The Writers Cafe/ Nite Out 8/20/07

Ladies,
Tonight was off the hook!! We (Allison,Deneen,Karen,Yvonne,and myself) did some serving up tonight at the Cafe! I was really excited to hear all the great stuff you girls have been stirring up. I must say that I have really got to come out of my bag next week to keep up with your energy. It's such a bounty to share with all of you and I feel that this workshop is going to cook up some great things for the triad community. This area is in need of lots of outlets for everyone to have a place for expression. There is something much bigger in this effort to cook, at The Writers Cafe and I hope you all feel it, as I do. Good Soul Food is prepared with lots of love and that is why it wins so many friends. It is my honor again to be in the kitchen with all of you loving cooks. Until next week, keep stirring those pots! Love and Spices, Bren


P.S. To all of our other sister writers, we missed you tonight, so may you know that our hearts and pens are with you as you hold up the mike to give and receive your ingredients for future servings. Peace be with you!

Tangela, faithful servant, our prayers are with you my sister at this time.

The longer I am a writer --- so long now that my writing finger is periodically numb --- the better I understand what writing is; what it's function is; what it is supposed to do. I learned that the writers pen is a microphone held up to the mouths of ancestors and even stones of long ago. Alice Walker

WALKING THROUGH THE FIRE

Walking through the Fire

Coming in contact with something inside of me for the first time was a startling experience. I can remember traveling across the country in an 18 wheeler and burning up with a temperature to the point that my co-driver took me to the doctor. I didn't feel sick but if you touched me I was hot as fire. The funny thing was I was reading about a spiritual technique called fire walking before I fell asleep. My co-driver had stopped for a break and touched me to see if I wanted to go to the bathroom while we were stopped. She hollered that I was burning up. We went to the doctor but as I thought she couldn't find anything wrong. After we checked into a hotel for the weekend I went to take a hot bath because my spirit was telling me to get into water as hot as I could stand it. That was odd, but I did it and the temperature broke. I could hear my spirit tell me that I was being prepared to walk through the fire! How fitting! Looking back I can see the hot spots in my life. Through several experiences I have come to understand by researching and listening to other women's mystical journeys, how normal I am! There have been so many untold stories of women and the metamorphosis states of their lives. Why have we been so silent, I have asked myself? There were times in a lot of our lives were we just did not want to rock the boat. Sometimes just keeping things to yourself can be very profound, however, that is something I have not mastered. I have acted just like all my experiences are perfectly normal and shared with almost anybody in my path that would listen. My children have gotten the lengthy details. My grandchildren even more so because I don’t want them to forget the precious jewels locked inside of themselves. It has been stated that after three years old, knowledge is stored away in the brain until that stage of your life has unfolded to understand. For some people I am sure that day never arrives in one lifetime. Then there are others who want more than they can digest in one sitting, that is me!

WHO AM I

I am a little girl frightened because I don't understand why people are so cruel. Why do people treat my friend Sheila so much differently than they do me? I don't understand because she lives in a very nice house with very nice parents. I go over to her house and she has her own bedroom with beautiful crisp white sheets, wonderful light green curtains and a bedspread to match. Wow, if only I had such beautiful things I would feel like a princess. Her house is so clean and neat you would think that they have a full time maid. My house never looks like theirs. Her mother always greets me so sweetly and offers something cold to drink along with a snack. She could really be my mom any day. Sheila's dad is always busy working on something and takes the time to speak to us any time we are around. He always has something positive to say to us too. They are an ideal family to me. The same people that mistreat Sheila at school or when we are out somewhere together call me poor white trash if they know where I'm from. But if they do not know who I am, they always treat me nicer than Sheila. That truly makes me angry and embarrasses me cause I am really beginning to believe Sheila, that it is because she is black. I really cannot deny that it happens, because I see it with my own two eyes. I am so glad that Sheila is still my friend in spite of the ignorant things we experience from others, due to my being white and her being black. Being friends with Sheila was the best thing that could have ever happened to me because now as people look at the question of how one becomes racist, I feel that I have a little insight. Looking back over 45 years of friendship with Sheila, she helped move me out from the sheltered belief of whatever my family and community tried to teach me, may not necessarily be the truth. Through our friendship and my love/respect towards her I did a lot of my own personal investigation into what I chose to be truth for me. Therefore, I am a firm believer that through the intimacy of relationships we can really get to know one another, either by sincere friendships, work relations, or love -- marriage relationship, it will move us closer to understanding one another. Moving beyond the stereotypes can open doors beyond our beliefs to create new ones. The more we diversify our relations the quicker we can move our Society beyond racism. I couldn't even imagine my world without diversity because if my circle of family was all white I would feel like someone was missing and there would be so much less to my story. The flavor I bring to a story is exciting and refreshing to me because the diversity opens doors of understanding, just as spice livens up the taste of bland food. This is who I am! I am proud to say that by the grace of God and with Joy, I have had the courage to write about my own life story.

Tears and Laughter

The tears were from missing all of you ladies last night , however Allison and I had a great time dancing and cooking up some great servings that you'll missed out on. I learned about some really great characters in her house, that have GREAT DREAMS! Maybe she will share again when we get together. There was a lot going on this weekend along with our precious loss in the Baha'i Community, many Prayers to the families. Looking forward to seeing you all next Monday Nite! Keep up the cooking And Serve it Up!! Sacredflower

On A Breeze

Walking into the room already created a relief from a week of anxiety. Standing there admiring the peaceful colors and the sounds of soft music from the CD made me realize I should have done this a long time ago. She walks in with a warm smile and introduces herself. She tells me to get undressed of everything except my under ware and lay on the table, that she will be right back. I undress and slide under the lavender sheet, then exhaled! Her name is Mandy, she's tall and her energy feels very kind. She comes in and starts to talk to me about the areas I want her to concentrate on. We start talking as she pulls back the sheet one leg at a time. The oil glides ever so smoothly over my legs and with every stroke it feels like heaven. I think its been about three years since I have pampered myself like this. Working her way up my back I started to quieten and fall into the movements of the oil onto my skin. I start to drift and say to myself, oh my Goddess Within, every woman deserves this treatment. I briefly think of my two daughters, one a school teacher and the other a Customer Service Specialist for a Home Health Business. Both of them need this treatment as much as I do. This world has so much stress on our jobs and within our family life just trying to survive. This service should be offered by companies and they would get much better service out of their employees. When a person is relieved of stress they are much more productive. When Mandy moves to my shoulders and arms I am drifting in and out of my body now. Would I stay or leave was the question, forty-five minutes into the massage I felt myself in Greece, enjoying this moment as if I had experienced it many times before. I could feel the waves off the music, the moment was taking me away, peacefully and Bam! I was gone! Ten minutes later Mandy was waking me to inform me that where ever I went I needed to go. That was the most relaxing experience I have had in a long time. To all my girlfriends I would say, go out ASAP and get a deep tissue Body Massage, you deserve it! Travel in your memories to a beautiful, peaceful, quiet place of Serenity! I'll meet you there!!

Ladies Nite Out

Kick It Up A Notch!! That's how I felt about our first workshop and it was a great serving up time for everyone! All I can say is , I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE DESSERT TO GO WITH MY COFFEE!! Sacredflower 8/06/2007

The Writers Cafe

The process for creating "The Writers Cafe", has been brewing for several years and many miles. I have always encouraged others to have a vision and to find their voice within that vision. Reading and research literally saved my Soul as well as my sanity. I came into this world with the first thought and word being, why? I have been in disagreement with most of the ideas I've encountered along my journey. As a child I always thought the adults were very slow at seeing the solution to our divisions or just didn't care to be a part of it. Then life happened to me and I really began to understand that it really took balls to change. Thank goodness courage comes easier in your youth, because if you practice it a lot while you are young, it gets much easier to not quit as you mature. My goal in this endeavor is to create a safe place for others to cook for however long it takes to get ready to serve up their own recipe to the world. How one paints their picture or flavors their dish has got to come from the depths of their Soul in the secret chambers of ancient memories. I hope that I will have the honor of testing many appetizers.