tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52269891949732590312024-03-18T13:56:26.650-07:00Pebble$Pebble$, Blog, Pebble$ Blog, Poet, Writer, Blogger, Spoken Word, Artist Author, Poetry, Laughter, Motivation, Vision, Dreams, Encouragement, Revolutionary, Life, Poetry, Youtube, YouTuber, Personality, Outreach, Speaker, LeaderPebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-23008511191976539762024-01-30T01:30:00.000-08:002024-01-30T01:30:00.140-08:0030 Ways To HEAL<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVwYecc9tnen1zNdCuPbpcPrSAl0O5YDog3wEjMgkqEkkWsNlZFsVR_WTh8O0tASd-FWgnCu-eM5TRYQKWhpULbirDK2lpKYRjM3E7K17OABmoL1_Q2hmj5xlDR2xB6KSAl5P82mbRWDIozsj4T35nLalxhZeFxGBjFI0wKcsvHM-1z-yay5Lp9tzLdxl/s1080/30%20Ways%20To%20blog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVwYecc9tnen1zNdCuPbpcPrSAl0O5YDog3wEjMgkqEkkWsNlZFsVR_WTh8O0tASd-FWgnCu-eM5TRYQKWhpULbirDK2lpKYRjM3E7K17OABmoL1_Q2hmj5xlDR2xB6KSAl5P82mbRWDIozsj4T35nLalxhZeFxGBjFI0wKcsvHM-1z-yay5Lp9tzLdxl/w400-h400/30%20Ways%20To%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I don't</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I resist</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Two </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I fight with myself until</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I accept that I am losing</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Three </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I lost the battle this season</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Four </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">maybe I'll try again</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I'll try something new tomorrow</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Five </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">maybe I'm fighting the wrong battle</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Six </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">maybe I'm fighting the right battle</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">But I can't do it alone</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seven </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'll find a way</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I'll try talking to somebody</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eight </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know you lying</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">You expect me to have all the words?!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Nine, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">like right now</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Today?!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ten </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I find the words</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">But the emotions attached to each one</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Are overwhelming</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">____________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eleven process everything</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twelve feel all the feelings</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Thirteen sit with your rage</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Give it time to go from 100 to 20</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Fourteen when it gets to 20</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Countdown and think honestly</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Fifteen ask about the 'what'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">More than the 'why'</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Sixteen 'why' will trigger the rage</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">But it won't provide answers</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Seventeen 'what' identifies more time points</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Than a stopwatch</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Eighteen run the lap</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Jog the lap</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Walk the lap</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Whatever you do, endure</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Keep moving</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Nineteen you've been a sponge</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">You're at full saturation</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty the healing comes with some squeezing</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Let me know when you're ready</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">________________________________________</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-one when the comfort leaves</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Find ways to understand your discomfort</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-two when you're hurting</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Allow yourself to feel</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-three face yourself fully</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">With assistance or a safe place</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Before you break</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-four the secret is in the sitting</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And processing</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-five invite stillness in</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-six decide that healing is what you want</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Twenty-seven y</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ou have to be open to the possibility that</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This journey won't look the way you want it to</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-eight wear the right shoes</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">You might cut bare feet</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Overwork a heart</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">And open new wounds on this mountain</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Twenty-nine triggers make us uneasy</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">So, there must be a path to overcoming</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Thirty healing doesn't occur in one day</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">But one day</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It will occur to you</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">That you've come a long way</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Healing is continual</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">A set of slopes</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">That teach you how to ride steady</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><h3 style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2024 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-35834932587165650402024-01-09T01:30:00.000-08:002024-01-09T01:30:00.140-08:00Each Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/sites/teens/files/styles/section_block_landing_list/public/field/image/RS9389_GettyImages-1220323724-hig.jpg?itok=Z-Phbtjj" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="800" height="388" src="https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/sites/teens/files/styles/section_block_landing_list/public/field/image/RS9389_GettyImages-1220323724-hig.jpg?itok=Z-Phbtjj" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><b>What is for you will not pass you by.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Give good moments a chance. There are seasons of our lives where we will not qualify, but the invitation to coffee, dinner, an event, or a day out - will be mailed to you. Your name is on that invitation, nobody else's.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Whether through a high or a low, somebody will say these words to you: <b><i>'You're the kind of person I would take a chance on' </i></b> (there will be variations in its delivery, but you'll know).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Each day is an opportunity to live. Feed yourself bookworms. Start with one page, non-bookworm.</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the other domains of life, give yourself the grace to relearn what you need. Identify what is important to you. Reclaim your time for each one. Protect the moments their value increases with time.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2024 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-76079050312108128242023-12-19T01:30:00.563-08:002023-12-27T14:45:36.298-08:002023 Reads : Pebble$<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumCkVMT4jkjDA1VcIKMzmgg-S_YnYzxQf1EblPHw2quHwQYwo-e-a59arioD_P11wAv5-3-iQPiyH06Zn86gdlWsXoC2es8SjknYUFTBbb8Kch66mTE-7z5PIgTRicNqcTed3ABvjVQlgIz4NcqaSJdV1N6ejNnn2RpbjWt3UjvdB08k_rgY1kVVw3A/s1024/2023Reads%20-%20Pebble$.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumCkVMT4jkjDA1VcIKMzmgg-S_YnYzxQf1EblPHw2quHwQYwo-e-a59arioD_P11wAv5-3-iQPiyH06Zn86gdlWsXoC2es8SjknYUFTBbb8Kch66mTE-7z5PIgTRicNqcTed3ABvjVQlgIz4NcqaSJdV1N6ejNnn2RpbjWt3UjvdB08k_rgY1kVVw3A/w640-h427/2023Reads%20-%20Pebble$.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-size: medium;">1. <i>The Bone Sparrow</i> : Zana Fraillon<br /><br />2. <i>Holes In The Sky</i> : Patricia Polacco<br /><br />3. <i>The Untethered Soul</i> : Michael A. Singer<br /><br />4. <i>Knots On A Counting Rope</i> : Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault (read by Bonnie Bartlett & William Daniels)<br /><br />5. <i>Great Granny</i> : Ann Bryant & Barbara Szepesi Szucs<br /><br />6. <i>Achieving A Dream </i> : Jill Atkins & Alessia Trunfio<br /><br />7. <i>The Yssis Papers - The Keys To The Colors</i> : Dr Frances Cress Welsing<br /><br />8. <i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i> : Eric Carle (read by Mo Gilligan)<br /><br />9. <i>Not Now Bernard</i> : David McKee (read by Mo Gilligan)<br /><br />10. King, S.M. (2011) '<a href="http://pneumareview.com/jim-wallis-rediscovering-values/">Jim Wallis: Rediscovering Values.</a>' <i>The Pneuma Review.</i> p. 1-4<br /><br />11. <i>Benny's Hat</i> : Juliet Clare Bell<br /><br />12. <i>We March</i> : Shane W. Evans (read by Marley Dias)<br /><br />13. <i>Girl - Essays On Black Womanhood</i> : Kenya Hunt<br /><br />14. <i>Somebody Loves You, Mr Hatch</i> : Eileen Spinelli (read by Hector Elizondo)<br /><br />15. <i>Nine Perfect Strangers</i> : Liane Moriarty<br /><br />16. <i>Punching The Air</i> : Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">17. <i>Superheroes Are Everywhere</i> : Kamala Harris<br /><br />18. <i>An Abolitionist's Handbook - 12 Steps To Changing Yourself And The World </i> : Patrisse Cullors // still reading..<br /><br />19. <i>Black Girl Magic Sprinkles </i> : Chaunetta Anderson<br /><br />20. <i>Opal Lee And What It Means To Be Free - The True Story Of The Grandmother Of Juneteenth</i> : Alice Faye Duncan<br /><br />21. <i>Wintering - The Power of Rest and Retreat In Difficult Times</i> : Katherine May<br /><br />22. <i>Antiracist Baby</i> : Ibram X. Kendi (read by Kendrick Sampson)<br /><br />23. <i>Girls Can Do Anything</i> : Kenneth Vaughan</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">24. <i>Aliens and Alienists</i> : Roland Littlewood & Maurice Lipsedge [3rd Edition] </span><span style="font-size: medium;">// still reading..</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">25. <i>Harry The Dirty Dog</i> : Gene Zion (read by Betty White)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">26. <i>Rich Dad Poor Dad</i> : Robert T Kiyosaki</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">27. <i>The Day You Begin</i> : Jacqueline Woodson (read by Jacqueline Woodson)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">28. <i>Guji Guji</i> : Chih-Yuan Chen (read by Robert Guillaume)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">29. <i>Respecting Persons In Theory and Practice</i> : Jan Narveson </span><span style="font-size: medium;">// still reading..</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>30. <i>Let's Talk About Race </i></span>: Julius Lester (read by Common)</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><br style="text-align: left;" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-5875856416477322882023-09-05T01:30:00.008-07:002023-09-05T01:30:00.131-07:00Dear Pebble$ : 006<p> </p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><h3><b><i><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">September 5, 2023</span></u></i></b></h3></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dear Pebble$,</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>30 days gives you enough time to dig a hole so deep you sink as the earth moves into heaps on either side. It is water, deep enough to swim from the tears you cried. Silence. Self-annihilation. Stupid talk rolled off a beautiful tongue without pauses. Flashbacks to a time when your face was an invitation to bullying. A time when the light in your eyes was offensive. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>30 days is enough time to bury nothing in that hole, to place the earth back where you found it. To rise higher as the soil fits into the spaces beneath your feet. It is enough time to cry at the thought of all the good that happened while you were distracted by the stupid talk that rolled off a beautiful tongue without pauses. Probably, enough time to read the power of words in a book and exchange silence for the sound of your voice. Enough time to be your hype woman as self-annihilating letters to self, move from the outbox to trash. I'll call you back to the present, the here and now of views through windows that remind you - there is no place you would rather be.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Girl, you have so much ahead of you. These distractions ended at the hour that Day 30 said Hey. Pour back into yourself. It's time to rise up again to pour further, quicker, and deeper than ever before. There are more lives this time. When you walk out into the light on Day 30, don't let a number, response, assumption, failure or thought stop you from pouring. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Your desired reality is already your present. Claim it! Work it! Live it!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>One more reason for pouring back into yourself. Preparation. Where you're going and where you will be required - the scared don't go there. Doubt is an old promise on a record we accidentally broke during the 30 days. It's time to pack some new things and choose some replacements.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>It's time to walk across that leveled earth and claim yourself as whole where holes have been. Pour water into the soil, let your seeds find their way to the surface, break through and create strength to hold some fruit.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><b>"Walk across that leveled earth."</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2021/01/dear-pebble-004.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Letter 005</span></span><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2018/10/dear-pebble-003.html" style="font-size: 18.72px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-87400014973114241762023-04-04T01:30:00.038-07:002023-04-04T01:30:00.136-07:00Bookworm Reflections - 1 | Pebble$<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKk7GXDh0XXg5PBNhEdFRJXnfZ86Hx-qpPvT0dpVPM9KYZkRtqG1A7uUwBzQIlQWh0LCUrsJJ9rt3eXYnAUVZyuBbB4wpClJnu4Oc08UyHllGwc4OVzoQQjOw3tif8xuRx7Am74CvVDh3ixeG1HuYvn9eF_jyz76Mz53IeBe2Sjoi4okRt7syrLolKQ/s1920/BookwormReflect1%20blog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKk7GXDh0XXg5PBNhEdFRJXnfZ86Hx-qpPvT0dpVPM9KYZkRtqG1A7uUwBzQIlQWh0LCUrsJJ9rt3eXYnAUVZyuBbB4wpClJnu4Oc08UyHllGwc4OVzoQQjOw3tif8xuRx7Am74CvVDh3ixeG1HuYvn9eF_jyz76Mz53IeBe2Sjoi4okRt7syrLolKQ/w514-h640/BookwormReflect1%20blog.jpg" width="514" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">image source : unknown</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is my first quarter in books, and reflecting on my days thus far.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Books I Have Read:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Holes In The Sky by Patricia Polacco</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Knots On A Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Great Granny by Ann Bryant & Barbara Szepesi Szucs</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Achieving A Dream by Jill Atkins & Alessia Trunfio</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - The Yssis Papers: The Keys To The Colors by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Not Now, Bernard by David McKee</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> - Benny's Hat by Juliet Clare Bell</span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Grief affects everybody differently. Sometimes your comfort with mortality simplifies death to a part of the life cycle that we expect. This knowledge makes you seem insensitive or avoidant to those who openly cry, retract, and require comfort.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Losses are as assured as gains through this journey. How prepared you are for either of them makes the difference in your experience through them and your reaction to them. In my case, numbness became inevitable. In the process, I had to detach myself from conversations and environments that would make me crumble instead of building the strength I needed to stand and walk.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I needed to build the strength in my legs to stand and walk because the unknowns ahead of me didn't have time or space for excuses. The falls which occurred gave me space to find my pieces, and the gradual rise reminded me of who I am. Beneath the layers is an artist, writer & poet who thrives on learning so she can share & reach others. And a bookworm who seeks entertainment and education.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</p><p></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">" This journey is bigger than me, so '<b>No</b>' becomes a boundary my mind and body will thank me for."</span></i></p><p></p></blockquote><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><blockquote style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></blockquote><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">________________________________________________</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My first quarter in books is grief & time to reflect (<b>Holes In The Sky</b>; <b>Benny's Hat</b>), feeding my inner child (<b>Knots On A Counting Rope</b>; <b>Great Granny</b>; <b>Achieving A Dream</b>; <b>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</b>; <b>Not Now, Bernard</b>), the deep thinker's lounge (<b>The Untethered Soul</b>; <b>The Yssis Papers</b>), and education (<b>The Bone Sparrow</b>; <b>The Yssis Papers</b>).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This first quarter is each day I intentionally remember. The calls I was surprised to receive & messages that made me smile. It was moments that made me rethink my self-worth, people that reminded me of how important it is to show up for your people, and forcing myself to take breaks so I can slow down for a little bit.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope you walk into tomorrow knowing whether the day is grey or bright. You can, and you will get through it. Keep going. No matter how small the steps are, decide that you'll make progress.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am walking forward with the following reminders from <i><b><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2023/01/dear-pebble-005.html" target="_blank">Dear Pebble$: 005</a></b></i>:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <b>1.</b> Other people fighting in your corner for your cause is a reminder to do this for others too.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <b>2. </b>Be open to opportunities, moments, and conversations. Moments and conversations with people. Interactions with places.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> <b>3.</b> Be open to gaining and letting go of things.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-62782528280868641042023-01-28T14:23:00.005-08:002023-09-03T05:02:57.939-07:00Dear Pebble$ : 005<p> </p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><h3><b><i><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">January 28, 2023</span></u></i></b></h3></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dear Pebble$,</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Deep Exhale.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The days are short, and the years are long. Opportunities are quick, but the windows are quicker. You grab me, or you miss me. You see me, or you don't.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>It is learning that other people fighting in your corner for your cause is a reminder for you to do this for others. It is recognizing that life is lived forwards and understood backward. I can't steal that line - I got it from Pastor Dharius. Since I heard it, I've been meditating on it.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Your life starts to mean much more and increases in value when you realize how privileged you are & can be if you open your heart. Our no.1 assignment in this world is to pour and pour until we have no more. Then go inside and refill. Take your time and some moments for yourself. Ideally, we should aim to pour into ourselves not too long after pouring into others. This prevents us from being off-duty when we are needed the most.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Translate this as you will and not out of context. Don't take it out of context and create something else. If it's for you, take it. If it's not, keep it moving. I mean that with the utmost respect. Because too often, when we reach points of burnout, we nullify messages that are NOT meant for us and try to translate them in a way that serves us in our situation to make us feel better. But the intention of the message is,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>If, you were in a season where that was the encouragement you needed, it wouldn't seem toxic.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>So, let's stop dumbing down messages in our times of despair because they are 'offensive.' Change the frequency. Mute the video. Mark the Ad as irrelevant. Don't let it affect the way you process and live life. Don't do that.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Inhale. Deep exhale.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>This will be a good year, but you have to be patient. You have to be open to opportunities, moments, and conversations. Moments and conversations with people. Interactions with places. An openness to gain and let go of things.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Exhale.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><b></b></i></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><b> "Life is lived forwards and only understood backward. Ain't that something, ain't that something."</b></i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2021/01/dear-pebble-004.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: normal;">Letter 004</span></span><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2018/10/dear-pebble-003.html" style="font-size: 18.72px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></a></div><div><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2018/10/dear-pebble-003.html" style="font-size: 18.72px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-10951638866249881232022-12-20T01:30:01.113-08:002023-01-09T12:24:14.175-08:002022 Reads : Pebble$<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh39sEsXS7oxThfsAnk83dKdnWyOIimmfeXv6xBhRti1APuje8J9-xMkA9YA7PHVf-Pd8k3YuLlY7y853_Z24w6GvZFyuEikJ469XGK48qLzuAKWRjZGYYtL7IQGQjVw5dtryb9MObkGhMfx6lli0hO-Lgb3KwImVG11y_3QVEKZ1_s4KU70KXZrRDw/s1280/2022Reads%20-%20Pebble$.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh39sEsXS7oxThfsAnk83dKdnWyOIimmfeXv6xBhRti1APuje8J9-xMkA9YA7PHVf-Pd8k3YuLlY7y853_Z24w6GvZFyuEikJ469XGK48qLzuAKWRjZGYYtL7IQGQjVw5dtryb9MObkGhMfx6lli0hO-Lgb3KwImVG11y_3QVEKZ1_s4KU70KXZrRDw/w640-h360/2022Reads%20-%20Pebble$.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>1. <i>The Little Book Of Clarity</i> : Jamie Smart</p><p>2. <i>B is for Breathe - The ABCs of Coping With Fussy And Frustrating Feelings</i> : Melissa Munro Boyd (read by Tabitha Brown)</p><p>3. <i> I Like Myself</i> : Karen Beaumont (read by Tracee Ellis Ross)</p><div>4. <i>100 Amazing Facts About The Negro - With Complete Proof</i> : Joel Augustus Rogers</div><div><br /></div><div>5. <i>When The Cousins Came</i> : Katie Yamasaki (read by Katie Yamasaki)</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div><div>6. <i>Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth</i> : Alfiee Breland-Noble, Cheryl Al-Mateen & Nirbhay Singh</div><div><br /></div><div>7. <i>Pretty Brown Face</i> : Andrea Davis Pinkney (read by Jill Scott)</div><div><br /></div><div>8. <i>Nine Perfect Strangers</i> : Liane Moriarty</div><div><br /></div><div>9. <i>Brown Boy Joy</i> : Thomishia Booker (read by Jill Scott)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><p>10. <i>The Undefeated</i> : Kwame Alexander</p><p>11. <i>The Saggy Baggy Elephant</i> : Kathryn & Byron Jackson</p><p>12. <i>Becoming Vanessa</i> : Vanessa Brantley-Newton (read by Vanessa Brantley-Newton)</p><div>13. <i>Rediscovering Values - A Moral Compass For The New Economy</i> : Jim Wallis</div><div><br /></div><div>14. <i>The Bench</i> : Meghan, The Duchess Of Sussex (read by Meghan, The Duchess Of Sussex)</div><div><br /></div><div><div>15<span style="text-align: justify;">. </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Grammy and Me</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> : Tyrah Majors</span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: justify;">16. <i>A Bad Case Of Stripes</i> : David Shannon</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>17. <i>Dearest One</i> : Arielle Dance</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>18. <i>The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People</i> : Stephen R. Covey</div></div><div><p>19. <i>Holes In The Sky</i> : Patricia Polacco</p></div><div>20. <i>If Ever We Were...</i> : Hattress Barbour III</div><div><div><br /></div><div>21. <i>ABCs For Girls Like Me</i> : Melanie Goolsby (read by Marsai Martin)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>22. <i>White Socks Only</i> : Evelyn Coleman</div><div><br /></div><div>23. <i>Ignobel Prizes</i> : Marc Abrahams</div><div><br /></div><div><div>24. <i>Water Bugs & Dragonflies - Explaining Death To Young Children</i> : Doris Stickney</div><div><br /></div><div>25. <i>The Shade Of Cocoa</i> : Marquita B</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>26. <i>I Am Enough</i> : Grace Byers (read by Tracee Ellis Ross)</div><div><br /></div><div>27. <i>The Night I Followed The Dog</i> : Nina Laden (read by Amanda Bynes)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>28. Resilience - How To Turn Adversity Into Strength : Josh Floyd</div><div><br /></div><div><div>29. <i>I Know I Can!</i> : Veronica N. Chapman</div><div><br /></div><div>30. <i>The True Story Of The 3 Little Pigs</i> : Jon Scieszka (read by Omarion)</div><div><br /></div><div>31. <i>Beads And Braids</i> : Aryn Taylor Diggs & Marissa J. Jacobs (read by Omarion)</div><div><br /></div><div>32. <i>The One Minute Manager Parting - Increase Productivity, Profits And Your Own Prosperity</i> : Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>33. <i>Badger's Parting Gifts</i> : Susan Varley (read by Ruby Dee)</div><div><br /></div><div>34. <i>I Am Perfectly Designed</i> : Karamo Brown (read by Karamo Brown)</div><div><br /></div><div>35. <i>Bugging A Bug</i> : JC Sykes</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>36. <i>The Soul Of Money - Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Life</i> : Lynne Twist</div><div><br /></div><div><div>37.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Skin Like Mine</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> : Latashia M. Perry</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">38. <i>The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey - Free Up Your Time And Deal With Priorities</i> : Ken Blanchard, William Oncken Jr & Hal Burrows</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;">39. <i>Grandad's Island</i> : Benji Davies</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">40. <i>The Big Brother Story</i> : Aisha Holland</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">41. <i>I Am Enough</i> : Grace Byers (read by Grace Byers)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">42. <i>The Mountain Is You</i> : Brianna Wiest</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">43. <i>How To Communicate Effectively</i> : Bert Decker</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>44. <i>Firebird</i> : Misty Copeland (read by Misty Copeland)</div><div><br /></div><div>45. <i>The Glass Bead Game</i> : Hermann Hesse</div><div><br /></div><div><div>46. <i>Chocolate Me!</i> : Taye Diggs (read by Omarion)</div><div><br /></div><div>47. <i>Hair Love</i> : Matthew A. Cherry (read by Omarion)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>48. <i>Invisible Women - Exposing Data Bias In A World Designed For Men</i> : Caroline Criado Perez</div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div></div></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-36347735350656089092022-12-06T01:30:00.235-08:002022-12-06T01:30:00.170-08:002022: A Podcast Taught Me | Pebble$<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6RgypiPSyj5N3YTVnGL0Q0ZKEMjeK-cMWB6DVDA3AreigjFZlAj9Qkvm44jQ98-O4zQINFd38qN-yJe9oNZJBivPgehGbCSWi-oI6r6x95pdCSw6hrt-6cB4kjTh-4QvRME1UEGbiF5IuzKWyLNoTFGlhhFBDsOvjil5k3KHTaigHH1dssg1TOUSmw/s2560/APodcastTaughtMe%20-%20Blog2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6RgypiPSyj5N3YTVnGL0Q0ZKEMjeK-cMWB6DVDA3AreigjFZlAj9Qkvm44jQ98-O4zQINFd38qN-yJe9oNZJBivPgehGbCSWi-oI6r6x95pdCSw6hrt-6cB4kjTh-4QvRME1UEGbiF5IuzKWyLNoTFGlhhFBDsOvjil5k3KHTaigHH1dssg1TOUSmw/w640-h360/APodcastTaughtMe%20-%20Blog2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the year that I share my podcast food with you. I will create a list of podcast episodes I've listened to through the year which I enjoyed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I may have laughed, learned something about myself, or learned something new. I might include a summary of the value gained from the episode beneath the hyperlinked title.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I had a moment like this in 2017 where I became intentional with my reading habits. I wasn't proud of my book count. Reading has always been something I enjoyed. But we find a way to place life above the things that feed us and calm us at our core.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As I share these episodes with you each year, I hope they will provide opportunities for you to sit and have a moment for your cup to be filled.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">___________________________________________________________</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3Muc2ltcGxlY2FzdC5jb20vcG9kY2FzdHMvMTk5Ni9yc3M/episode/Y2RiMDNiZDctZWU5OC00ODRlLWE4OTYtNTFhYTU3YTAyNmZk?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwig_ojDwvPvAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA" target="_blank">#50. The Many Layers Of Black Womanhood with Kenesha Sneed</a> </b> | <i>Black Girl In Om </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS96ZVRCam9acw/episode/NTVkMzI5MzUtYTRiNi00NjhkLWFhZmYtYTdkZTEwODRiMzk3?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwj4s-2lsfD6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQFQ" target="_blank">#47. Cultivating Connection Creatively with Morgan Harper Nichols</a></b> | <i>Black Girl In Om </i></span></p><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy81NWFhZmJhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MTA1ZDljZDYtYmIyYy00NWMxLWE5ZjQtM2Y5MzNkN2I1NjUw?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahgKEwj4s-2lsfD6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ6gE" target="_blank">Preview Episode: "Taking Notes"</a></b> | <i>Peace & Pages </i></span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS96ZVRCam9acw/episode/MjI0ZDBkNzMtMzg4Yi00MjI2LTg1MDMtYjFkMDZkMjg2NzE2?sa=X&ved=0CAIQuIEEahgKEwj4s-2lsfD6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQowk" target="_blank">#34. Listening, Learning, and Loving: Journeying To Self with Yaminah Mayo</a></b> | <i>Black Girl In Om </i></span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5eXeLgqlaOv7Us7CvD5IKy" target="_blank"><b>Ima Let You Finish But..</b></a> | <i>Kar Rides With Kendra</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0s2Jl6TVa4gkNR5f5RTFR2" target="_blank">Let's Talk About Goals, Baby!</a></b> | </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Kar Rides With Kendra</i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2VpZ2h0eXR3b25pbmV0eXNpeC9mZWVkLnhtbA/episode/ZWlnaHR5dHdvbmluZXR5c2l4LnBvZGJlYW4uY29tLzJkOWNmYjBiLTA3MjItMzExYi1hMGM0LTQ2MzhlMzg2MTFkZg?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahgKEwj4s-2lsfD6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQvgk" target="_blank">Trust the Writing Process</a></b> | <i>EightyTwo NinetySix </i></span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.lushusa.com/podcast/episode-1-whats-your-algorithm.html" target="_blank"><b>Episode 1: What's Your Algorithm? - Reckoning With Technology and Reclaiming Our Wellbeing In Online Spaces.</b></a> | <i>The Sound Bath </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://play.acast.com/s/powerhour/voicenote4-reflectingonfailures" target="_blank">Voice Note 4 - Reflecting On Failures</a></b> | <i>Power Hour </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/fiona-murden/id1443615779?i=1000426917676" target="_blank">Fiona Murden</a></b> | <i>Power Hour </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6SVWQBkIIX2Lg3ZegAv8Ca?si=X39P5iq5RrClzbSgaVWKfw" target="_blank">Episode 1 - Venetia La Manna on Sustainable Fashion</a></b> <i>| The Happy Pear Podcast</i></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>David Bayer on Shifting Into a Powerful Mindset at Any Time, in Any Situation (#144)</b> | <i>Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu</i></span></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/walden/id1645772181?i=1000580760596" target="_blank">Walden</a></b> | <i>Books & Black Coffee</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-it-well-or-dont-do-it-at-all/id1627511801?i=1000568996614" target="_blank">Do It Well or Don't Do It At All!</a></b> | <i>Kar Rides With Kendra</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-outta-your-head/id1627511801?i=1000577201151" target="_blank"><b>Get Outta Your Head</b></a> | <i>Kar Rides With Kendra</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/voice-note-30-the-keys-to-confidence/id1443615779?i=1000459983910" target="_blank">Voice Note 30 - The Keys To Confidence</a> </b> | <i>Power Hour</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/5-pillars-of-high-performance/id1443615779?i=1000450062198" target="_blank">5 Pillars Of High Performance</a></b> | <i>Power Hour</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/c3e11575-82d5-4c9b-b162-bb373badc2b1/episodes/a283f253-afab-4f52-a201-c2e83950ecd3/books-black-coffee-a-bad-case-of-stripes" target="_blank">A Bad Case Of Stripes</a></b> | <i>Books & Black Coffee</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-is-filled-with-swift-transitions/id1627511801?i=1000578689326" target="_blank">Life Is Filled With Swift Transitions</a></b> <i>| Kar Rides With Kendra</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-time-to-take-action/id1627511801?i=1000580945171" target="_blank">It's Time To Take Action!</a></b> <i>| Kar Rides With Kendra</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-49128483726319684032022-11-01T02:30:00.399-07:002022-11-01T14:27:43.125-07:00Sisterhood = We Love & We Uplift<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcFhs5OZzO1Onoo7OeebpB64b8YcdLeaOAdvikLxxzcyAZ40jiUFrjCDOkUqmTAyknfmAvednfS9NqOxJ2v-wJJnvDHnQXNgC7-vErrKXHfMnZ2QWL2oZURcKGYXN3MGNQuUz99lM9j2kJqpqp6e8FivhGmJrOgQ2Wdjdj1DUI4QFgebANmv-dhV4A/s1280/Sisterhood%20blog%20image2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcFhs5OZzO1Onoo7OeebpB64b8YcdLeaOAdvikLxxzcyAZ40jiUFrjCDOkUqmTAyknfmAvednfS9NqOxJ2v-wJJnvDHnQXNgC7-vErrKXHfMnZ2QWL2oZURcKGYXN3MGNQuUz99lM9j2kJqpqp6e8FivhGmJrOgQ2Wdjdj1DUI4QFgebANmv-dhV4A/w640-h360/Sisterhood%20blog%20image2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">image source : blacklove.com [The You Retreat]</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I started with an idea for tweets after I watched the last conversation on Sisterhood. You can find the first post <a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2022/09/sisterhood-conversations-in-safe-spaces.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Let's continue the conversation through these words and in the comments. I hope you leave this post feeling uplifted.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Reminder</b> : This is a safe space and all comments are welcome. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KaMPOh1EofQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Mickey Guyton x Estelle</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">#YouRetreat #CreatingYourOwnPath <span style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mickeyguyton/" target="_blank">@mickeyguyton</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/estelledarlings/" target="_blank">@estelledarlings</a></i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There will be times when you may be the first. A first deviation from the norm. A first in your family, career, achievements, industry, or whatever it may be.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It may be hard on some days, and you will lose yourself. You will question if it is worth it, if the process is worth the discomfort and the tears. You will question if you are worth it. If you are worth fighting for, does this even matter anymore?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You will question how long it will take to get through. How long before somebody believes in me too? How long must I wait? You've got to work through it, so you can walk through it and come out on the side of the why. Why you?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why you were chosen.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why you are needed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why you needed the process.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why the tears were important.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why the discomfort was important.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As the first, you may be placed in a box or several boxes. These are a collective of molds designed to keep you fearful OR doubtful long enough to stop living, dreaming, and turning possibilities into reality. The first box is often the one that tells you how it has always been. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you move past that one, you may encounter a box that asks that you stay within the lines. Or a box that says don't imagine anything beyond here. They are all limitations that ask you to assume the answer will be No when Yes is a possibility.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Your job is to break it without apology and educate others as you overcome everything - they said would overwhelm you. Create a new box with opportunities for expansion and creativity. Stand in your box confidently, defend it, promote it, and give grace to those who misunderstand it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>_________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>" Highlighting us, is a form of protecting us."</b> - <i>Estelle.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>_________________________________</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Highlighting our sisters' gifts, talents, and work creates community. That community provides the support that we need to keep on going. The support we need to continue the great work assigned to each of us in the paths - that we must grow on, build, create, and redefine. Highlighting gives us the confidence to own our narratives and change them when the messaging has been incorrect.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Being the first can be exhausting if you are forced into a cycle of fighting and defending yourself. Working harder than the rest to achieve what you want to make those visions a reality. Doing the work and learning the systems so you can open doors for others behind you.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After exhaustion, it is vital to rest and gradually find peace. Peace will have different definitions, manifestations, and values as you move through the seasons of your life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">______________________________________________________________</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W-Bofdt7GLw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>Angela Rye x Devi Brown</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">#YouRetreat #SisterhoodIsQueen <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/angelarye/" target="_blank">@angelarye</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/" target="_blank">@devibrown</a></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sisterhood is the betrayal I refuse to partake in, the safe spaces I choose to create for you, and the moments you can share with me & keep as your own. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seasons can change the demands of sisterhood & what we each need as individuals. These changes can also mean that we must grow with our sisters as they go through seasons, situations, or grieving. A willingness to grow with our sisters helps us understand what they need and how we can provide that. We gain clarity on what they need and how we can help them navigate to and through that.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Sisterhood, we speak love and freely elevate our sisters. I will use every opportunity to list the things I love about you until you get tired. I choose to speak highly of you in rooms that haven't seen the depth of your being like I have. I will remind the world to be patient with you because there is a beauty to you - that it cannot afford to miss.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>_________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><b>We have to have friends who are willing to coach us where we're deficient or where we have blind spots. That is so important, because the mirror isn't always exact.</b> - <i>Angela Rye</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>_________________________________</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sisterhood is the beauty of different schedules which flow in directions that don't match - somehow, we make beauty in the busyness, the mess, and finally sit together. We make those differences work.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>What makes sisterhood work? </b></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When we individually show up for ourselves. When you care for you, nurture you, check in with you, grow you, and know you. Then you can do these things for your sisters. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When we have poured into ourselves and created a system for continually filling ourselves - our sisters will benefit from that time and time again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sisterhood is not transactions and reactive <i>'reciprocity'</i>. Sisterhood is natural cycles of reciprocity that come with seasons and attend to different needs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><b>Reciprocity</b></i> = we have our hearts open to each others. I know when I need you you're there and vice versa. - <i>Devi Brown</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">- Sisterhood is unapologetic in its truth. It is honest in what it can and cannot give. And what it will and will not accept. It is a daily practice that pours into the individuals to enrich the collective. -</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2022/09/sisterhood-conversations-in-safe-spaces.html" target="_blank">- This is the final post in the Sisterhood series, but you can read the first post here -</a></span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-49390065093629659862022-10-18T01:30:00.113-07:002022-10-18T01:30:00.172-07:00A Bookworm's Podcast - Books & Black Coffee<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/pippa/image/fetch/h_750,w_750,f_auto/https://assets.pippa.io/shows/63013713c953500013439ed5/1663509717399-ebb3ae6fc429e3b514c3575ce2c05bfc.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/pippa/image/fetch/h_750,w_750,f_auto/https://assets.pippa.io/shows/63013713c953500013439ed5/1663509717399-ebb3ae6fc429e3b514c3575ce2c05bfc.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The About page reads..</span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>" Welcome to Books & Black Coffee. Join two bookworms for conversations that center on the power of knowledge shared and its application. Each episode is an open door into lessons through books that carry messages which transcend generations. Together we learn, we explore and we leave with much more."</i></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have become more intentional with listening to podcasts since the Winter of 2020. Just like my reading habits, my listening habits have been diverse. It has ranged from wellness podcasts to self-help/personal development and deep conversation podcasts.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the Books & Black Coffee podcast launched, it made me curious if there are more bookworm-centered podcasts out there. Podcasts that take books and turn them into valuable conversations; conversations that can be, enjoyed by non-bookworms and bookworms alike. Please comment with your favorite bookworm, book club, conversation about books, or new releases podcasts below (I want to listen too!).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Check out the first few episodes of Books & Black Coffee below.</i></span></p><iframe frameborder="0" height="380px" src="https://embed.acast.com/63013713c953500013439ed5?feed=true" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"> Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-79105193329248467702022-10-04T01:30:00.193-07:002022-11-01T14:29:10.207-07:00Sisterhood = Curated Conversations & Safe Spaces<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkiJANCtBNmvr8P-sRnod2DBvTcjeidxfUbB5cf6JGw_IhRZDFK7clZczKUpbruIcRdBC5CZdThBDnRgTh1j9OwfPrIDYbeHQKaigmv_AhSf4iY_M8PxDTXI27csnk3bL8fKlT5_OqXVc6u-LJoablmzfMlevDjM568wmMjhJsbFvmPNi8h_0_Graug/s1280/Sisterhood%20blog%20image1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkiJANCtBNmvr8P-sRnod2DBvTcjeidxfUbB5cf6JGw_IhRZDFK7clZczKUpbruIcRdBC5CZdThBDnRgTh1j9OwfPrIDYbeHQKaigmv_AhSf4iY_M8PxDTXI27csnk3bL8fKlT5_OqXVc6u-LJoablmzfMlevDjM568wmMjhJsbFvmPNi8h_0_Graug/w640-h360/Sisterhood%20blog%20image1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">image source : blacklove.com [The You Retreat]</span></i></p><div><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">I started with an idea for tweets to post after I watched the last conversation on Sisterhood. I had this plan in mind using the event hashtags and tagging the speakers in careful succession to create a beautiful thread. I soon realized I had more than a few lines to share, so this post was composed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can I take you on a journey?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a safe space and all comments are welcome.</span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VA6Ywlqq8EA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">Aunt Tab x MrsKevOnStage</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">#YouRetreat #IAmWorthy <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/iamtabithabrown/" target="_blank">@iamtabithabrown</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mrskevonstage/" target="_blank">@mrskevonstage</a></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Don't use your service to others as an excuse for not reaching your full potential because of fear. What is on the inside of you requires accountability and stewarding - you have to take responsibility for your life. Responsibility for what you are wasting, ignoring, dismissing, and getting comfortable with in playing small. There is a day where you will knowingly or unknowingly sit with yourself, evaluate and question what you've done with your days, years, youth, and strength. Don't let that moment be one - full of regrets, sorrow, or shouldawouldacouldas.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If there was ever a time that you should care about the credits at the end of the seasons of your life, it should be today. It should be now. Don't let the credits be a whole lot of names, main characters, stunt doubles, and extras with your name close to the end because you always supported others and never showed up for yourself. Stop watching all the greatness around you be the only greatness that is known - while nobody knows about the greatness within you. Stages aren't for everyone, but I know moments, seasons, impact, and purpose ARE for EVERYONE.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What moments will those with paths connected to yours experience because you showed up?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>What seasons will you manifest in so somebody knows they are not alone? So somebody can thank God for your life & existence. </span>So somebody can be seen, impacted, loved, understood, and have problems solved.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What impact will you stand up and make in this world? What impact will you make in YOUR lifetime?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Show up, and let people know that your purpose is KEY to something within the puzzle and portrait of this world. You are what people are yearning for when you show up in season, each season.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No matter how many mistakes you have made. The things you didn't know. The places you went that you shouldn't have gone. The storms you endured, the pain that crippled you. All the things you can't seem to forgive yourself for. How much you should have done, achieved, or accomplished. How far you should be. Remember to be glad that you didn't give up.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dead people don't worry about these things. Be grateful for your life and the opportunities you WILL have to change it, reflect on it, learn from it, learn new ways, and make improvements.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Last but not least, practice that self-talk. Practice it until you get comfortable saying positive things out loud to yourself in your space. Use that self-talk to reaffirm that you are Worthy. You are worthy of respect, love, truth, community, laughter, fulfillment & beautiful moments.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;">___________________________________________________________</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-CsO8itOQJ0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"> Codie Elaine x Tai Beauchamp</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">#YouRetreat #TakingCareOfSelf #AboutYourBusiness <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/codieco/" target="_blank">@codieco</a></i> <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/taibeau/" target="_blank">@taibeau</a></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>What is a boss?</i></span></u> <b>'</b>Boss<b>'</b> definitions differ from one woman to the next, so don't uphold the standards and responsibilities of another woman as your own. Recognize or learn to recognize where holding space will drain your capacity and lead to burnout. To prevent burnout, delegate - delegate in as many areas as you can to ensure that when you are serving - your best service is what we receive.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To pour from a cup - you haven't had the chance to fill so others can receive from it - turns them into thieves. We make people thieves when we make a habit of giving away what we need for ourselves</span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"> (paraphrased from an Oprah & Iyanla conversation).</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Being about your business is taking care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is being about your business. Your business covers various areas in your life, it is different levels of needs in your life, and it is the pieces that make the whole of your being. It is also the things that do and do not define you. This part also has a definition that differs from one woman to the next, so take your time. Take your time navigating - identify and define what your business is & how to be about it. Identify what each piece requires and start caring for yourself by meeting those needs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Defining yourself and what is so beautiful about you stretches beyond the titles, jobs, money, and responsibilities - it is about who you are at the core when all those things are gone. When you forget about the title, jobs, money, privileges, and responsibilities - Do you like who you are becoming? Do you recognize that woman? Do you know her? Do you know what SHE loves, what she enjoys, what makes her happy? </span><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-style: italic;">*don't wait for a burnout, breakdown, or rock bottom to reach that reconciliation point with yourself.</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Use. Your. Tools. </b>Calendars, reminders, notifications for self, timers, alarms - whatever works for you and centers you back to living in each moment, as well as giving your best to your work & responsibilities. Do that.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sisterhood is about participation and celebration. It is showing up in spaces where you are the missing link in your sisters' stories, businesses, brands, growth, healing & more. Sisterhood is the creation of safe spaces where you are encouraged to evolve, grow, pause, heal and talk. These safe spaces are therapy - they care for where you are personally and professionally.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2022/09/sisterhood-love-uplift-retreat.html" target="_blank">- Watch out for the second post in this series - </a></b></span></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-86443885439482651962022-04-26T01:30:00.197-07:002022-09-15T10:49:36.845-07:00World Book & Copyright Day | Pebble$<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Theme : You Are A Reader</i></span></h3><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWStq-92qJwtaPXF0CQM7TV71ofYPDdU3D1bL0_AxJZ9ERkLvTzQ-T1Agar0Tu75lPdv30N3H_sGiRusZmN_yJgql4iHu2lhlg7EIFBTgf5JJ1eyFhZ6VECSookw0fgPKHHokJhCj-LE2mrRNGTXb0c2uprGw5laTmJvYGjA0ldIpFANAv4RfCSDEgHA/s2560/BookDay%20Blog%20FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWStq-92qJwtaPXF0CQM7TV71ofYPDdU3D1bL0_AxJZ9ERkLvTzQ-T1Agar0Tu75lPdv30N3H_sGiRusZmN_yJgql4iHu2lhlg7EIFBTgf5JJ1eyFhZ6VECSookw0fgPKHHokJhCj-LE2mrRNGTXb0c2uprGw5laTmJvYGjA0ldIpFANAv4RfCSDEgHA/w640-h360/BookDay%20Blog%20FINAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This year's theme is <b>You Are A Reader</b>. It encourages everybody, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to start the habit of reading by choosing at least one book to read because they are readers too. Reading is not exclusive to a few. It should be available to us all. Start from the basics, identify your reading level and grow from there. Nobody needs this adventure the way that YOU need it - be patient with yourself as your confidence grows. Explore! Don't hold back, don't limit yourself.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Reading gives us access by unlocking the doors through which we are understood and gain understanding - whether we need solutions, guidance, inspiration, representation, or encouragement. Books serve each of these needs and more.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As you move through this year and recognize that "You Are A Reader" too, I have a little reading challenge for you. Try choosing at least one book from each genre that catches your interest. Feel free to ask a librarian for some guidance if you are unsure where to start, or you can ask the assistants at your local bookstore. Take these books, immerse yourself in them, travel through the pages at your speed and make notes if necessary.</span></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Below you can find a question toolkit for my new bookworms out there. You can use these questions to reflect on each book you read, but they can also help you identify which genres you like the most.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What did you like about the book?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What didn't you like about the book?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Was that genre better than you expected? Would you read from that genre again?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Who were your favorite characters?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>What were your favorite lines or pages?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Were you happy with the ending? Do you wish it was different?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Did you surprise yourself by finishing the book?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Did you find out how beautiful reading is?</i> <i>[After the challenge is complete]</i></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">Remember</b><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"> that there are various formats for reading. Paperback, Hardback, eBooks, Audiobooks, Read-aloud videos with books narrated to you. You may prefer some genres to be read to you, while you prefer to read other genres yourself in Paperback and eBook formats.</span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: left;">For my </span><b style="text-align: left;">current bookworms</b><span style="text-align: left;">, I have a little task for you made up of 3 questions - let's spread that reading confidence around the globe.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can answer them by sharing your comments below OR putting your advice to work by encouraging others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>1. What would you say to encourage a preschooler to read? </i>[kids up to the age of 7]</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>2. What would you say to encourage young adults to read?</i> [12-17 years olds]</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>3. What would you say to encourage adults to read? </i>[25 and older]</span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Below you can find links to my <b>World Book Day 2022</b> videos.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_fl2y3qKbq8" target="_blank">A Bad Case Of Stripes by David Shannon</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BlQhm9KDpfw" target="_blank">If Ever We Were... by Hattress Barbour III</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/JjLOnG35mkU" target="_blank">White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://youtu.be/L066dA1SMZw" target="_blank">Encouragement For New Bookworms w. Pebble$</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"> Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-46928829326223783742022-01-25T01:30:00.634-08:002022-01-25T01:30:00.184-08:00In Pieces - Let's Talk<p> </p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://musingalt.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/41475892_321230365109012_6056490137511002112_n1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="800" height="370" src="https://musingalt.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/41475892_321230365109012_6056490137511002112_n1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">image credit : unknown.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hey World.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let's talk for a moment. Well, I speak while you talk back at the screen after each line. I filmed a short <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/By83lcCF6dW/" target="_blank">review</a> for this book a few years back, but some things didn't make the final cut.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So today. I grant you the privilege to - come inside, explore my thoughts and challenge them. Feel free to start a conversation in the comments or whatever platform you see this post shared on; I would love that.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It truly comes in pieces. With each page, she broke herself down like a sculpture made up of three layers - some concrete, some glass, and at the center a rose. As we move through the book - she hits harder and harder at the concrete until we see the glass. When fragile matters require more energy to cover up than they do to address, she applies pressure to the glass until it shatters. As the pieces fall to the ground, we can finally reach out and touch the rose.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As we take a brief moment to look at the ground, we see all the shattered pieces - a mess. We see unraveled truth spoken. We see fragments of this woman, pain, and damage. Sally Field is a damaged woman and, her experiences have brought harm to her in one way or another. She is not a perfect woman. None of us are perfect, but let's take the privileged position from here on out to explore some things.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1, There are generations of women who didn't take the time out to do the necessary therapy. I'm not talking about sitting opposite a psychologist or in a therapist's chair, but rather that deep travel within yourself. The type of travel where you are honest with yourself. You talk about what your experiences in life have been up to that moment. Then address what they have done to you. <b>AND</b> working through those varying conversations continually before you add any man or kids to your life.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another point of damage arises through my notes - Sally allowed anybody go in the cookie jar then, smother their hands on that jar and leave fingerprints. She didn't allow herself fully process those moments and, she didn't deal with what she had been through up to that point. While these things remained, she added kids into her picture so, along came the responsibilities of motherhood. Alongside this comes the constant ponderings of a mother, concerns she has for her sister; and her decision to get into a committed relationship <i>(insert concerned side glance)</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let me point out one part of the story which opened the door to Sally's trauma. As a woman, your children are good guides on whether that new person should come into your life. Her mother ignored this guide in Sally's reluctance and crying when Jacko came into their home. Her mother ignored that red flag when she followed through with marrying Jacko. There will be points where mothers will read this book and wrinkle their noses while mentally saying 'daughter how?' 'how did you manage to let your dignity get played with like that?' 'don't do this!'</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2, Red alarms are a woman's intuition, a warning against failure, a call to listen before the earth quakes. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sally's dignity was played with, trampled on, and many times the red alarms rang. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And this is the point where several hands went into the cookie jar, got as many cookies as they liked, as frequently as they liked and, all they left were fingerprints. This phase of ignored red alarms taught me a few things. Firstly, you don't have to go through trauma; it can be down to the things you have internalized as a teenager or experiences you had in life. And when you are at a crossroad where you're unsure how to navigate, we see reactions like the constant struggle between Sally and her mother. Translated to life on the privileged side of this screen - it can be the battle between yourself and confidence in your decisions. It can be the back and forth thinking of whether to rise again after something repeats itself in a different situation later in life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This plays out between Sally and her mother because Sally is in the thick of it, dealing with life's situations while her trauma lays beneath it all. You can't hold all of that and operate at your best. So, Sally's reactions towards her mother become disproportionate to the wrongs her mother has done in the past. Therapy can't occur in environments like these, where life's weights pull you like strings from several directions as you try to hold yourself together. When you internalize your battles as you work through your trauma or the issues of life make working through trauma a low priority, it's hard to invite other people in. What seat, what room, what space will you be able to provide? The answer is none.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">3, There's always a portal, an open door. But who will find that door and close it before it hides its destruction in the fabric of our lives?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sally's mother is a portal to the generations that have brought baggage and traps along for the ride. And what one generation doesn't deal with, the generations that follow inherit and struggle through. In the worst scenario, the next generation doesn't learn from it, but the hope is they will learn, overcome and break cycles of trauma.</span></div><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Pieces is a lesson for all readers, with one of many messages that read '<b>Place yourself in a position of privilege. Learn from Sally's story and let it help you navigate. Navigate several different relationships, several different issues that men & women face and, the World itself. Work through your problems; you deserve the other side of solutions or healing.</b>'</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As you grasp this message, if there is any therapy you've got to do, be your therapist first and talk out those problems. When you identify your problems, triggers, and things you can't quite put into words, the next step is, finding somebody you can talk to. A friend, a therapist, a coach, family. Who is your trusted person, your trusted people? Engage with those people.</span></div><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I liked my journey through this book. I gained some understanding that has been useful and remains applicable. I felt uncomfortable for Sally as she described situations and told her story. BUT her mistakes, decisions, and lessons gave me some tools. I asked myself how I could be more understanding towards people who find themselves in similar situations. How can I be a light to comfort them through the blind moves, crossroads, and those breakdowns that lead them right back to the fetal position? How can I encourage people to give themselves time and space to get things right before repairing relationships? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-family: Tinos; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some closing thoughts and random lines that were too much fragment to make complete sentences are below. T</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">hese random thoughts helped shape some poems which explored the struggle between Sally and her mother. It goes far beyond Sally and her mother to mothers and daughters across the globe. </span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #999999;">"mothers and daughters are set up to have these clashes. I don't know if it's a silent war."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pebbleswroteit/p/BzJguGZFv8a/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">"I don't know if this silent war is a fight for strength or the combined power between mother and daughter."</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pebbleswroteit/p/BzTjrEmFzh9/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">"mothers fight for their instructions to be heeded, and daughters are caught in this circle of intuition where she's got her thoughts which battle against a mother's intuition." </a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzOHT3ilvEG/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">"I believe there's a power that mothers and daughters both have in being women that this book highlights, but how do we move beyond the generational struggle to a place where that power unites"</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thank you so much for your time in reading this post to the end. Once again, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">explore my thoughts and challenge them. Feel free to start a conversation in the comments or whatever platform you see this post shared on; I would love that.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"> Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-28983252702883505782022-01-11T01:30:00.004-08:002022-01-11T01:30:00.170-08:00Don't Rush Through 2022 | Pebble$<div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDaS-djLHb4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy New Year World!</span></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Welcome In.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Don't rush through the chapters, don't skip pages, don't give up, don't get impatient with yourself.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Each time the bricks come tumbling - regroup, refocus, strategize & rise again.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2022 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-31662222080633578712021-12-21T01:30:01.202-08:002022-09-15T10:50:16.415-07:002021 Reads : Pebble$<p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmF_pcLoDgdnWZSczQ_WJkdCuFCJk6_SIZ-0LEJNGzbxyYWOhkmu1MSC6ouSUh0qZwTa_XyrUngKj_q_HJNy8OwGCvonvKexdtwS-iLsXI60ZrZjMwrvSTt7oeeM2FD9s3Sr5uD70igeGkeKaYp6-Pn4B2T0br8OwIfoZ1Ntg6hoGvpHBl5DokfqkvNA=s1280" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmF_pcLoDgdnWZSczQ_WJkdCuFCJk6_SIZ-0LEJNGzbxyYWOhkmu1MSC6ouSUh0qZwTa_XyrUngKj_q_HJNy8OwGCvonvKexdtwS-iLsXI60ZrZjMwrvSTt7oeeM2FD9s3Sr5uD70igeGkeKaYp6-Pn4B2T0br8OwIfoZ1Ntg6hoGvpHBl5DokfqkvNA=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p>1. <i style="text-align: justify;">I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings </i><span style="text-align: justify;"> : Maya Angelou</span></p><p>2. <i>My Hair</i> : Hannah Lee</p><p>3. <i>Bury Your Dead</i> : Louise Penny</p><p>4.<i> The Tyranny Of Structurelessness</i> : Jo Freeman</p><p>5.<i> Eleven Minutes</i> : Paulo Coelho</p><p>6. <i>Zhuan Falun</i> : Li Hongzhi</p><p>7. <i>Poison - Taming The Tongue</i> : Dag Heward-Mills</p><p><i>8. A Painted House</i> : John Grisham</p><p>9. <i>The Pathway To Distinction</i> : Matthew Ashimolowo</p><p>10. <i>No Mirrors In My Nana's House</i> : Ysaye Maria Barnwell (read by Tia & Tamera Mowry)</p><p>11. <i>The Space Within - Finding Your Way Back Home</i> : Michael Neill</p><p>12. <i>Esther Was A Diva</i> : Tony Evans</p><p>13. <i>Natives - Race & Class In The Ruins Of Empire</i> : Akala</p><p>14. <i>Black Maternal Mortality - Our Fight Back </i> : Dr. Andrea Alexander</p><p>15. <i>If Ever We Were...</i> : Hattress Barbour III</p><p>16. <i>Invisible Women - Exposing Data Bias In A World Designed For Men</i> : Caroline Criado-Perez</p><p>17. <i>Freshwater</i> : Akwaeke Emezi</p><div>18. <i>Oh, The Places You'll Go</i> : Dr. Seuss (read by Michelle Obama)</div><div><br /></div><div>19. <i>Can I Be Your Dog?</i> : Troy Cummings (read by Michelle Obama)</div><p>20. <i>The Biology Of Belief - Unleashing The Power Of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles</i> : Bruce H Lipton</p><p>21. <i>Criminals, Idiots, Women and Minors</i> : Frances Power Cobbe</p><p>22. <i>The Tiger Who Came To Tea</i> : Judith Kerr (read by Mo Gilligan)</p><p>23. <i>Black Masculinity and the Cinema Of Policing</i> : Jared Sexton</p><p>24. <i>Black Feminist Politics from Kennedy to Trump</i> : Duchess Harris</p><p>25. <i>Sebastian's Roller Skates</i> : Joan de Déu Prats (read by Caitlin Wachs)</p><p>26. <i>Walden</i> : Henry David Thoreau</p><div>27. <i>I Love My Hair!</i> : Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (read by Tiffany Haddish)</div><div><br /></div><div>28. <i>Girl, Stop Apologizing - A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals</i> : Rachel Hollis</div><div><br /></div><div>29. <i>Microaggressions and Modern Racism - Endurance and Evolution</i> : Charisse C. Levchak</div><div><br /></div><div>30. <i>The Untethered Soul </i> : Michael A. Singer</div><div><br /></div><div>31. <i>Mixed Blessings From A Cambridge Union</i> : Elizabeth N. Anionwu</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>32. <i>Crown - An Ode to the Fresh Cut</i> : Derrick Barnes (read by Caleb McLaughlin)</div><div><p>33. <i>The Glass Bead Game </i> : Hermann Hesse</p><p>34. <i>The Birth Of Tragedy</i> : Friedrich Nietzsche</p><p>35. <i>My Daddy Said - I Can Be Anything</i> : Fanita Moon Pendleton (read by Tabitha Brown)</p><p>36. <i>Sulwe</i> : Lupita Nyong'o (read by Lupita Nyong'o)</p><p>37. <i>The Little Book Of Clarity</i> : Jamie Smart</p><div>38. <i>Something In The Water</i> : Catherine Steadman</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-16882794805951351772021-10-19T01:30:00.318-07:002021-10-19T01:30:00.209-07:00Exploring 'Walden' | Pebble$ Reads<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQhPgEHAnEc/YWDbQo7Ei9I/AAAAAAAAJ-Q/6QKp3BTmcu0BKi104V9Doc3mMVDhfxUqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Walden%2Bblog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQhPgEHAnEc/YWDbQo7Ei9I/AAAAAAAAJ-Q/6QKp3BTmcu0BKi104V9Doc3mMVDhfxUqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h320/Walden%2Bblog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I took note as I read this book. I was annoyed at first with how long it took me to process each page. I wanted to read faster, read the words and move on but, my mind needed this moment. It didn't want to process the words like fast food. It needed to sit with pages/chapters/sections and show respect for a carefully cooked meal, fine dining, navigate each item on the plate.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I want to take you through my thoughts for words and sections that wouldn't let me slide past when I read them.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><b>Let's begin.</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"<i>The soil, it appears, is suited to the seed, for it has sent its radicle downward, and it may now send its shoot upward also with confidence."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Nature can teach us some much. So much about ourselves, how we should treat each other, and sometimes how to switch up the way we approach life and situations. Like plants, we should plant ourselves in good ground, find good soil, positions ourselves in a place where the sun may reach us. BUT don't forget that roots develop so the plant can produce fruit. Care for your roots. Give them what they need, whatever you do, ensure you don't stop there when tending to yourself - be positioned someplace, any place that sees you bearing fruit. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seek growth factors (soil, a good environment), remember you are a seed (full of potential). Send your radicle downwards (your roots, prepared to learn the fundamentals, be a beginner). Send your shoot upwards (use what you learn to grow, use what you find to build, value people who can act as sunlight and nutrient for your growth), and do this with confidence. Confidence is knowing that you are not where you used to be, it is looking back to see how far you have come, how much you have grown.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"<i>I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still, and threw them out the window in disgust."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After these words, he continues the conversation with self asking, 'how could he consider getting himself a furnished home which would gather further dust, he would rather live out in the open amongst nature which gathers no dust.' The words and the afterthought come together as a reminder for us as humans. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We give attention and time to making 'valued' things look great and polished but, we don't give this much attention to the vessel that carries us from day to day. That great vessel is our body, its systems, its compartments, and our mind. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The reminder here is to renew your mind, stretch it, teach it, challenge it often or allow it to be challenged by others often. So, that we don't die while those external 'assets' remain without our existence.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm going to extrapolate a little here that means I'm going to stretch these words a little beyond their context, but I promise I'll center my thoughts right back into context once I reach my tangent. Let's take these three limestones as mind, body, and soul. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All of these are key to your existence, they all react when something is out of balance - the extreme of that imbalance, f</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">or example, i</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">s dust. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Minimal exercise, the wrong foods, minimal sleep, and stress are the body's dust. When these things persist, the body reacts in several ways where pathologies may develop. Limiting environments, limiting people, what you see, what you hear, what you say, and the things that pass the filters of your mind are the dust that settles in your soul. Negative self-talk, bad advice that lingers, overthinking, lack of focus, and not practicing gratitude all act as dust to the mind.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think these words and afterthoughts are pleading with us to pay attention to ourselves and what we consume and permit in all forms - whether the recipient is our body, our mind, the soul, or our homes. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The author pleads with us to water ourselves as we water our plants. To declutter our minds as we take out household trash. To renew our knowledge as we change our sheets & make conscious efforts to improve ourselves as we dust those 'valuable' things.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another call to pay attention to ourselves and feed ourselves with what we need. We need renewal every day. If we didn't need renewal, we would not shed skin cells - the dead lifts and shifts so the new can come to the surface and provide protection. One of the best forms of protection we have against death is to ensure that we don't die before we actually D-I-E. To die, is to assume to have and know all that you will need to know for all your trips around the sun, at any given time. We are always learning. We are le</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">arning stillness, learning how to practice gratitude, learning how to live to produce the best we have to give, and learning how to best receive all that others will give to us on this journey. Change is inevitable, participate in the change, be changed, or be the late majority.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Renewal comes with the morning. To stress the importance of this, here are some more of his words "<i>That man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier, more sacred, and auroral hour than he has yet profaned, has despaired of life, and is pursuing a descending and darkening way.</i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is so much for us to gain from books, from reading. There is so much to challenge our thoughts, feed us and excite us between the pages of a book. There are many genres to choose from - books don't come in a one story fits all situation. We got softbacks, hardbacks, graphics, comics, 11pt font, 16pt font, we got lines that spiral around pages, straight lines of words gathered to take you to another place. The destinations and experiences in a book are endless. Reading nurtures your imagination.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"As the nobleman of cultivated taste surrounds himself with whatever conduces to his culture--genius--learning--wit--books--paintings--statuary--music--philosophical instruments, and the like; so let the village do--not stop short of at a pedagogue, a parson, a sexton, a parish library.."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I guess in simple words, don't die illiterate. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even the college-educated can be illiterate, this occurs when you don't feed your mind with the things outside your field to widen your neural networks, excite your neural connections and open yourself to conversation with a man who can teach you a thing or two about those things you don't fully understand. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Read, and read and read until you can read no longer (in death is where that should end). </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let us dine with minds both young and old, learn from the lives of those who have written our overcoming, improvement and created paths to growth.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Have breakfast with the Bible in your hands, eat lunch with the works of your favorite philosopher or choose a philosopher and study him. Snack on the words of foreign literature. Have dinner with dictionaries, concordances, encyclopedias, reference books to complete your day's learning.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"Instead of noblemen, let us have noble villages of men."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like the nobleman who chooses what feeds his (culture, genius, learning, wit) such as books, paintings, statuary instruments, musical instruments, philosophical instruments. We should also start where we are and feed ourselves. Feed what we consider to be our culture, genius, learning, and wit. Enrich yourself with life's resources, walk into life's library and freely loan its material to understand it better.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Instead of aspiring to be men with rich tastes which can be satisfied, how about we bring those rich tastes to our communities and increase their value. Increase their intellect, their education, and encourage their growth. Read like you must finish your TBR list before your last exhale. Consume art like the artists are going on sabbatical and leaving us with nothing new. Let us start where we are with the little or much that we have and feed ourselves. Let us desire to grow in intellect and character.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"The farmer can work alone in the field or the woods all day, hoeing or chopping, and not feel lonesome, because he is employed; but when he comes home at night he cannot sit down in a room alone, at the mercy of his thoughts, but must be where he can 'see the folks,' and recreate, and, as he thinks, remunerate himself for his day's solitude; and hence he wonders how the student can sit alone in the house all night and most of the day without ennui and 'the blues'; but he does not realize that the student, though in the house, is still at work in <u>his</u> field, and chopping in <u>his</u> woods, as the farmer in his, and in turn seeks the same recreation and society that the latter does, though it may be a more condensed form of it."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many people question those who can thrive in solitude how they do it. Maybe this is due to their view or a mental image creating an environment of punishment, a place where they feel alone, lonely, shut off from the world. The opposite is true. Solitude is a place enjoyed most when you have found a way to sit with your thoughts without them having to babysit you as you scream for somebody to rescue you.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One example of solitude's beauty is in these lines,</span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">"..partly with a view to the next day's dinner, spent the hours of midnight fishing from a boat by moonlight, serenaded by owls and foxes, and hearing, from time to time, the creaking note of some unknown bird close at hand."</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man; wine is not so noble a liquor; and think of dashing the hopes of the morning with a cup of warm coffee, or of an evening with a dish of tea! Ah, how low I fall when I am tempted by them."</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To be honest, I'm not policing anybody's preferred form of hydration. I'm just here to remind you to drink your water and mind your business. A wise man knows this is one of the secrets to youth. Keep life simple, so the complications tangle themselves.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"..but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by pure love. Who can predict his comings and goings? His business calls him out at all hours, even when doctors sleep."</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes, there is a bias of views coming and I'm not going to hide it either. I am a poet, so it's only natural that I swim in these words - I'm going to act like he's referring to me. I constantly read about the moments that poets experience when writing a piece or the overcoming required to let a piece live and be seen. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The moments of deciding to push past the judgments we have towards ourselves, the inability to reach the standard we have set for ourselves. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So if you ask, if we ever lose sleep, if we ever work after hours. Yes, poets deserve all the applause for motivating themselves when it is the hardest to write and enjoy moments. They deserve it when figuring out where the words want to go, where they need to go.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">_______________________________________________________</span></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"No wonder the earth expresses itself outwardly in leaves, it so labors with the idea inwardly."</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Express. Yourself. You are a creative being, don't silence those things you were created to share the music to.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Everything from the cochlea of your inner ear loops on itself hoping you will make some noise today. Speak notes 🎜 🎝 🎜 into existence, compose a little song, your heart promises to beat in rhythm while your diaphragm promises to raise each note on your exhales. Your fingers relaxed and extended, waiting for you to give them something to hold, something to mold. Your body is excited, expectant that its function and systems will sustain your beautiful work today. Blood vessels connect like branched networks to ensure all deliveries are on time today, your brain in need of the supplies it brings will sit on conference calls to ensure all lobes and neurons know there is creating to be done & creativity to be expressed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My prayer for you also is that <b>we</b> (<i>the world, your community, your friends, those you care about</i>) all see the fruits of your labor on those things you have been troubled by and overcome. Those late nights, those drafts, those prototypes. I pray you see the things that have failed, and not see yourself as a failure.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>"We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them." </i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It begins with us. How we translate the body we are given. How we walk through each day. What is the value of a day? What value do eyes hold? You will project onto me the things that have pondered your mind the most if you don't sit with your mind to talk and decide how to handle those things efficiently. Efficiently is by your definition, not what I assume about you or what I want you to think. In a few words, I'm asking you to put some respect on your name. Walk through this life, hungry to translate it beyond the distortions you have created, experienced, or been victim to.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This life is a marathon, be patient with yourself on each street, sidewalk, path, in each circumstance, city, plane, car, and building.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Every man is the lord of a realm beside which the earthly empire of the Czar is but a petty state, a hummock left by the ice."</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Think about the vastness of our universe from time to time, so you don't cage yourself or cage your thought. Before empires are built by hands, they must be built in minds where everything is tested. Test the strength of what you are building and test the truth of what you tell yourself. Test the voice to finally reach the reality of what YOU want, discarding the things you have been influenced to want. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All the physical empires you see may have followed a certain mold, where nothing went outside of the box, created by men limited in their own time by different circumstances or rules. Break the box, use the box for guidance or create a new box where necessary.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>I hope that as you sat and read this blog post, you felt the privilege of sitting with leaves from a great tree created from sections, chapters, and pages. I also hope you found enough food to sustain you for the next steps after this, that you ate well, and found your plate an exciting thing to navigate with all its items.</b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-62404842469385501832021-07-20T01:30:00.075-07:002021-07-20T01:30:00.199-07:00If Ever We Were... : Book Review<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_hIJZk3qFQ4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MYPu4uBJhGA/YNdT0Mv3ASI/AAAAAAAAJ6E/qvCD2AOddOcPyzgNm27PwW6zBwbemdyXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IfEverReview%2BThumbnail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am so proud of Hattress it is great to see his work in print showing up in feeds and people's stories, and now my library. I have flipped through these pages, paused and reflected but, more consistently, I took a few breaks from the book to process pieces I had read (more on that in the review).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As promised, If Ever We Were... by Hattress Barbour III found its way into my 2021 Reading list. If you watched <a href="https://bit.ly/3vknd2P" target="_blank">Pebble$ Got Mail</a>, you know how happy I was to receive this book. It was a great reading experience, and you can hear my thoughts in my new video linked below or by clicking on the image above.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Please support Hattress by purchasing a copy following the Book Review. Links will be in the description box and a link to his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iam_hattress/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to check out more of his work.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://youtu.be/_hIJZk3qFQ4" target="_blank">If Ever We Were... by Hattress Barbour III | Book Review</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-89187427469767853992021-05-19T01:30:00.016-07:002021-05-19T01:30:00.216-07:00My Secret Place: A Few Words..<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.talkspace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/black-men-mental-health_1320W_JW-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="457" src="https://www.talkspace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/black-men-mental-health_1320W_JW-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Image source : talkspace.com </span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A few words...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Based on the book, <i>The Space Within: Finding Your Way Back Home</i> that I read recently.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hey There. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think everything points right back to God. In pursuit, in your walk, your healing, your improvement of self, and understanding yourself better. It all points right back to giving God his rightful space in your life, which is at the center of everything. He is who I refer to in my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CM2f_-5Frdo/" target="_blank">caption</a> as 'my secret place', the place I go to renew myself. I must remind myself to recenter, and go right back to him because he has the answer to everything.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The waiting period for the answer is not always the easiest space for you to be in. A place where you don't know everything, you don't have the final picture, you don't know where the end is at or how you'll get to the destination (that you think you want to be headed to). It all lies within being patient enough.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I might annoy other folks and myself sometimes when I say, "I will only tell you what I know". There are times when what I know is limited BUT I believe, that what I say to you will help you in the meantime until you reach the next part of whatever the answer is to the - current season, state of mind, or position that you are in. This ensures that you have some basic tools, should you ever pass through something similar again. There is a necessary becoming that follows this. Become more comfortable with being patient with yourself and being at peace with yourself as you keep on moving. Realizing, that if anything is going to change internally or externally it's up to you. There are limits to how much you can blame on others, and there is a magnitude of things that you can take responsibility for.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's hard to navigate the path when you don't take responsibility for what you want to change, what you want to see, and where you want to get to. A fraction of that requires that you do the work while you wait for the answer or answers. It also requires that you navigate the path and give yourself those quiet times where necessary.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Don't try to be productive when you know you ought to sit down in a seat and read to feed yourself or write, or whatever it is that you need to be doing, in the meantime while you wait for those answers. That is not the time to talk down on yourself. That is not the time to dig yourself into a space of darkness, deeper than you already are.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>And to conclude...</b></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We defined everything the time isn't for but what it IS for, is time spent tapping into our secret place. The secret place is the home within that awaits your arrival back wherever and whenever you need it. Don't neglect home, don't fill the space with past preoccupations & future anxieties. Be present for what you need NOW - in every moment, in every day.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Talking about books, have you seen Pebble$ Got Mail (on <a href="https://youtu.be/x2xHyOLJvso" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You may also enjoy - <i><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2019/05/bar-set-high.html" target="_blank">A Personal Essay: A Bar Set High</a></i></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-82276575611175432532021-04-13T01:30:00.042-07:002022-11-29T18:10:35.075-08:00Pebble$ Got Mail : Books & More Books.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/x2xHyOLJvso" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SvtdIAj-BU0/YG9Gf5Q0jFI/AAAAAAAAJ3A/qqiueUf0Yb4LSqC2ms60HveVUepl08cNACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20210403_082452_567.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I got packages. I got updates. And moments of laughter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's been a while since I took you through my books, current reads and talked about them. I purchased a few books last winter and a few more in the new year. There's a new release on my list I received from a Poet friend of mine, so I look forward to reading that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Libraries being closed for over a year and, the small gaps between when they had limited services means that I am forced to look at the books I have and start reading them. Some of my purchases surprised me. I have received at least three books this year that I forgot were on my wishlist, so I guess you can say that I've had a great first quarter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>New Books:</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Kiley Reid</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Bernardine Evaristo</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Rita Dove</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Zoya Phan</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Tami Hoag</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>Surprise package:</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>If Ever We Were...</i> by Hattress Barbour III (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/iam_hattress/" target="_blank">@iam_hattress</a>)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> - This book will be on my 2021 Reading List too.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>Updates:</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hey she's back!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I want to hear from you. Is there any new content you would like to see from Pebble$? Anything that you have missed seeing? Comment below or 'Like, Subscribe & Comment' on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnV7vuYRRylNT-T8zeaXaSw" target="_blank">Channel</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Last But Not Least :</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In case you need some more bookworm, booknerd, book lover, book-'<i>insert another suffix they give us here' </i> inspiration to make that TBR list even longer I'll link my previous reading lists below.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2021/12/2021-Reads.html " target="_blank">2021 Reads</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2020/12/2020-Reads.html" target="_blank">2020 Reads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2019/12/2019-Reads.html" target="_blank">2019 Reads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2018/12/2018-Reads.html" target="_blank">2018 Reads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2017/12/2017-Reads.html" target="_blank">2017 Reads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-reads-pebble.html" target="_blank">2016 Reads</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-16923842223098322232021-01-05T01:30:00.055-08:002021-04-13T10:54:07.052-07:00Dear Pebble$ : 004<p> </p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osmMMpDHRAA/WIdO5fVAB0I/AAAAAAAAGKs/EROtCnF0X6APdTMkEinlh8LL5n_WcLUoQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/DeaPebb%2BHeader.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><h3><b><i><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">January 5, 2021</span></u></i></b></h3></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dear Pebble$,</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Who would believe that you would learn how to navigate a pandemic, start new things, and navigate a journey of growing out of changes? You have never known what normal is, so to address and place on the tip of your tongue 'the new normal' is a little strange. It has appeared in conversations of encouragement and reflection as our boats move from this season into the next.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is the new normal? What is your new normal? What is the new normal for you? It is time spent in reflection, realizing that some things must change. You won't always know how but one step at a time is always going to be the best move forward. You've spent these past few months busy staying away from TV stations, politicians, stunts, death, and grasped tightly to life. It has been moments sat in corners asking your savior to renew your mind time and time again. You need renewal because if you take in what these news stations are saying and you take in these confusing instructions from these politicians & the phrases that come out of their mouths without thinking - you just might lose it. This whole time God has been with it! Pebble$ remember that God has been with you through the been-throughs, so how dare you lose Him in the midst of this. How dare you tap Him out of the conversation instead of tagging him in. Shutting down the breakfast-lunch-dinner consumption of these stations goes beyond trying to keep your sanity. This is about purpose, this is about intention, this is about keeping the integrity of your humanity ever-present. The world is so intoxicated, overexcited, and drunk with the emergence of artificial intelligence that it forgets the value of humans. It is slowly becoming more and more comfortable with being stupid, dumb, useless, and weak. We only need the tools for assistance, siri can tell us the weather, but she shouldn't be telling us the things we should already know. We ought to get used to problems so we can activate the problem solver within us. The problem solver should be making the money, not the problem making money out of us.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>We are slowly losing our capacity so, when the word 'disability' gets thrown around one day, it will no longer be an insult but the truth we must face. Whether blindly or with our eyes open, with closed hearts or open ears - you choose. The new normal is a chance to redefine my humanity, move away from a dependence on man's constant assistance, and think for myself. Navigating the new normal and staying away from news reports was me trying to preserve myself. There was a different type of peace I had compared to the drama around me when I made the conscious decision to stay away from the constant uncertainty that everybody was feeding themselves.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>I could be the different voice in the middle of everything, daring to hope, daring to see, daring to imagine, to envision that a light was shining at the end of this tunnel. We're not going through this tunnel and down into the ground. Even if a hole sits there, we'll be gliding right over. I didn't say our train wouldn't rock a little bit, but we will get to the other side. What is the other side?</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The other side is whatever you make it. It is the product of whatever you are watering right NOW. The other side is whatever you perceive it to be because if you can't perceive it, you can't receive it. If you can't see it, you won't see it. If you can't see better, you won't do better. You won't speak better. You won't say things that lead you to better. Pebble$, I don't care how long you've waited for that thing to manifest, wait on God. He will let you know what time to release it. He will bring the last pieces together and all the help that you need. Hang in there sis!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>____________________________________________________________________</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Which one are you? Which one is me?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>____________________________________________________________________</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To those who read this open letter, 'keep holding on.' This one is going to be a long ride - are you a sprinter or marathon runner? One has endurance when it comes to this race, while the other will burn out quickly. Which one are you? Which one is me?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just A Few Things...</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>This was started back in 2020 but I only found the words to complete the post recently.</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Take what is yours and leave the rest.</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Leave this post with what feeds you and nurtures growth, don't be weighed down by what doesn't.</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Your choices are yours, let them lead you in this new season.</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>It doesn't matter how long you have waited for the manifestation, keep pouring faith you're closer to it than you think.</i></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Much Love, </b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><b>The Chica You Best Believe That!</b></i></span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="font-family: tinos; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: tinos; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><a href="https://pebblesblogger.blogspot.com/2018/10/dear-pebble-003.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-weight: normal;">Letter 003</span></span><br /></span></a><div style="font-family: tinos; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: tinos; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: tinos; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2021 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-40135242673636884342020-12-22T01:30:00.396-08:002020-12-22T01:30:00.754-08:002020 Reads : Pebble$<div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--84hC6EpkkE/X9UmQqr97zI/AAAAAAAAJrg/ilz0V8pnpjMY8TlsTlZY2dNPKGAeOwj-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1020/2020Reads%2Bblog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1020" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--84hC6EpkkE/X9UmQqr97zI/AAAAAAAAJrg/ilz0V8pnpjMY8TlsTlZY2dNPKGAeOwj-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/2020Reads%2Bblog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator"> </div>
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This year I wanted to block my reading. Block read by authors, reading authors I had heard about and maybe knew about too, but hadn't yet delved into reading their body of work. YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY IS YOUR BEST FRIEND IN THIS MISSION. With the way that the year panned out, I didn't quite achieve this except managing to block read one author - Maya Angelou. When I found out that libraries were closed, a little part of me felt out of place. The library was supposed to be my haven, a place where the librarians would know me by name, know my holding list by the choices in the book pile.</span><br /></div>
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1. <i>Native Son</i> : Richard Wright<br />
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2. <i>The Justice Women</i> : Stephen Wade<br />
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3. <i>Ayoade On Ayoade - A Cinematic Odyssey</i> : Richard Ayoade<br />
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4. <i>In Loving Memory - A Collection Of Memorial Services, Funerals And Just Getting By</i> : Sally Emerson<br />
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5. <i>Life Beyond Measure - Letters To My Great-Granddaughter</i> : Sidney Poitier<br />
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6. <i>Byron In Love</i> : Edna O'Brien<br />
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7. <i>Sebastian's Roller Skates</i> : Joan de <span style="text-align: start;">Déu</span> Prats (read by Caitlin Wachs)<br />
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8. <i> The Poisonwood Bible</i> : Barbara Kingsolver<br />
<br /><div>9. <i>Perfect, Just Like You!</i> : K. A. Wright (read by Tabitha Brown)</div><div><br /></div>
10. <i>Giraffe Problems</i> : Jory John (read by Michelle Obama)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. <i>The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</i> : Julia Sarcone-Roach (read by Michelle & Barack Obama)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. <i>My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother</i> : Patricia Polacco (read by Melissa Gilbert)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">13. <i>It's In You - A Book For Big Dreamers</i> : Sharifa Anozie (read by Tabitha Brown)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">14. <i>The Magna Charta Of Woman</i> : Jessie Penn-Lewis</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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15. <i>Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - My Life</i> : Sophia Loren<br /><br />
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16. <i>Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now</i> : Maya Angelou<br />
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17. <i>Even The Stars Look Lonesome</i> : Maya Angelou</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">18. <i>Letter To My Daughter</i> : Maya Angelou</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">19. <i>A Song Flung Up To Heaven</i> : Maya Angelou<br />
<br /><br />20. <i>Romeow & Drooliet</i> : Nina Laden (read by Haylie Duff)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">21. <i>The Rainbow Fish</i> : Marcus Pfister (read by Ernest Borgnine)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">22. <i>When Pigasso Met Mootisse</i> : Nina Laden (read by Eric Close)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-weight: normal;">Copyright © 2020 PebblesWroteIt</span></h3></div></div>Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-63199415134850189132020-05-26T01:30:00.002-07:002023-01-14T17:41:06.172-08:00Speak To Me But Know It's Him<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>My journey through life is not as a perfect child BUT as a learning child. The things that proceed out of my mouth or through a tweet, even this blog are not the product of me but of a father who continually feeds my spirit and hunger to be greater, to be more useful to my generation and my world.</i></span></div>
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I am being shaped daily, to discover my eventual form as purpose has set this course of my life which extends with each new day. I am first an open heart, open ears, and enriched mind before any opinion, advice or words proceed out of my mouth. This is something I continually remind myself of, when I am given the privilege to see the deepest parts of a person through emotions laid out and their truths finally spoken.</div>
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As I remember this and work on being a better listener, my response to your problems, challenges, and questions is years of asking for the tools that are necessary for me to truly be of use to the world around me. All I have known, challenged, understood, and grown with is a God who has made absolute sense out of nonsense. A friend who has acted as a guide, who has continually pushed me in the direction where the lessons I needed were located.</div>
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My path has crossed with those who have added quality to my experience both good and bad, people who have in one way or another equipped me with learning and facing the diversity that exists within my community. My community remains the same but is ever-changing.</div>
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<i style="font-weight: normal;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">What do you mean the 'same but ever-changing' ?</span></i></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The purpose and the work that I must contribute to in my community remains the same. I will always have my part to play with the gifts I have been given to use, BUT the demographic, the people that make up that community will change with each stage and each need that arises in that community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You are my community, an audience who read my work for an experience. Some of you have read all of my blog posts while some of you met me 2 or 3 posts ago or even TODAY. You are the ones I speak for, continually write to, and keep writing for. Leaving a comment under this post today, requesting that I address a topic or write a poem on a topic, would present a need. A need that I would need to address with whatever tools I have available and provide some solutions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through this desire and drive to attend to you as my community, I can share an encouraging message and even make you laugh. I am only doing the work that a guided child would do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">People may seek help from you or me as His child and sometimes we will have to relate how we feel about that to them. You let them know that the void they seek to fill, the answers they are searching for, need to be solved by going to God himself so they can gain that strength for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you rely too heavily on people and forget who really deserves all the kudos, you often realize the hard way that reliance on another person doesn't bring total reassurance.</span></div>
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<b>Build relationships YES,</b></div>
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<b>Learn from others YES,</b></div>
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<b>Connect with others in your times of need YES </b></div>
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<b>Connect with others in your times of strength YES </b></div>
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<span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><b>But do not make them your whole support system, instead make yourself part of that system. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">REMEMBER YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME BUT KNOW IT'S HIM THAT IS ALWAYS READY TO SPEAK. I AM A LIGHT IN THIS WORLD, AND IF YOU NEED THAT PATH LIT BETTER I AM READY TO HELP, LET HIM BE THE SALT TO HEAL & PURIFY YOU.</span></div>
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Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-71228303116007531282020-02-04T01:30:00.001-08:002020-02-04T01:30:02.915-08:00Between Bowling Pins<div>
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<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/49/9f/f8499f505486dc4e5693a850d642f804.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="800" height="486" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/49/9f/f8499f505486dc4e5693a850d642f804.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Blog post formerly titled "In The Kiddie Pool" until I left it too long and forgot where it was supposed to go. Why is Pebble$ being honest with you? because most writers would be ashamed to tell you this and having a title without the concept is real. Having a concept without a title is also a real writer's problem. Nobody tells you that writing it down and making it plain means that your draft will contain some good pieces that will help you form the new thing that WASN'T the original thing. Because it is ok to not have the full picture; because being a writer is a beautiful journey that sometimes looks like chaos but comes together when you have patience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The new title will make sense as we progress just stay with me. The pins will line up and you too will be that bowling ball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So picture yourself in a bowling alley from this point forward. Are you there? Good, all the props you need to imagine what I am saying are in that bowling alley.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you go bowling you don't pick up all the balls and just roll them down the alley assigning each ball to a pin. That's not how the game works it takes one ball at a time hoping that you knock the pins out with that one ball. You don't just throw the ball either right? You try to get some direction, a focus point and power in that final release from your arm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are several bowling balls but only one ball will knock the pins down at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a Christian there can be many of us in one building but one is chosen to shake the whole building not even a department.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All the balls can be present but only one, will be the final one held in the hand of the winner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If I told you that one pin placed where the balling ball would be on the ground could knock out the other pins aligned at the back of the alley, you would think that I was crazy right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But if that one pin was thrown with Serena speed, strength & precision, it's possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">back to the bowling ball in place of that pin</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That bowling ball holds power. The bowling ball represents the power & increased surface area that leads to impact when we have God with us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">God changes our lone pin, that lone pin crazy enough to think it can hit all those pins at the back of the alley. He changes that lone pin to a bowling ball when he has our back. All of a sudden crazy isn't so crazy any more when power and precision are added.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When you are convinced that you have 'thee</span><b>*</b><span style="font-size: large;"> bowling bowl', you realize that not all balls are needed for each pin at the back of the alley.</span><br />
<i><span style="color: #cccccc;">*not a typo, I meant what I wrote</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">but rather one is enough when trying to knock all of them out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can be the one he uses as an individual to reach the many. He can use you to be more effective than 5-10 people put together. You can be the ball between pins, that knows what being a pin is like - knowing where the days drag, when failures hurt and when a new year or season doesn't seem like anything worth getting hyped over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Can you see the reality of yourself as that pin? No? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can't see it, because you won't see it. Whatever may come your way in life is overcome when you believe that your part of the work is not more than you can bear. When you stop seeing yourself as only that 'bowling pin' and remember that you have access to thee bowling ball you can move into this reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seeing is believing doesn't work here. Seeing the trial as bigger than yourself won't help you here. Allowing yourself to be swallowed by life, ends with the carcass of your confidence being spat out around here. It's better to let yourself be used for good around here. It is better to step out alone and hold onto yours when everybody wants to deny what got them here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is better to work on the department than be overwhelmed by the whole building. You can't imagine how the word gets round when you appreciate your pin state and maximize every inch of who you are. Please be encouraged that you wouldn't be here if you didn't have anything to give to the community around you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Being that crazy pin isn't the end to your impact, stretch out and grab hold of the power and precision in close access. Let the bowling ball transform you.</span><br />
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Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-56970736749800879922020-01-22T16:02:00.001-08:002020-01-22T16:02:08.355-08:00Delayed, But Never Too Late<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">This quarter's guest blog post comes from HoneyLuxe, who speaks on BE PATIENT & DO SOMETHING with a post that encourages you to step back from what you haven't achieved and look forward to what this new season of life holds for you. If you will maximize the new decade you must understand that some things have a right time, a specific time - prepare yourself in the meantime.</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I remember being in my teens and envisioning what my life would be like in ten years time. I was certain I would be</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">married, living in a fancy mansion with my amazing career and raising at least two children by the time I was twenty five. Crazy right?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Well, that definitely has not happened yet and I can only laugh about it now! I was so sure that all will work out accordingly within the time I predicted because, well why not? Fast forward to now. I know that it is only Christ who can dictate</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">how my life will pan out! One of my favourite scriptures is <b>Jeremiah 29:11</b>. He knows the true meaning to my life</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">and </span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">it </span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">is not for me to attempt to decide it for myself.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">When you hear purpose, what comes to your mind? A gift that you may have? Maybe a goal you have been trying to accomplish? Or is it about a strong passion you have for something?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">There are so many def</span>..</span></i></div>
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Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226989194973259031.post-31854014079131407512019-12-24T01:30:00.000-08:002019-12-28T13:28:14.808-08:002019 Reads : Pebble$<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>This year I borrowed from my community be that friends, libraries or exchanges with other readers. I saved</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>a lot of coins by looking for books I wanted in libraries or asking other folks who had already</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>purchased those books.</b></span></div>
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1. <i>Wanting A God You Can Talk To </i> : Jesse Duplantis<br />
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2. <i>Praying To Get Results </i> : Kenneth E. Hagin</div>
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3. <i>The Midas Touch - A Balanced Approach To Biblical Prosperity</i> : Kenneth E. Hagin</div>
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4. <i>The Screwtape Letters - Letters From A Senior To A Junior Devil</i> : C. S. Lewis</div>
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5. <i>The Diary of A Nobody </i> : George & Weedon Grossmith</div>
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6. <i>A Town Like Alice </i> : Nevil Shute</div>
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7. <i>No Disrespect</i> : Sister Souljah<br />
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8. <i>The Grapes Of Wrath </i>:<i> </i>John Steinbeck<br />
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9. <i>The Poet X</i> : Elizabeth Acevedo<br />
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10. <i>Pioneers Or Settlers?</i> : Philip Mohabir</div>
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11. <i>Their Eyes Were Watching God</i> : Zora Neale Hurston<br />
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12. <i>The Pilgrim's Progress </i> : John Bunyan<br />
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13. <i>The Color Purple</i> : Alice Walker<br />
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14. <i>The Image Of God In You</i> : Kenneth Copeland<br />
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15. <i>Thank You, Mr Falker</i> : Patricia Polacco (read by Jane Kaczmarek)<br />
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16. <i>I Am Nobody's Nigger</i> : Dean Atta<br />
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17. <i>Hard Times</i> : Charles Dickens<br />
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18. <i>Rebound</i> : Kwame Alexander<br />
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19. <i>The Avengers - The Greatest Heroes</i> : Alistair Dougall<br />
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20. <i>Reflections 1 </i> : Dolapo Adelakun<br />
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21. <i>Hold</i> : Michael Donkor<br />
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22. <i>In Pieces</i> : Sally Field<br />
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23. <i>Poems By The Way & Love Is Enough</i> : William Morris<br />
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24. <i>Assata - An Autobiography</i> : Assata Shakur<br />
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25. <i>The Creative Edge</i> : Matthew Ashimolowo<br />
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26. <i>A Month In The Country</i> : J. L. Carr<br />
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27. <i>Monkeys With Typewriters - How To Write Fiction And Unlock The Secret Power Of Stories </i> : Scarlett Thomas<br />
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28. <i>Long Way Down</i> : Jason Reynolds<br />
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29. <i>Washington Black</i> : Esi Edugyan<br />
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30. <i>A Bad Case Of Stripes</i> : David Shannon (read by Sean Astin)<br />
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31. <i>The Road Less Travelled</i> : M. Scott Peck<br />
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32. <i>Sweet Thing </i> : Magda Ayuk<br />
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33. <i>Stellaluna</i> : Janell Cannon (read by Pamela Reed)<br />
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34. <i>12 Rules For Life - An Antidote For Chaos</i> : Jordan B Peterson<br />
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35. <i>The Prophet</i> : Khalil Gibran<br />
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36. <i>Apex</i> : Ramez Naam<br />
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37. <i> Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine</i> : Gail Honeyman<br />
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38. <i>12 Crimes You Commit Against Yourself</i> : Dolapo Adelakun<br />
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39. <i>Chicken Sunday</i> : Patricia Polacco<br />
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40. <i>In Other Words</i> : Jhumpa Lahiri<br />
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41. <i>Sophie's Masterpiece</i> : Eileen Spinelli (read by CCH Pounder)<br />
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Pebble$http://www.blogger.com/profile/17182092368766993566noreply@blogger.com0