2023 Reads : Pebble$

 

1.   The Bone Sparrow  :  Zana Fraillon

2.   Holes In The Sky  :  Patricia Polacco

3.   The Untethered Soul  :  Michael A. Singer

4.   Knots On A Counting Rope  :  Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault (read by Bonnie Bartlett & William Daniels)

5.   Great Granny  :  Ann Bryant & Barbara Szepesi Szucs

6.   Achieving A Dream  :  Jill Atkins & Alessia Trunfio

7.   The Yssis Papers - The Keys To The Colors  :  Dr Frances Cress Welsing

8.   The Very Hungry Caterpillar  :  Eric Carle (read by Mo Gilligan)

9.   Not Now Bernard  :  David McKee (read by Mo Gilligan)

10.   King, S.M. (2011)  'Jim Wallis: Rediscovering Values.' The Pneuma Review. p. 1-4

11.   Benny's Hat  :  Juliet Clare Bell

12.   We March  :  Shane W. Evans (read by Marley Dias)

13.   Girl - Essays On Black Womanhood  :   Kenya Hunt

14.   Somebody Loves You, Mr Hatch  :  Eileen Spinelli (read by Hector Elizondo)

15.   Nine Perfect Strangers  :   Liane Moriarty

16.   Punching The Air  :  Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

17.   Superheroes Are Everywhere  :  Kamala Harris

18.   An Abolitionist's Handbook - 12 Steps To Changing Yourself And The World  :   Patrisse Cullors // still reading..

19.   Black Girl Magic Sprinkles  :  Chaunetta Anderson

20.   Opal Lee And What It Means To Be Free - The True Story Of The Grandmother Of Juneteenth  :  Alice Faye Duncan

21.   Wintering - The Power of Rest and Retreat In Difficult Times  :  Katherine May

22.   Antiracist Baby  :  Ibram X. Kendi (read by Kendrick Sampson)

23.   Girls Can Do Anything  :  Kenneth Vaughan

24.  Aliens and Alienists  :  Roland Littlewood & Maurice Lipsedge  [3rd Edition] // still reading..

25.  Harry The Dirty Dog  :  Gene Zion (read by Betty White)

26.  Rich Dad Poor Dad  :  Robert T Kiyosaki

27.  The Day You Begin  :  Jacqueline Woodson (read by Jacqueline Woodson)

28.  Guji Guji  :  Chih-Yuan Chen (read by Robert Guillaume)

29.  Respecting Persons In Theory and Practice  :  Jan Narveson // still reading..

30.  Let's Talk About Race  :  Julius Lester (read by Common)

Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt

Dear Pebble$ : 006

 

September 5, 2023

Dear Pebble$,

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. 

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.

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. 

Your desired reality is already your present. Claim it! Work it! Live it!

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.

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.

"Walk across that leveled earth."

Letter 005

Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt

Bookworm Reflections - 1 | Pebble$

 

image source : unknown

This is my first quarter in books, and reflecting on my days thus far.

The Books I Have Read:

 - The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

 - Holes In The Sky by Patricia Polacco

 - The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

 - Knots On A Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault

 - Great Granny by Ann Bryant & Barbara Szepesi Szucs

 - Achieving A Dream by Jill Atkins & Alessia Trunfio

 - The Yssis Papers: The Keys To The Colors by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing

 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

 - Not Now, Bernard by David McKee

 - Benny's Hat by Juliet Clare Bell

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.

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.

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.

________________________________________________

" This journey is bigger than me, so 'No' becomes a boundary my mind and body will thank me for."

________________________________________________

My first quarter in books is grief & time to reflect (Holes In The Sky; Benny's Hat), feeding my inner child (Knots On A Counting Rope; Great Granny; Achieving A Dream; The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Not Now, Bernard), the deep thinker's lounge (The Untethered Soul; The Yssis Papers), and education (The Bone Sparrow; The Yssis Papers).

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.

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.

I am walking forward with the following reminders from Dear Pebble$: 005:

 1. Other people fighting in your corner for your cause is a reminder to do this for others too.

 2. Be open to opportunities, moments, and conversations. Moments and conversations with people. Interactions with places.

 3. Be open to gaining and letting go of things.

Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt

Dear Pebble$ : 005

 

January 28, 2023

Dear Pebble$,

Deep Exhale.

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.

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.

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.

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,

If, you were in a season where that was the encouragement you needed, it wouldn't seem toxic.

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.

Inhale. Deep exhale.

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.

Exhale.

 "Life is lived forwards and only understood backward. Ain't that something, ain't that something."

Letter 004

Copyright © 2023 PebblesWroteIt