Unpacking Baggage

I am so incredibly blessed to live in a place where I can see an image like this on an almost daily basis, depending on the weather, of course. This is an exceptionally beautiful day. I've come through a particularly trying week and I'm grateful. I suffer from sleep deprivation yet still.. I'm grateful because, despite the cliche, "I coulda been dead, sleepin in my grave..." By the grace of God, I'm still here. I have work to do. I've spent a better part of the night that I couldn't sleep through considering that work and consulting with the creator about what I should do first. It is agreed that since I am a multi-tasker, I will do them all.

The first and most immediate is to finalize arrangements for Voices: Black Writers for Relief. On Tuesday, September 20, at 6:30 PM in the Performing Arts Center of Brookdale Community College, nine black authors, from emerging writers (that would be me) to internationally acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winners (that would be Yusef Komunyakaa), will read from their own works to help raise funds for Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief. Donations of $5-20 (based on ability to pay) are requested at the door. Doors open at 5:30 for an accompanying signed book auction. Now in the process of also finding an organization for the proceeds that will give ALL the money to the people.

I'm so excited that I'm redirecting my energy from the anger that kills and destroys to the hope that drives and propels. I had to consider that I was feeding the anger but the hope was feeding me and the two were struggling. Anger was trying to stomp all over hope, but hope is a contender, who catches the second wind in the last round. I am so grateful to everyone that helped bring me through, especially Bobby Brown, Jr. (I still haven't seen Oprah's show) and my new students who showed me how kind and compassionate they could be. I'm gonna get some sleep real soon. I look A FRIGHT! but it's nothing a little botox (and some good narcotics) won't fix up.

Readers of this blog will see a noticible change in tone as I climb out of the pit of despair to embrace hope, although every now and then I will have coffee with anger, just to keep my indignation, righteous... lest we forget.