according to a report from the American Society for Horticultural Science: home gardening supplies. Gardening as therapy has long been a strategy to ease stress and anxiety, says Sam Nabil, MA, LPC. The approach is grounded in what’s called the “biophilia hypothesis,” which, according to a July 2021 article published in Frontiers in Psychology, suggests humans are fundamentally drawn to nature and plant life. Researchers point to the COVID-19 pandemic as strong evidence to support this theory: more than ever, some say, we collectively turned to "ecotherapy," or the concept of nature as a mental health boost.

What is "ecotherapy"?

     Gardening is a prime example of a mindfulness activity, Nabil explains. Because it requires our full focus on the task at hand, the mind is less likely to wander and worry. This can encourage relief from stress and anxiety, as "all of your senses are engaged [in plant care], so your mind is cleared of distractions,” Nabil says. Scientists have documented this effect clinically. According to 2021 article published in the peer-reviewed urban planning journal Cities, a team of horticulturalists and public health researchers found that gardening and plant care reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. The study also highlighted how gardening contributes to what the authors called “significant improvements in well-being,” such as generating feelings of accomplishment, prompting social connections (for example, giving you reason to reach out to that acquaintance who's raised the same kind of wildflowers you're trying to grow), and instilling a sense of purpose.

How can I practice ecotherapy if I don’t have a garden?

     The therapeutic effects of gardening have been well-documented since at least 1812, when Dr. Benjamin Rush first published a study demonstrating how gardening led to better recovery rates among mental illness patients. Yet, with 83 percent of the U.S. population living in urban areas, not everyone has the space that many gardens require. As a 2016 article in The Atlantic pointed out: even among homeowners, the average size of American homes has grown...which means our lawn areas keep shrinking. However, recent research suggests that any exposure to plant life promotes mental health benefits. One study reviewed in Clinical Medicine in 2018 monitored participants’ EEG (electroencephalogram) recordings as they looked at plants, and the researchers found that measures of stress, fear, anger, and tension significantly fell.
     Another 2020 study published in Ecological Applications surveyed people living in Tokyo, Japan, during the city’s COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The scientists found that those whose windows offered a green view reported higher levels of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and happiness and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Houseplants don’t just soothe us, either. Researchers from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension found that keeping plants in the workspace improves memory retention and concentration by up to 20 percent—and the resulting work is generally of higher quality.

Do houseplants promote physical health?

     Getting your hands dirty in the garden counts as a moderate-intensity physical activity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And spending time in the garden also means you’ll soak up vitamin D from the sun, a nutrient essential to immune system support and mood regulation (in addition to these other benefits). Just don’t forget to wear sunscreen—with this list, we’ve got you covered with the ones dermatologists use themselves. Still, while tending to your succulents might not give you the same caloric burn as the Peloton, a study reviewed in Clinical Medicine found that just looking at plants reduces your blood pressure, pulse rate, heart rate variability, and muscle tension. Nabil says indoor plants also improve the air quality in your living space while helping to keep moisture in the air, which may ease respiratory illnesses over the dry winter months.

Don’t have a green thumb? Just go faux

     Whether you travel a lot for work, have pets, or just struggle with a “black thumb” (yep, that's what they call it), plant care isn’t for everyone. The good news? Current research suggests that artificial plants in the home can have just as powerful an effect on our mental health as living greenery. In fact, just seeing green goes a long way—a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that both real plants and posters of plants help reduce hospital patients’ stress levels.
     The pandemic-era research from Ecological Applications backs up this effect in a perhaps unexpected way. “Surprisingly, the effect of a green view on people’s mental health was generally greater than that of the use of green space,” the study’s authors wrote, suggesting that any exposure to nature—be it through a window, in a painting, or in artificial form—has an immediate, positive psychological effect. Other recent research supports the use of biophilic design in the home, which incorporates natural materials, colors, and smells (like with aromatherapy). A March 2020 study published in Environmental International found that nature-oriented design has therapeutic benefits on sleep, mood, and feelings of isolation. The researchers also noted that people who were exposed to a biophilic environment also had better responses to, and easier recovery from, stress and anxiety. And, even more evidence of the power of plants to pervade our senses and ease our minds? In this study, these benefits were observed even when study participants experienced biophilic design virtually. Those Zoom meetings may be one more reason to adorn your office with life.

Kenneth Davis

     In times of grief and sorrow I will hold you and rock you,

and take your grief and make it my own.

When you cry, I cry, and when you hurt, I hurt.

And together we will try to hold back

the floods to tears and despair

and make it through the potholed street of life.

~Nicholas Sparks~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth,

Thank you for the Harry Taylor post. I listen to it three time. Each time, with joy!

I still remember Harry singing Danny Boy.

Bonnie Pippin (Mills)

Estella, Harry sings in the choir every Sunday and sings with the same enthusiam. 

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     Resistance here doesn't mean revolution. It doesn't mean storming the barricades. Resistance means using art for the things that it does best, which is to create human portraits and communicate ideas and forge a climate where people of different races or classes are known to you because they make themselves known. In the simplest terms, art humanizes. It opens the circuit of empathy. And once that process happens, it's that much harder to think of people as part of a policy or a statistic. Art reverses the alienation that can creep into society.

~Questlove~

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER

Kentucky Fried Chicken.. KFC... Keep Fooling Customers.

~Jay Leno~

KFC removes wings, popcorn chicken, and more from menus nationwide.

Story by Bill Shannon • Yesterday 5:52 PM  DC News Now

     ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) - Though KFC just added a spin on their previously-popular Twister Wrap to their menus for a limited time, the fast food chain is preparing to remove some fan favorites from their lineup. KFC says it’s simplifying its menu to make ordering easier and create a more efficient kitchen for the staff. According to an annual drive-thru study conducted by Intouch Insight released last fall, KFC had the fastest total drive-thru time, meaning customers spent the least amount of time between ordering and receiving their food compared to customers at other major chains like McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A. The chicken chain also hopes the menu change will make room for new products, a spokesperson told Yahoo Finance last week. That could include the KFC Wraps they launched earlier this month, which are available nationwide for a limited time.

Regardless, here’s what KFC is kicking off the menu:

⦁ Kentucky Fried Chicken Wings

⦁ Popcorn Chicken

⦁ Nashville Hot Sauce

⦁ Strawberry Lemonade

⦁ Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     I hate war, and I hate having to struggle. I honestly do because I wish I had been born into a world where it was unnecessary. This context of struggle and being a warrior and being a struggler has been forced on me by oppression. Otherwise I would be a sculptor, or a gardener, carpenter - You know, I would be free to be so much more… I guess part of me or a part of who I am, a part of what I do is being a warrior - a reluctant warrior, a reluctant struggler. But I do it, because I’m committed to life.

~Assata Shakur~

SMOOTH JAZZ FRIDAYS

     Jazz is really about the human experience. It’s about the ability of human beings to take the worst of circumstances and struggles and turn it into something creative and constructive. That’s something that’s built into the fiber of every human being. And I think that’s why people can respond to it. They feel the freedom in it. And the attributes of jazz are also admirable. It’s about dialogue. It’s about sharing. And teamwork. It’s in the moment, and it's nonjudgmental.

~Herbie Hancock~

Kenneth Davis

Obituary received from Mr. Donald Blackburn,

son of our Alice Rogers Blackburn....

     Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.

~Albert Einstein~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Bonnie Pippin (Mills)

Thanks, Vickie's big sister!!!!

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     There is a higher law than the law of government. That's the law of conscience. Seems to me that the institutions that function in this country are clearly racist, and that they're built upon racism. Now, then, in order to understand white supremacy we must dismiss the fallacious notion that white people can give anybody their freedom. One does not fight to influence change and then leave the change to someone else to bring about. The masses don't shed their blood for the benefit of a few individuals.

~Stokely Carmichael~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

TO

JACQUELINE SAWYER CASEY

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Bonnie Pippin (Mills)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kenneth Davis

VOTER REGISTRATION EXAMS OBTAINED FROM

THE LEGACY MUSEUM - MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PASS THE EXAM????

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     We live in a nation that spent centuries denying the right to vote to the poor, to women, and to people of color. Our ability to participate in government, to elect our leaders and to improve our lives is contingent upon our ability to access the ballot. We know in our heart of hearts that voting is a sacred right - the fount from which all other rights flow. Progress is possible, but it is fragile - and across our country, the battles for our most basic civil rights rage on.

~Stacey Abrams~ 

     Not voting is one of the worst things that could happen in our community. You can vote for whoever you want to, but choosing not to vote spits in the face of our ancestors who fought for our right to vote. Ever since the civil rights movement, the black church has always encouraged people to utilize their voting right, which is a right that was fought for.

~Otis Moss III~

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   

     After all these years, I've done well and I'm cool. I feel comfortable in my skin, I've saved some paper, everybody's healthy, my kids are beautiful and smart, doing different things, it's all good. I stopped doing standup because it stopped being fun. And the reason it stopped being fun was it was harder to write - and this was before the Internet - it was harder to write new stuff. It had gotten so crazy. I'm relaxed about my career. I've been making movies for over 20 years, so I've earned at least the right to relax. I keep telling people I'll make movies until I'm fifty and then I'll go and do something else. I'm going to be a professional gentleman of leisure.

~Eddie Murphy~

IT'S NOW TIME FOR
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

     About a week after my son left for boot training, I happened to go into his room for an afternoon nap. His bed was still warm and cozy, and I seemed to feel his presence. I wrote and told him that either my mind was playing tricks on me or some supernatural phenomenon had comforted me. I was still trying to figure out the “miraculous” warmth when his reply came. “Sorry, Mother, I forgot. Turn off my electric blanket.”

~Mrs. George L. Hicks~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

 T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N 

     Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. Testimony is the beginning of and a prerequisite to continuing conversion. Testimony is a point of departure; it is not an ultimate destination. Strong testimony is the foundation upon which conversion is established. Testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living.

~David A. Bednar~ American - Clergyman Born: June 15, 1952

 ART BY THOMAS HART BENTON

     This country is not going to progress if we can't have decent civil conversations and be respectful to one another. I grew up always thinking that fighting for justice was our obligation, whether that's giving your voice to something, serving as a verbal advocate for someone, or physically being in spaces or occupying space to make and create change. Whether it's freedom to express, freedom to live, freedom to earn, freedom to thrive, freedom to learn, whatever it is, I want to make sure that I'm a part of these spaces and opening doors. 

~Angela Rye~ American - Activist Born: October 26, 1979

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Faith is like a boomerang; begin using what you have and it comes back to you in greater measure. --Charles L. Allen

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     At first, the idea of doing a 90-minute workout in a 40 degree room sounded like torture. But the sweating is exactly what I became addicted to. My body changed dramatically almost immediately. Within three classes, I noticed less belly fat. My knees and legs are stronger than ever now; my arms have definition for the first time in my life; and my posture is much, much better. I also feel completely energized from all of the deep breathing. I leave class relieved of any anxiety I went in with, and the sweating and detoxifying make my skin feel great.

~Rebecca Romijn~

     We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world, void of national bias, race, hate, and religious prejudice. There should be no indulgence in undue eulogy of the Negro. The case of the Negro is well taken care of when it is shown how he has far influenced the development of civilization.

~Carter G. Woodson~

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Not Motivated To Exercise? Your Gut Could Be The Cause... 
BY BETH BRADFORD - HEALTH DIGEST - JAN. 14, 2023 

     If it's pouring outside, skipping a workout could be inviting. How about when it's a perfect day and you don't want to exercise? You know it will make you feel better after a great workout, but you'd rather sit on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Rather than hate yourself for not wanting to exercise, check your gut. According to a 2022 study in Nature, your gut might explain why you don't feel like getting out the door. The study found that certain gut metabolites stimulate dopamine, which is a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain. When you don't have these bacteria in your gut, the reduced dopamine gives you less reward after you exercise, which could diminish your motivation levels the next time.

How to restore exercise motivation, gut-related or not

     Specifically, the researchers gave some mice antibiotics, which killed off their gut bacteria (via WebMD). The mice ran half the distance they had done before taking the antibiotics but regained their running distance when their microbiome was restored. According to a press release about the study, two bacteria, Eubacterium rectale and Coprococcus eutactus reacted with gut receptors, which sent signals to the brain to produce more dopamine.
     Antibiotics can significantly impact your gut microbiome because they destroy some of the diversity and balance of the gut's bacteria, according to News Medical Life Sciences. After taking a course of antibiotics, it could take about a month for the bacterial diversity to be restored.
     You can keep your gut health in check through your diet, according to Healthline. Increasing the diversity of your food sources by eating a variety of foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, can keep your gut microbiome in balance. It also helps to include fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Polyphenols from cocoa, red wine, almonds, and green tea can increase some of the good bacteria in your gut while limiting harmful bacteria.
     If your motivation isn't gut-related, Harvard Business Review has some suggestions. Try setting specific goals broken down into manageable steps so you don't lose motivation halfway before reaching the goal. It also helps to reward yourself for completing some of these mini-steps, but be sure the rewards don't thwart your progress. In other words, you might treat yourself to a tasty treat after a great workout, but don't make that treat a 1,200-calorie dessert. Finally, you can stay motivated to exercise if you connect with a community, so find a running buddy or workout partner who will keep you accountable.

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  

     The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. We are living in a time of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and despair. It is essential that you become aware of the light, power, and strength within each of you, and that you learn to use those inner resources in service of your own and others' growth.

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross~

     Sometimes it seem like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off. When I liberate myself, I liberate others. If you don't speak out ain't nobody going to speak out for you. Nobody's free until everybody's free. We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black people... The question for black people is not, when is the white man going to give us our rights, or when is he going to give us good education for our children, or when is he going to give us jobs-if the white man gives you anything-just remember when he gets ready he will take it right back. We have to take for ourselves.

~Fannie Lou Hamer~

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER

     Dedicated to your memory of Betty Jean Champion (October 24, 1944 – January 25, 2023) AKA Betty Swan. The Louisiana-board Swann first hit America’s attention in 1964, when she landed the minor hit “Don’t Wait Too Long.” But it was three years later that her career went to the next level when she shot to the top of the Soul charts with the Motown-influenced “Make Me Yours.”