vbgold

January 29, 2021March 10, 2021

Bama, Baby!

Image: The mall I met in Muscle Shoals, 1990.

I live in small-town Alabama. Let that sink in; “Slick Vic, the Chicago Chick” has been rooted in Northwest Alabama for over thirty (30) years! Why? How? What?!!

My deceased husband, Bob, was reared in the Shoals, community. Comprised of four small towns, the Shoals include Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, where Bob grew up, When our budding teenage daughter was in the urban distress of Virginia Beach, we initiated a geographical cure to small-town living in Muscle Shoals, the smallest, youngest city of the Shoals. It worked! Our daughter and son could relax in the comfort of family unity and relative peace of close-knit friends.

I now live in Florence, the largest of the Shoals cities. My friends and family can not believe I am still here, but beyond the peace of raising our kids in a small town, there are other perks, especially at this age.

I love my hometown Chicago and can’t wait for annual visits and travels to other cities, even abroad. However, when I come back to my home in Florence, I know I can fill a prescription 10 minutes flat; I personally know my banker, pharmacist, and police chief. No lines, traffic, or high levels of crime. For me, it’s just easier…for about three months; after that my stomach starts to grumble and I have to get away and find what I crave – an array of culture. We have a few galleries and festivals, but I need a bit more to feed my appetite. I’m not alone. Many folks from here travel far more than I, and most folks I have attracted from here are like-minded about art, spirituality, and politics.

Yes, I said it. Not everybody from Alabama voted for Mo Brooks or Tommy Tuberville; there are plenty of folks that want this state to grow in all areas, and they even vote progressively. However, the truth is that as a state, we are at the bottom of the barrel, and it’s up to us to get us out and to move us forward, first in mind, then in action. How?

I am too old to be out there in the streets with my daughter protesting. They march and I’m ready to crawl. (A lifetime resident, Glenda Williams, and I were talking. She remembers making a stand at the Colbert County Courthouse. We both recounted that we had our time during the Civil Rights Movement.) What I can do is write about what I see and encourage all I know to do what we can. If we chop the Alabama mountain of fear into molehills, little by little we can move the needle forward.

Old Schoolers protesting the Confederate monument, Florence courthouse. Larry Brown and Yours Truly.. **(You notice we are sitting)**. Photo credit: Fredrick Huntley

Molehills:

It takes courage to rage against the backward machine in Alabama. Let’s help our candidates out. If he/she believes in a new Alabama, we can do all we can to support the candidate and run our mouths about policies that serve us all. Speak change into existence.
If you experience bigotry, say something. Join Project Say Something and call out the roots of racism right here in the Shoals and nationwide. Call, write and do what you can to contact government officials. We can’t have our government dog-whistling racist tweets and rallying against the Constitution. Steve Marshall. John Merrill, Mo Brooks, Tuberville.
Write and call to pressure Kay Ivey about that bill supporting Confederate monuments. These sordid figures do not represent who we should be.. We don’t have to protest physically; let your voices ring out for justice.
Mr. K and I traveled to Tennessee to buy lottery tickets…along with a bazillion other folks from AL. Call, write, pressure Representatives to come out of the Neanderthal ages. Legalize the lottery. I mean, it ain’t like we don’t need funding for education; we are dead last in the nation’s ranking.
Support events that promote cultures other than your own, and bring someone who hasn’t experienced other cultures with you. Go to festivals and galleries.

Florence – The WC Handy Birthplace, Museum and Library houses personal memorabilia from WC Handy (who wrote “Memphis Blues” and “Beale Street Blues”) including his trumpet, handwritten music and the piano on which he composed “St. Louis Blues.”

- Y’all wanna’ know where Aretha, Percy, Wilson Pickett, and the Rolling Stones used to record to get the funk they needed? Muscle Shoals!! Visit one of the famous studios; catch The Midnighters blues band wherever they are playing. This was the home of the Father of the Blues, WC Handy; see his home museum. Learn about indigenous ceremonies, drumming, and much more at the CORE Center. A tribute to his Yuchi ancestor, Tom’s Wall is a must-see. Browse to see what the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art has scheduled. See works by Alabama artists like Charlene Carter and many more.
Robert Trent Jones golf courses are big in Bama too. (‘Better call Chicago golfer, Tyrone Banks).

Social media is a strong collaborator. Post your views and visions for Alabama on your page. #forward #2021

The CORE Drummers at the Project Say Something Juneteenth Celebration

I don’t envision Alabama tossing out its charm, (Mr. K is from here too), but I want us to come into this century with ideals that are inclusive and receptive to change. I ain’t walking or running, but I’m writing and talking change for where my feet are planted – the red clay of Alabama. What?!

Joy Juice

There isn’t a day that goes by without someone exclaiming, “Thank God, I woke up this morning!.” I’m screamin’ the same thing. I am also screamin’ that I want to leave a legacy of expansion and growth in this place where I am living my senior years. Do it for your grands. Wherever we live, we are blessed to be able to do what we can to make a change. Remember, to move a mountain, moving every molehill counts.

“It’s all good/God/love” – Victorine

Please Subscribe and Follow my blog!

Go back

Your message has been sent

Scroll down for news about Patreon.

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

“…the book title and its content are intended to be a whisper, reminding us that by taking the time to connect with our spiritual self, we can center through anything and that we are forever within the bubble of God’s protection.”

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

We appreciate you reading, laughing/crying with us. If you enjoy the content and wish to support us, please become a member of PATREON. It’s a way to receive benefits from Garden Spices Magazine and from Spicy

January 17, 2021January 2, 2023

Pearls

I am a fan of the fabulous Facebook group, Wear Pearls on January 20, 2021. ‘Never heard of it? It only has 410K members, and it’s growing. (Y’all know that after this post, you must check it out). This group has the direct mission of supporting our Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, the pearl-wearing, fierce AKA and HBCU graduate; the former prosecutor and Senator who slam-dunked her office as second-in-command of the USA. The group page has countless women, children, all colors, and creations sporting the pearls they intend to wear on Inauguration Day. What?!

One of the oldest gemstones, Pearls have always been a delicacy that decorated our dress code to affirm class in a traditional sense. So there’s this. However, Vice President Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first African American Sorority, and its founders are referred to as the 20 pearls. Wearing pearls signifies that Vice President Harris knows who she is; she is intuitively and literally bringing her pearls of wisdom to the White House. I wonder does she know that pearls carry even more significance?

Pearls have a spiritual connotation that symbolizes a calling of the new dawn for our country:

“The pearl is a symbol of perfection and incorruptibility; it is a symbol of long life and fertility, and because of its luster it is often considered a MOON symbol. Buried within the OYSTER shell, the pearl represents hidden knowledge, and it is highly feminine.” sparknotes

Pearls represent the gift we have long awaited, an opportunity to fall away from the wretchedness of our past to birth a country accountable to all it serves. Women have significant intuition; we nourish, sustain, and we know. We have been “buried within the oyster,” learning and growing, but we are the treasure we have been waiting for. Yet, there is another layer.

Vice President Harris represents the Black pearl. Always significant, the color black represents love. In the midst of the new administration wrangling out the challenges, made processes, ready to transform, love is personified. If we can start with love, we are destined for limitless potential. This symbol, the pearl, is for all of us to remember who and what we are as individuals and as a nation.

So why did I give the pearls my deceased husband gave me to my daughter, Camille? I guess I knew/know her destiny. (She is also an AKA). It’s OK though; I have my mother’s fresh-water pearls, symbolizing faith, truth, and integrity. I’m non-phi-non, but I’m just as fierce. What?!

I hope you have your pearls and wear them on January 20th, even if you are in your PJs. In this representation of a new reality, pearls are not gender-specific. Remember, no limitations. They mirror a new day.

Congratulations, Vice President Kamala Harris and the USA.

Joy Juice

Take a holy breath, I think we are on our way. Wearing pearls, we affirm Mother God is working. This symbolic gesture can serve as a reminder of the true treasure we possess within each of us, accessible through the One, the ability to love.

^“.6who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it,” Matthew 13:46

Buddhist tradition: “Śarīra is a generic term referring to Buddhist relics, although in common usage it usually refers to pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters. … Sarira are also believed to ward off evil in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition.”

Pearls carry a significant tradition throughout the continent of Africa. Origin and History of Pearls in Africa

It’s all good/God/Love – Victorine

Please Subscribe and Follow my blog!

Go back

Your message has been sent

Scroll down for news about Patreon.

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

January 15, 2021January 16, 2021

For Rosa

Her spirit has no frame.

Her smile

opened her home, with her Sam,

to family and friends, made family.

Her generosity

packed Beautiful Sisters into her suitcase

to travel far-off places

and kept us safe through looming hurricanes.

Her joy

always vibrant and willing,

danced “my jam!” and knew “how low (she) could go”

Her reverence

opened hearts with her prayers

affirming God’s work within her blessings.

Her spirit has no frame.

It/she remains with us

overflowing,

through love,

with our gratitude.

Rosa.

1/15/2021

Love, “Sister,” Vicki

Cherished memory with Rosa Roberts (sitting) and Indria Perilloux in my home.

January 15, 2021January 18, 2021

Wait…

I have never been much for waiting. I used to feel that some folks did/could not value time, that they would go into the crevices of their psyche and conspire to make me cringe. These days in this season, I can’t afford my previous behavior while waiting. When someone is late, I no longer pace the floor or scratch a blackboard. I no longer stand in front of the bathroom and loudly sing because it TaKEs FOreVER FoR SOmeONE To GrOOm AND GO! No, I don’t; ‘can’t have my ‘pressure go up. Instead, I just pick up my phone and browse all the mellie (“juicy news” in Caribbean jargon) on social media. What?!

Awaiting a person is one thing, but let’s look at America waiting for Amerikkka to grow up and stop acting a fool. Since the inception of this country, we have been waiting. In 2021, this baby is still a toddler with tantrums, storming the Capitol of these United States. Why? Just ’cause Black folks voted and their votes counted? Child, please!

We have serious growing pains. If you didn’t know, now you understand what privilege looks like. Riled up and supported by Baby T and his gang, big bawling terrorists climb, crawl, and walk loud and proud up in the Big House, defying, killing the law, defecating on the Capitol floor, and sitting on the desk of the Madame Pelosi. Officer Eugene Goodman had to step up to stop Amerikkka from entering the House Chambers.

Except for several, the terrorists are alive, and unlike protesters for racial justice, no spankings,: not many are jailed. One big baby with face paint is eating organic food in jail. Baby musn’t go hungry. As grown folks, we have the charge to punish the petulant demagogues and anarchists. Expel Amerikkka. America is not its playpen.

The adage goes that if enough time passes, good things will come. But we don’t wait for our children to become adults; we groom them to be mindful, and if they act out, they are reprimanded. Amerikkka will never learn unless we recognize and handle it now, take action now. We have been waiting too long for this shift to occur.

While we know waiting requires patience, whatever we do, we don’t pray for it. We will be tested over and over. God be like, “Y’all got it?…do y’all need some more practice waiting?” We don’t. We’re done!

Featured photo: leeann-cline-@-unsplash

Joy Juice

We learned our lesson on waiting. Everything is coming up that needs to come out. Time to release this craziness to make way for the new dawn, America, not Amerikkka.

“For years now, I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Dr. Martin Luther King (Happy Birthday)

It’s all good/God/love – Victorine

Please Subscribe and Follow my blog!

Go back

Your message has been sent

Scroll down for news about Patreon.

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

December 23, 2020January 13, 2021

Zoom

This year has given new meaning to the lyrics in the Commodore’s song, Zoom. “Id’ like to fly away…” But you can’t! You can’t just pick up and go like you used to. You gotta take your spray, sanitizing hand wash and wipes, your masks, and your b_ _ _ h-face for anyone not wearing a mask or invading your 6-foot distance. (Is your elbow sore yet?).

We been Zooming alright, our only way of video-hugging those we love. I even know how to initiate a Zoom now without screwing it up. While Zooming may be a part of our pandemic-and-beyond flair, 2021 will soon be here, y’all. The planets are aligned, and we are poised to get vaccinated and liberated. What?

I don’t know about you, but all that stuff I ruminated over during this reprieve from normalcy is coming out. I’m writing and posting more; I finally figured out how to have patrons, and soon, I’ll be doing a video every now and then. See?

No, no…wait…Let me try again…

Now, you folks are older. You should have a little patience with me—one last time.

Now, as you can see, I didn’t Zoom myself in my rather large glasses before buying them (What?!), but I’m learning to video with you in my heart and mind.

Happy Holiday blessings, and may you experience the wonders of all traditions of light, and remember the Light within you – the reason for all seasons!

Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A on Unsplash

Joy Juice

Did y’all notice my pearls on the tree and me? We already know they symbolize a change coming. Is our time over for hopes and dreams? No! We are just beginning, revitalized, renewed, and with the help of our Ancestors and the Creator, we are lifting each other up! Who’s Zooming Who? We are being zoomed with blessings abundant.

It’s all good/love/God – Victorine

Please Subscribe and Follow my blog!

Go back

Your message has been sent

Scroll down for news about Patreon.

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

December 1, 2020February 3, 2021

…can’t dance.

The adage goes, “I might as well (do whatever the task), I can’t dance.” Oh yes, you can! You have every right to dance “with your hair blowing back,” as my friend, Indria Perilloux says. Here we are in the midst of this shifting paradigm, most of us shut-in, due to this pandemic. When we step out, we say hello to folks we don’t even recognize because they are all masked up and 6 feet from us. ‘How we know who we dancing with?” ~~There I go, ranting~~ Truth is, we don’t need an ensemble or a partner, we can move our feet and/or hands with great abandon in celebration of just being alive at this moment. What?!!

A few examples come to mind. You got folks like Dr. Felice Green. She’s a dancing machine. She doesn’t care if she has a partner or not. Shoot, that’s what line dances were designed for. We can bust a move whether or not we are looking into someone’s face. You can’t see it anyway with a mask. This video of Dr. Green was taken before COVID, but you get the picture:

Then, you got your groups. Now I’ve seen groups from dance schools, Senior clubs, Steppers from Greek organizations, Dance troupes, and such, but I ain’t never seen activists that like to dance like Project Say Something, Florence, AL . Here they are at the Juneteenth celebration/rally to get a Confederate monument relocated. See if you can identify Mr. K dancing.

Of course, dancing is one of the most compelling art forms in existence and can really be therapeutic:

It helps you put a halt to Corona-butt. Instead of growing, you start flowing with the music and before you know it, you’ve exercised.
You angry about recent events? Put on some music, dance, and let the steam out of that stress.
Dancing with other folks makes you feel good, can boost your confidence. They look as silly as you, or as Chicago smooth as you. Dancing can break barriers of communication. You can even moan about how bad you dance while dancing. Just keep going; your joy juice will catch up with you!
I remember when we used to make up steps for dances. You don’t have to be a certified choreographer to create moves. Express your creativity.

These dancers were in an open Buddhist temple, Bangkok, Thailand

Dancing can take us from total awe and splendor to setting “the roof, the roof, the roof…on fire.” When I can’t break it down with my feet, I’ll move whatever I can and dance in my head. I’m just saying we deserve a reprieve from processing all we have been through in 2020. Kick up your heels and dance in the holidays.

Featured image: CORE Drummers with my dancing accompanying them.

Joy Juice

Dancing can be healing and is a clear path to expressing joy. Wanna see what dancing can do? Watch Dance Dreams on Netflix. After COVID distancing, go see a dance concert. Feel the passion that dancing can ignite.

“Dance as though no one is watching.”-Mark Twain

“It’s all good/ love/God” – Victorine

Please Like, Subscribe, Share, and scroll down for news about Patreon

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

Fly and Dye

So I was laughing with my girls today, the usual suspects, Pat Kline, Indria Perilloux, and Nedra Shelton, and I made a rhyme. “Fly and dye.” Hmmm…what could this refer to? Could it be the farcical display of events we have seen take place within the last three months? Maybe a debacle in a debate or the maniacal meandering in what was allegedly a Press Conference. What?!!

You see, these things don’t just happen on a whim. I’m watching Evil on Netflix, and I am sure there is a mystical humming, an underpinning of happenings that respond to the voices in support of what does us no good. “He” calls Black women “nasty,” so a nasty fly appears on “his” VP’s ~~show~~ snow-white head, sits there, under hot cameras in defiance, thinking “You so nasty, you don’t even feel me!”

Next, the seats are full with “his” minions, and the curtain rises. In front of a State, our actor is in a state of desperation, spewing ugliness about an election “he” has lost. The humming/evil becomes so disturbing that a bald head bleeds dye.

Of course, my girls and I were dying with laughter over remembering these antics. The thing is, are they antics or are they manifestations of energy claiming exclusivity that intends to haunt us? Whatever it is, we know better. We ain’t flying or dying with this intention; we gon’ walk in the truth of who/what we are: healthy, whole, inclusive, and fearless. What?!!

Joy Juice

Politics can be nasty, but when equality and justice are at the helm of leadership we can affirm safety in all processes. We have survived so much of the grime of False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s time to lean on the real deal, the Love/Energy./God that propels us all. #noevilinthis

“It’s all good/love/God” – Victorine

Featured Photo: Michael Banks, (I named it Da Boyz)

Please Like, Subscribe, and Share

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

November 4, 2020November 29, 2020

OW!

Y’all!

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, at 6:06PM, and I been sleep since 4:00PM. I cooked all day yesterday and it’s an over~~pass~~ cast day, fine for sleeping. Thank goodness the sun wasn’t shining. Since my COVID, I been walking daily, getting some good vitamin D. I have a sister-friend who walked a 10K “Turkey Trot.” You already know that does not describe my 1-1/2 to 2-mile jaunt. Plus, all of a sudden my bones have started to ache. I went to open something, and my “Arthur” said, “Nope.” My hand started to cramp and look like the monsters from Thriller! I wasn’t doing the dance, though. I bent down to pick up something, and I could’ve sworn I heard something crack. OW! What?!

Thanksgiving has not worn off. So, I can’t keep ranting like usual. I gotta do some praise dancing:

I distanced and dined with my fam yesterday, 7, including my son’s new girlfriend. We had masks on, windows up, separated households, and I ate away from the others, but we had to give special blessings for being able to hang out, even if we couldn’t hug. We didn’t play Monopoly this year either!
I got to witness “America” on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:
- Indigenous People did a ceremony for “Manahatta,” celebrating their resilience.
- Sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, founded at Howard University, (VP Harris attended there), Stepped into the season.
- West Point did traditional Christmas tunes.
- A Caribbean troupe represented with Carnivale flair.
- Puerto Rico had a troupe, kicking out Latin music.
- LBGTQIA represented, and an all lesbian band played.
- Of course, Broadway and Dolly Parton performed, but when Patti LaBelle sang this jammin’ Christmas tune, and some Steppers were on the street, I was too through!
This parade represented hope to me, the recognition of the inclusive country we should be. Yes, it was only a parade, but for me, it was like this veil of isolation, and invisibility was dissolving in real-time.
The election.
The many books, articles, documentaries, and drama-docs depicting Truth about social justice and history.
Social media, Garden Spices Magazine, and Spicy…and my fabulous Contributors
The upheaval and survival of activists, standing in strength, courage, and resolve.
Seeking and practicing spiritual guidance. I may hurt from time-to-time, but I remain in gratitude for my abundant life, including Mr. K. (Couldn’t leave him out).

The family tradition – Monopoly with new rules every year!!

Y’all wanna know the truth? OW was really supposed to be about “Obvious weaves and wigs,” but I got to thinking…nope, not today. I’m just ~~feeled~~ filled with too much gratitude. Hmmm…seems like I’m forgetting something…Oh, YOU! Thank you for riding with my antics and being an integral part of my bountiful life.

Joy Juice

We know the Indigenous People do not celebrate traditional Thanksgiving. The pilgrims = pain for them, which we now recognize. We are living within a time when all is being surfaced, and it is our quest to find the lining that enables us to pursue what brings us to a centered life. Gratitude isn’t always coupled with joy. Sometimes we have to process pain to find any semblance of joy. But darkness can never obscure the light, and for this, our greatest gift is gratitude, which we celebrate.

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God,” 15 Corinthians 9:11

“Give thanks for little and you will find a lot,” Nigerian Proverb

It’s all good/love/God – Victorine

Featured Photo by visuals on Unsplash

Please Like, Subscribe, and Share

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

NEWS FLASH!!

October 16, 2020October 17, 2020

IT

In my last post, Marred Vision, I told y’all about my excursions with Mr. K, to museums, protests, family visits and such. Did I mention that I have every kind of mask imaginable – batik, African, Good Trouble, A No Justice, No Peace, Project Say Something mask, elastic over my head, some around my ears. I don’t leave home without one. I also wear glasses. Oh yes, I practice COVID-SAFETY. What..,no Where…no, How…Did I contract “IT?”

I thought I had my annual virus, yuck feeling, a few chills, and a three-day heal. Of course, I checked the CDC symptoms. No headache, no fever, no aches, breathing well with maybe a mild, infrequent congested cough. On the fourth day, Tuesday, I felt a sense of malaise. Mr. K thought maybe I was just bored. Hah! We stopped to pick up lunch, went home, and I needed to nap. ( I told y’all about my naps.) So, no problem there, except I slept through the night. The next day I felt tired, but tried to do light housework and made myself take a walk. When I got home, out I went again. This time, I would not leave the couch. I would awaken, feel this nausea, then back to sleep I went, I only awakened to bathe, change ~~underwear~~, then back down to sleep. Maybe every hour or so I would wake up, but feel this yuck, nausea, and back down I’d go. This lasted for 3 days until my daughter, Camille~~, the Dragon Lady,~~ put the kibosh on me. “You gotta go to see your doctor!” Monday, I went; Dr. Santiago tested me for COVID, but not without pondering thyroid problems and even Mono! Tuesday, I learned I tested positive. Today is Friday, and I am still extremely lethargic, with no energy and the yuck feeling every now and then.

Why the transparency? I want you guys to know that :

Don’t play. We were around several people that were not wearing masks. Even though we had ours on, I got IT. I thought I got IT from my son, Miles, who lives with me, but he tested negative. Unfortunately, Mr. K was +.
IT is an enigma. It may not look the way you think it should. If you feel any way outside of normal, GET TESTED. Mr. K is asymptomatic.
VITAMIN UP! I have religiously taken Vitamins D and C for years, adding Zinc during COVID. I do believe that may have helped my condition.

Y’all, I am so blessed! Age 70, with asthma, and here I be, a COVID survivor. I’m not 100% yet, but I’m here, and I do not take IT for granted. I am being cool and healing smart. What?!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Joy Juice

Every day I pray for those that have been affected by this pandemic. I am forever grateful for my loving family and friends that fuss about me. In the midst of these changing times, it is always the time to love strong, not to take a moment for granted. Remember

It’s all good/ love/God – Victorine

Featured Photo by visuals on Unsplash

Please Like, Subscribe, and Share

Victorine

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.

October 1, 2020October 2, 2020

Marred Vision

Mr. K is here visiting from South Carolina. We are COVID safe and cozy here in Bama. What us gon’ do? No more dances and concerts, but plenty of TV. My son is like, “Why y’all looking at your devices as you watch TV?” I’m like, “‘Cause we grown.” We go for masked visits with his folks, walks in the park, silent protests with my folks, and do what we both love – hitting eateries and museums. What?!

Sunday we visited the Huntsville Museum of Art Loved it, especially the Red Clay Survey, displaying work by Alabama artists. Then we picked up some food at my favorite Caribbean restaurant, Mango’s – oxtail and red snapper dinners. Shut up! I was grinning ear-to-ear. Wednesday, we drove to Savannah, TN. After eating delicious catfish at the Catfish Hotel in Shiloh, my history buff, Mr. K. suggested we drive through Shiloh Park. I’m like, “Oh Lort! Art, yes, but a battleground park? Ugh…”

Upon entering the pristine park, we met a few canons and cannonball sculptures, and as we drove further, I noticed the dedicated monuments to Northern states, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa. Of course! The Union won this battle. There was southern representation too, and a massive cemetery, commemorating the dead.

This ground, so reverently silent, had been the backdrop of mass carnage. Young men fighting for what they believed to be just, and death taking no prisoners. This battle killed over 23,000 men.

Shiloh Cemetery

I could not help but think about the subverted battle cry of our current Commander in Chief, receiving nationwide coverage September 29, 2020. How can any American review our bloody past, our Civil War, and invoke a “stand back” and a “stand by” for white supremacists, the misnomer, “Proud Boys?” What do we do to combat a vision of division, the ensuing battleground held by the person at the helm of our country.? We are implored to hold our own perception and act upon it. We must identify the malady of racism by calling it out, denouncing it, and it starts in your neighborhood.

In my small town. Florence, AL racial justice activists are antagonized daily. Mayor Holt is at our helm, and he and other city administrators are complicit by their silence. They will not speak out against Confederate symbols, racism, and how they affect the community. . They will not speak out about the threats of violence received daily on social media. This denial breeds more division, with white supremacists feeling empowered by the silence of the city administration.

The sages say, “Everything must come up to come out,” This is the only way we can find our way to healing. We can no longer stay within the state of denial.

Mayor Holt and the City Council of Florence, I challenge you to step up and publicly denounce racism. Do it before the election, even with the fear of losing racists voters.

This is the first step to a true vision for a small town, then perhaps a nation.

Joy Juice

Critical mass. Those of us willing to transcend the news of the day to hold a vision of togetherness can have a great impact on our country. Counting on a few good men/women to join me. It ain’t easy, but it’s what I can do.

It’s all good/love/God – Victorine

Featured Photo by Alexis Fauvet on Unsplash

Please Like, Subscribe, and Share

Victorine

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine, Celebrating our differences.