The Synergistic Pen

My cousin just graduated from the University of Chicago Saturday morning. She now has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development. She will be attending a Post Bach program at a local university to take some core science classes (ahhh, science) and then she's off to medical school.

Meanwhile, my niece graduated from high school a couple of weeks ago. She will be starting college. She wants to teach. She will also be attending school locally. She's very excited.

Then there is yet another cousin who will be graduating next year with a degree in education. My nephew will graduate from high school next summer. My daughter will be a junior this time next year. My son graduates in 2 years.

sigh. I remember when it was me and my sisters and cousins. We were young, we had dreams, we wanted to change the world. We all have done quite well for ourselves, I'd like to think. Its nice watching our progeny head off into the world.

I grew up in an era when black women either became nurses or teachers and made no real effort to be anything else. In our family, we just happen to be nuturers and healers...so...the teaching and medicine thing works for us. But, there are lawyers and financiers and business entrepeneurs also in our family.

We are all young gifted and black...even those of us who are young anymore. New careers have sprouted out of old. I teach now, after years of working as an engineer. My middle sister the nurse is now an agricultural entrepeneur, babygirl, used to be a software engineer for NASA; she's a stay at home mom that works part time as a substitute teacher. And on and on...we all have dreams, we all have goals, we all have tried to be role models for our children....

Well, watching the new batch of "us" go out into the world, I have to say, I'm proud. I know how hard it will be for them, but I'm excited for them too. The same way someone was excited for me.

To be young, gifted, and black. Yeah.

I have a daughter. She'll be 19 years old in 3 days. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with her. I didn't know it was "her"...but I knew there was someone special inside of me. I recognized that my life was about to change and it would never be the same again...because of the life growing inside of me.

The day she was born, I was a bit disappointed. See, I come from a family full of females...and in my mind, I wanted, NEEDED a boy to raise...

Yet, there she was, screaming and wet and small...perfect in every way. It has been a joy to raise her. She's independent, opinionated, focused and determined. She is MY daughter.

Today, as we drove home after a morning of shopping, her cousin, a year younger, and a recent high school graduate, called asking advice concerning a young man. I listened to my daugther as she spoke of being patient and focusing on what she needed to do as she starts college in the fall. I listened as she repeated over and over again, "girl, he's just some dude..."

these two young women, only daugthers, with boys all around them (yeah, I finally had that son of mine)... have learned to be there for each other. I'm glad. In my day, I had sisters to share my secrets with...yet, for some reason I didn't. I've been thinking about that lately.

I've been thinking about whose important to me, why they're important to me, and what it takes for me to "let people in".

The conversation ended with a laugh and plans for a 19th birthday celebration this coming week. I'll spend time with my sisters... maybe we'll talk about what we did, in our day...

About 3 months ago, I took this blog down. I didn't have time for it, didn't having anything to say, was busy with my life, and really overwhelmed with a few things.

but... I'M BACKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!


did ya miss me? probably not, hardly anyone read this thing. oh well.

So, with a little consideration of what I want to discuss here and a lot of consideration on who I would like to have access to this, I've decided to do the following:

talk about God... cus, well, I like talking about God...

talk about politics...cus, well, its election season in the United States, and there are things I feel we should NOT allow the media to overlook...so, I'll be playing watchdog for a few months...

talk about education...cus, dammit, I'm a teacher, so I'll feel the need to vent ocassionally...

talk about writing, including a piece or two or three, cus I write, and this is the place I put my thoughts out there....


now, anyone wanting to participate int this exercise in insanity is perfectly welcome to join me... bouncing thoughts off the heads of others is good for the spirit... and all our spirits can use some stimulation, right?

welcome to my world...put on your seatbelt

if you ain't grown enough for this... get out...