Category Archives: Writing

Posted on

OWN Kicks Off Holiday Season With Premiere of its First Ever Gospel Music Special ‘Our OWN Christmas’ Hosted by DeVon Franklin & Meagan Good on Dec. 1!

Featuring The Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, Erica Campbell, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Lalah Hathaway, Le’Andria Johnson, Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight & More!!!

Hello World,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends even if it was a socially distanced one. That’s what we did. Hubby and I stopped by my parents and in-laws for a few minutes each while wearing our masks. Long enough to pick up plates of food from each household which we are still eating on as of today! Question: How long do you make Thanksgiving leftovers last? I think today will  be the last day for me. Or maybe tomorrow. What say you?

Anywho, now that we have taken some time to thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us (with His presence being the most important  blessing of all), it’s time to celebrate the birth of His son, our savior Jesus Christ! This year OWN is kicking off the holidays early with the premiere of its first ever gospel music special Tuesday, December 1 called “Our OWN Christmas” which is hosted by DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good.

Below is the official description:

The one-hour long special, which starts at 9 p.m., will feature festive collaborations, uplifting holiday moments, surprise acts of giving, and a whole lot of inspiration to help spread the holiday cheer this season. Viewers will enjoy magical performances of Christmas classics ranging from “Oh Holy Night” to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to get them in the holiday spirit right at home from music’s most celebrated artists including legendary award-winning gospel group The Clark Sisters, Grammy-Award winners and iconic gospel singers Kierra Sheard, Erica Campbell, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Lalah Hathaway and Le’Andria Johnson and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, BJ The Chicago Kid, singer and record producer PJ Morton, a capella groups Shelby 5 and The Walls Group. With a must-see collaboration between Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight.

I was blessed to be able to watch an advance screening “Our OWN Christmas” so let me give you my top reasons to watch the show.

1. Hosts Devon Frankin & Meagan Good  — So this year’s quarantine has led to some, shall we say, “different” hairstyle choices. For a long time, many of us halted our hairdresser appointments so that we would lessen our chances of being exposed to COVID-19. I don’t know when this was filmed, but I wonder if that is why Meagan choose to wear a brown turban/head wrap during the broadcast. At one point, when my grays were getting impossible to camouflage, I wore a head wrap for an interview I conducted via Zoom. Hair conundrums were definitely happening this year!

Also, DeVon may be a bit more high maintenance than his beloved because while Megan rocked one outfit the whole time, DeVon rocked two looks. My favorite was a black Gucci scarf with red and green highlights that was paired with a snug green turtleneck.  Also, I enjoyed their trading of corny jokes such as DeVon referring to his wife as, “Meagan Good or Ms. Franklin if you’re nasty.” Also, I learned that one of DeVon’s Christmas traditions is a lip sync contest complete with costumes. Meagan talked about being a part of the show for the first time I imagine around the time they were getting to know each other or in the earliest days of their marriage. Anywho, I love cute couples and they are among the cutest black couples in Hollywood. If you want to know more about them, you should definitely watch “Our OWN Christmas.”

2. Boyz to Men & Bryan McKnight  — Boyz to Men & Bryan McKnight can sing anything I imagine, but I loved their rendition of “Let it Snow.” So how about I was today year’s old when I realized that Bryan McKnight was on the original version of this song when it debuted in 1993. I Googled it as I was writing this and discovered the original version. Here is the original video:

So what has changed since the original video? How about Wanyá Morris, Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris all have a bit of gray in their beards now! LOL. But I can’t talk. My family grays early so I’ve been hiding my grays for years now. Know what else? Michael McCary and his beautiful bass voice! I wish the group would figure out a way to reconcile. If Will Smith and the original Aunt Viv can reconcile so can they…

As an aside, did you know that Wanyá’s children, four of which are named Wanya (yeah, that’s EXTRA), have a group entitled WanMor? They can saaang too! Check them out HERE!

3. Socially Distanced Filming  — Number 50-11 on the list of Quarantine Quandaries is likely how to film while socially distanced. I think OWN has figured it out! I believe that Erica Campbell may have been singing “Joy to the World” with The Clark Sisters from her back yard. Although she was surrounded by Christmas trees while she was standing on a stage surrounded by poinsettias, I could see palm trees in the distance while The Clark Sisters were in another location altogether. Also, she wore some kind of reddish,sequined head garb that wasn’t the best choice by wardrobe. Additionally, we got to see a portion of the kitchen of DeVon & Meagan. Finally, there were struggle Christmas trees behind Shelby 5 and The Walls Group in their respective homes. LOL

4. Michelle Williams — Although she didn’t perform, she was included in the show. On behalf of AT&T’s Dream in Black and Shea Moisture, she awarded $10,000 to mother and daughter authors Fionna Wright and Madison Martin who wrote the book “100 Days Inside,” a children’s book about being quarantined this year. Also, and this is most exciting of all, Michelle is going to help rerelease the book by recording an audio version to include her voice as well as the voices of the original authors. How exciting is that?

I could say more, but I don’t want to reveal too much! But here is the trailer:

Will you be watching “Our OWN Christmas” Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 9 pm?!!!

“Our OWN Christmas” is in partnership with Relevé Entertainment, which was founded by multi-faceted producer Holly Carter. The company consistently delivers high-quality, “break-through” family and faith-based programming that engages national audiences. Most recently, Carter created and executive produced “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel,” the highest-rated original TV movie of 2020. In addition, the OWN network has ordered two new unscripted series to development, “Back to the Altar” about divorced couples working to mend their broken relationships, and “Love & Faith” following the women behind some of the faith community’s best-known pastors.

Any thoughts?

 

 

Posted on

Seven Reasons I’m Thankful in 2020…My Pandemic Praise!!!

 

Hello World,

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, this post is inspired by a post I saw on Facebook some weeks ago when the person who posted wrote that despite all that has unfolded in this devastating year, there are still some things to be thankful for in 2020. And the person encouraged everyone to comment on how they’ve still been blessed despite it all. I was among those who posted. I only shared one thing on that post, but I have seven to share with you, my dear readers.

1. Although I still wear contacts during the day and glasses at night, as of this year, I have been restored to 20/20 vision! In fact, I wrote a post about it earlier this year. Below is an excerpt of Seven Scriptures to Provide Insight to the Coronavirus Crisis (ODE to 20/20 Vision)

By now you must know that any vision board someone created for 2020 has been totally wrecked. I haven’t had 20/20 vision since before I was in the third grade when I started wearing glasses, but I was among those who decreed and declared that 2020 would be my Year of Perfect Vision. When this Coronavirus Crisis started a month ago or so, I thought my resolution to have 20/20 vision was misguided. But a month later, I see the Good Shepherd is faithful and guiding me (and all y’all)  into perfect vision after all — even if it wasn’t what I thought I saw at the dawn of this New Year. As my hubby shared with me, I do believe individually we will have personal insights, and that there are some collective insights that all of us will share. Read the rest HERE. 

2. Precious family members have been spared of the worst of COVID-19!!! Although I’ve had family members who have suffered from COVID-19 with one even being hospitalized for several days, no family members that I’m aware of, even my elders, have been casualties of coronavirus. This is a sickness you don’t want to experience even if death is not the end result, but I thank God He has seen fit to spare the lives of my family as of now.

3. My hubby and I have continued to work. Many people have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, but thankfully, my husband and I still have the financial resources to take care of our two-person household. My husband works in healthcare so you would automatically think that designation translates into job security, but many people in healthcare have seen their income adversely affected. For example, I only recently saw the dentist a few weeks ago after having rescheduled an earlier appointment. From what I’ve read, many are still putting off seeing doctors for appointments unrelated to coronavirus for fear they will be exposed while at the doctor’s office.

4. Although I have lost a vital-in-more-way-than-one income opportunity, I have pivoted. Y’all Jamaicans have more than job and I’m no exception. I’ve been teaching group fitness classes twice a week at L.A. Fitness for more than a decade. It was one of my side hustles. But that ended in March. Although I can go back if I like, I don’t feel comfortable at a gym right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m huffing and puffing at the gym as a rule. There is no way that I see avoiding an airborne illness at the gym. That being said, although I miss my class, I’ve been able to keep up my workouts at home and in a nearby park. It’s not the same, but it will do. Most of all, I thank God for the continued health and strength that I enjoy that enables me to workout!

5. I’ve been able to continue to promote the release of my debut novel  Destination Wedding.  I was just getting into the groove of promoting Destination Wedding when the world shut down. (Have you bought your copy?) Thankfully, as my novel was released in December 2019, I was able to have a book release party at Auburn Avenue Research Library, host a book signing at a local bookstore (Nubian Bookstore) and attend a book club meeting where Destination Wedding was featured before the pandemic was announced. But with the pandemic announcement, many of the events that I was planning had to be reworked or cancelled altogether so I was worried about how I would promote Destination Wedding going forward. Although I still believe that the pandemic had a negative impact on some of my promotion efforts, one benefit of the pandemic was that I was able to meet with several book clubs via Zoom. I’m not sure if I would have been able to do so otherwise. Additionally, I was able to participate in other online events that I may have not have had access to otherwise.

6. I sold my first home during a pandemic! Y’all, when I was 28 years old and a brand new reporter for a small newspaper, God blessed me to buy a townhome although I was making practically $10 a paycheck! I experienced many single girl shenanigans and grew up as a grown woman there. But as I haven’t lived there in a few years now as a married woman, I was grateful to God to be able to pay the mortgage month after month while no longer wanting that debt. At the beginning of the year, I met a realtor Dionne Sanford,  of EXP Realty, who also renovates properties. She told me that if I spent money on renovation, I would get that money back and more in sales. I didn’t want to spend the money and when the pandemic hit, I wondered how I would recoup it since real estate agents including my agent weren’t showing properties in person. But God did as He always does: Showed Up and Showed Out. I sold the property to a young lady who reminded me of myself when I first received the keys to my first adult home. See my pictures from that day above!

7. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have stopped coming by. I apologize to anyone who may be offended, but hubby and I will never be Jehovah’s Witnesses. And even though we have told them this in so many words and have not answered the door sometimes, they have continued to come by our house for some reason. But since this pandemic hit, we haven’t seen them at all…LOL…But I have received two letters from them I must say. I will give them this: they are persistent…

And I have other reasons to be thankful in 2020, but I will stop now to ask you:

What are you thankful for in 2020? Leave a comment and let me know!!!

Any thoughts?

 

Posted on

Why I Agree With Erica Campbell’s Theory About ‘Sowing Hoe Seeds’ & Not Reaping ‘Marriage Benefits’

Hello World,

First of all, Erica Campbell’s post about “sowing hoe seeds” did it what it was intended to do: get folk talking about her upcoming podcast. See her IG post below:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Erica Campbell (@imericacampbell)

To me, what she is said is a no brainer. Look at this like this: You can’t be eating ice cream, cake, cookies, brownies, pie, etc. for years and then expect to be satisfied by meat, vegetables and water all of a sudden! (Sexual appetite is a phrase for a reason!) In order for any habit to stick, you have to ease your way into new behavior. Pardon me for being blunt but “hoeing” (obviously from the word “whore”) is a bad habit, and it takes a while for any habit – good or bad – to be created.

According to healthline.com, it takes “anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” So if you want to turn a hoe into a housewife or a househusband, you need to allocate at least 254 to days to practice this new behavior. And even then, I believe after a new habit has been formed, there may be a relapse into old habits every now and then!

In sum, if you want a faithful wife or a faithful husband, it’s probably best to marry someone who is by nature a faithful person; however, if that hasn’t been that person’s history, that person needs to have been in a faithful relationship for at least 254 days. For me, it would have to be longer…

But folk don’t see this issue the same way that I do. Veronica Wells of Madame Noire says Erica Campbell’s theory is “baseless.” Below are a few of her points with my rebuttals afterward:

It’s a shame that in 2020, with everything else going wrong in the world, we are still falling into this trap of comparison, exalting one woman at the expense of another—with the validation of a man being the ultimate prize.

Me: Erica Campbell made no mention of a gender in her post. “Hoe” is a slang word for a “whore.” The definition of a “whore” is “a person who engages in sexual intercourse for pay.” While a “whore” is typically associated with a woman, that does not have to be the case according to the definition of the word. Additionally, I assume Erica is not talking a person who engages in sexual intercourse for pay. Rather she is talking about a person who is sexually promiscuous. Furthermore, Erica Campbell has talked about her husband Warryn Campbell’s sexual infidelity in their marriage which even resulted in a pregnancy so it is very possible that she didn’t mention for a gender for that reason. And it’s likely that she has intimate knowledge of what she said in her post…

Rarely, do we hear people still deeply entrenched in the church say it is hard to go from virginal and pure to being sexually expressive—even in the context of a marriage ordained by God. If there’s anything about this post, I agree with it, it’s that flipping the switch can be difficult. But I’d argue that your sexual behavior and having the capacity to maintain a marriage don’t always go hand in hand. Maintaining a marriage, being honest, committed, loyal to someone is more about mindset than sexual promiscuity.

Me: I don’t have as much of a problem with this paragraph. However, I don’t how Veronica Wells got all of that from the few sentences that Erica Campbell posted. I think she needs to listen to her podcast before making the assumption that she said being sexually pure before marriage is ALL that it takes to have a happy marriage. I don’t think anyone who is happily married would say that…

I’ve never sat in a church when someone spoke honestly enough to say that there’s not a formula to life and there certainly isn’t one to love and marriage.

Me: This statement makes me sad. I have mostly gone to one church my whole life (my father is pastor emeritus of that church), and it has not been preached that there is a set formula to life and love and marriage. I’ve been taught that there are precepts that typically lead to living a fulfilling life and having fulfilling love and marriage in your life, but I’ve also been taught that it’s your personal relationship with God which ultimately dictates how you live your life and if love and marriage is in God’s plan for your life. How one Christian leads his or her life may look very different how another Christian leads his or her life according to God’s will for that life. And though I believe that all Christians will experience love in his or her life, that love may not be romantic love, which is also dictated by God’s will. If Veronica Wells is open to it, I hope she explores more churches where these principles are explained…

Anyway, that’s all I have. Sex is an appetite just like other appetites. Going from feast to famine is problematic whether it’s food, sex, etc.

Any thoughts