Women have been uniquely designed by the Source of creation to give birth to beating hearts that give home to the soul. We are the Mothers’ of our planet. We are conduits of healing and through the receiving of that healing we have the potential to teach and pass it on to the next. We understand what healing truly is; not a quick fix, but an experience of wholeness.

When we accept the bodies we live in as the magnificent temples they are, however scared from battle or wounded from grief and pains they may be, we open up within a portal of Light that beams more brightly than the brightest star, when we understand who and what we are.

It pains me to see my fellow sister beat herself down because of her dress size, an insecurity of not realizing her true beauty or misunderstanding of her vast worth. Even the most beautifully adorned too often see imperfections instead of the goddess. The word goddess means ‘A women who is adored’. Yet we are all too often hyper-vigilant of what we feel we lack. To not be in the realm of self-Love is a space of unknowing. It is an energetic pocket seething with lies. It is in this place we are out of alignment with the Truth and make choices that lead us out of integrity. Let our goal be to leave reminders of who we are so we may not stay long when we enter into those moments of unknowing. Let us be vulnerable enough to go to a trusted sister and ask for a reminder. Let us Love one another with grace.

Loving (ourselves) authentically is perhaps the greatest of challenges. I ask you to look at yourself through the same eyes of Love you have for those you hold most dear. Give yourself a break. We are often the most difficult critical with ourselves, aren’t we? Today take the time to embrace what those who truly Love and appreciate you experience when they look into your eyes, into your gaze. Take great care of your Temple by nourishing it -today, not once you lose that extra inch – today. Love it today. Be mindful, in the moment, with awareness that this body is temporal but the spirit eternal. Mother yourself. Nurture your spirit. Breathe in gentleness and allow it to saturate your being. Know that each choice you make and life you touch literally changes eternity. Begin with your own.

Our sexuality is a topic deserving of its own message but for now I will say embrace your sensual spirit. Do not abuse your own body or allow another to, for the body and spirit as we know are undeniably intertwined. Sex alone is a wondrous pleasure yet women (and men) who know the power of joining spirit with sex, give rise to an experience that transcends earthly and physical understanding. The enlightenment that can come from the sharing and embracing of our sexuality in spirit is beyond words. May we all take the care to entrust our souls and temples only with those who also know and practice this as Truth. The world exploits a woman’s sexuality but we have the power to direct our own personal energies and claim our power. Standing in our power we give rise to Truth and lower level energies may not reside near us. In this we instantly and effortlessly stand apart from the norm. We set standards for all those we come into contact with. We give the gift to our young sister to know she is a jewel to be adored, not a trinket to be tossed amongst others trivially.

Today sister I ask you to sit in silence, let all thoughts and the minutia of daily living go – remember who you are. Give way for the inner voice to whisper its own Love letter to your soul. Remember the little girl who still resides within, let her come out and play. When we do it’s amazing what she can remind us of and re-teach us. Offer gratitude to the ancestral line of Mothers who have come before giving us life. Feel your feet firmly planted on the earth and imagine the deep roots of the tree of life. Imagine how deep the roots intertwine far below embedded in rich nurturing soil that provides enduring strength… and when needed remember to find shelter within its shade and branches. Remember. We know so much, often it is a matter of remembering versus learning.

Look above you into the sky and recognize the expansive majesty and mysteries of how great an opportunity to be on this rock floating in space. Recognize the Universe and your part in it. It is beyond miraculous.

Above all know you are Loved and that you are Love. Commit to a path of Mastery.

Ginnie Love, M.A. is a Psychotherapist, Consultant and Freelance Writer in the Orlando, Florida area. For more information or to schedule a private consult contact ginnielove@gmail.com

The students, who have not been named, took time out to berate black students. According to the pair, black students don’t like to make a living for themselves, and would rather have babies and get their welfare checks.

“The majority of them are like that,” one of the girls say.

The two girls continue their rant about African-Americans who buy expensive name brand clothes and can’t pay their rent.

Attention is then turned to how African-Americans speak.  They wonder why Blacks can’t talk right, according to them.

“Why can’t they talk eligible?” one of the girls ask, even as she questions her use of the work ‘eligible’. “Is that the right word she asks?”

Undaunted, however, she presses on.

“You can understand what we are saying. We use actual words; Black people do not,” says the girl.

“Are you stupid?” she ask of Black people.

Gainesville High School principal, David Shelnutt said, the video was brought to his attention last week, wcjb.com reports.

“There’s no place for comments like that- that video here at GHS, there’s no place for that in the Alachua County Public School System, and my opinion, no place for that in society in general,” he said.

The parents of the girls have since issued an apology.

The good news? The pair are gone from the school.

 See More of the racist rant HERE.

Lincoln Financial Group’s new MOOD (Measuring Optimism, Outlook and Direction) survey identified the secrets of optimistic and empowered people. The results revealed that those who take charge of their lives are more likely to have an optimistic outlook on life. In fact, according to the MOOD findings, 66 percent of Americans feel in control of their lives and believe their lives are headed in the right direction. So what is it about these optimistic people that eludes the rest of us?

It seems the secret is not about having more, but about doing more with what you have—be that resources, family or time – and engaging with those around you. For example, start the New Year by making more time for those you care most about. MOOD revealed that this is a key trait exhibited by Americans who feel in control. Start working this into your daily life by hosting family dinners, helping kids with homework, making time for friends and using social media to cultivate relationships. Another way to feel empowered and have a positive impact on those around you is to volunteer in your community.

“Grand resolutions, such as exercising an hour five days a week, are often unsustainable and can wind up making us feel very frustrated,” said Jamie DePeau, Chief Marketing Officer at Lincoln Financial. “That’s why it’s so important to highlight that optimistic people often start small. Indeed, MOOD has shown us that these people take very specific actions to achieve success, often through small, daily behaviors. Simple steps such as balancing your checkbook or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can lower stress, lift your belief in your own potential, and eventually get you on the road to having an optimistic outlook on life.”

So before making a resolution to clean out your entire garage or tackle overflowing piles laundry in one fell swoop, consider the Top 7 behaviors of those who feel in control of their lives. According to MOOD, these Americans:

1. Cultivate relationships with friends and family and use social media to engage with those they care about

2. Volunteer in their communities and contribute to charitable organizations

3. Take quiet time to be alone and think

4. Exercise

5. Spend time on a hobby

6. Save a little money from each paycheck regardless of the amount and adhere to a budget

7. Own a retirement account and financial products such as life insurance, annuities or educational savings accounts

“The great news is that you don’t necessarily need to make monumental changes to take charge of your life. A few simple steps can be empowering and put you in control of your destiny,” adds DePeau. “Finances can feel overwhelming. Rather than making a lofty, and potentially unattainable, New Year’s goal, we are hoping to inspire Americans to adopt some of the principals of optimistic Americans, which include building savings and investing in their financial security as a whole.”

Ginnie Love

What does it mean to live our life’s lyric? As an admitted chronic overachiever I have lived life in a constant state of awe and quest for knowledge. With a B.A. in Psychology and Master’s in Mental Health Counseling my very nature is to know what, how, when, why and then create pathways to resolution. In being aware of our choices, thoughts, environments, relationships, careers… all aspect of life, the question repeatedly and inevitably arises – why am I here, what is my purpose?

This is not a onetime question. Throughout our lifetime events occur that bring us back to the core of this unending quest for a sense of purpose, a purpose which leads to contentment and happiness. Am I doing and living the best life possible? Why am I not finding lasting happiness? Rest assured in your questioning, you are not alone.

As a psychotherapist I have encountered every age, socioeconomic status and ethnicity of client. I’ve counseled celebrities and the homeless, clients from the age of two to ninety-two and each and every person craves the same fundamental human desires. We want to be seen, to be heard, to feel safe, to know we matter to someone, to know that our existence is making a difference, to feel loved and appreciated. We want to know that we are worthy. We want to know we have purpose.

In an age where we are being bombarded by self proclaimed gurus and millionaires that changing our thoughts will change our lives we are continuously being set up for failure. As a student of metaphysics and energy psychology I believe our thoughts are things, and very powerful. I undoubtedly believe that changing our thoughts creates a cascade of transformation that is live altering. The missing component is the answer is not given, only the secret told.  How to accomplish the life altering feat of transforming a lifetime of programmed thinking into a positive manifesting mind is leaving countless people in the gap from knowing to achieving. In truth the only way to attain such change is with time, practice and patience. The secret is in learning and re-learning, re-learning to trust your own body and intuition or what your grandparents called ‘trusting your gut’. The secret is in becoming your own ‘guru’. This will be an ongoing discussion in Living Your Lyric.

I was recently speaking with a colleague discussing that many wish it to be as easy as buying a book and having a life altering epiphany.  And of course it does happen, only those aha moments are often short lived and not properly practiced to incite lasting change in our behavior and substantially shifting our life experiences.

The first key to living the life you want is to know what that life is. It sounds overtly simplistic doesn’t it? Yet it is often the missing component. What is it you truly hunger for? We must know how to recognize the door in order to open it. We need clarity. We need a state of balance. Finding our balance in today’s world is no easy task. It is like standing in the middle of the teeter totter at the play ground legs and arms flowing trying to keep it even and still. You may reach a brief moment of complete balance but the ebb and flow of getting to that moment is the exercise of life. Living Your Lyric is about discovery, growth, knowledge, movement and the understanding of how to implement all of these components into a life flow that is authentically lived. Do not merely exist, dare to LIVE. Remember the dreams that once filled your heart with joy and find a way to incorporate them into your now.

Our lyric is our life purpose, our way of wanting to be in this world. I believe we have a universal life purpose yet for each it is also individual. Regardless of religious or spiritual belief, or lack of either, we are here on this rock floating in space together. If we wish to have peace in our world it must start in our countries. To have peace in our countries we must have peace in our communities. To have peace in our communities we must have peace in our homes. And to have peace in our homes we must first have peace within ourselves. That peace is cultivated by the courage to take on the challenge of self growth and nurture an intrinsic ambition to live our life’s lyric. And that is the journey I hope to take with you each week as we discuss and learn from one another, discovering and singing our life’s lyric.

(Family Features) “No more teachers, no more books …” Kids may heave a sigh of relief when school is out for the summer, but parents and caregivers need to make sure that kids don’t fall victim to summer brain drain.

According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), all kids experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational activities during the summer. Research over the last 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer.

“Like any other important skill, learning must be practiced or it can easily be lost,” said Matthew Boulay, NSLA’s interim CEO. “The research shows that lower-income children with less access to summer learning programs and to books are even more likely to fall behind in reading over the summer – and that contributes a great deal to the achievement gap over time.”

What you can do for your kids

Reading is a crucial learning skill that has impact into adult life. Here are some fun ways to help get – and keep – your kids’ noses in books this summer:

• Make time every day for reading. Reading to children and modeling good reading habits communicates that reading is important – and fun.
• Help kids choose books at an appropriate reading level. Nothing is more discouraging than having to struggle with a book that’s too challenging. Listen to your child read. A good rule of thumb is that if he or she makes five or more errors in reading a page of about 50 words, the book is too challenging. (See sidebar story for age-appropriate reading lists.)
• Discuss new words, especially with younger readers. Asking them who might live in a palace or what they might do with a vacuum helps put the new word into a context they can understand.
• When reading picture books, ask your child about what is happening in the illustration. Let them interpret the drawings in their own, unique way.
• Let them read from a wide variety of materials. Fairy tales, information books, poems, children’s magazines, the newspaper’s sports page, e-books and graphic novels are all good options for finding interesting reading material.
• Don’t drill your child on letters, words, numbers, colors, etc. Turn it into a game to help encourage their curiosity and continued interest.
• Make sure reading material is easily accessible. Leave books and magazines in their room; have reading material in other rooms of the house, and even the car.

What you can do for others

It’s important for every child to keep reading and learning during the summer, but for some kids, it’s even more critical. The NSLA says that lower-income students are particularly at risk:

• Low-income students lose more than two months in reading achievement over the summer months.
• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.

To help close this gap, The UPS Store network supports the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, a year-round initiative that encourages monetary donations and provides books to less-fortunate children. The program gives these children the ability to compete academically and succeed in life by enhancing their ability to read and communicate effectively.

Every donation helps purchase books for local children in need or places books in libraries, schools, and existing programs that serve economically disadvantaged children. One hundred percent of donations benefit children in the community in which the donations were received.

Since its beginning in 2008, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program has raised nearly $1.6 million to buy books for less-fortunate children in communities across the U.S. Find out more at www.toysfortots.org/literacy.

Fun Booktivity Ideas

Writing and illustrating are two more fun ways to engage kids with books. Using a Web browser, you can submit electronic files to a participating The UPS Store location for digital print production, then customize your documents and pay for them online.

Here are some fun “booktivity” ideas that keep kids engaged with reading skills while helping others:

• Have your child create their own illustrations for their favorite book. Then, print them up for display.
• Older kids can make their own comic books. Then, have them printed and bound.
• During a family trip, let the kids write and illustrate their adventures using your laptop’s drawing software. Then, upload the files and have them printed and waiting for you as soon as the trip is done.

Learn more about online printing at www.theupsstore.com/print.

Ready, Set, Read!

Here are a few books to get the summer fun started:

Age 3 to 6

• “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff
• “Mr. Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo” by Kevin Waldron
• “Baloney (Henry P.)” by Jon Scieszka
• “Kitten’s First Full Moon” by Kevin Henkes

Ages 6 to 9

• “A Picture Book of Jesse Owens” by David Adler
• “Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker
• “What Really Happened in Roswell? Just the Facts (Plus the Rumors) About UFOs and Aliens” by Kathleen Krull
• “From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems” by Francisco X. Alarcón

Ages 9 to 12

• “The Batboy” by Mike Lupica
• “Summer Reading Is Killing Me” by Jon Scieszka
• “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo
• “A Long Way from Chicago” by Richard Peck

Ages 13+

• “Summerland” by Michael Chabon
• “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• “Holes” by Louis Sachar
• “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

To get more book recommendations, visit your local library or bookstore, as well as some of these sites:

• American Library Association – www.ala.org – for a list of award-winning children’s books.
• Reading Rockets – www.ReadingRockets.org – for themed lists of kids’ favorites.
• Education World – www.education-world.com – for recommended reading and fun activities to go along with the books.
• KidsReads – www.kidsreads.com – for an annotated list of age-appropriate books.
• International Reading Association – www.reading.org – for a list of books arranged by reading level.

SOURCE:
The UPS Store

Boys Town of Central Florida resident (left) with Magic Community Ambassador Bo Outlaw at the OMYF Golf Tournament in September 2010

Freeney, a 15-year-old from Sanford, saw her mother suffer a stroke and father abandon the family, leaving her basically alone with her sisters and brothers. A single mother at 18, Shatilla used help from the programs provided to her to learn social skills, independent living skills, understand how to seek community resources and she even participated in parenting classes. Ultimately, Shatilla enrolled in a GED program in hopes of reaching her goal of someday attending college.

Latori and Shatilla are two of the many success stories from the Boys Town of Central Florida. Their Intervention and Assessment Shelters and Family Treatment Homes serve hundreds annually and thousands through the years.

And without the help of the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, such a program would most likely not be possible. Earlier this year, Boys Town of Central Florida received a $50,000 grant from the Orlando Magic Youth Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund (OMYF-MFF), which distributed $1 million to local non-profit organizations that focus on nourishing the minds and bodies of at-risk children throughout Central Florida.

Over the last 21 years, the OMYF has distributed more than $16 million to local non-profit community organizations. The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation raises community dollars annually through donations, auctions and events such as the Black Tie and Tennies Gala and the OMYF Golf Tournament.   Fundraising efforts then go to the Fund, and are matched at $0.50 on the dollar by the McCormick Foundation.  In 2011, in addition to presenting checks totaling $1 million to 19 non-profit organizations, the OMYF-MFF also awarded scholarships totaling $30,000.

“We are proud to be able to assist organizations who are in need during these tough economic times,’’ Orlando Magic President Alex Martins said. “It is only possible through a collaborative effort of the DeVos family, this community, our players, coaches, staff, corporate partners and season ticket holders that we are capable of distributing $1 million this year.  Most importantly we want to recognize and thank those who work every day with the youth of our community … they are the true heroes.’’

The 2011 grant recipients from OMYF: Adult Literacy League, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, Boys Town of Central Florida, Coalition for the Homeless, Conductive Education Center of Orlando, Crealde School of Art, Education Foundation-Osceola County, Elevate Orlando, Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools, Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Hope Foundation for the Homeless, Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, Orlando Ballet, Florida Hospital for Children, Harbor House of Central Florida, Hope Community Center, Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families and the Valencia Community College Foundation.

Boys Town Central Florida’s goal is to provide positive nurturing to abused, neglected, abandoned, homeless and/or runaway youth ages 10 to 18 through one of its programs. It offers Treatment Family Homes, Intervention and Assessment Shelter and In-Home Family Services.

Latori is a resident in the Intervention Assessment Shelter where she is receiving positive nurturing along with her younger sister in one of the Family Treatment Homes. She has been in foster care at Boys Town for about four months, and she’s quite thankful for the support and care she has received.

“At Boys Town I have learned how to express my feelings with others and not just hold it in.  Also, Boys Town really cares,’’ Latori wrote recently. “They treat you like their own kids and let you know they care. Plus, here you get awarded for your good behavior which is good because it makes you want to keep doing good. Boys Town teaches you skills you will need in life such as anger control, boundaries, following instructions, and more. Boys Town is a great environment for kids to grow and learn. And it has been a great experience for me.’’

As for Shatilla, she had originally planned to make her stay at Boys Town a short one since she was about to turn 18 years old and become free to do as she pleased as an adult. But after speaking with the Boys Town staff she learned she could strengthen her skills to be more successful when she ages out of care. Shatilla decided it was a good idea for her to stay for a little while to get all the help she could before she went out on her own.

A resident in one of the Treatment Family Homes where she received positive nurturing and treatment and care from specially trained married couples, Shatilla learned social skills, better ways to live on your own, how to acquire community resources and took parenting classes to help her be a better parent to her own child.

Boys Town’s Family Teachers and G.A.L. programs helped Shatilla find an apartment, taught her to use community resources and helped her enroll in a GED program. Someday, she hopes her path will take her to college where she might become one of the first members of her family with a degree. She still maintains contact with the Boys Town family and continues to make good choices and implementing the skills she learned in the program.

To learn more or make a difference with a donation, visit omyf.org.

By John Denton

Interior designer, home trend expert and frequent guest on HGTV Erinn Valencich knows exactly how to make small changes that can have a big impact. “Scent is a fantastic way to make any room feel welcoming and complete without making any major renovations, which can be expensive and permanent,” says Valencich. “Families today are searching for easy solutions to revamp their living spaces without breaking the bank, and my customers often don’t realize that décor and scent are closely connected. Discovering a signature fragrance will tremendously add to a room’s design by creating a warm and inviting atmosphere,” she notes.

In order to offer budget-friendly tips that families can use to update their living spaces, Valencich has partnered with Glade Sense & Spray Automatic Freshener. Together, they hope these tips will enhance families’ at-home scent experience and show how affordable and easy it can be to update any room by stimulating the senses through color, texture and scent:

1. Think outside the box. Look at items purely based on color and see a room in a whole new light. Valencich says painting an accent wall is one of the easiest ways to get a fresh pop of color into a room. To make the room cohesive, pick three accessories in that same color and position them around the room in a triangle pattern. This could be a few new throw pillows on the sofa and a vase on the mantle with a few chic blooms. Coffee table books with jackets in the accent color work great as styling accessories, as well.
2. Bring the outdoors inside. Greenery is often overlooked in a home but really gives a room life. If a live tree is too much of a commitment, incorporate an artificial tree, plant or arrangement. Use a stylish pot and cover it with moss to create an inexpensive accessory.
3. Create visual and tactile variety. Achieve a warm and inviting atmosphere using soft lighting with lamps and dimmers. Also use a variety of textures in the room. If there’s a lot of wood in a room already, opt for a side table made from glass and metal materials, and choose upholstered dining chairs instead of using additional wood.
4. Don’t forget the finishing touch. If a room looks beautiful but lacks an inviting scent, the effect may fall flat. To bring a room together, don’t forget to add fragrance as the finishing touch to home décor with Glade Sense & Spray Automatic Freshener. The newly designed neutral vase blends into any room, and the motion activated sensor provides a signature fragrance to complement the room’s design and ambiance.

For more quick and easy tips, visit www.GladeScentandStyle.com.

Discover Scent Personality with Interior Designer Erinn Valencich

“Having a beautifully scented room encourages guests to linger in the space, relax and enjoy themselves because it is a positive reinforcement of the environment. I like the newly designed Glade Sense & Spray Automatic Freshener because it is dependable and can be incorporated into any room’s décor. The neutral colored vase-like design will look nice in any room while keeping the home smelling fresh with a desirable personalized fragrance.”

• If a chic décor is a personal favorite, the soft scent of Lavender & Vanilla will complete the room. To achieve this style, mix vintage-inspired fabrics like florals and stripes with worn pieces. For an added touch, try updating drawers and side tables with new knobs for a custom look. Soft slip-covered sofas and chairs add a comfortable and easy-to-care-for element.
• If you’re desiring a layered, casual beach-inspired look, Hawaiian Breeze is the perfect scent for a finishing touch. The airy, fruity scent is laid back and reminiscent of an ocean breeze. Mix aged wooden pieces, like a distressed end table topped with several old metal cans holding fresh or artificial flowers. Place this next to a more formal collection of white intricate floral detailed vases. Bring in island influence with bamboo furniture or frames. The mix of old and new, with punches of soft blues and greens, creates a casual elegance.

SOURCE:
Glade

Julie Gaskins, author of Worthy: Drinking Hope from a Well of Despair

WONO: Your biography states that, from a young age you were drawn to reading and writing.  At what age did you actually start writing and what pulled you in that direction?

Julie Gaskins: I was writing actually, in first grade and was reading before I started school. Basically, my whole family were readers. My mother and father both read constantly. But, a lot of mine came from a feeling of isolation from other people, so I just escaped into books. I was reading adult books by the time I was seven or eight. It was just something I always did.

WONO: What authors did you read?

Julie Gaskins: I remember reading Conrad Richter when I was eight-years-old and many others.  It’s been awhile back!

WONO: What childhood memories do you believe influenced what you wrote?

Julie Gaskins: The first actual memory I have is of writing in a closet and being suicidal. For a long time I just thought there was something wrong with me. I didn’t really understand it until I actually started exploring my reasons for feeling that way, at that time, because no child should be suicidal at the age of six. Even among my own family–one of my brothers is at odds with me over this because, he believes that what I say isn’t true. Yet, my sisters validate everything that I say, as well as, an aunt who lived with us when I was a child who often knows what it was like.

WONO: And did you eventually unearth the reasons for those feeling?

Julie Gaskins: I think that I always knew the reasons, but just wasn’t accepting of them at the time. Mostly, my mother and I had a very strange relationship all my life. She blamed me for her being trapped in a marriage she didn’t want to be in  and then she got pregnant again with me. She had seven children in nine years.

WONO: Where do you fall in the order?

Julie Gaskins: I was the fourth child.

WONO: Before your memoirs you published a compilation of stories dedicated to pets and owners entitled, Crossing the Rainbow.  What inspired that publication?

Julie Gaskins: I have always worked with animals. I have always absolutely loved animals and knew someone on an online, networking site that was trying to put a compilation together and asking for contributors. So, I pitched in with lots of stories, not yet put into words. I’ve had a lot of experiences and a couple of them actually fit in with the theme.

WONO: You published your memoirs Worthy: Drinking Hope From a Well of Despair on September 7th.  Why now and what inspired you to do so at this time?

Julie Gaskins: I really don’t know how to answer that specifically. My closest brother and I talked about doing an autobiographical book together, sharing our childhood memories, because he had his own share of them. He committed suicide in 1998 and at that time, I sort of put it out of my mind thinking that could never be done. I really didn’t want to do it on my own. But, about three years ago I was involved in an online conversation with someone who was of the opinion that I had a strong opinion on abuse, but I had no way to rebut what he was talking about without telling the truth about me. So, I decided I was going to respond in kind by just writing an essay and publishing it on Gather, the networking site that I was on. I started writing and to be honest, I just couldn’t stop. So, I published one chapter and I said I guess there will be a part two and then there were 49. It just all came about slowly and as I was writing one chapter at a time, I had acquired a sizable group of people who were reading my work, saying I should get it published, and that it was a really important story.

WONO: What was the experience like telling your story?  And how did you decide on the title, Worthy: Drinking Hope From a Well of Despair?

Julie Gaskins: Well it’s something that people ask me all the time. They are always amazed at my ability to take the pain and hurt that I have been through and make something good out of it. I have people asking me, “How are you able to do that?” I am told that many people would have just given in, because I have dealt with so much in my life that it kind of feels like a Soap Opera, when I start telling my story. That was one of the problems I felt that, if I just sat down and told you the facts of my life it would sound very unbelievable, actually. But when you read the book, you know where it actually came from and then it makes sense. There were a lot of self-destructive decisions, but even when I got past that point, I ended up still making mistakes, but not of the same variety.

Regarding the title, when I first started posting the installments, I was calling it Worthless, because that is how I felt as a child.  I felt worthless and that word was very strong in my mind at that time. Somehow along the way, after I decided that I was going to put it in book form, I said, “I just don’t like that name.” It’s too negative. There are a lot of people who write memoirs about abuse and I didn’t want it to be that way. I want it to be enlightening and with a name like Worthless, I really didn’t think that it was possible.

Honestly, when I submitted it, the publisher asked me to fill out the questionnaire. They asked if there was a subtitle. I said there was actually one I had used on just a little short piece that I had written sometime before, unrelated to the story, but I thought it worked. A lot of people say they just don’t understand how I got through it. I had a therapist at one point who told me that it wasn’t at all surprising that I made the choices that I did as an adult, given my childhood. She said the amazing thing is that I got out of it. I guess, I always felt that I needed to do something positive, something purposeful with my experience.

WONO: Why was the word “worthless” so dominant, as a child?

Julie Gaskins: My mother who should have been the person who loved me most in my life called me ugly and told me I never did anything good in her eyes. I always thought that I had no value. I always thought that if I just disappeared, no one would even notice.  My mother told me she didn’t want me. When I was eleven she told me that she had never wanted me. I understood that, I always knew that but I never expected her to say it.

WONO: On your website you wrote “I wanted to be a writer, not just as a pass time, but as a purpose. Not just something I do, but something I am.”  What do you mean?

Julie Gaskins: Well, for a long time I saw myself as a veterinarian technician who did some writing on the side, and it was always just a pass time. But, I think a few years ago, when I started actually writing right from the heart for no specific purpose, I realized that that was what I was meant to be and that I could have other pass times, but that is what I did. I am always trying to perfect the words in my mind. I’ve always done that all my life. Before I speak I have to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect. So this isn’t the easiest thing for me.

WONO: What’s  next, what are you working on now?

Julie Gaskins: I am working on a second book, which would be a follow-up to Worthy and it’s called Rise.

WONO: What is the time-line on that?

Julie Gaskins: The first one Worthy, ended with getting my son back into my life; taking on mothering is a full time thing. My memoirs made me feeling like I had accomplished something for the first time in my life and that I am up to the challenge. The second one just goes on from there because, the story didn’t end there. I was married to an alcoholic and it was one thing after another, in addition to my brother’s suicide. I also was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) a few years back. I feel there is a reason for everything; I believe that. I was devastated when I learned the diagnosis. Now when I look back on it, I think that I wouldn’t have been able to write the book if I hadn’t been diagnosed.

WONO: Over what time period did you write Worthy?

Julie Gaskins: It is hard to say, because really, I wrote a good share of the next book along with it and it took about nine months, and for another year I was rewriting. At that point I decided to split my work into two books, because it was just too much material.

WONO: Thank you, Julie.  Your story is very fascinating and I look forward to reading more of your work.

Julie Gaskins: Thank you, too.

By: West Orlando News Online.

The report – Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry – documents the workplace experiences of immigrant women who have come to the United States to escape crushing poverty. It describes how the laws that are in place to protect them from exploitation are grossly inadequate and how they are typically powerless to protect themselves.

The report can be read at www.splcenter.org/foodreport. Its release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Edward R. Murrow’s documentary “Harvest of Shame,” which chronicled the plight of migrant farmworkers. CBS broadcast the documentary on Thanksgiving in 1960.

“These women are the backbone of the food industry but are exploited and abused in ways that most of us can’t imagine and that none of us should tolerate,” said SPLC Legal Director Mary Bauer, co-author of the report. “Fear keeps these women silent, so their suffering is invisible to all of us who benefit from their labor every time we sit down at the dinner table.”

The report is based on extensive interviews with 150 immigrant women from Mexico, Guatemala, and other Latin American countries. They live and work in states across the country. All have worked in the fields or factories that produce food for America.

Many of the women interviewed for the report said the threat of deportation and the possible destruction of their families keeps them from reporting workplace abuses – even when it means enduring sexual harassment and other indignities.

“It’s because of fear [that] we have to tolerate more,” said one 26-year-old Florida farmworker interviewed for the report. “Sometimes they take advantage because we don’t have papers. They mistreat us, and what can we do? Where would we go?”

Many workers described keeping track of the wages they had earned only to discover a far smaller amount in their paychecks. Some said they were not paid at all for work they performed. Sexual harassment and even brutal sexual assaults by male co-workers and supervisors were also a constant threat for many of these women. Some saw it as a danger that simply must be tolerated for a day’s pay. Many are reluctant to report sexual assaults and other crimes to police for fear of being deported.

The women also reported working in dangerous conditions without adequate safety precautions. Field workers reported frequent exposure to chemicals and pesticides.

Farmworkers remain the least protected workers in America. They were intentionally excluded from nearly all major federal labor laws passed during the New Deal era. Though some laws have been amended since then, many exemptions remain. They are not entitled to overtime pay under federal law, for example. On smaller farms and in short harvest seasons, they are not even entitled to the federal minimum wage. In addition, farmworkers are not covered by workers’ compensation laws in many states and are excluded from many state health and safety laws.

The report concludes that wholesale reforms at the federal level are needed to protect these workers. These reforms include a path to citizenship for the undocumented workers who are feeding the country with their labor. Reforms also must include stronger worker protections – for all workers, whether they labor in the field or in the factory, and whether they have legal status or not.

“For these women, workplace exploitation is the rule – not the exception,” said Monica Ramirez, co-author of the report and director for Esperanza: The Immigrant Women’s Legal Initiative of the SPLC. “Virtually every American relies on their labor. It is our responsibility to stop their abuse.”

Imagine being able to get into your dream home, without showing proof of your income.  The mortgage payments were perfect for your income (at the time you signed the paper work.)  You were told that the interest rate would adjust upwards in two or three years, but don’t worry because you would be able to refinance again before that rate adjustment with no problems.  Far too many people may have felt this was their only chance to get a home. So they signed on the dotted line, thanked the realtor, the mortgage broker and the lender for giving them this wonderful opportunity of home ownership.

Add into the formula that many Blacks were targeted to refinance to get cash out of their equity, even if their homes were almost paid off.  So instead of getting an equity loan of $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000 to fix up the home, add a room, renovate plumbing or appliances, these predatory lenders refinanced the entire mortgage!  Now the homeowner starts all over again with a brand new 30 year mortgage that adds hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.   These issues became huge factors which led to much higher number of foreclosures in the African-American/Black communities.  In other words, these loans were designed to default.

Fast forward to 2008, real estate bubble burst (home values plummeted,) major financial institutions collapsed and job layoffs sky rocketed.  By 2009, Florida was #1 in tourism, #1 in foreclosure and #3 in homelessness! Don’t forget the old saying that when “America gets a cold, African-Americans get pneumonia.”

As we near the end of 2010, many Black households are down to one income, while the basic expenses of everyday living have increased (food, utilities, gasoline, etc.)   Other households have the same exact income they did when they purchased their homes, but their interest rate on the mortgage has reset (or adjusted upwards) one, two or even three times or more.

An economic set back such as an unexpected home repair, major car repair or medical expense could produce a catastrophic chain of events that families may never be able to overcome. Here we are in November 2010 with far too many Black homeowners living one paycheck away from being homeless.  Struggling with choices like…Do I pay the mortgage or buy groceries to feed my family?  Do I pay the mortgage or pay the electric bill?  Do I tap into my 401K again, to catch up with my mortgage payments?  Do I try to get a loan modification?

Some people think if a family stops making mortgage payments they should have plenty of cash on hand, a big savings account balance etc.  Regrettably the amount of money that was previously used to pay the mortgage has now been absorbed into everyday living expenses.  Annual research studies over the past ten years sponsored by Ariel Investments, a Black owned investment company  and Charles Schwab show that Blacks are less likely to invest in other areas outside of home ownership due to lack of knowledge. While their White counterparts with the same exact annual income, consistently put money into multiple methods of saving which earned interest and had their money working for them which improved their net worth.  This also provided assets that could be easily cashed out without tapping into home equity or 401K accounts when unforeseen financial issues arise.

Definition of Net worth: If you were to sell everything you own (your house, car, computers, stereos, jewelry, etc.) and used the money that was left over to pay off all of your debts, your net worth would be the amount of money you have left over.

Based on a study from Brandeis University’s Institute on Assets and Social Policy released earlier this year, African American families net worth improved, but the numbers are heart breaking.  With the exception of home equity, White families now have a median net worth around $100,000, up from $22,000 from 1984. African-American families’ net worth in the year 2010 is only about $5,000 versus $2,000 net worth in 1984. In addition, approximately one in four Black families had no assets at all.
The bottom line is that far too many African-American households have little or no savings or emergency funds other than borrowing from relatives or pay day advances.  Financial illiteracy (or the lack of willingly living within ones means) comes into play once again in the Black community.  For years financial experts have advised people to have an emergency fund with enough money saved to cover at least three to six months of expenses.  Why didn’t the Black/African-American community hear this advice?

Maybe if we had more Blacks who knew how money worked, and actually taught other Blacks what they knew, this issue would be less of a problem.   If middle to upper income Blacks have a decent paying job (corporate career, or own a business) and are still struggling to pay for basic living expenses and to keep a roof over their heads…then they are living one paycheck from being homeless!

The foreclosure to homelessness statistics for 2009 were staggering, in Florida the estimated number of all outstanding home loans was 3,755,000. The estimated subprime loans almost 600,000 (16% of all loans), which were the primary loans given to Blacks/African Americans.   The number of loans delinquent over 30 days exceeded 300,000, with another 220,000 loans in foreclosure and almost 40,000 homes repossessed by the lender.  That means 40,000 evictions.  These numbers rise with every wave of layoffs and reduced working schedules for employees around the state.

The Department of Children and Family Services’ Annual Report on Homeless in Florida 2010 states that even if you were forced to leave your primary place of residence and had to move in with someone else (or living in a motel/hotel or your car)  because of “economic hardship you are classified as “homeless.”   The majority of the data used to calculate the number of homeless Floridians is basically measured by records from numerous facilities/shelters and agencies around the state.  Therefore there is not an accurate account of the total number of homeless people in the state of Florida, but it is estimated that on any given day between 50,000-85,000 Floridians are homeless.

A look at the statistics on record for the 2010 report stated that 36.5% of the homeless in Florida were Black/African-American compared to the 2000 U.S. Census Figure of 14.6%.  Overall 70% of the homeless cases reported in 2010, the primary causes for Floridians being homeless were employment or financial reasons (53.6%), housing issues (11.4%) and forced to relocate from home (6.4%).

So if a house is the biggest asset (and in many cases the only investment) for Blacks/African-Americans, how close are they to homelessness in today’s economy without proper financial planning for the future?

Sources: http://www.arielinvestments.com/index.php ; http://iasp.brandeis.edu/

http://knol.google.com/k/frank-w-sweet/the-u-s-black-white-net-worth-gap/k16kl3c2f2au/34#

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/homelessness/index.shtml ; http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/_search/?q=florida+homeless+statistics