HAPPY LABOR DAY

                                                                                                         

Labor Day is celebrated the first Monday in September and is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. 
It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in
New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. 
The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, 
on September 5, 1883.

In 1884, President Grover Cleveland declared  the first Monday in September a national holiday.   That day was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a  "working man's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the 
growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

LIFE LESSONS ...Continued

I mentioned in an earlier post about all that can be counted , can't be counted on.
(including folks around you ...telling you this or telling you that..
promising you this or promising you that ) If you already KNOW that something can't be
 counted on absolutely ...Don't count on it !!!   It's as simple as that !

I know that we have all heard or been taught in some form or another ( especially from southern mothers, country mothers and "old school mothers) You don't count your chickens before they are hatched. Which means you can't be putting all of your hopes dreams and plans into something that might or might not materialize.  This means people , places and things can and will let you down , or disappoint you .. It's a mistake to spend money depending on what you think you might get.   It's a mistake to believe it and count on it when someone’s says, "The check is in the mail" ....literally or figuratively.  It's a mistake to base your actions and decisions on what someone "says" that they are going to do. They might...and they might not do it . Whatever you have been TOLD will happen might or might not happen. Much of the time, it doesn't happen, As the old saying goes.......The proof is in the pudding!

You can buy a product that has been advertised to be "all of that". When you get it home..it's NONE of that. We have all had that experience.
You might have booked a vacation resort and seen some glossy brochures ,..but when you step in the door of that room. ..it's nothing even close to what you expected . It happens.
It is the same with people in our lives .People can talk a good "game" but oftentimes, that's all it is ...JUST TALK.

One of the things that really attracted me initially to my dear hubby was the fact that he did what he said he would do...ALWAYS. It absolutely amazed me that over the year and a half that we dated, he was NEVER late for a date or never late for whatever he said he would be there for.  If he was not exactly right on time..he was EARLY! We have been married almost 19 years now and that has never changed .
I can count on one hand probably the times that he been a FEW minutes later arriving than the time he told me that he would . It still amazes me. My husband is dependable. I pride myself in being a dependable person. I try to make my yes mean yes and my no mean no. If I say I am going to do something, it is pretty much written in stone. If I know I that I am not going to do something , I won't put it out there . I won't agree to it. My friends are always giving me grief about how easy it is for me to say NO to things !! LOL!!
The point is: You can't depend on everyone . Don't depend on everyone . It would be a big mistake to do so . It is a big mistake to do so.

Just one recent example in my life to illustrate this point to you would be my experience participating in the Mrs. Mississippi Pageant last year. Each contestant is expected to have a certain amount of ad sales and ads. There are also contestant sponsorships for people to donate to the contestants' fees . Of course, I posted on my wall over and over and over and over about ads and got a lot of people telling me how excited they were about me participating in the contest . Some told me that they were going to buy an ad...and EVEN that they were coming to the pageant! Of course being the person that I have been raised to me..by my Mama..(and Daddy) I thought that the /thoughts and intentions were nice . But I certainly wasn't counting on any of that that at all. . After all, most of the people on my Facebook page were /are people that I have/had never met in person.  To make a long story short , all of my ads and sponsorships came from family and ONE dear friend. ONLY family attended the pageant. None of those other "promises" ever materialized .I didn't give it a second thought. It is what it is ...and dear , friends, THAT is the WAY IT IS !    It is a lesson that I had learned long ago.

Sadly, there are people my age and older that still have not learned that lesson. I have friends who cry on my shoulder about how this person has let them down or said that they would do something and didn't. I go into my little soapbox lecture..like I am kind of doing here. I am sharing  what I share with them , because I think that It a valuable lesson or should I say invaluable lesson for anyone/everyone to learn/know... that all that can be counted (words..promises..people) can't be counted on.   PERIOD.

LIFE LESSONS ...

LIFE LESSONS   ...

Some of the things that my mother has taught me growing up,
and continues to teach me day after day have lately come front and center in my mind.
They are things that so many could learn from and benefit from.
When  I  think  that , maybe , their own mothers might not have taught them...
I feel , somehow that it is my duty to share ...just in case for, the lessons are invaluable.
It is that old message that when you learn..teach.
I have learned SO much in my lifetime!

I don't really even know where to start, because all of the lessons and
words of wisdom have begun to come rushing forth like a flood.
I will just start ..somewhere and share over time .

Things my mama taught me....

#1 Everybody in your corner... ain't on your side.
(She didn't break verbs or use improper English...that's all ME )
 
The lesson is this : Just because people smile in your face, pat you on the back, tell you how wonderful you are and give you all kind of accolades, doesn't mean that they are on your side. It doesn't mean that they are really FOR you. It doesn't mean that they love you , or that they even LIKE you .
My mother emphasized the fact that a person will have few REAL friends in a lifetime. There will be very few people who will really be there for you when you are down and out or really in need. .It's seems a little sad...
but the beautiful thing about it is..It ONLY TAKES A FEW.

When I went to see Dr. Maya Angelou in Memphis. She talked about these people who helped her along the way.   These people who pulled her up, or pushed her forward....the ones who could not have had a clue who she would become..when she was .. a little girl who had been raped by her mother's boyfriend. ...the little girl who would not speak for many years ..and later in life the 16 year old ...6 feet tall ....unmarried AND pregnant teenager . They didn't know that she would become THE Dr. Maya Angelou..one of the greatest cultural icons, speakers, teachers of our times .
She called these people rainbows.

From her talk , I became determined that I would be a rainbow. I will do that .
From my mother's talks and lessons , I learned very early , all who could be counted, (around you ) can't be counted on.
Which means when you are determined to do something, you do it REGARDLESS of the naysayers, the haters, the stumbling blocks . ..the ones who are smiling in your face and back stabbing .
My mother taught me how to Be Me , Do Me,and to SHINE...Regardless !!! Mama I Thank you SO MUCH for that !

MY message to most folks is .........

When all else fails..Remember what your Mama taught you !

 

 

Me and My "Book Babies" Supporting the Troops

I AM SO TOUCHED !!!! MY HEART IS FULL!! I received a Heartwarming message from a NEW Facebook friend :

" I heard a lot of good things from a teacher about your work. I was hoping to ask 

for a copy if you could. I was trying to find where I could get one at but its kinda hard where I am. I am in  Afghanistan. I am from Mooreville, MS born and raised. I would love to read your work some time. I miss my home back in Mississippi, but know I have a duty to the country I love as well. Thank you very much.

I returned his message and told him that I would be HONORED to send him the books ! He KEPT asking about the price and wanting to pay me . I KEPT telling him that he is paying and has paid enough, already !!! All throughout the message, he KEPT calling me ma'am ! 

WHO DOES THIS ... in a Facebook message??!!! 

A young man properly raised in MISSISSIPPI...  THAT'S WHO!!! 

I am SO proud of him...even though he is just a Facebook friend (for now) With tears of pride in my eyes ...I am thinking about this young man faithfully/courageously 

serving our country and my "book babies",  are on their way for the 

6000 plus mile trip to  Afghanistan . 

Thinking of the message that I heard from Maya Angelou on Saturday, I deeply 

hope that through them (my books/poems) , I can be a rainbow in the midst of this 

young man's clouds in a hostile war zone. 

 If you would like to show your support for our US troops,
check out these following web sites:

http://www.anysoldier.com/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces

http://www.supportourtroops.org/

 

An (Enchanted) Evening With Maya

On Saturday August 25, 2012, I traveled to Memphis with a dear friend to attend a function there.   The function was called Maya in Memphis . By attending this event, I would be checking off a big "bucket list " item. A bucket list is a list of things  that you would like to do before you die.  Included on that list ,for me, are seeing  the Great Pyramids of Giza,  the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Taj Mahal in India .
Also on that list was seeing/meeting The Great Dr. Maya Angelou in person !! 
On Saturday evening I was well on my way to checking off that item!

On the way to the speaking engagement to see Dr Angelou, I looked up at the sky and saw the most dazzling rainbow! 
I pointed to it and exclaimed excitedly to my friend...

"LOOK at that Rainbow!!!!"

It was HUGE and very bright .It was one like I had not seen in many years. 
We both stared in amazement !  Two grown women were totally in awe of this  wonder of nature  !! My friend said, “I wonder if they can see that in Tupelo.”?
As large as it was, I was sure, in my mind. that they could !

Little did I know that the theme of Maya's talk was to be Rainbow in the Clouds!   She even sang to us !! She sang the lines of an old spiritual hymn...

"When it looked like the sun wouldn't shine no more..........
God put a rainbow in the clouds..".

Maya shared, very intimately and humorously with us highlights of her incredible story and life journey.  She told us about people who had loved 
her, cared for her, encouraged her, helped her and positively affected her life along the way. She called those people rainbows. 
She encouraged each of us to be rainbows !  
Maya 's story deeply touched me, changed me,  empowered me and 
inspired me!

I am DETERMINED to be a rainbow for SOMEONE...
for ANYONE...and for  EVERYONE that I can.

I am going to be a bright shining rainbow in the clouds.

I didn't get to take a picture with Maya, or get her autograph, or present her with my books as I had often dreamed.... 
but the evening was all that I could have hoped for.  
It was more than enough!
Thank You, Dr. Angelou!
I am forever changed!

God Puts Rainbows in my Clouds  ~  
Dr. Maya Angelou SINGING.......

Today is National Poet's Day

 

    

Promoting what I LOVE

It NEVER ceases to amaze me how people can run down, complain about,
and spew out all types of negatives toward the South and Mississippi
and that is not a problem, but when one dares to say that there are actually things 

to love  about our region, it becomes a problem.  It's seen as being dismissive of deeper issues. Just because you promote the positives, does not mean that you don't acknowledge the negatives .
There are always TWO sides ( or more) to every story...Two sides of every coin.
There is good and bad in all of us. There are good AND bad aspects of any place on the planet .

Why is it wrong...or threatening to proclaim that there are actually some
wonderful things ... things to LOVE...  things that I LOVE about the south and
about Mississippi??!!!

SMG (Shaking my head) !!!

It absolutely blows my mind!

Well, just in case ANYONE missed it or misunderstood ...

In my poems....on my blog. and in my life ...........

I am Always , Always Celebrating the South and Promoting a Positive Mississippi.

Happy "Anniversary" to Me ??!!!

OMG!!!! Please when will it stop ??!!!

Here we go again...I've told you how Dear Hubby is always spouting out these dates...
these "Anniversaries" that he EXPECTS me to remember !
Over time, I have learned that when he asks me about a date , I know it has something to do with our relationship. ..first date..first kiss...first phone call....SOMETHING!!!

So this morning ...

Hubby: What's special about August 20th...What do you remember?
Me: Looking like a deer in headlights....What ??!!! OMG...What
I know ...I know...It's one of THOSE dates !!!WHAT????!!

Dead Silence...Hubby ...Shaking his head
(I NEVER REMEMBER!!!!) What??!!!!!

SOOO for all of you out there who could possibly give a care ...
Hubby just informed me for the 18th year in a row that today is our
Anniversary of the day we got our Marriage License !!!

PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Who remembers these things???!!!!
Answer: My Dear hubby !!! (NOT Me...EVER!)

Can't I just get credit for time served??? !!!!!!
We will have been married 19 years next month...I can never forget THAT date.
 History has made sure of that ... September 11th.. 9-11

PND: Happy Marriage License Anniversary to me !

James and Patricia  - September  11, 1993

ABOUT MY POETRY : The origin - Patricia Neely-Dorsey

When I think about how my poems/books came to be and how they finally arrived to the reader, I think of the words of the song "The Long and Winding Road". Though most of the poems in both Reflections and My Magnolia Memories were written within a span of six months (Feb 2007-Aug 2007), they've all been in the making from very early in my life. My mother gave me a passionate love for reading and writing, and my father gave me an appreciation for poetry and great literature, especially that of African-American origin.

I always hesitate to call myself a poet. I feel more like a vessel or conduit through which the poems flow. I never intentionally sat down to write any of them. They all came to be fully complete and neatly packaged, title and all. I just put them down on paper.  I call my car my personal "think tank" because over half of my poems ,or actually, MOST of my poems came to me while I was riding in my car. For some reason, during the time when most of my poems were written, I had stopped listening to my radio and would just enjoy the peace and quiet inside the car on my way to work. All of a sudden , there was a poem. I would have to scramble around to try to get the words down before they left. ( I have lost more poems inside my head than I have gotten written down) . You would not believe the poems that I have on the back of Wal- Mart receipts, bills and miscellaneous scraps of paper ! One reporter who interviewed me , was very shocked when I pulled out a box from under the bed containing all of those "scraps" and jumbled words. LOL!
There is something to be said about "being still" and listening to that still, quiet voice inside.
We all have it. It's just so often drowned out by the "noise".

I wrote my very first poem in February 2007. I woke up on Valentine's Day 2007 with the words of "Our Place" forcefully dancing around in my head. I quickly got up and scribbled it down. To this day, it remains one of my favorites along with "Let's" and "Mississippi Man".

As you will see in my poetry, I am so proud of where I come from, so happy with the life I've lived and totally enamored with the southern way of life.

Link to books on Amazon

Reflections of a Mississippi of a Magnolia A Life in Poems

My Magnolia Memories and Musings in Poems