Currently Listening The Real Thing: Words And Sounds Vol. 3 By Jill Scott "Wanna Be Loved" see related

In Its Time

I know you'll come along when it's time and you're ready.
I know it appears that you are slow, sure, and steady.
I believe that you'll be right and correct.
And that you'll accept me in all my "mess."
I believe you'll transcend the rest
And be proven to be the best
Trumping all those bullfrogs I've dealt with
Showing us and them a real king to not miss.
Yeah, it'll be great when you come along.
I just hope I won't have to sing only lonely songs
Until then, because I have no other choice
But to place all my trust, faith, and voice
Into it just being, for now, God and me
Yep, that's how it's got to be for now
And all my excitement will take a bow
And I'll try not to have a cow.
I'll be happy for them and wish them the best
Sure, it'll be hard and maybe even a test,
But my life isn't like the rest - it's mine
And when you come along it'll be the right time
And you'd betta be oh so fine
And not be full of any cheap lines
And all (or the most important parts) of what I want
And all of what I need
I don't need you, that's the truth.
But it's nice to have you.
So until you arrive, I'll continue doing what I do
Staying on the grind making mine...etc.
Just, please, don't be late.

Currently Listening Fearless By Crystal Lewis "My Friend" see related

Bittersweet Tears Have Fallen

I feel totally sappy now.  Emotions are raw again.
This is how it is when you love a friend.
He's leaving for twenty-seven months,
And I think, on Friday, I'll be in a funk.
In such a short time we've become close
Yet there is still much with which to become engrossed.
Yet, still, I've learned much in a compressed time
From which it will take a while to unwind.

I remember our first talk
I couldn't believe you and I did the same walk.
You just don't meet people like that at those parties
Relevant, real, well-versed and a smarty.
I remember our talks on the phone
Some topics were bitter
Others as sweet as mascarpone
I remember a huge lesson learned one night
About what I hadn't done right
I remember relaxing to Lauryn afterwards
And how we were blocking the parking lot
Just chilling and singing.
I remember seeing how free you are
While sitting in your car
And making a decision to embrace moments like this
In my own life and be free myself, no longer a wish,
But a reality.

Here's where we are now.
We've learned and prayerfully will continue to do so
Even though we both have places to go
And people to serve
And things to learn
But still
For each other, our hearts will yearn

I thank God for matching us up that night
And for what can only be attributed to his might
I hope to see you at least twice
Bathed in the Botswanan sunlight
I mean, it would only be right, right?

I'm going to miss you and Lord willing, it's not the end
You've been an amazing friend
A real one, through and through
Know that I love you.

I'm better for having known you.
Now, go, do what you have to do.
I'll be me.  You'll be you.
But never forget this -
To God, to yourself, always be true.

Embarrassing Again

So I wrote a blog a few weeks ago where I was listing embarrassing things I've done in life.  Here's another one:

I didn't have friends until I was about 15 years old in the 10th grade.  I guess Kelli counted as a friend before then, but I really didn't have any friends I could count on as friends (aside from her) until the 10th grade. 

Every year we got yearbooks before the end of the school year.  Everyone would pass around their books to get signed for the summer.  I was amazed at how many signatures people got in a day or so.  People had their front and back flaps FILLED.  I had a few signatures from classmates with mostly comments like, "I didn't get to know you well this year, but you seem okay/weird/leave me alone/etc., so have a good summer."

Then there were the other signatures from my friends Dante, Jeff, Belinda, Caicee, Aleika, Daphne, Jacquel, Sven (I think once), etc.  You ready for this one?

They were the friends I played with while growing up.  It's just that I would play with them in my house, in my room while alone.  Yep, they were imaginary friends.  Most people have one...who they get rid of when they turn 8 or 9.  No, mine stuck until around 7th grade.  And I didn't have one.  I had a CREW. 

So, it was sad.  It still is.  And it's very embarrassing.  Thank God for the REAL friends I have now! 

Currently Listening The Evolution of Gospel By Sounds of Blackness "Optimistic" see related

Gay Marriage

Gays,

You say you want to get married, but are you ready for the work involved?  There is an article in Time magazine this week that describes how gay couples are more harmonious in their relationships, but more likely than heterosexuals to end their relationships.  One reason for this might be marriage.  The author mentions that for gays it's easy to end the relationship because you just move out.  For heterosexuals married couples it's a bit harder because divorce is expensive, and you also made a commitment to work it out.  The author says that if he were married, he would still be with his ex and probably have kids by now.  He ends the article by stating that while heterosexual couples can learn from homosexual couples on how to live harmoniously, homosexuals can learn from heterosexuals on how to have a lasting relationship.

See, men and women, marriage takes work to get through rough patches; much more work than a dating relationship.  Are you ready to put in the work?  If I can speak honestly about this, I don't think you are.  As a majority from what I've observed (from real life, not from Hollywood), many gays want stability, family life, marriage, kids, homes, etc.  You would think that would mean that most are marriage-ready.  I would disagree based on actions.  Sure, the thoughts are great.  The desires are great.  The actions, however, are lacking. 

Are you prepared to have the hard conversations with your spouse that might leave you feeling a bit unruffled?  Are you prepared to still love your spouse even though you don't like him/her today?  Are you prepared to stick it out when a problem that was a minor annoyance when you were dating is now a full-blown issue?  (People are on their best behavior before they say "I do," even if you live with them beforehand.)  Are you prepared to discuss what's proper discipline for the children?  Are you prepared to be completely vulnerable and open to someone who will be your best friend for life, trusting that they won't deliberately hurt you when they have everything they need to do so?  Are you going to be okay with your spouse having certain issues that can damage the happy home, but working with him/her to overcome them, or at least live with them peacefully?

There is more than equal rights at stake here.  Marriage is declining in this country in favor of cohabitation.  It can be theorized that gay marriage can help boost the numbers, but I don't think it'll boost it that much.  Based upon the current rate that gays end their relationships, I think divorce rates might go up.  However, there might be hope that realizing what commitment is involved in marriage, gays might think thrice before saying "I do."  Besides, heterosexuals are cohabitating more now and gays might choose that route too with the option of getting married if they want to.  Marriage is a serious matter.  When done right (and some may take a while longer to get to "done right" than others), I think it's the most rewarding human-human relationship. 

There's a lot of folks who think that gays don't take relationships seriously.  They think that gay relationships end too quickly and that gays give up more than heterosexuals.  The numbers seem to support this.  Will marriage change that?  Will marriage be a constant reminder that there's a deeper commitment and involvement here?  Will the marriage produce things that you can't easily walk away from, but choose to work together to get it working well again?  When you live together, you always have an out - moving out.  When you're married, it's a bit harder to do that.  And oftentimes, it's worth sticking it out.  After all, the straights do it much more often.  Are they more successful at relationships? 

Only you can determine that. 

Currently Listening Holding Nothing Back By Tim Hughes see related

So, When Do We Stop?