Thursday, January 30, 2025
Monday, January 27, 2025
The Benefits of Daily Gratitude
From Guidepost -
How to Be More Grateful: 5 Simple Ways
Check out these proven ways to invite more gratitude into your heart, health, life, and spirit.
By Valerie Reiss
“Count your blessings.” You’ve heard it so many times it may not even register anymore. But when you actually take a moment to think about what you’re glad for in your life, it feels good, right? That’s sometimes easier said than done. With so many tasks, chores, and responsibilities, it can be hard to focus on the things in your life you feel gratitude for. Luckily, there are tips about how to be more grateful so you can remember and feel more optimistic in your daily life. Start the positive habit of feeling more grateful today!
Benefits of Being More Grateful
Turns out it’s not just a fleeting feeling; studies show that regularly naming the things you’re grateful for has huge benefits to your life and health. Among other positive effects, having more gratitude may:
- Help boost your mood
- Enhance your immune system
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve sleep
In addition, having more gratitude in our lives can make us feel more positive and hopeful about the world. What could you accomplish with a positive attitude today? How would you interact with your loved ones if it always came from a place of gratitude?
5 Simple Ways to Be More Grateful
But how do you do this, exactly? By using proven ways to invite more gratitude into your heart, health, life, and spirit. Here are 5 ways to be more grateful in your daily life.
1. Keep a Daily Gratitude Journal
Like anything else worthwhile, gratitude takes practice. And most experts recommend practicing by writing it down. A daily gratitude journal list in which you jot down five things each morning can be a great help. Start by opening up to a blank page and thinking about all the reasons to give thanks in your life. Or you can find a gratitude buddy you email or text every day. Some people keep a gratitude jar. If you’re a devout non-writer-downer, try numerating your gratefulness each night before dinner, or counting blessings instead of sheep at night, naming the best stuff as you drift off.
2. Train Your Brain to Seek Good
Gratitude studies have revealed that details make it stronger. Instead of listing “my health” and “my wonderful family,” try something like: “being able to hike on Saturday without getting out of breath” and “eating my sister-in-law’s delicious veggie lasagna.” This will help train your brain to seek good—a helpful, neurology-altering talent, especially if you’re prone to seeing what needs fixing. Consider also paying attention to the characteristics of grateful people in your life. What do they focus on? How do they view the world around them?
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Monday, January 20, 2025
HBCU Named Best Nursing School
From Blavity -
This HBCU Has Been Voted The Best Nursing School In The Country
Blavity-U Culture
by Danteé Ramos
For the first time in its nearly four-decade history, the Southern University School of Nursing was voted the best nursing school in the nation.
Earlier this year, Nurse.org, a website for nursing professionals and students, hosted its annual Best of Nursing Awards, with SUSON taking the top spot.
Dr. Sandra Brown, the dean of nursing and allied health, stressed the importance of this award with WAFB.
 | |
| Photo by Naville J. Oubre III/Southern University and A&M College via Getty Images |
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEk80qLR4Cz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://blavity.com/southern-university-hbcu-best-nursing-school
“Who's going to be there?”
An excerpt from Salon -
On Michelle Obama's inauguration absence: No need to be phony or fake, there's real work to do
At times, pretending is necessary, but at some point, we must stop
By D. Watkins, Editor at Large
 |
| Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) |
Michelle Obama is not going to the Trump inauguration because she is not a phony — great for her. I hope we take this as a lesson on the proper way to resist.
“Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies,” the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama said in a recent statement. “Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration.”
I can't lie, I have never been more joyous after reading a statement from an elected official, because why go to that?
The trend of being a once-elected president and skipping the inauguration began with former President Donald and First Lady Melania Trump back when Biden beat them in 2020. As spectators and people who love this country, we called Trump out for his childish actions, using language like trader and sore loser; however, I guarantee we will not be doing that to Mrs. Obama because: “Who's going to be there?”
“Who's going to be there?” Is a simple but extremely valuable lesson I learned from my late grandmother Thelma back in the ’80s. She had just got back in the house from a long day of fishing. Scrawny me, about nine years old, was charged with the task of grabbing the bucket of catfish she snatched up out of the car and bringing it into the kitchen where they would be scaled, gutted and eventually eaten. My grandma’s great friend, Miss Betty, walked in as I completed my task.
“Glad I caught you, we taken some crabs over sister Paula house,” Mrs. Betty said, “You should come by around six or seven.”
“Who's going to be there?” My grandma replied.
And I don't remember Miss Betty’s answer, or even if my grandma gave a follow-up to that answer — I actually don't even remember if my grandma traveled to Paula’s house or not — but what I do remember is the look on grandma's face when she uttered those 5 words, "Who's going to be there?" The two women shared a laugh and even though I didn't fully get it, I kind of got it. As I grew older “Who's going to be there?” had officially become a part of my language, especially after I surpassed the teenage and young adult need to be phony. I imagine former First Lady Michelle Obama has fully ended her phony stage after the first Trump inauguration, which she attended.
~~~~~~~~~~
The phoniness that Michelle Obama had to subscribe to obviously isn't connected to a need for success in any way. Next to Oprah and Beyoncé, she's probably the most famous Black woman on the globe. The phoniness displayed by Mrs. Obama is directly attached to her husband being the first Black president, the coolest president, the most likable president — perhaps the only Black person in American history who was savvy enough to get white racists to vote for him. I’m sure Mrs. Obama — a woman who took her love for this country very seriously — knew that the 2016 presidential inauguration was the beginning of a four-year disgusting joke made up of inexperience, racism and goofy theatrics. She was too good to attend that inauguration, but she is also a great woman who decided to stand with her husband. Thankfully Mrs. Obama has evolved past that and I believe we should take this as a lesson.
Nothing is Sacred
An excerpt from AtlantBlackStar -
‘I Knew That Sounded Familiar’: White Preacher Caught In Viral Video Delivering Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Sermon ‘Word for Word’ Fires Back Amid Criticism
By Nicole Duncan-Smith
Many would agree that Bishop T.D. Jakes’ most inspirational sermons came from his “Woman, Thou Art Loosed (WTAL)” conferences, held from 1996 to 2022.
The weekend-long church convention, which inspires women to break free from “strongholds” like addiction, domestic abuse, and low self-esteem, was also turned into a movie starring actors Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine and Clifton Powell
 |
| A white female preacher is speaking out after a viral video of her using excerpts from a sermon that Bishop T.D. Jakes preached 25 years ago at the 2000 “Woman Thou Art Loose” Conference. (Photos by @kk.trinaa/Instagram; Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) |
That same sermon sparked headlines in 2025 after a young white female preacher was caught plagiarizing Jakes’ portion of the sermon word for word.
The electrifying sermon where both bishops had the crowd of women in a frenzy, claiming their deliverance, was posted in Mar. 2024 on Church Classics’ IG page, possibly where the woman saw this vintage offering.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDnnJbQuRLw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Please check out the original article at the link below to see the first video (I was not able to post it here) and to read some of the comments that are spot on. -Faye
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
She Went From Homeless To Building $21 Million Dollar Neighborhood
Article from Shine My Crown -
Terrica Lynn Smith: Formerly Homeless Woman Builds $21 Million Neighborhood And Names Streets After Her Children
by Gee NY
Monday, January 13, 2025
Asking This Question Will Likely Land You the Job
An excerpt from UNILAD -
Woman shares question she asks in every job interview that's led to an offer every time
Might be worth asking this next time you go for an interview
By Gerrard Kaonga
Job interviews can be a minefield, but one woman has said she has a strategy, and it hasn’t failed her yet.
When it comes to nailing a job interview, you would be a liar if you said you have never checked online for some tips and tricks.
Of course, it also makes sense to have done your homework, know the role well, and the company.
Buuut all the same, it would help to leave the room knowing you smashed it out the park because of a great interaction you had with the interviewer.
Catherine Lockhart from Texas shared one question on Instagram which she claims has never failed her when it comes to interviews.
It might be worth adding it to your list of questions to ask, if her confidence in it is anything to go by.
~~~~~
The question that Catherine says has never failed her aims to give her some further insight into what exactly an employer is looking for.
So, what is the question?
Well, drumroll please: it's 'what does excellence look like in this role'?
https://www.unilad.com/news/job-interview-questions-to-ask-256292-20241119
Why Is Quincy Jones Missing in the Classrooms?
An excerpt from The Conversation -
Why Quincy Jones should be prominently featured in US music education − his absence reflects how racial segregation still shapes American classrooms
By Philip Ewell, Professor of Music Theory, Hunter College
 | |
| The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Jones an honorary award in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2024, days after his death. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images |
Quincy Jones, who died on Nov. 3, 2024, at the age of 91, was one of the most influential musicians in U.S. history.
You might think such a notable figure would factor prominently in American music classrooms. Yet my research shows that Jones, who was Black, is rarely mentioned in mainstream U.S. music curricula.
As a Black music professor, I believe his absence reflects the fact that music education in the U.S. is still segregated along racial lines, just like the country was for much of its history.
In 2020, music theorist Megan Lyons and I analyzed the seven most common undergraduate music theory textbooks used in the U.S. We found that only 49 of the nearly 3,000 musical examples they cited were written by composers who were not white.
~~~~~
Early on, he performed with legends such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, and he produced and arranged music for vocal titans such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Diana Ross. His pivot to pop music in the late 1970s helped usher in a revolution of funk, disco and early hip-hop.
I see Jones as an essential piece in the history of American music. Yet he’s absent from the music classroom, as are so many Black artists throughout history.
This absence is leading more music educators to recognize what my research also finds: American music education remains deeply rooted in an ideology that has dominated U.S. history – white supremacy.
Faye - This article is excellent and well worth your time. Cherry picking it doesn't do it, or Mr. Jones justice.
Bertha & Tina Rock!
An excerpt from People -
Model, 28, with Limb Difference Carries Her Prosthetic Legs in Public After Years Feeling 'Ashamed' (Exclusive)
Lyric Mariah was born with amniotic band syndrome
By Jordan Greene
 |
Lyric Mariah has two prosthetic legs — one named Bertha, for sneakers, and the other, Tina, for high heels — and they’re taking the Internet by storm.
Now a model in London, Mariah has amassed more than 330,000 followers on TikTok and 575,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares videos of herself swapping out her prosthetic legs in public — from the train to the café and beyond. The first video of the leg switch, which she posted in 2023, quickly went viral.
"It was set to a Barbie sound, and it was only seven seconds long," she tells PEOPLE. "My friends and I were shooting content that day, and I was just adjusting and fixing Tina. My friend happened to capture that moment."
"It was totally organic," she adds. "My friend was like, 'Oh, that looks so cute! You should post it.' " So she did. Instantly, people loved it, and Mariah says that’s when everything clicked.
@phenixsoul On my way to deck the halls @asos #ad #fyp #confidence #limbdifference #inclusion #fitcheck #bratz #bratzdoll #christmastime #itstime ♬ original sound - Lyric Mariah Heard
https://www.tiktok.com/@phenixsoul/video/7447945293204557086
In-N-Out Fries Hack
An excerpt from The DailyDot -
‘You need to ask for them cooked…’: Woman reveals you’ve been ordering In-N-Our fries wrong. It’s not about the secret menu
‘YES a lot of people don’t know.’
By Melody Heald
 |
| @alittlebitlovey/TikTok (Licensed) |
In-N-Out fries are pretty divisive. Some In-N-Out fans absolutely despise the fries, especially when compared to some of the chain’s other menu offerings. Just look to Reddit to get a sense of the strong opinions surrounding the fries.
You’ll see posts simply asking questions like, “Why do In N Out fries suck?” and “Why doesn’t in n out improve their fries?” Or, you’ll see posts with straightforward statements like, “In-N-Out Fries are Garbage.”
How are In-N-Out fries made? And why don’t some people like them?
In-N-Out does laud on its site that its fries are made from fresh potatoes.
~~~~~
OK, so what’s the hack?
“If you don’t like In-N-Out fries, I think it’s because you’re ordering them wrong,” she says. “You need to ask for them to be cooked ‘light-well.’”
Come Home to Ghana
An excerpt from The Grio -
‘Come home,’ Ghana told the African diaspora. Now some Black Americans take its citizenship
Americans face few obstacles to living in Ghana, with most people paying an annual residency fee.
By The Associated Press
 |
| Keachia Bowers, second from right, her husband Damon Smith, right, and their children play cards in the living room of their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Their family relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) |
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Flipping through a family album, Keachia Bowers paused on a photo of her as a baby on her father’s lap as he held the 1978 album “Africa Stand Alone” by the Jamaican reggae band Culture.
“When I was 10 years old, I was supposed to come to Ghana with him,” she said. A day earlier, she had marked 10 years since her father’s death. Though he was a Pan-Africanist who dreamed of visiting Ghana, he never made it here.
Bowers and her husband, Damon Smith, however, are among the 524 diaspora members, mostly Black Americans, who were granted Ghanaian citizenship in a ceremony in November.
Bowers and Smith moved to Ghana from Florida in 2023 after visiting the region several times between them since the ’90s. They now run a tour business that caters to Black people who want to visit Ghana or elsewhere in West Africa, or like them have come to consider a permanent move.
The November group was the largest one granted citizenship since Ghana launched the “Year of the Return” program, aimed at attracting the Black diaspora, in 2019. It marked 400 years since the first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619.
Ghana’s Tourism Authority and the Office of Diaspora Affairs have extended the program into “Beyond the Return,” which fosters the relationship with diasporans. Hundreds have been granted citizenship, including people from Canada, the U.K. and Jamaica.
Family Praising God Among the Ashes of Their Home
From People -
Bette Midler Shares Video of Family Singing After Their Home of 37 Years is Destroyed in L.A. Fire: 'So Glad We Can Offer Some Small Comfort’
The actress posted the heartwarming clip on Instagram on Friday, Jan. 10
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEp6W0ZyNQG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEp6W0ZyNQG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Comforting a Mourner With Thoughtful Questions
An excerpt from FORWARD: JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. -
What’s the best thing to say to a mourner? A rabbi responds
At a house of shiva, listening and being present can be more important than talking
By Rabbi Daniel
What’s the best thing to say to someone when visiting them during shiva, the week of Jewish mourning following a death in the family?
It may sound odd, but the answer to this question was revealed to me in the middle of the night while holding my two-week-old granddaughter.
As my daughter and son-in-law convalesced in our home, my wife and I volunteered to have the baby sleep in our room to give our daughter some rest while she recuperated from the birth. I was exhausted in the early morning hours and my wife said to me, “Do not think about how tired you are right now. Think about what the baby needs.” Those words shifted my perspective from being self-centered to other-centered. At that moment, my granddaughter needed my full attention.
The perspective on being fully present for another and being mindful of their needs is the secret to a meaningful shiva visit and in enriching all of our relationships. All too often, when we enter a house of mourning, the discomfort of not knowing what to say leads to an environment of levity and distraction from the purpose of the visit.
Having gone to hundreds of shiva homes and spoken with countless mourners, the most comforting visits may be in just listening to the mourner speak about their loved one. Ask a few questions to evoke their relationship with the person for whom they are mourning.
Here are some ideas for questions:
- What are some positive memories with your father or mother that you will never forget?
- Can you share some of your parents’ values? What was important to them?
- Did your loved one visit Israel and on what occasion?
- What were some of the most meaningful conversations with your loved one?
Be fully engaged when they speak, knowing that your empathy will provide comfort to them. When we provide the mourner with the opportunity to share stories, the memory of their relative becomes alive and truly felt. The mourners sense their loved one is being honored and remembered when we put away our phones and listen fully. This sentiment can be the most comforting of all.
https://forward.com/culture/686161/shiva-jewish-mourner-what-to-say/
Grandma's Flu Bomb
@lo.reyez recipe in the caption below👇 Abuela’s flu BOMB: - 2 tbs ginger - 1 tbs tumeric - 1 tsp minced garlic - 1 pinch of black pepper (this activates the tumeric) - 1 pinch cayenne pepper - cinnamon (to taste) - cover in honey take 1 tbs and mix it with WARM water and drink or take it straight 😉 #naturalremedy #fluseason #holistichealth #healthtok #creatorsearchinsights ♬ Sabor a Mi - El Trío Los Panchos
From Lo.Reyez - Abuela’s flu BOMB: - 2 tbs ginger - 1 tbs tumeric - 1 tsp minced garlic - 1 pinch of black pepper (this activates the tumeric) - 1 pinch cayenne pepper - cinnamon (to taste) - cover in honey take 1 tbs and mix it with WARM water and drink or take it straight 😉 #naturalremedy #fluseason #holistichealth #healthtok #creatorsearchinsights
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Stealing Bases & Hearts
An excerpt from The Shadow League -
‘Everybody Wanted To Play Like Man of Steal’: With Rickey Henderson Gone, Black Baseball Loses Another Legend Of Its Soul Patrol
by J.R. Gamble
The greatest leadoff hitter in MLB history passed away on Friday at the age of 65. Rickey Henderson was the total package of speed, power and swag, influencing the styles of thousands of baseball players of future generations.
While baseball’s all-time stolen base leader’s death came as a shock, a dagger even, to the baseball community, it’s also a reminder of how fragile life is and, as far as its impact on Black baseball, Henderson’s passing is a reminder of the African-American pioneers and titans of the game that have left this earth since Frank Robinson’s passing at the age of 83 in 2019.
Not only the sport of baseball, but the culture, history and lineage of Black excellence in baseball, dating back to the Negro leagues, is lost with each passing of these game-changers.
 |
| With the recent passing of MLB legend Rickey Henderson, six of the most influential figures in the history of Black Baseball have passed away in the last five years (Photo: Getty Images) |
Robinson was a vocal critic of baseball for not hiring more black managers. He was considered “controversial”
for bringing light to baseball’s racial disparity in leadership positions. Robinson retired fourth on baseball’s all-time
home run list and he earned every one of his 586 career bombs.
In 1968, Gibson posted a minuscule 1.12 ERA and then MLB lowered the mound because of his sheer dominance
to return an advantage to the batters. Gibson is tied with CC Sabathia for the most wins (251) by a Black Ace
and his blazing heater and head-hunter attitude became a standard for intimidating hurlers. There are only
15 Black pitchers or “Black Aces” in the history of MLB. Gibson might be the best of them all.
In his 1976 memoir “Lou Brock: Stealing is My Game,” he explained his success. Take a “modest lead”
and “stand perfectly still.” The pitcher was obligated to move, if only “to deliver the pitch.
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