Yatta's Back In School...Again

Well, once again, I'm going back to school.  Can a sista finish this time?  Love can be so overrated, especially when you put your dreams on hold in the name of love.  Do I sound jaded?  Maybe so.  I mean, I'm not hatin' on love or anything.  I guess it's my fault for choosing to love the wrong people.

But this is totally NOT where I intended to go with this post. This post is about how I am back in college, tomorrow, bright and early.  Woo hoo!  This is one of those blessings that came out of my husband jumping ship. I had to put my thinking cap on and figure out how to survive!

I am a Desert Storm veteran with service connected disabilities.  This qualifies me for the vocational rehab program for veterans.  We have up until 12 years after an honorable discharge from active duty or the diagnosis of a disability to use this benefit.

At first I was going to go to school for nails, but then I did some research and found out that it is not a very lucrative career in my community.  So then I decided I would go for medical transcribing because it looks to be a stable career and you can make decent money with it.

I went to orientation for the vocational rehab program and started pondering if I should tell my counselor that I already own a business.  However, I was scared they wouldn't want to help me if I had my own business, even though it's still up and coming.  But God kept whispering in my ear that I should just tell my counselor about my business and see what happened.

Thanks God!  She was so excited to know that I was a female veteran with my own business, and went on to explain all of the ways the vocational rehab program could grow and support my business. Yes!  I'm glad I was obedient to the Lord.  It pays my friends. :)

So we came up with a plan for me to go back to school and get my degree in business management. I mean duh, that's a no brainer right?  And it went from there.  I had to jump through a few hoops to get some past stuff straightened out.  I had to drop classes when I was activated for Desert Storm and they were trying to penalize a sista for the drop.  But a few military documents cleared that up quick.

When I came back from the war I enrolled in school again, but I really wasn't ready and I dropped again.  So I had to explain about all of that, but it's all good now.  This past Friday my counselor met me at Best Buy and she purchased and iPad, lap top, touch screen, wireless, printer, paper, ink, iPad smart cover, lap top bag, you name it, all for me. :)

My tuition, books, and supplies are all paid for through this program. I will also receive a financial stipend for each month that I am in school.  Ain't God good friends?  All the time!

Yatta
(Yah-tah)

My How Things Have Changed...

I know, I know I haven't posted in forever.  But ya'll wouldn't believe what a sista has been through over the coarse of the last five months.  Saying it has been serious is a serious understatement.  Where do I begin?  I will start with the death of my aunt in June.




Aunt Jenny, the last living sibling on my maternal grandmother's side.  Aunt Jenny had breast cancer and didn't tell anyone until it was way too late.  Well, she discovered a lump and never said a word until it began to eat through her skin and, she couldn't hide it anymore.

Why aunt Jenny did this, we will never know.  We can only speculate that she was lonely and ready to go home, be with my grandmother (her sister and best friend), their parents, her husband, the rest of her siblings, and most important of all, Jesus.

August...one of my family members is on the verge of dialysis, another ones cancer returns, AND to add insult to injury, my cousin Kiki, Aunt Jenny's granddaughter, who is only in her late thirties, is dying from breast cancer.  Kiki was misdiagnosed.  She DID go to the doctor about the lump she discovered and was told it was a cyst and didn't need to worry.  Three years later, the cancer was eating away at the entire inside of her body.

August...my husband abandons our family.  He quits his job and seizes an opportunity to move across the country in pursuit of "happiness." KMA=Kiss My Ass.  Just keepin' it real.  He abandoned our family on the last weekend before our youngest son started Kindergarten.  Can you say cruel?

September...R.I.P. Kiki.  She fought the good fight.  She was a trooper and then some.  I was blessed to spend some time with her in her final hours.  We buried her in September.  As if that wasn't enough, the inevitable happened.  My children and I were evicted out of our home due to my husband's disappearing act. The one questions that plagues me is...who leaves their own flesh and blood to be put out on the street?  Answer...MY husband!


In the midst of all of this, I'm operating on a torn meniscus that can only be repaired by surgery.  I'm on a constant dose of almost eight milligrams of codeine. So, I'm having to drive four kids back and forth to three different schools every day and function on narcotics.  The pain is so bad, it's draining me of all of my energy and the narcotics make me even more tired.  Falling asleep at a stop light has become a common thing.

STILL I RISE! By the grace of God, I'm happy, I'm sane and His love abounds in my life!  God has rained down miracles in the midst of chaos!  I have been blessed beyond measure and my God, the God of Abraham has poured his favor over my children and I. 

My upcoming blog posts will be testaments of God's greatness during this journey.  They will be an account of God's word never returning void, his love for his children, his love for me.  Oh how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.  Stay tuned my friends because, it only gets better from here.

Yatta
(Yah-ta)

Does Change Mean Radical?

I didn't think I was making a radical statement when, I decided to stop relaxing/perming my hair and go all natural.  You can read about my first post on this subject here.  I was just tired of relaxing my very short hair cut.  So, I shaved the sides and the back down to the natural, and did twist outs in the top while the relaxer continued to grow out.

Yesterday I grew mad tired of the twist outs in the top.  Today I cut the rest of the relaxer out of the top and, now my entire crown of glory is AU-NATURAL.  I love it ya'll!!!!!!!  I feel so free.  It has really been a bit of a spiritual experience.  Stay with me and as my pastor always says, we'll unpack that last statement. ;)

Remember this statement from my first post about transitioning my hair? "I posted this on my facebook page and the general consensus was to go for it. But I had one black, male friend who adamantly suggested I, "don't do it!"  He also said..."Yatta you know that mess aint cute!" 

Now here is where the subject can get controversial.  You know like how the black race has been conditioned to believe what is beautiful, how our perception of beauty stems from slavery and all of that. 

But I'm not going there today.  That's a later post. :)"

Well this is THAT post.  After I cut my hair today, I realized that, I AM making a radical statement.  I love who I am!  Black women have, for a long time, been brainwashed into believing what is "beautiful."  It started back in slavery when the master divided the light skinned slaves from the dark skinned slaves, and pit them against one another.  And we are still suffering from that systematic separation.


I can remember being in kindergarten, wishing I had long blond hair and blue eyes like my class mates.  I can also remember as I got older, wishing I was light skinned with "good" hair.  After all, "those" black people were treated better and the light skinned gals got all of the attention.

Now don't get me wrong I don't say any of this with bitterness, although there was a time when I was bitter.  However, it's just how it was and I'm not mad or bitter any more.  With that said, basically you had to be white, or look white to be considered attractive.  And I know black men have been through the same.  But the chocolate brothas are in now.  Dark sistas still can't get no love.

My husband is Latino.  He comes from a race whose women have long, gorgeous, flowing hair.  I was worried about what he would think of this hair cut.  But you know what?  My Latino husband married a BLACK woman!  You get what you married.  And besides my hair was short when I met him, AND he loves this new style I'm rockin'. Hee hee. 

Anywho, I am now free of ALL of that with this "radical" hair cut of mine. :)  It was like a 50lb weight was lifted off of my shoulders.  My head is big ya'll, but it does not way 50lbs! :)  The reason I said it was spiritual is because, it was like FINALLY I am happy with how God created me!  I have embraced my negro friends!

I am no lounger bound to relaxer and the pursuit of long, straight hair.  My God-given natural curls are beautiful and I AM ROCKING THEM! Okay?!  My chocolate skin is beautiful and God did not make any mistakes with my hair texture, eye color, height, or anything else when he formed me in my mother's womb.

Can I get an Amen?  Amen!

Now this is my experience and my truth.  I'm not knocking sistas who are still relaxing their hair.  I am 40 years old and JUST discovered who I am.  I don't know if I might even go back to a relaxer one day.  Right now I'm pretty sure I won't.  But who knows what I'll do when I turn 80. ;)

Yatta
(Yah-ta)

The natural me:

When A Man Leaves A Woman

I know, it's a far cry from the song, When a Man Loves a Woman.  But as the saying goes, it's a thin line between love and hate.  My first marriage ended in divorce and at the time, it was the hardest thing in the world for me to go through.

     

God sent older, Christian women into my life, who mentored me during this time.  We are still good friends to this day.  One thing they always told me was that, one day I would be able to reach back and help a woman that was going through the same thing I went through.

Those prophetic words have manifested in my life in the last month.  I've been talking with and supporting a younger friend who is, going through a separation from her husband that is not by her choice.  I already know that there are no words that can erase the pain she is feeling.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus Christ.  So my prayer for all women who are facing losing your husbands, is that God would give you his peace that surpasses all understanding.  I pray that in the midst of what you are enduring, you will draw close to the Son.  And for those of you who don't know Jesus, I pray that he sends a Christian woman into your life to, help you in these difficult times.

It does get better.  Just remember, gold is not refined until it goes through the fire.


Your friend,
Yatta
(Yah-ta)

Setting Goals

I have never really been one to set goals. I know what I want and I take the necessary, and some not-so-necessary steps to get it. But can I tell you a little secret? We're friends so, it's cool right? Well here it is, with my no-goal-setting self, I NEVER SEEM TO FINISH ANYTHING!

There it is. I put myself on blast. How 'bout that? I've been to 5, count em, 5, four year colleges and still don't have a degree! Now how on earth do you attend more colleges than it takes in years to finish college,and not have a degree?

Now I'm not going to bag on myself too hard here. Within those years, I joined the military, went to war, married twice and had four kids. Plus my kids ARE pretty AWESOME! But this is not a mom blog, so I'm not going there...not today anyway.

Anywho, at 40, I'm thinking about a lot! Maybe I should actually start writing down some goals. You know make them tangible. Might this possibly help me stay on track? Anything is possible with God. I sure need to remember that my friends.

Recently my girl Ren, over at it's a new day, who also attends my very cool church Lifegate, posted a great article on five reasons, you should commit to writing down your goals.The article is written by Michael Hyatt of Intentional Leadership.  Random...wonder if owns the hotel chain?

Okay, back to the subject at hand.  Here are the five reasons you should commit to writing down your goals:

1.  Because it will force you to clarify what you want.
2.  Because it will motivate you to take action.
3.  Because it will provide a filter for other opportunities.
4.  Because it will help you overcome resistance.
5.  Because it will enable you to see—and celebrate—your progress.

Aren't those reasons awesome?   If you would like to read the article in detail click on Michael's name up there and it will take you directly to the article.  So I was sitting around today looking at my house and all that I need to get done.  My first thought was to try and tackle it all today.  But after reading this article, I thought, why not relax today, I mean it IS Sunday and write down some cleaning goals for tomorrow? 

So my goal for tonight is to actually write down my goals for tomorrow!

Yatta
(Yah-ta)

Random Acts Of Kindness

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.  THE WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.  THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS ON PAYING IT FORWARD!


Have you ever done anything for a stranger without expecting anything in return?  A couple of times I have paid for the car behind me when I've gone to McDonalds.  That simple act of giving, gives me such joy. 

I was recently contacted by Pampers and asked to participate in their launch of Miracles Missions, in celebration of its 50th birthday.  A pay-it-forward program was designed to deliver acts of kindness to little miracles and their families while challenging the public - like you - to support others within your very own communities.

I was sent a $50 American Express gift card from Pampers, with the challenge of performing a random act of kindness and paying the gift card forward to a family in need.

I was super excited to come up with a way to pay my gift card forward.  However, the best thing about participating is that Pampers has also given me a $50 American Express gift card to giveaway to one of you, with the challenge of paying it forward as well.

What random act of kindness did I perform?  I contacted the Life Care department at my church Lifegate, and requested that the card be given to a family in our church that was, in need and had small children.  Pretty cool hugh?

With that said, my question to you my friends is, how would you pay your gift card forward?  I will send the card to whoever comes up with the most creative idea.  Have fun!


WIN IT!
1) Tell me the most creative way you would pay your card forward
2) Follow me here on Blogger or by Email - winner will be verified

Contest Ends June 8, 2011

Good Luck!

Buena Suerte!

Yatta

(Yah-ta)

From Pampers:

Little Miracle Mission

Let’s make a dad's first Father’s Day one he’ll never forget. The mission is to help give dads the time he and his baby deserve to bond. 

As it's so critical to his baby's development. Just by running some of his errands, covering his late meeting at work or helping him out with some chores at home can make room for some precious quality time with his little miracle. Pick one or one of your own and tell us how it goes.

For committing to help, you can enter The Little Miracles sweepstakes for a chance to win free diapers and wipes for a year.

Pampers' Pledge

If we get 4,000 commitments to complete the mission, Pampers will throw special Father’s Day cook-outs for dads and babies across the country designed to give dads and their babies valuable bonding time. It'll be a day to remember.

Facebook.com/Pampers

 

Transitioning

 

So I have decided to embark on a little adventure.  I am about to be "happy to be nappy!"  I think.  I have done many things to my hair over the years, relaxers, curls, back to relaxer, flat iron, kinky twists, you name it.  But one thing I have NEVER done with my hair is to wear it natural.

Now this can be quite a controversial subject in the black community.  However, this is NOT my intention with this post.  But if you want to read an interesting article on the subject, Hello Negro is a great place to start.

Moving On.  So anywho, after being accustomed to wearing my hair in different bob cuts, last year, I took the plunge and cut my hair very short.

Now while I absolutely love this hair cut, my hair grows extremely fast.  My natural hair curls so the back of my hair and the sides end up being curly and the top of it is straight because it's relaxed.  And quite frankly, I just DO NOT want to keep up with it!

So, I'm not trying to make a radical statement here.  I'm just trying to achieve the two C's...convenience and cute! Ya feel me?  And how cool will it be, to be able to go back and forth between curly and straight?  I'm guessing I will mainly wear the curls.

I posted this on my facebook page and the general consensus was to go for it. But I had one black, male friend who adamantly suggested I, "don't do it!"  He also said..."Yatta you know that mess aint cute!"

Now here is where the subject can get controversial.  You know like how the black race has been conditioned to believe what is beautiful, how our perception of beauty stems from slavery and all of that.

But I'm not going there today.  That's a later post. :)

Yatta

(Yah-ta)

How Far Are You Willing to Stretch?

When I think of stretching, I picture something similar to the young man in the picture.  Yes we can stretch our muscles but, that is not what I am talking about today.  So stay with me, I have an interesting story for ya.

Yesterday I tried out for worship team at my church .  My worship leaders were very impressed with my vocals but I lacked in stage presence.  My voice was worshiping but my body was not.  I'm not surprised because physical worship has always been an area where I struggle.

I was in my mid thirties before I could even get up the nerve to raise my hands during worship.  Sounds pretty stupid hugh?  Yeah I know but God has really been talking to me over this weekend and revealing what inhibits my ability to just let go and worship Him.

Okay, are you ready for this?  We're friends so, this is going to get a little personal.  Much of it boils down to weight! Of which, mine has gone UP since having kids ya'll.  Can you believe that?  Not that I gained weight having children but it's my weight that keeps me from worshiping!

I feel that if I draw attention to myself people will see all of my physical flaws and pay more attention to how fat I am than anything else.  I don't know about you, but in talking with some of my girlfriends who have picked up some weight over the years, when you don't like your weight and you walk into a room, you feel like everyone is judging you because of how you look.

Now I know that might sound as crazy as a blind mind driving but unfortunately, it is what it is.  Now when I'm in choir, I can raise my hands, smile, cry, pray, worship...no problem.  It's a group setting and we're all up there doing it.  But to stand out front in worship team, where I am on that big screen and peeps are looking at me?  Helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp!!!!!!!

So what does this have to do with stretching you might ask?  Well if my vocals happen to be good enough to out weigh the lack of stage presence and I actually make the worship team, I am really going to have to allow God to stretch my worship abilities as well as my mind set.  For me, that will be like turning a person with rheumatoid arthritis into a contortionist!

Then WHY did you even try out for worship team?  Uh huh, I know that's what you're thinking! :)  Well I tried out because I am willing and desire to be stretched in this area.  I NEED to be stretched in this area.  Lord turn me into a worshiping contortionist!  Do it Lord!

Now, I'm not saying it won't take some patience on my worship leaders parts and some serious faith on my part but, when you are willing to let God stretch you, he takes your mind and body further than you could ever imagine.

So I ask you my friends, how far are YOU willing to stretch in areas that you struggle with?

Yatta
(Yah-ta)

Over a Mocha

 

If we were going to meet up and get to know one another, I would suggest that we do it over a Cafe Mocha at my favorite coffee house, Scooters.  There we would get to know one another in an ambient setting, sipping on drinks of comfort.

You Would learn that I am married with four children and a dog.  I would tell you with great pride how much I love Jesus and how much I love my church, Lifegate.


I would listen as you tell me all that you wish to divulge and I know we would laugh and have a good time. Laughing is good for the soul!

And if you didn't remember anything else, I would want you to remember that my friends call me Yatta.  So, the next time we meet, whether it be over a mocha or you reading this blog, call me Yatta, because you ARE my friend. :)

(Yah-ta)