Kenneth Davis

 TIME FOR ANOTHER 

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  
TODAY'S WORD - ENCOURAGEMENT

     Life is a conversation. Make it a good one. Pain is mandatory for all of us. It's what teaches us. Suffering is what's optional. That's what happens when we try to skip over the pain. You can be shattered, and then you can put yourself back together piece by piece. But what can happen over time is this: You wake up one day and realize that you have put yourself back together completely differently. That you are whole, finally, and strong - but you are now a different shape, a different size.
     We all have this misunderstanding about heartbreak, which is we think we should avoid it. But what I think is that heartache is a clue toward the work we're supposed to be doing in the world. What breaks each person's heart is different - be it racial injustice, war, or animals. And when you figure out what it is that breaks yours, go toward it. Compassion does not just happen. Pity does, but compassion is not pity. It's not a feeling. Compassion is a viewpoint, a way of life, a perspective, a habit that becomes a discipline - and more than anything else, compassion is a choice we make that love is more important than comfort or convenience.
     The amazing thing about love and attention and encouragement and grace and success and joy is that these things are infinite. We get a new supply every single morning, and so we can give it away all day. We never, ever have to monitor the supply of others or grab or hoard. When people express opinions that differ from yours, take it as a chance to grow. Seek to understand over being understood. Be curious, not defensive. The only way to disarm another human being is by listening. Often, we need to ignore the words people say and attend to their underlying, urgent, life or death questions: Am I valuable? Am I loved? The great thing is that the answer is easy: Yes! The answer is always yes. We don't have to think too hard.

Glennon Doyle Melton

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

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   
TODAY'S WORDS - HAVE COMPASSION 

     Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference. Be careful what you ask for because when you pray for rain, you have to deal with the mud as well. A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not? At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It about what you've given back". The greatest lesson I've learned in life is "Who knows what's good or bad?" Things come along that you really want, and they turn out to be the worst thing in the world. And some of the worst tragedies that you can conceive turn out to be the best things, the exact medicine you need in that moment. Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.
     I read the Bible every day. What it taught me was forgiveness. It taught me that when people present themselves in a certain way, there's probably some back story or issue or reason for the way that they are. It's not you. It's them. And a lot of times, it's about something that's completely out of their control. The Bible says "faith without works is nothing" so destiny is great, fate is great, faith is great - but you still have to work at it. I don't just sit at home and wait for it all to unfold. Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart. I always think it's not what we know that's terrifying; it's what we don't know. That's sort of pervasive with everything in life.
     Hate, hatred for yourself, for other people, will confine you, but love can set you free. If you don't love your fellow man, women, person, then you don't have anything. If you don't treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated that to me is the fundamental message. You never know how you're going to affect people. The strongest, toughest men all have compassion. They're not heartless and cold. You have to be man enough to have compassion - to care about people and about your children". So, you never know who you touch. You never know how or when you'll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else".

Denzel Washington

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

    SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     October 13, 2024: Stir yourself up and renew your faith. Yes, there have been disappointments and setbacks, but those things can serve to strengthen your spiritual resolve. It depends on whether you choose to be a victim or to rise up to be an overcomer. You can allow your past difficulties to anchor you where you are. Or you can allow them to fuel the next phase of your destiny, says the Lord. Psalm 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - YOUR DESTINY 

     What you hold in your heart, you will see in your world. What you do today can improve all your tomorrows. When the path becomes difficult, that's no reason to give up. In fact, it means you're making real progress. There is no limit to what you can imagine. Life does not owe you anything, because life has already given you everything. And with commitment, with effort, what you can imagine you can become. Put your mind to work for you. Believe that you can do it. The world will tell you that you can't. Yet, in your belief you'll find the strength, you'll find the ability, to do it anyway. Be someone who listens, and you will be heard. Be someone who cares, and you will be loved. Be someone who gives, and you will be blessed. Be someone who comforts, and you will know peace. 
     Just because the road ahead is long, is no reason to slow down. Just because there is much work to be done, is no reason to get discouraged. It is a reason to get started, to grow, to find new ways, to reach within yourself and discover strength, commitment, and determination. The road ahead is long and difficult, but it’s filled with opportunity. Start what needs starting. Finish what needs finishing. Get on the road. Stay on the road. Don’t give up. If something goes wrong, don’t whine about it. Have a spine about it. Adjust, adapt, and move forward. Begin each day with the expectation that it will bring something new, something to which you can say yes.
     Today is an opportunity to do something positive. Today is your chance to add new value to your life and to your world. Make the commitment to fill this day with meaningful richness and purposeful effort. This is your day to live, so do so with vigor and enthusiasm. Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something. Remember why you started, remember where you're headed, think of how great it will be to get there, and keep going. Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings.

Ralph Marston

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
TODAY'S WORDS - JUST A CHALLENGE 

     Kids have awkward moments. There's a lot of pressure on kids, period, just to be successful in life. I used to go trick-or-treating all the time. When I was young, we had the plastic mask with the rubber band that would cut your face, and you couldn't breathe, and it was really sweaty! I had the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man. I used to love the Incredible Hulk, and then one year I had the great idea to be Mr. T, and that was an awesome costume too. I started working right away as a kid, so I didn't have a chance to go to improv school or anything like that; I was already a working actor. I owe a lot to Nickelodeon. Leaving Nickelodeon was definitely an adjustment. Because then, it was back to the real world of, 'Now I'm an adult looking for a job,' as opposed to a kid that's getting introduced to all these people like, 'Look how cute this little kid is. Don't you want to put him on your show?' I guess I was just a young, fun-loving kid! Me and my older brother was always quoting 'Coming to America,' 'Spies Like Us,' '48 Hours,' and all those movies, just having fun amongst ourselves.
     I've always just tried to continue to be a working actor and let the work speak for itself as opposed to promoting myself as someone who needs to be in everybody's living room. When I started acting, doing theater stuff at a young age, I was always the comic relief-type roles, so I knew I had a funny bone and could make groups of people laugh, but I didn't really take it seriously until I started getting paid on a weekly basis; then I was like, 'Oh, well, this could be a lifestyle.'
     It's just a challenge doing live television every week; you know, it's a challenge to come up with new material every week and stuff like that and try to keep it current, you know what I mean? Like, it's just, you know, it's a kind of a stressful environment. Comedy is here to bring joy to the world, whether you want to hear the curse words or not. 'SNL' has kind of been like my school. I'm very happy here at 'SNL.' I've never been in a hurry to leave because it's such a special place. It's never the same when you leave and come back. I don't know if people really know, when you shoot a TV show like you're really family and it really works, it's because it seems real to everybody, even to us. We were all so very close. As far as my sketches, I've always loved 'What's Up With That.' It's just a whole lot of fun, and I love 'Black Jeopardy,' too. Any kind of host capacity, I'm usually pretty good at. I don't necessarily have a traditional stand-up set. I just try to deliver the laughs every time I get the opportunity. Never thought I'd be a bobble-head, but little did I know.

Kenan Thompson

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH   ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
DELORES BOOTH

ARMSTRONG

     Let us choose life and love, and happily use our selves up in loving service to one another. We have a duty to look after each other. Be fully who you are, letting the world get used to you - it will! Find a loving community of friends who support your ever-flowering growth, which is a lifetime proposition.

~Doris "Granny D" Haddock~

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     October 15, 2023: Take a deep breath. You have been here before and have gained the victory. This is no different. Set yourself to stay calm and do not doubt the breakthrough that is coming. Exercise quiet reserve and patience. Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than a proud in spirit.

    T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - GAINED THE VICTORY

     Life is an egg; you have to be patient and careful with it or it will break. When a man starts out to build a world, He starts first with himself.  I'm so tired of waiting, aren't you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind? When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul. When you turn the corner and you run into yourself, then you know that you have turned all the corners that are left. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves. Americans of good-will, the nice decent church people, the well-meaning liberals, the good-hearted souls who themselves wouldn't lynch anyone, must begin to realize that they have to be more than passively good-hearted, more than church goingly Christian, and much more than word-of-mouth in the liberalism.
     Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Do you know that there are libraries in our country that will not stock a book by a Negro writer, not even as a gift? There are towns where Negro newspapers and magazines cannot be sold except surreptitiously. There are American magazines that have never published anything by Negroes. There are film studios that have never hired a Negro writer. Censorship for us begins at the color line. I tire so of hearing people say, let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.
     The past has been a mint of blood and sorrow. That must not be true of tomorrow. These feet have walked ten thousand miles working for white folks and another ten thousand keeping up with colored. Peace... we passed their graves: the dead men there, winners or losers, did not care. In the dark they could not see who had gained the victory. Keep your hand on the plow. Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold on. Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. Teach us all to do right, Lord, please, and to get along together with that atom bomb on this earth because I do not want it to fall on me-nor, thee-nor anybody living. Amen!

Langston Hughes

Kenneth Davis

     Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.

~Pope Paul VI~

Kenneth Davis

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   
TODAY'S WORDS - BE THE BEST VERSION

     Life is full of all sorts of people. You just need to know which hands to shake, which hands to hold and which hands to let go. One of the greatest things you can do to help others is not just to share and give what you have, but to help them discover what they have within themselves to help themselves. Once in a while, you do encounter bad acquaintance, mean people, toxic aura. Don't let them rent space in your heart and mind. Don't let anyone make you so upset that you become someone you don't even recognize. How they treat you defines them. How you treat others defines you. There will always be real friends and fake friends. It is difficult to distinguish the two because both will appear the same in the beginning but so different at the end. I feel that we should always be a real friend, always, even to those who chose to be fake. Not because they are nice but because you are. When you do things for others; don't expect your good deeds to be returned. Do it because you enjoy making someone's day.

     When you are not sure on what to do, choose a life that is most meaningful to you and make it a habit. Success is not an accident. It is sheer hard work. There are no short-cuts. You have to take the stairs, and you have to start from the bottom. You have to first believe in what you are, in what you can do, in what you say before you can make anybody believe in you. 
Don't ever let anyone turn your sky into a ceiling. When you face challenges, ask yourself what is the lesson here? Focus on the lesson and don't complain about the test. Everything happens for a reason. Every person you meet, may teach you something - good or bad. Never take anyone for granted. Never take anyone's kindness for their weakness. What's once yours could easily turn into a memory. When people are mean to you, win them over with kindness. If it doesn't work, you still win. Don't be afraid to show your feelings. Wear your heart on your sleeves. The right one will see. Follow your passion. Help people along the way. Work very very hard and always come prepared.

     A lot of things depend on your attitude. If it is good that you seek, it is good that you will find. Be nice until it becomes a habit. Give thanks like it is second nature. You may not plan for some things in life but your destiny will take you there. You can never be perfect. But you can always do a million good things, for yourself and for others. Start and end your day with good things and whatever challenges you face in between only make you stronger. If you don't get the ending you desire.... have faith in the magic of new beginnings. A good nail does not fear being hammered. A beautiful person is a person who is capable of being the best version of himself/herself, inside and out as often as possible. If you have any of these qualities... love, kindness, compassion, sincerity and truth in your heart.... you will always find your way home.

Rita Zahara

Kenneth Davis

5 Mini Heart Attack Symptoms Expert Doctors Say Are Commonly Missed
By Dr. Patricia Varacallo, DO
Updated on Aug. 17, 2024
https://www.thehealthy.com/

     When many of us think of a heart attack, we might envision the dramatic, chest-clenching pain that makes it clear something is wrong. It’s important to note that the American Heart Association reports around 805,000 Americans suffer from heart attacks each year, with about 170,000 cases—greater than 20%—occurring as “mini heart attacks,” or “silent” heart attacks.  Mini heart attack symptoms may be far subtler than the red-flag heart attacks that create awareness attention is needed immediately.
     Medically, mini heart attacks are referred to as silent myocardial infarction or silent ischemia. Laxmi Mehta, MD, FACC, FAHA, a cardiologist and director of Preventive Cardiology and Women’s Cardiovascular Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Go Red for Women volunteer, says, “A mini or silent heart attack may present with minimal, unrecognized, or no symptoms at all.” Despite their less noticeable nature, these silent episodes are no less severe than their more symptomatic counterparts. When they do appear, symptoms can range widely and even include more traditional signs of heart distress, like chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness, and jaw pain.
     Recognizing even the most subtle signs of a mini heart attack is essential, as early detection and treatment are key to mitigating the severe health implications that can follow a heart attack. Keep reading to learn about the symptoms of a mini heart attack you might miss, as shared by heart doctors.
Mini heart attack symptoms
1. Indigestion
     Dr. Mehta suggests experiencing what seems like a routine bout of indigestion can be misleading and is often brushed off. Mike Sevilla, MD, a family physician from Salem, OH, and member of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, says his clinical encounters echo this caution and notes that his patients have sought over-the-counter remedies like Tums, expecting relief. Yet, when these familiar solutions fail to alleviate the discomfort, it’s a sign that the problem might not lie within the stomach but could indeed be a matter of the heart.
2. Feeling like you strained a muscle
     Pain in your neck, chest, or upper back might feel like you’ve “pulled” a muscle, making it easy to misinterpret as something minor. However, Dr. Mehta and Dr. Sevilla warn against quickly dismissing such discomfort. These symptoms can be hints of a mini heart attack rather than mere signs of overexertion.
3. Prolonged, excessive fatigue
     Feeling overwhelmingly tired for an extended period of time can be more than just a sign of a busy week or a poor night’s sleep. Dr. Mehta points out that this profound, unrelenting fatigue is a symptom many might not immediately connect with heart health. Yet, this type of weariness warrants attention beyond the usual remedies of rest or caffeine. When exhaustion seems disproportionate to your daily activities, it could be a subtle hint from your body that something more serious, like a mini heart attack, may be at play.
4. Difficulty breathing may be a mini heart attack symptom
     It’s common to experience shortness of breath after physical exertion or during moments of stress. However, Dr. Sevilla offers an essential piece of advice: If this difficulty in breathing doesn’t improve with a moment of rest, it shouldn’t be overlooked. Persistent breathlessness, especially when you’ve had a chance to relax, could be a warning sign of a mini heart attack.
5. Flu-like symptoms
     During this time of the year, it’s almost expected to experience the all-too-familiar signs of the flu, including cough, congestion, and fatigue. Dr. Sevilla cautions against taking these symptoms at face value, especially for individuals identified as having a higher risk for heart issues. He advises that when these flu-like symptoms show no signs of improvement, it’s important to consider the possibility that they could be pointing to something beyond a seasonal virus.
Here’s what you can do about mini heart attack symptoms:
     If you’re concerned that you might have experienced a mini heart attack, Dr. Mehta stresses the importance of medical intervention: “Silent heart attacks [or mini heart attacks] may increase your risk of heart failure and stroke, so it’s important to seek medical care if you believe you may have had a silent heart attack.” She also advises not to overlook any symptoms—even the more subtle signs.
     To get to the heart of the matter, your healthcare provider will order a series of tests, including blood work, an electrocardiogram (EKG), or advanced imaging like an echocardiogram or cardiac MRI, to determine if a heart attack has indeed taken place. The key takeaway here, shared by Dr. Sevilla, is the importance of a collaborative approach in preventing not only mini heart attacks but all heart-related incidents. This involves being proactive about your heart’s health by regularly attending check-ups with your doctor and understanding and managing risk factors such as:
High blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Diabetes
Being overweight
A sedentary lifestyle
Smoking
Additionally, it’s important to recognize that some risk factors, such as age and family history of heart disease, are beyond your control but should inform your preventive measures.

     This is for information purposes only, and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

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   

TODAY'S WORDS - DON'T BECOME WEARY OF DOING GOOD

     Life often feels like a great pile of obligations, frustrations, and disappointments. But the Lord is there, always the same, His arms still outstretched. When we feel overwhelmed, we have to remember the peace He has spoken to us on previous occasions. His peace brings comfort and strength; the world cannot give that to us. Many of us will not survive our tests in mortality without help from others. And just as true: in helping others we keep our own spirits alive.
     Don't become weary in doing good. If we are patient, we can experience the change of heart we seek. For most of us this will require only a slight change of course, sending us toward the time north. The adjustments we must make are those 'small things', but that does not mean they are easy. Too many forces are confusing our compass. But the pull to the polar star is one we recognize. It is the direction toward home.
     God knows the needs of his children, and he often works through us, prompting us to help one another. When we act on such promptings, we tread on holy ground, for we are allowed the opportunity to serve as an agent of God in answering a prayer.

Kathleen H. Hughes

Kenneth Davis

TIME FOR ANOTHER 

Kenneth Davis

     Greetings Warriors !! Final arrangements have been completed for Bernice Moss Rhodes. Burial services will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2024, at The West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. The address is 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125. It's requested for those attending, to please arrive at 1:50 PM, due to the ceremony beginning at 2:00 PM as well as time restrictions.

     Following the ceremony, a repast will be held at the Pound 4 Pound MC. The location is 2050 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN. Cards of condolence and sympathy should be mailed to her daughter, Dr. Danielle Rhodes Thomas. She resides at 1766 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112. Please continue to keep the family of Bernice Moss Rhodes, uplifted in prayer. 

Curtis Farmer

Love the hat. Keep on keeping on. 

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

On this Throw Back Thursday, I recalled sitting in the Ellis Auditorium waiting for Bobby Womack to perform. He finally hit the stage and sang a few notes and left. Reports were that he was too stoned to perform. We could not get a refund because he appeared on stage and sang.

The Ellis Auditorium

This post is in memory of that fatal night.

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  
TODAY'S WORD - PROCRASTINATION

     Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen. A perfect method of adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large. Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage.

Alyce Cornyn-Selby

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

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   
TODAY'S WORDS - QUIET CONTEMPLATION

     Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right. Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded. If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live. Live each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. So climb slowly, enjoying each passing moment; and then the view from the summit will serve a more rewarding climax for your journey.
     Freedom does not mean that right to do whatever we please, but rather to do as we ought. The right to do whatever we please reduces freedom to a physical power and forgets that freedom is a moral power. Nothing is more destined to create deep-seated anxieties in people than the false assumption that life should be free from anxieties. Help someone in distress and you lighten your own burden; the very joy of alleviating the sorrow of another is the lessening of one's own. You must remember to love people and use things, rather than to love things and use people. Believe the incredible and you can do the impossible. It is easy to find truth, though it is hard to face it, and harder still to follow it.
     Our happiest times are those in which we forget ourselves, usually in being kind to someone else. That tiny moment of self-abdication is an act of true humility: the man who loses himself finds himself and finds his happiness. Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing" it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way. Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness. It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.

Fulton J. Sheen

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     October 20, 2024: Before the new season begins in earnest, it would be good for you to evaluate and make necessary changes to that which is not working effectively. The corrections will tend to be small adjustments rather than large, sweeping revisions. Be sensitive to the leading of My Spirit to show you exactly what requires your attention at this time, says the Lord. Proverbs 10:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAYS WORDS - BE SENSITIVE 

     The story of the African American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience. Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, were just as splendid and glorious as any on the face of the earth? In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it.
     I think that the roots of racism have always been economic, and I think people are desperate and scared. And when you're desperate and scared you scapegoat people. It exacerbates latent tendencies toward - well, toward racism or homophobia or anti-Semitism. People are afraid, and when people are afraid, when their pie is shrinking, they look for somebody to hate. They look for somebody to blame. And a real leader speaks to anxiety and to fear and allays those fears, assuages anxiety. First, we have to recognize that the cause of poverty is both structural and behavioral. And the first thing about the behavior part is that we need a moral revolution within the African American community. Look - no white racist makes you get pregnant when you are a black teenager.
     In the old days, you lived in one neighborhood, you knew all your neighbors and your daughter married the guy next door. That was social and economic progress. That model is gone now. We also had a world order that was fraught but fairly stable. Mama and I would go to a funeral, and she'd stand up to read the dead person's eulogy. She made the ignorant and ugly sound like scholars and movie stars, turned the mean and evil into saints and angels. She knew what people had meant to be in their hearts, not what the world had forced them to become. She knew the ways in which working too hard for paltry wages could turn you mean and cold, could kill the thing that made you laugh. But you see, our society is still trapped in this binary, black/white logic and that has had some very positive implications for our generation. It's had some very negative ones as well and one of the negative ones is that it creates enormous identity problems for people who have one black ancestor and all white ancestors for example.
     If you don't tell your stories, other people will tell their story about you. It's important that we nurture and protect these memories. Things change. Existence means change. The more you learn about yourself and your family tree, your self-esteem goes up. They will learn archival skills, historical analysis and science skills. You learn all this in the most seductive way, and that is through learning about yourself. Who doesn't like talking about themselves? It doesn't seem like science or history, it's just fun. I try to be sensitive, but the atmosphere I create is very supportive. One overriding premise of the series is that guilt is not heritable. It's good to know about them, but you are not responsible for them. You don't have to apologize for them. It's a process of knowing, and the more you know, the richer the sense of yourself. The firmer your foundation as a human being is. There's a boom in genealogy now. With ancestry.com and other sites digitizing so many of the records, you can now find things in a few minutes that used to take months.

Henry Louis Gates