Thanksgiving weekend

So, I spent Thanksgiving Day with my family; the Clark family, who are my maternal relatives. We got together at my Aunt Sheila's home, and got "fat" together on a feast that included holiday staples like Turkey, dressing, macaroni & cheese, rolls, greens & cabbage, and an assortment of pies and cakes.
What was so cool about this particular Thanksgiving is that it reminded me of when we used to have family get-togethers when I was young. As a child, we all got together just about every holiday to eat, laugh, and enjoy each other. We were oh-so close then.
But then, families started expanding, and my aunts and uncles wanted to stay home for the holidays more. Me and my cousins got older. Some cousins (and my brothers) got locked up. My mother, father, and grandmother passed away. There were some petty arguments/disagreements over the years. Over the past decade, the holidays really haven't been the same.
But, this past Thursday was like a throwback for me. We ate ourselves to sleep, we laughed with and at each other, and there was NO drama! I truly enjoyed the company of my family, despite those who weren't there. I sure do hope that this Thanksgiving celebration is a sign of a return to the closeness and love that we once had....

Stressin'

It's kinda one of those days where I wish I could just crawl under my covers and pass out until the stresses go away. Or one of those days where I wish I had a plane ticket away from here. But alas, I'm still here.

I hate stress. I hate having situations where I have to lean on other people. I wish God would just give me what I need to handle all my business.
I'm having one of those moments where I feel like I'm getting nothing done. I wish I were a quitter, so that I could just be done with it all. But, God didn't give me a quitting spirit. So, I'll just ride out the stresses. I'll have to endure the adrenaline spikes, the feelings, the temptations, and ride on out to my ending.
And, I have to know that he's heard my prayers. The prayers of the righteous availeth much, according to Scripture. So, I need to really just chill out and continue to live my life, instead of hiding out in my bedroom with the lights off and my phone off.

I'm gonna pray.

Me and my Momma

So... I'm gonna try my hand at blogging again. I kept a blog going on my MySpace page for a while, but I don't log into there too much anymore. So, I'm gonna try this out. I don't know what I'm gonna be writing about on here, but if I had to guess, it'll probably be about God (gotta love Him), and the crazy things that I read and here from time to time. I suppose we'll see.

Right now, I wanna talk about the picture with my mother that I posted as my photo for the blog. Oh - there it is to the right (so cool). This was taken at my college graduation in December 2001. This picture holds a great deal of meaning to me for several reasons. I was ecstatic that I was done with Miami U. I was ecstatic that I had my closest family and my best friends with me on that day (me and one of my bestest friends actually graduated together - yay)!!!

But, this was also the last picture that my mother and I would take together. About five months after this photo, on May 22, 2002, Momma passed away from a stroke caused by a brain aneurysm.

It doesn't really hurt anymore, but I was obviously devastated at the time. It took me a good year to stop wishing that I was with her, and to really let God heal my heart. I doubt that I'll ever stop missing her, though. Momma and I were close, and I was so lost for a long time without her. But, I thank God for his healing power, and that I am progressing and abounding in life now.

Gee - is this first blog kinda heavy? Actually, I was looking for a picture to post on this blog, and that picture of me and Momma just popped out to me. That day, that time in my life was one of the best times in my young life. At that point, all the all-nighters, all the time away from Momma and the rest of my family, all the growing pains weren't in vain. I was looking forward to soooooooooooooooo much in life at the time this moment was captured on film.

I look back now, almost 9 years later, and it's like - wow! Who knew that my world would change so much in five months? Who knew that three of the closest people to me would be gone? Who knew that "the crew" would be all spread out? Who know that I'd still be single? (smile)

Ok... I'm through. I hope this thing wasn't too incoherent. I wasn't even going to write, but random thoughts starting coming to me when I saw the picture, and I decided to just let my fingers flow over the keyboard.

Laton!