I had planned to write this post on Memorial Day, or at least the day after but it took me two days to recover from our trip to the zoo. Let me tell you, if you want to get a weeks worth of exercise in one day, visit the N.C. Zoo! At the entrance we were handed brochure guides and the first thing i noticed — 5 MILES of walking trails! Whew! glad I had my sneakers on…yes I saw a woman wearing heels, now what was she thinking?!!
I hadn’t visited the zoo in a looooong time. I was never really fond of it as a kid, the memories etched in my mind are of the caged animals, stinking smells, the heat, and being daggone tired from so much walking. Well…this time it was stinking, hot, and exhausting. So not too much different. BUT despite how much it seems I’m complaining, I actually had a good time. I think being with the kids and seeing how much fun they were having, made the trip so much more enjoyable for me. My niece (to the right, rear) was not satisfied until she saw Simba (the lions), Timon (the meerkats), and Pumba (a warthog…we had to settle for the Red River Hogs). My cousin’s son came prepared wearing his Curious George shirt 
.
My favorite exhibits:
And these baboons were engaged in some questionable activity. I’ll let you use your imagination, I’ll just say that one in front was bobbing it’s head up and down.
Meteorologists are predicting stormy weather for tomorrow. Incidentally, that’s Mother’s Day and although this may sound strange, the storms seem fitting. Let me explain:
This is my second Mother’s Day. I barely slipped in last year, as my daughter was just a wee little thing. So for the past year and change, I’ve endured my share of storms. According to my mother, and every other mom I speak with, I have yet to witness the really difficult stuff.
I feel that the love I have for my mother grows stronger with each passing day. I realize she surely weathered many a storm raising 7 children, and for many years as a single parent after my parents divorced. The thought is unimaginable that what I’m going through with my toddler she did 7 times over!
Mommyhood is such a beautiful experience, but the toughest job I’ve ever had! On this Mother’s Day, I will take the time to make sure my mom knows she is very much loved and appreciated. I feel so grateful to have a mom who exhibited the wisdom and compassion needed to raise loving and intelligent children. Because of her, my siblings and I are disciplined, determined, compassionate, intelligent, and myriad other attributes that we owe in part to our upbringing.
Happy Mother’s Day mom!
Thanks for all that you gave and continue to give that has allowed me to be a great mom to my own child.
I have to get my video camera fixed so I can record some of the funny mess that goes on in this house. My daughter and niece crack me up! When they see each other for the first time after being apart all day, they just look at one another and begin laughing hysterically. I’m talking serious giggle fits that go on, and on, and on…
So about the title of this post. You may be saying to yourself, “So what does she call you? Mommy? Mama? Ma?” Nope. She calls me Day-day. Yep! Day-day. At first I thought she was trying to say da-da. Then I thought no she’s not attempting the word daddy, because that word is practically non-existent around here. I refer to her father as baba, and that’s what my niece calls her daddy too. So I’m thinking, maybe its just a sound that all babies make — mama, dada, googoo, gaga. Nope. Day-day means something because it isn’t random. She most often looks straight at me when she says it. Then it hit me. She’s calling me by my name, Dara (pronounced day-ruh, i guess that would be the phonetic spelling). You see, my niece calls me Aunty Day-day, and she says it like a million times a day. So I guess Nia picked up on it. So now I’m day-day to her. Not ma-ma, she rarely uses the word. I’ve heard her say it a few times. Not a big problem. But I’m wondering if I should try to discourage her from calling me day-day. What do you think?
We’re 2 weeks into 2008, and I think i’m still gassy from all the black-eyed peas I’ve eaten over the past couple of weeks. Hope my finances don’t suffer this year becuase I didn’t eat the traditional collard greens. I know I had a heaping helping last year, and I’ve never been as broke as I was in 2007. Being broke is no fun, and I vow to never be in that state again.
I feel a headache coming on as I think back on 2007. Coming out of 2006, I was on a high, what a great year! I was driving through a valley in 2007, lots of low points. I felt insane because these low points were often experienced in tandem with joyous moments. Up and down, up and down all year long.
Although 2007 was stressful, back-breaking, extremely tough, the year was one of tremendous growth for me. The biggest lessons: I need to change my thinking, and I need to trust that where I am and what I’m going through is exactly where I need to be and what I need to be experiencing to continue my spiritual and personal growth. Because as I’ve said before, I get better with age. Like a fine wine! And I’m not gonna let a few mishaps or people who don’t have my best interest in mind, derail me on my journey to love and happiness.
No resolutions this year. My primary goal (i left this comment on a MommyDaddyBlog post:
the past few months of my life have been so hectic. i want to be able to step away from all the stress, and just feel so free in her presence.
just trying to slow things down, and appreciate what’s most important in my life.
Happy New Year to all of the Jasiri readers.
So Glad My Brother is Not a Statistic
We all want to be loved.
Imagine if you were never loved, what type of person you would be?
Perhaps like Lawrence Alvin Lovette, Jr. or Demario James Atwater.
I don’t know really.
Don’t presume to know what kind of life they’ve led — in just 17 and 21 years respectively.
So sad.
How can we ever claim freedom if crimes such as these continue to flourish in the U.S.?
This case is just one of the many atrocities that’s played out in the very public sphere in recent years.
I am so sick of it.
School shootings,
Rapes,
Murders…
And this is not a black problem, or a white problem.
This is an American problem.
That’s my brother pictured above. With the way he dresses, I know some people automatically prejudge him as a thug or gangsta. Fortunately my brother has not succumbed to the stereotype that is so often assigned to black males. He is such a thoughtful and kind person. And an excellent father to his 4-year-old son. He is an excellent male role model for my daughter.