Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     January 26, 2025: Stay the course. Be strong and refuse to deviate from what you know is right and good. The problems that you face will be resolved shortly, but you must be calm and do what you can to stay in order. Put your complete trust in Me to reveal the value of your recent challenges and to unveil our divine purpose, says the Lord. Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

   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 - DIVINE PURPOSE

     To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done. Life never was intended to be easy. Rather, it is a period of proving and growth. It is interwoven with difficulties, challenges, and burdens. We are immersed in a sea of persistent, worldly pressures that could destroy our happiness. Yet these very forces, if squarely faced, provide opportunity for tremendous personal growth and development. The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavors.
     Think of the long view of life, not just what's going to happen today or tomorrow. Don't give up what you most want in life for something you think you want now. Set aside those things that don't really matter and do something with eternal consequences. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.
     Yes, pain, disappointment, frustration, and anguish can be temporary scenes played out on the stage of life. Behind them can be a background of peace and the positive assurance that a loving Father will keep His promises. You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. . . some blessings will be delivered in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. Since the Lord will not force you to learn, you must exercise your agency to authorize the Spirit to teach you.

~Richard G. Scott~

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 - DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY 

     I didn't want to be a comedian. I was just funny. I jumped on stage and found out I was good at it. Some people are looking for the big scene in their movie called life. I'm one of the greatest storytellers ever. I'm a storyteller. My whole family is storytellers. I'm just a product of my environment. I've been on stage since I was six years old... Street dancing, bugaloo, moonwalking. When I was 6, my mother put me on a picnic table in front of the whole family and told me to do my James Brown impression. I realized it was a great way of getting attention. I'd always do bits on street corners like Richard Pryor's Mudbone character. And my friends kept telling me, you could make money doing that.'
     My family is an open book. They don't hide.  Being poor gets you thinking quicker. My mama whupped me away from the penitentiary. I've panhandled before, and I can panhandle again. I remember asking my mom when I was 10 if I was adopted because I didn't look like my brothers and sisters. She said, 'Are you crazy? You think I am gonna go buy another mouth to feed?' So that settled that. Everybody's family is dysfunctional. There are no 'Leave It to Beaver' families. Everybody's families got that one nut that comes to the family reunion and you're like, OK, that guy's here.
     The whole world is one big dysfunctional family. But no matter how dysfunctional we are, we can still have a positive impact on each other's lives. We can still try to get along together. Comedy has a way of dealing with serious issues and finding humor in it. Comedy is a tool to be used so that people can relate to each other. Stand-up is dangerous. That's what I like. You're out there on your own. My thing is to talk about life, about experiences I've had. Getting on stage doing standup anytime is hard. You never know what you're going to say. You live and die on your next word. 
     I take a subject, then I go on stage, and whatever is in there comes out. You can edit as you go and continue to work it out on stage until it's something you like, but I never think about it. I just go up and flow. I am definitely scary to a lot of people. I talk about realities that some folks just don't want to hear. Some might call my style pro-black, but I think of the basis, of all my material, as truth. No matter how dysfunctional we are, we can still have a positive impact on each other's lives. Life is all about cycles. Life is an endless journey through stupidity. We don't live in reverse. We live forward. What am I selling? Joy, happiness, a way to turn the ugliest ills of life on their head so you can laugh at it and not take it too seriously.

~Eddie Griffin~

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

⦁ What's the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire.

⦁ I hate my job—all I do is crush cans all day. It’s soda pressing.

⦁ Where do pirates get their hooks? Second hand stores.

⦁ Of all the inventions of the last 100 years, the dry erase board has to be the most remarkable.

⦁ Did you know your pupils are the last part to stop working when you die? They dilate.

⦁ The difference between a numerator and a denominator is a short line. Only a fraction of people will understand this.

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH  ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
 GWENDOLYN DAVIS WHITE
 & 
VICKY MARSHALL 
RILEY-HOLLIS

     Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound. The sweetest joys of life grow in the very jaws of its perils. Real strength never impairs beauty or harmony, but it often bestows it, and in everything imposingly beautiful, strength has much to do with the magic. To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. The easiest way of life is the best.

~Herman Melville~

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

   January 28, 2025: There are still issues that must be dealt with, and this is the time to bring those nagging issues to a conclusion. Put aside dread and the feeling of incompetence and give it another try. There have been unforeseen circumstances that were beyond your control that you can now resolve. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

    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 - FEELING OF INCOMPETENCE
 

   I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. I wonder why it is that we so often imprison ourselves in the opinions of other people. There can be no punishment worse than conspiring in our own diminishment. Through fear of knowing who we really are we sidestep our own destiny, which leaves us hungry in a famine of our own making...we end up living numb, passionless lives, disconnected from our soul's true purpose. But when you have the courage to shape your life from the essence of who you are, you ignite, becoming truly alive.
     As with any other great force of nature, there is both glory and danger in the stories we tell ourselves. Some are toxic and keep our problems festering. Others are tonic and bring us beyond the limitations of our previous history. To be in a life of our own definition, we must be able to discover which stories we are following and determine which ones help us grow the most interesting possibilities. I don't think anyone 'finds' joy. Rather, we cultivate it by searching for the preciousness of small things, the ordinary miracles, that strengthen our hearts so we can keep them open to what is difficult: delight in taking a shower or a slow walk that has no destination, in touching something soft, in noticing the one small, black bird who sings every morning from the top of the big old pine tree ... I need to give my attention to the simple things that give me pleasure with the same fervor I have been giving it to the complex things with which I drive myself crazy.
     In my better moments, I think of apathy as purpose's sleep. In my worse moments, when I'm trying to fix it or get rid of it, I call it feeling lazy, depressed, or useless. From the time we begin school, if not sooner, we are taught to be blind to our assets and only see our deficits. We are carefully marked on how many we got wrong on a test and, rarely if ever, asked how we know how to spell the ones we got right. By the time we are adults, we are well versed in every one of our limitations, skilled in our incompetence. If we were fish in an aquarium, it would be as if we kept smashing against the glass and forgot the fact that we were perfectly capable of turning ever so slightly and swimming gracefully in the water all around us.

~Dawna Markova~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

"People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges."  --Joseph Fort Newton

In your everyday life, do you build more walls or bridges? If you have never thought in these terms, you might not understand exactly what this mean, so here is an explanation. At times, we build walls that separate us from others. Alternately, we can build bridges to connect with others. So, which of these activities do you perform most?

Although we may look for ways to make more and better connections with people, some of the language we use builds walls. Do you ever talk about “them” or “they” or “those people”? What do those words imply? it suggests that you aren’t part of that group. 

If you stop and reflect for a few minutes, you will realize that we spend a lot of time and energy building walls. We want to separate ourselves from people we perceive to be different and we only want to allow people who look, act and think like we do behind our walls.

Granted, there is danger in building bridges. You may attempt to build bridges with people who want you to keep to the confines of their walled-off area — their way of thinking. They’re not open to understanding or accepting other points of view. 

We all have much more in common than we have differences. But if we only focus on our differences, we become cut off, isolated.

At this time in our lives, it is so important to tear down the walls we have built between our family members, friends and neighbors. Build bridges to them because we all have so much to share with others.

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 - TAKE A DEEP BREATH

     Difficulties come not to obstruct, but to instruct. Within every setback or obstacle lie seeds of an equal or greater benefit or opportunity. In a time of rapid change, standing still is the most dangerous course of action. To be truly happy, you need a clear sense of direction. You need a commitment to something bigger and more important than yourself. You need to feel that your life stands for something, that you are somehow making a valuable contribution to your world. The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life. The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the indispensable prerequisite for success.
     Your life is a reflection of your thoughts. If you change your thinking, you change your life. If rejection destroys your self-esteem, you're letting others hold you as an emotional hostage. You can have more, be more and do more because you can change the person you are. Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true. Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organize your life around it. Control your inner dialogue. Talk to yourself positively all the time. Expect wonderful things to happen to you. Get up each morning and say, 'I believe something wonderful is going to happen to me today.' The greatest joys of life are happy memories. Your job is to create as many of them as possible.
     Everything you have in your life, you have attracted to yourself because of the way you think, because of the person that you are. You can change your life because you can change the way you think. Self-confidence comes naturally when your inner life and your outer life are in harmony. Your beliefs about yourself and your world create your expectations. Your expectations determine your attitude. Your attitude determines your behavior and the way you relate to other people. And the way you behave toward and relate to other people determines how they relate to and behave toward you. Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do. Take a deep breath, relax and imagine yourself exactly as you wish to be. Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it. The success you are enjoying today is the result of the price you have paid in the past.

~Brian Tracy~

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS  WEDNESDAY

If You Eat This Food, You Could 

Reduce Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer by 17 Percent

By Lauren Cahn

https://www.thehealthy.com/

     If you need an excuse to chow down on carbs, you're in luck. A report from global cancer researchers suggests you can lower your risk of colorectal cancer by eating more whole grains. Around 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer every year. Colon and rectal cancers are striking younger adults more often than in the past. For example, millennials born in 1990 have more than twice the risk of developing colorectal cancer than their peers born in 1950. “Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers,” said Edward L. Giovanucci, MD, ScD, in a press release from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

     A 2017 report by the AICR and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) yielded some good news: “There is a lot of people can do to dramatically lower their risk.” The findings are “robust and clear,” Dr. Giovanucci says: “Diet and lifestyle have a major role in colorectal cancer.” Specifically, the report suggests that eating whole grains daily may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by about 17 percent. This adds to previous scientific evidence that fiber-containing foods may decrease the risk of this particular cancer. In the report, scientists conducted a comprehensive analysis of 99 existing scientific studies, including data on about 29 million people. Of those, over a quarter of a million had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

What exactly qualifies as whole grain?

     Whole grains include both the grain’s bran and germ, says colorectal cancer expert Darrell Gray, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was not directly involved in the study. “The bran is the multi-layered outer skin of the edible kernel. It contains important antioxidants, B vitamins, and fiber. The germ is the part of the grain that has the potential to sprout into a new plant. It contains many B vitamins, some protein, minerals, and healthy fats. “The whole grain is a rich source of phytochemicals and antioxidants that have anticancer properties,” Dr. Gray explains. He adds that “whole grains are thought to exert beneficial effects in colorectal cancer prevention by lowering fasting insulin levels.”

How much do you have to eat to see benefits?

     According to the study, three servings of whole grains per day (a total of 90 grams) was associated with the 17 percent decrease in cancer risk. A single serving of whole grains is equal to a 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice, oatmeal, or other whole grain, or a cup of whole-grain cereal. Dr. Gray suggests bran-flake cereal, but there are many other options. For foods that contain not only whole grain but also other ingredients (for example, whole grain crackers, granola bars, bread, and muffins), you’ll have to eat a larger amount to get the optimal dose of whole grain. The report notes that some lifestyle habits are associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer:

⦁ Eating lots of red meat such as beef or pork (more than 500 grams, or a little over 1 pound, cooked, per week)

⦁ Eating hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats on a regular basis

⦁ Being overweight or obese

⦁ Consuming two or more daily alcoholic drinks (30 grams of alcohol) daily, such as wine or beer

⦁ Smoking

Other ways to lower your risk of colorectal cancer

     In addition, the report states that people who are more physically active (at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day) have a lower risk of colon (but not rectal) cancer compared to those who do very little physical activity. It also found limited evidence that eating fish and foods containing vitamin C (such as oranges, strawberries, and spinach) is associated with lower the risk of colorectal cancer.

     “All of this points to the power of a plant-based diet,” says Alice Bender, RDN, director of Nutrition Programs at AICR.”Replacing some of your refined grains with whole grains and eating mostly plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and beans, will give you a diet packed with cancer-protective compounds and help you manage your weight, which is so important to lowering risk.” “When it comes to cancer there are no guarantees,” she adds, “but it’s clear now that there are choices you can make and steps you can take to lower your risk of colorectal and other cancers.”

     This is for informational 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 - LIFT UP YOUR HEAD 

     We hurt people that love us, love people that hurt us. I don't talk about these things if I haven't lived them, and I've hurt people in my life. It's something I still have to think about when I sleep at night. We're all human at the end of the day, making mistakes. But learn from them is the key. We all get distracted, the question is, would you bounce back or bounce backwards? You can't have people listen to you unless you come to their world and then bring them to yours. I think my worst problem is actually living in the moment and understanding everything that's going on. I feel like I'm in my own bubble. I can be calm and reflective from time to time and other times I can have a burst of energy, that's just me. Whatever pressure I feel all comes from me, from within. I always was that person who was hard on myself and challenged myself no matter what I was doing, whether it was passing third grade or playing basketball.
     Consequences from evil will make your past haunt you. We all seem to stumble, planning our own demise, Getting the big picture, and making it wallet sized. I'm a person of my own opinions, that's how I was raised. I speak what I feel... A lot of people feel the same way, but they're scared to talk. They're really scared of the truth - they only want half of the truth. I've been living like that - forever in fear - but I know what to say and how to say it now. I ain't scared of myself. Y'all may be scared; I'm not scared. Once I looked in the mirror and decided this is who I am, and I'm not scared of who I am, and I'm not scared that I can't be like you, and I'm good with just doing me, that's when I found myself, as a man. Look inside my soul and you can find gold and maybe get rich. Look inside of your soul and you can find out it never exists.
     Don't you know your imperfections is a wonderful blessing, from heaven is where you got it from. The more I started going through my own things in life, my faith got put to the test, and I had to believe that God is real in my heart, my lord and savior Jesus Christ, and I can't run from that. I'll always put that in my music, or it just wouldn't be right. People can take it or leave it, I really don't care, because it's for me to put it on records. And I will continue to put more of a spiritual nature in my music. The message I'm sending to myself - I can't change the world until I change myself first. I knew I was blessed with a gift of having both parents.  I always thought money was something just to make me happy. But I’ve learned that I feel better being able to help my folks, cause we never had nothing. So just to see them excited about my career is more of a blessing than me actually having it for myself. I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing. Everybody looking at you crazy, what you gon' do? Lift up your head and keep moving, Or let the paranoia haunt you? So next time you feel like your world is about to end, I hope you studied because He's testing your faith again. I was a black sheep, but now I'm just a goat. Believe in God, it's only one God. Believe in one God and do right. Try your best to do right, we ain't perfect. Just do that and everything will be straight. What is love? Love to me is God. I'd rather not live like there isn't a God, Then die and find out there really is, Think about it.

    
~Kendrick Lamar~

Kenneth Davis

 TIME FOR ANOTHER 
THROWBACK
 THURSDAY

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 - SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT

    While men compete in war, there will be warriors. While there are warriors, there will be princes among warriors. Among the princes will be kings, and among the kings an emperor.  Do not speak badly of yourself, for the warrior that is inside you hears your words and is lessened by them. A warrior feeds his body well; he trains it; works on it. Where he lacks knowledge, he studies. But above all he must believe. He must believe in his strength of will, of purpose, of heart and soul. Warriors fear surrender. They are proud and defiant. They will fight to the death for what they believe in. They will struggle to conquer. Love is not about conquest. The truth is a man can only find true love when he surrenders to it. When he opens his heart to the partner of his soul and says: 'here it is! the very essence of me! It is yours to nurture or destroy. May all your dreams but one come true, for what is life without a dream?
     We make choices every day, some of them good, some of them bad. And - if we are strong enough - we live with the consequences. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fails at something. Some people have a gift for stupidity, an almost mystic ability to withstand any form of logic. I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honor and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished, for without them we are no more than beasts roaming the land. Love is a mystery. We embrace it where we can. Mostly we do not choose whom we love. It just happens. A voice speaks to us, in ways the ears cannot hear. We recognize a beauty the eye does not see. We experience a change in our hearts that no voice can describe. A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity. Nothing in life is sure, except the promise of death.  Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial. Life is not so simple. There are many futures. The life of a single person is like a great tree: every branch, every twig, every leaf is a possible future. Our souls are but leaves in a storm, and only the gods know where we will come to rest.
     Trust your instincts and make judgements on what your heart tells you. The heart will not betray you. I don't know yet whether I fully believe in fate, but certain things do happen in a man's life that he cannot explain. It is hard to be angry when one has seen the sun rise,' she said. It seems to be true,' he admitted. 'I wonder why.' Because it makes one feel so small and insignificant. It has been rising forever and will rise forever no matter what we do or do not do. All our problems are as nothing to the sun. You may think life is sweet now, but when death is a heartbeat away, then life becomes unbearably desirable. And when you survive, everything you do will be enhanced and filled with greater joy: the sunlight, the breeze, a good wine, a woman's lips, a child's laughter. To be truthful I am not entirely sure what people mean when they talk of happiness. There are moments of joy and laughter, the comfort of friendship, but enduring happiness, if it exists, I have not found it.

~David Gemmell~

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ

Slide Art Print by Daryl Price

     I think everybody has to kind of decide what the word 'jazz' means to them, and that's fine. Just figure out what you think jazz is, and then if it fits into that category, it's jazz, and if it doesn't, it isn't. It's no big deal. The whole rise of new adult contemporary music and smooth jazz was a nice surprise. 
~Kenny G~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

12 Things to Remember

The value of time

The success of perseverance

The pleasure of working

The dignity of simplicity

The worth of character

The power of kindness

The influence of example

The obligation of duty

The wisdom of economy

The virtue of patience

The improvement of talent

The joy of originating

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 - RISE A LITTLE HIGHER

     Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others. You can be smart and happy or stupid and miserable. . . it's your choice. In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured. In my ninety-plus years, I have learned a secret. I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly, things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances may look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.
     Don’t be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. ‘Accentuate the positive.’ Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life. In all this world there is no substitute for personal integrity. It includes honor. It includes performance. It includes keeping one's word. It includes doing what is right regardless of the circumstances. There is a sad tendency in our world today for persons to cut one another down. Did you ever realize that it does not take very much in the way of brainpower to make remarks that may wound another? Try the opposite of that. Try handing out compliments.
     Those who move forward "with a" happy spirit will find that things always work out. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine. Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better. Make the extra effort. You will be happier. If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel. All of us have problems. We face them every day. How grateful I am that we have difficult things to wrestle with. They keep us young; they keep us alive; they keep us going, they keep us humble. Be grateful for your problems and know that somehow there will come a solution. Just do the best you can but be sure it is the very best.

~Gordon B. Hinckley~

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     February 2, 2025: Settle yourself and refuse to get overwhelmed with responsibilities. You do not have to panic. Just remember who you are in Me and come into the peace that passes understanding. I have not abandoned you, says the Lord. I am with you to bring you through every challenge. Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

   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 - BRING YOU THROUGH 

     If you feel stuck, bring your whole self to Christ, not just the problem, but you. Ask God to change your heart. Commit yourself to pray to that end. It's God's heart to give good gifts to His children. When our dreams seem to go sour or remain unfulfilled, hopelessness can dominate our lives-or we can hold on with open hands, knowing that we have hope because God is faithful. If guilt tells us that we've done something wrong, then shame tells us that we are something wrong. So many people feel isolated, not good enough, defined by the labels they wear rather than the identity they have in Christ. The love of Christ tells us that we're accepted; that we belong. When we don't deal honestly with our lives and the losses we face, when we try to anesthetize the pain and move on, then the suppressed anger or fear or guilt will deal with us until we are ready to deal with those issues.
     God talks to His people-to each one of us-through His Word, through the counsel of godly friends, and through the Holy Spirit. If we mistake God's silence for indifference, we are the most miserable of people. If we give up when we no longer understand, we reject His caring, steadfast love and cut ourselves off from our only real hope. It takes deliberate and continuous effort to carve out time in our overfull schedules to listen to the voice of God. When depression or suicidal thoughts weigh heavily, the hardest thing to do is to fight. My battle weapons are the Word of God, meditation, confession, community, and worship. But each evening I take my medication with a prayer of thanksgiving that God has provided this kind of help for those of us who need it.
     God has promised that whatever you face, you are not alone. He knows your pain. He loves you. And He will bring you through the fire. In these uncertain times, I know 100 percent that I can stake my life on the unshakeable, unchanging promises of God! My times of silence before God are very important to me now. I put everything else down, every word away, and I am with the Lord. When I'm quiet, life falls into perspective for me. I have a very active mind and I'm a worrier, but in those moments when I choose to put that away, I rest beside the Shepherd in still places. Why don't you give yourself a gift today? Turn off the television or the car stereo, put down the newspaper or the business plan, and in the quietness, rest for a while beside the Shepherd of your soul.

~Sheila Walsh~

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

 TO 

WILLIE TAYLOR

     The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy. Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch Life from the side lines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day's work an achievement for eternity. People who refuse to rest honorably on their laurels when they reach retirement age seem very admirable to me. Age is not important unless you're a cheese. 
~Helen Hayes~

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

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 - UNWARRANTED CRITICISM

        I'm a parent, and I try to take care of my health and keep my life in order. In the last few years, I've really had to decide what's important to me, and it seems to me that my family and my health are top on the list. And those have nothing to do with show business. I have three girls, and I say the same thing to them. I'm not involved in their careers because I've learned that it's important for them to stand on their own two feet. They'll feel better and prouder of themselves if they do.
     Discipline is a necessary tool to help you get what you want in life. It forces you to stay on center and to move away from the things that are not necessary. Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then. My father worked hard, but we were still very poor; and I didn't want anybody arguing about money, so I became the entertainer - the one who wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want there to be any problems.
     You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself I keep a great organizer; I try to keep my priorities in the right place.  If I have someone who believes in me, I can move mountains. You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just need to believe in yourself. It takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it. I just appreciate still having the longevity that I've had in my career.    
     Nothing really upsets me. So, I'm not worried about the emotions I carry with me, because I'm happy that I have them; I think it's good for the work I do. The emotions that are not healthy are the ones you hold inside, like anger. People don't know about the human part of me that really cares about the world. For instance, I don't know what I feel about wearing my furs anymore. I worked so hard to have a fur coat, and I don't want to wear it anymore because I'm so wrapped up in the animals. I have real deep thoughts about it because I care about the world and nature.
     I think a responsibility comes with notoriety, but I never think of it as power. It's more like something you hold, like grains of sand. If you keep your hand closed, you can have it and possess it, but if you open your fingers in any way, you can lose it just as quickly. Criticism, even when you try to ignore it, can hurt. I have cried over many articles written about me, but I move on, and I don't hold on to that. Icon. What is an icon? When someone is iconic it means they have established a certain kind of legacy possibly, and I think it does come with time. It's something in the arts, I feel. Maybe not, maybe it doesn't have to be in the arts exactly. I'm not really sure. But I don't think you are born an icon. My life has often been described as 'from rags to riches,' but in fact, the Rosses were never raggedy. I don't think getting in and out of a limousine has anything to do with being an icon. I'm a dreamer.

    
~Diana Ross~

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Wicked Jokes

⦁ Why did the zombies get divorced? Their marriage was dead.

⦁ What do you call headphones that walk out on their children? Deadbeats.

⦁ I can't believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.

⦁ When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dark. Now that I'm grown up, the electricity bill made me afraid of the light.

⦁ Welcome to Plastic Surgery Anonymous. Nice to meet so many new faces.

⦁ My therapist said time heals all wounds, so I stabbed her.

⦁ If you think I would joke about Alzheimer's, forget it.

⦁ I tried to warn my son about playing Russian roulette. It went in one ear and out the other.

Kenneth Davis

Reunion info:
Meet and Greet: Afro American Police Asso.
1391 Ferguson
Time: 5pm

Banquet Venu: The Harriet Performing Arts Center 
2788 Lamar Ave, Memphis, TN 38114-5024
Menu will be catered.
Please inform a committee member if you have a food allergy or complete the website survey.

Joycelyn Lacy (Sommerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

   February 4, 2025: You are still recovering from events that you had no control over. But, this day is a new day with renewed possibilities. Take the next step in moving forward, and leave the past behind. What was done is done. You cannot change the past, but there is a lot you can do today, tomorrow, and following. Begin again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

   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 - BEGIN AGAIN

    The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention. Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter. We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but by why and how we do it. We spend our lives searching for something we think we don't have, something that will make us happy. But the key to our deepest happiness lies in changing our vision of where to seek it. Whatever life presents us, our response can be an expression of our compassion. We need the courage to learn from our past and not live in it.
     Often we can achieve an even better result when we stumble yet are willing to start over, when we don't give up after a mistake, when something doesn't come easily but we throw ourselves into trying, when we're not afraid to appear less than perfectly polished. Meditation has made me happy, loving, and peaceful-but not every single moment of the day. I still have good times and bad, joy and sorrow. Now I can accept setbacks more easily, with less sense of disappointment and personal failure, because meditation has taught me how to cope with the profound truth that everything changes all the time. Restore your attention or bring it to a new level by dramatically slowing down whatever you're doing. Meditation isn’t about what’s happening; it’s about how you relate to what’s happening.
     We can't control what thoughts and emotions arise within us, nor can we control the universal truth that everything changes. But we can learn to step back and rest in the awareness of what's happening. That awareness can be our refuge. Meditation is not a matter of trying to stop thinking or make your mind go blank but rather to realize when your attention is wandering and to simply let go of the thoughts and begin again. It is a way of changing our relationship to our thoughts, so we're not so consumed by them, with no sense of space. Having a newly spacious relationship to our thoughts brings both peace and freedom. The critical element in meditation practice is beginning again. Everyone loses focus at times, everyone loses interest at times, and everyone gets distracted over and over again. What is essential, and also incredibly transforming, is realizing that we have the ability to begin again, without blaming or judging ourselves, without thinking we have failed, without losing heart, we can, and need to, constantly be beginning again. Each of us has a genuine capacity for love, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion. Meditation awakens these qualities so that we can discover for ourselves the unique happiness that is our birthright.

~Sharon Salzberg~