The Apprentice President himself, aka (Ronald Mc) Donald Chump, is now claiming that the IRS is not good to him. So I ask, would you like to have 2 billion dollars and pay no taxes? The IRS must REALLY like me!

Imagine that you were given a blank piece of paper.  Now imagine that you were given the opportunity to write, draw and/or create the future of your dreams.  HOW will it look?  WHO will you be?  WHAT will you accomplish? WHERE will you be? WHAT will you have? So, WHY are you waiting? WHEN will you start…….

You only have one heart.  Make sure you give it to someone who is willing to share….

Author Unknown

Man, I reached a milestone that never in a hundred years I would’ve thought possible.  For those who really know me, you know why I say this.  Don’t laugh!

You see, I have never been a “phone” person. I have owned only three cell phones in my life.  Don’t walk around with my phone attached to my body.  Up until recently I wasn’t into social media like that.  I think I joined Facebook in 2013.  From 2013 until 2020 I had about 60 Facebook friends. I was good because I usually have a handful of close friends in reality.

2020 brought a change for me. I had some friend requests that I did not confirm and those friends let me know about it too.  All in good fun, but they made it known that I should reach out, contact people and stay in touch.  Ok, I agreed.  So, I sent out quite a few friend requests of my own.  Most responded, some didn’t.  And you know what, that’s cool.  Not everyone wants or needs to be “friends”.  I truly get it.  Been there. 

Well, after my friends accepted my requests, I now have 101 Facebook friends.  101!  Who knew?  Never thought that many people would be that interested in my life at this point. You know what though, I’m glad.  I like keeping in touch with everybody.  Love the positive energy created by communicating.  Love the “good news” coming from the respective families. Love the sense of community.

So I wanna give a sincere thanks to my FB family.  Thanks for sharing your stories, your time, you interests, your inspiration. And thanks for letting me share mine.  Now, I wonder if I have 100 more friends out there……

The summer is coming to a close. Although I enjoy every season for what each offers (the snow makes me think twice about Winter these days), Spring and Fall are my favorites. Spring for the renewal of life and Fall for football! But, its something about the Summer ending that leaves a yearning in my heart for those long days and warm nights.

I took the picture above just after sunset on Labor Day. On a night like this I like to take a ride in my car, open the sunroof and play my favorite songs “semi” loud. Reminisce about the good times had during the last 90 days.

It was a little different this year. Corona Virus limited how much time I could spend with friends and family. Made a lot of places off limits as well. And while I look forward to the coming Holiday Season and football, I will appreciate the Summers even more from this point on. I, for one, am not wishing for 2020 to be over. I am savoring every one of fhese days, good or not so good because I feel blessed to have ANY day. However, when 2021 is here, I will be ready (God willing). For now, good bye Summer 2020. See you next year on Memorial Day 2021.

Hope everyone enjoyed a great Labor Day weekend. This holiday was always bittersweet for me because it is considered the “end of the summer”. As a parent it signaled the start of the hustle and bustle of sending kids back to school. Buying all of the supplies. Preparing the new weekly schedule. Helping with projects and homework. Attending games and activities.

As a youngster I recall the disappointment of returning to school the day after Labor Day. I dreaded the thought of the summer ending. Long lazy days at the pool or the basketball courts. Walking or biking to nearby communities to flirt with the girls. Staying out late at night with no worry of waking up early the next morning. Unlimited leisure time with friends. All coming to an abrupt halt on Labor Day.

Back then I couldn’t see far enough ahead to know why Labor Day was so important. Celebrating the efforts, sacrifices and contributions workers made to the U.S. and its economy. How fitting. How appropriate that, in the current state of the country, that we celebrate the workers and not take for granted the role they play in making this country an economic force. Take a minute to appreciate your own contributions to America’s workforce. I’m quite sure you deserve it.

Labor Day Weekend 2020. It’s been a long nine months already this year.  In a world filled with uncertainty, anxiety and pessimism I wondered what I could do at this time to restore some semblance of balance and optimism for myself and my family. My wife suggested that we visit the MLK Memorial since we had yet to do so. It’s been some time since I last went to D.C. so I let her talk me into it.  Glad I did.

First of all the weather was perfect. Secondly, traffic was light as I suspect many people headed to beaches and resorts for the holiday.  We drove to the New Carrollton Station and caught the Metro in. Literally had the ENTIRE train to ourselves!  And lastly, the MLK Memorial did not disappoint.  The dimensions of the statue are befitting for a man of Dr. King’s stature and the expanse of the entire wall display includes some of his more noteworthy quotes. If you haven’t been already add it to your to-do list.

As we traveled to D.C. I began to think about what it really means to be black in America.  I didn’t want to focus on the challenges (done a lot of that during the last few months), rather I asked myself if I had maximized every opportunity presented to me.  In addition,  I asked myself how often I gave back and helped a fellow Black American maximize his/her opportunities.  In either case, the answer is “not enough”.

So, not to make this political, but the visit to the MLK Memorial awakened some ideas and thoughts that I’ve had for awhile but never made a priority to share.  We, as a people, need to use EVERY resource and opportunity to make OURSELVES better.  We need to use common sense approaches and grass roots initiatives to raise our collective knowledge, education, health, finances, businesses, communities and families. No matter who is in the White House (get out Donald Chump!) we need to do what is best for OUR houses!

Final point.  America is for all of us!  Black America don’t be discouraged.  This is yours! THE CITY YOU LIVE IN IS YOURS.  THE COUNTY YOU LIVE IN IS YOURS. THE STATE YOU LIVE IN IS YOURS. WASHINGTON D.C. BELONGS TO ALL OF US. POLITICIANS GET TO LIVE THERE AS WE VOTE THEM IN, BUT THE CITIZENS OWN IT. So let’s act like it. Turn off the news and go do something. Let’s appreciate all that America has to offer. Dr. King fought for the right for us to do so.

A week can be a very long time.  Or a very short time.  Depending on how you look at it.  Either way, a week lasts for 168 hours if my math serves me correctly.  ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT HOURS.  What could you accomplish in 168 hours?  Well, recently I had a week where I got nothing done.  NOTHING!  I had some doctor’s visits scheduled and then my hand decided it wanted to see what tendinitis felt like.  Been a long time since I was so limited in what I could do.  Made me realize just how much a week’s worth of time is really worth.  I often ask my family this question: are we better today than we were yesterday?  How much better can we be a week from today? 

Today is September 1, 2020, first month of fall.  I like the fall.  Football, cool weather and family Holiday celebrations (Corona might have something to say about that this year…..).  Good weeks ahead and I intend to make the most of them.  Starting with this week. 

Hey America. Can someone please ask ALL of the RNC speakers who is this Donald Chump that they speak of? They are using adjectives such as love, compassion, honesty and truth. Do these words apply to ANYONE in this administration? I sincerely want to know. Tough on crime? How many criminals did Chump just pardon? As a matter of fact how many criminals has his administration enabled? Somebody talk to me. Vote wisely people. GOD SAVE AMERICA! https://www.instagram.com/p/CEak4coH5zA/?igshid=oj5eqfdybzw