To All My Sisters: I Hope You Dance!

What started out as a chapter in A WOMAN OF WORTH: LOVING THE SKIN I'M IN has taken on a life of it's own.  The chapter entitled, How Can I Dance When You Are Standing on My Feet?  It was a call to women to learn to dance in the midst of adversity.  The chapter is now a book, Affirmations for a Woman of Worth: I Hope You Dance!  It is a clarion call to DANCE, my sisters, simply DANCE. 

Through all your pains, hurts and afflictions - you made it and it is time to dance.  I pray this book will bless all the women who have not danced, who forgot to dance, who want to dance, who have danced in the rain and those who have found the strength to dance through the pain.  There is strength is our spiritual legs and that strength gives us the ability to dance while we are in torrential rains and personal tsunamis.  When we are able to dance in the midst of the storm, we will appreciate the dance in the still waters of peace.

No one really understands what it takes to dance your way through pain, sorrow, betrayal, sickness, death and the like.  But one thing is for sure that dancing may be the only thing that saves your life.  It may be the only joy you find in the midst of the hell you face each day.

I found my joy in the dance.  The silly girlish giggles gave my heart a reason to smile even when there was nothing to smile about.  Twirling around the floor to the music in my head gave me a sense of normality in the midst of chaos. 

Recalling the dances from my youth gave me a reason to cut a step or two.  Living in the moment of my awkward "funky four corners" made me laugh so hard I felt tears roll down my face.  The biggest laugh came when I did my prolific version of the "Robot" and Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk."

The greatest revelation came when I realized that I could dance.  There was no one standing on my feet.  I was free of the pains of my present circumstances and I was free to dance.  No chains holding me, no pain stalking me, no heavy feet standing on my "moon walking, soul struttin', funky chicken flappin' feet.  I could dance because there was no one on my feet.

The day my feet were free to dance, that was the day that I walked in the newness of my peace, joy and freedom.  The day you ask the world, "How Can I Dance When You Are Standing on My Feet?"  That will be the day when you get everything and everyone OFF your feet and dance.  That's the day you will find your freedom and simply DANCE!  If you have not danced in a while, sisters, I hope you dance.  I did and I have never been the same.

What Kind of Bird Are You?

There are three (3) kinds of birds:
A BUZZARD: They eat dead things.
A CHICKEN: They peck around for things.
AN EAGLE: They soar in, over and through things.

What kind of bird are you?

ARE YOU A BUZZARD?

• You are a buzzard if you are still eating off the dead relationships of your past? 
• You are a buzzard if you are still eating off the bitterness, hurts, abuses from your past.
• You are a buzzard if you are taking handouts of dead issues from other buzzards.

         ARE YOU A CHICKEN?

• You are a chicken if you are still pecking around after men that disrespected you, cheated on you and in general dogged you out.
• You are a chicken if you allow people to walk over you, never speak up for yourself and peck around like a chicken when they mistreat you.
• You are a chicken if you are pecking around waiting for other people to validate who you are.
• You are a chicken if you are always looking back at your past, calling it “the good ole days” and never making new memories or having new testimonies.
• You are a chicken if this brochure has offended you because you think I shouldn’t have written it.

       ARE YOU AN EAGLE?

• Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can get to the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly with Eagles.
• Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.
• Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not. Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.
• Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.           
(Myles Monroe-7 Principles of an Eagle)