STAND TALL MY WOMEN OF COLOR AND BEAUTY

I see as times change so does our image and the pride we use to once hold. I see young women now a days just throwing their innocents away cause they know not of their beauty and worth. My strong Black sister's we hold the struggle to the world and the key to the future don't let it slip away. We are the works that keep our brothers strong and the hope of the future leaders and that we birth to life. We are the very backbones of strength and courage we have roots that stretch further then any man can see. We are the tears that soiled the earth, the smile that out shines the sun, and the skin tone baby every women wants!

A Strong women by the name of Maya Angelou once said " I speak to the black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition -- about what we can endure, dream, fail at, and still survive." We as Black women embody this very quote we have survived and endured throughout the years. Single mother raising their children on their own, and work two or three jobs just to make ends meet and put food on the table. My strong sister raised without her father but yet chose to pursue school and career over empty love that wasn't given by daddy.

Behind every strong man is a black women, in some shape or form we are there and stand beside him or behind him. President Barack Obama is the prime example with his wife Michelle Obama who understood that her man had a dream. She understood that it would be hard and at times painful but she stood tall, and she stood by him now he is the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. She is the type of women that screams out what beauty and intelligence is and can be in a women. She once said "You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen. We just weren't raised that way. " She is right and we weren't raised to hide or to be scared of a challenge but to face it and be bold though it.

Another great women once said " And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see -- or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read." She was right we are the dreams of tomorrow that our mothers, grandmothers, and their mothers never would have seen. Were in movies where we are the stars and not the maids and where we can demand bigger positions on our jobs. Hell were the boss now a days we own half these company and are on the fortune 500 list! Alice Walker had a point her words now more then ever are coming true more and more everyday.

Another great and powerful women once said "I don't think of myself as a poor, deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good." Her name is Oprah Winfrey and you see her everyday on television and you see all the good she has done, and doors she has opened. She came from very humbled beginnings and look at her now and what she has become. So ladies no matter what you have done or where you come from we have great inside all of us we just have to tap into our greatness. The biggest crime we commit is to deny our souls life through our dreams and accomplishments.

By: Geneva Relf

KNOWING YOUR MVP STATUS KEEP YOUR SWAG UP

Calling all MVP's in this game we call life, and I'm calling all those that have lost they swag and want it back. I'm looking for those who want to be something in life and be something great. It's time to get polished up and turn our shine on again. We need to start going back to showing these other lames how it's done. We need to turn our shine on and encourage the haters on, because without them there is no us!

You want someone to hate on and you want someone to talk about here I am enjoy please! See cause I know that my swag is on point and the more haters I have the greater I must be. Fellas I don't need a man to spend a dime on me, or take care of me. Ladies we need to start back being independent and being the boss. Don't get me wrong we all want a strong, intelligent, handsome men in our life's. However most of us get one a forget who we are at times and seem to let them have all the power. No more we are diamonds and need to be polished by the best. Furthermore in order to get the man you want ladies means being the woman we are suppose to be.

1. Cooking- Is a must we need to go back to cooking real meals every now and again

2. Cleaning up- Enough said

3. Dressing up and reminding him why is so lucky. Nevertheless why he must stay on point.

4. Surprises- Ladies every now and again you surprise him with gifts

5.Independent- Have your own and be your own person

6. Ladies- Being soft, Smile Sometimes, Laugh More

Now I can't get on the women without hitting on the men too ! See I have seen a lot of things changed over the years and Fellas if you want that dime piece or that fly women.
You need to realize that real gets real and what you put out is what you get back. Men need to go back to being men and standing tall. We want the type of man that can and will handle business and take care of business. However now a day it seems most men just want to be players or just simply play games. Sorry but that might have worked back in the day, but we don't have time for you lame games. We want men and we want them now to be honest !

1. Work- Get a Job, and then go to work

2. Be honest- Stop playing games be up front and tell us what you want

3. Gentlemen- Open doors, and pull out chairs, and pay for dinner when you ASK us out

4. Hygiene- don't just look clean be clean too

5. New Era- cook and clean

6. Man up- Don't be afraid to grow up

Time to turn the swag back on and get what you deserve out of life. Time to make the haters earn their money this year. Time to start standing back tall, and holding our heads back up and being fly like only we can. It's time to get off the bench and on the court it's fourth quarter baby. Final two minutes and you have the ball either you make the basket or you don't. However either way you have to get in the game to play to find out right! Turn your swag on and don't let anyone turn it off. You hold the power and have all the keys to your success in life so don't throw it away. You only get one chance to live so I suggest you start now and take it.

Check your Swag at the door

I'm fly so you know you better come with it if you want to hang

I got the swag so where is your game

I'm the ticket so baby get out of line

I'm a sold out event you should supported

You thought you had me with that lame stuff

Darling I'm the MVP I run this show

Why you looking around I know you know

I don't have to wait for the sun to come out

My swag is always on that's why I

SHINE

So hate on haters give me more motivation

Cause I'll pass you and you'll still be hating

My SHINE is so bright

I'm illegal and can't drive at night

So for now until death I just plan to

SHINE

By: Geneva Relf

Smile For Me

I'm still here standing you have failed, and you should have finished the job while you had a chance ! See a lot of times in life we feel that if we stay down and stay out of the line of fire we can't get hurt. Sorry but that's not true see it's when you think your hiding all the trouble finds you. The trick isn't to run and hide but to endure and stand tall in the face of a challenge. See I have been taught that words are dead without action. That your action are the only thing sometimes that separates you from others.

Even though it may hurt sometimes and the struggles we often face from day to day seem so heavy and to hard to bear. If you could just look up and smile and see the beauty in tomorrow and realize that the days end, God will always bless another day to come! I use to think that when your heart is broke or your feelings are hurt it's because God was busy and didn't see it. I know that's not true, and that sometimes you have to go through things so you can stand stronger. You can't give advice or even grow as a person if you never go through anything yourself. Furthermore not every struggle is to destroy you but build you for the better. Every tear you cry isn't in vain but your hearts way of washing away the pain in your soul. Even though the sky is grey and the rain just seems to fall on you. Just hear this the flowers bloom after the rain. The sun seems to shine brighter after a storm, and the grass is always greener.

It's not a joy you gave me

It's not a smile that you gave me either

You can't have it and you don't own it so I know you can't take it

You may have bruised me, but even that will heal

My dreams and will you can't control

My destiny is not in your hands

My heart

My Soul

Is mine to control and mine to chose what it will do

I give the power and take the power away

I smile and laugh through it all

I wipe my tears and stand tall

I have learned my lessons from made mistakes

I have loved, and hated but of all I have learned to love those who hate me

In all my struggles I understand that if I make it through the day

I'll SMILE & LAUGH again

By: Geneva Relf

BEAUTY IN SELF MOTIVATION

What does motivation mean to you? What does that word really do for you when you hear it if anything for you? When I hear that word I think of drive and ambition and the cost along the road to get where I want to be. I think the biggest test God gives us is willingness and strength to achieve our goals. You need the willingness to endure any and everything that comes your way. The willingness to cheer yourself on when your the only one who sees you dreams coming true. The Willingness to hold on when all around you have given in and up on you, but the strength to stand while enduring. The strength to understand that pain is only for a moment and not forever. That is the battle scares that make the battle worth it and taste even sweet when made over to victory.

Self motivation is very important because you have to understand that the lack of success is due to the limitations and actions of our own being. In other words you have the power to make or break your own dreams, and the power you give others is in your control too! If you only hear the negative then after a while that is all you see, and trust to be true. If all you see and hear is positive then after a while you begin to see and think positive and strive for more! We have to start to realize we can't take everyone to the top with us and we can't expect everyone to be happy when we get there either. Not every smile in your face is for your happiness or for your benefit, but if you can just hold on and look to the sky you'll never fail. Anything worth having and doing is worth fighting for and struggling for because it's worth will mean more to you.

Sometimes that means really looking at those around you and making that decision and choice of whether they should still be there and how close you'll let them remain to you. It means those you grew up with might not be there anymore and those buddies of yours might not be there either after you look around. However it may hurt at first but I would rather stand before my few loyal, honest, devoted friends and family. Then be surround by liars, deceivers,and back stabbers who only want to see me fall. I would rather be around people I don't question then those I have to investigate and worry about. I also know that if I want this for me then I have to be this for others and treat them the way I want to be treated. Your acts have consequence's and karma to follow and you may not feel it then but let enough time pass you by you will. People don't understand that every action has a reaction and just because you didn't get caught today doesn't mean you won't tomorrow!

However don't forget where you come from and what it took to get there once you reach your goals. Don't forget the struggles and pain it took to reach your desires because that it the humbleness you'll need to stay where you are. Once you forget you'll slip and think that is where you always were, and don't forget to give back and help those on their way up. You give to not just to be giving but because you understand what it's like. Also have the heart to be a blessing now that your blessed.

BY: Geneva Relf

IF IT MAKES YOU STRONGER & BETTER

Every struggle and heartbreak isn't for the breaking of you but the building of you. Sometimes it seems like the sun is shinning so bright and yet the blessings of it's rays never touches you. The grace of the beauty of it you never seem to feel because all you feel is your hurt and pain. Everyone seem to be happy and going on with the most perfect lives in the world and yours is the only one falling apart. Where it seems your tears are your only friends and the only constant thing in your life. I have been there plenty of times but the key is to get up and not stay down to realize that you have to stand. Life is a gift that can't be returned or exchanged for another and you only have one to live ! You have to look at the lessons that come with every challenge and learn from them. See the point in every heart break and strive for better in your life instead of waiting on answers to why. If we only knew that sometimes we hold on to the very thing that is destroying us. We would be so much further up the road that we call life if we just let go and moved on. We hold so much pain inside and carry so much weight on our shoulders that even when were happy we can still feel the unhappiness inside.

Don't get me wrong were human and it's in our nature to get down at times, and to feel weak almost destroyed by the things that happen around us. However the blessing we have is that we don't have to stay that way. That there is always a new day and another chance to smile and see the beauty in life and all it offers. The fact that at the end of the day it's over and you can sleep that pain away and move on. My grandmother use to say "Stay Sweet" to me all the time every time I cried, or got down that's what she would say. It took her passing away and years of bumping my head to get the point in that. See you can be hurt by some of the coldest people in the world, or even by those who are close to you. However you have to keep your head up and smile and go on living. Don't let them steal your joy and peace because you have to live with you not them. At times when I'm down I can still hear her say "Stay Sweet" and I smile and think about all those times I could have given up, but didn't so why do it now.

We all make mistakes but the biggest one we make is not learning from them and growing for the better. We all have done something that we wish people would forget and let go, but you have to just live your life and let them live theirs. The minute you let it go and forgive yourself they lose all that power, eventually moving too. You control the power you give people in your life and the control they have over you. There is nothing worse then a broken heart that is kept by the heart breaker. The idea of hoping they comeback and realize the mistake they made or making. Meanwhile they are doing their thing and you drowning your pillows and staying home and waiting by the phone. For a call that may never be what you want it to be, and if it is will things really be different? Can they really be the one that doesn't hurt you or lie to you anymore, and have they really changed or is the fact you that stayed around and always will? I have always been the type of women who realizes that there are three types of people in this world and you have to decide which one you are:

1- Childish- Staying hurt and never moving on. Keeping that pain with you and holding it against others.

2- Equalizer- They got you so now you have to get them back.

3- Survivor- Dust off and Get up keep it moving with hopes for a better day and change

I'm a three and have grown to understand that being childish will get you no where. A lot of people don't recognize their true self-worth and will allow people to treat them any kinda way! So they try to get even and be number two. However after years of that it gets old and you have to start realizing that life has to be more then a game of tag. Start to survive and live your life and make it what you want to make it. Depend on yourself and learn to do for yourself we need to be more independent not just money wise but thinking wise too. Stand on your own two feet and grow up and learn that life is hard for everyone.

Love is an amazing thing that we have been blessed with in life. Love for yourself, and those around you and even that special person.When you find that person who make you feel like your above the world and no matter what happens they are there. The type of person with eyes that show you more the just you, but the both of you and what it could be. The love we have for our self should surpass anything we go through we should love our self enough to get up and live. Family and close loyal friends that have a positive outlook and advice. We should start surrounding our self with positive thinking people and cut out the negative voices in our ears and life. Life is only over when you choose to no longer live it.

By: Geneva Relf