WISDOM Wednesdays

“Man to man is so unjust…children you don’t who to trust. Your worst enemy could be your best friend and your best friend your worst enemy. Some will eat and drink with you, then behind them susu pon you. Only your friends know your secret, so only he could reveal it. So who the cap fit let them wear it. I throw me corn … me no call no fowl. Some will hate you pretend they love you now…but behind your back try to eliminate you. But who JAH bless no man curse."

-Robert Nesta Marley

Trust is something that must not only be held close to your heart, but also protected by a code and high standards. People are human. This means we are fallible. (Look it up if you’re unsure). We are slaves to our coveted “free will”. This is the tool which allows us to “choose”. Darwin spent many hours to show what free will could do and what separates us from lower animals. His conclusion is we are descendants of a similar creature. Regardless of if you believe in creationism or Darwinism…ponder this. Put it in your hookah, vaporizer or rolling paper and smoke it. Beware where your trust sits. We all have heard that misery loves company, but we don’t usually get it. Understand that when things fall apart …. It is usually comes from an insider. A trusted friend has blown the whistle to show that you are just like them. They want your allegiance without consequence. If they are master manipulators, they will make their tracks hard to trace while sitting up front. Remember… GOD never sleeps, which is why Bob says “who JAH bless, no man curse. Be strong and know where your original alliance is. In Jamaica… we say…… “New broom sweep clean, but the old broom knows the corners…” Know that there is no place like home and build your foundation to support it. The grass really looks greener from across the street. Walk over and observe the chinch bugs ( Johnny come lately)who profess to “understand you but are not made of the same stuff. Be wise because there really is a “Natural Mystic” blowing through the air… if you listen carefully now, you will hear. Until seven suns set…. LYM ( Leave Your Mark) in a safe place.

-Mama Murray

Wisdom Wednesdays

"Success in the affairs of life often serves to hide one's abilities, where as adversity frequently gives one an opportunity to discover them."

Horace - Roman poet (65 BC - 8 BC).

This week I want to quote a perspective from a teaching with potential mentors. The facilitator began the session as detailed below:Welcome difficulties. Embrace adversity. Face conflict. Fear not failure. Especially avoid protecting your children from adversity as well as yourself. To continually hover over your child, correct their mishaps, provide more than is needed in material abundance as well as fix their mistakes, creates a child embedded with self doubt, insecurities and a lack of belief in self. Do not cheat your child out of opportunities to grow through adversity. Make known to them the value of digging out of a mess through hard work and endurance. Allow yourself and your children the opportunity to build resilience, problem solving, and tenacity as they experience the true abilities that will begin to arise. How wonderful to discover your true inner strengths when tested with trials. Don't shy away from allowing yourself to grow through hard times. To model this for your children is a genuine and valuable gift. You're the teacher . . . What lessons are you providing? As we leave our mark (LYM) this week let us be mindful of this. We could substitute the word child in the above writing with the word friend or mentee . Until seven sunsets LYM with purpose.

-Mama Murray

Wisdom Wednesdays

"it is easier to raise strong children than to fix broken men."

       Frederick Douglass   

This week highlights the toil of the good guardian/ model/mentor.  Whether you were raised by a doting grandmother,two over achieving parental units, a hard working single mom or encouraged by a goal oriented uncle or supportive aunt who has been around the block and back and had "golden life lessons".....I am talking to you. It takes a village to raise strong children. The care and consideration of many is necessary to hone a few skills that carry us a lifetime. Strong children don't lead perfect lives but when they slip they know where to find center. The Bible in Proverbs 22:6 says "teach a child the way they should go and they when they are old they will not depart from it." These words ring true to those who were raised up by strong mentors. The temptations we face as society on a daily basis can lead us to stray from what we know to be right. Some of us say...."Let me live". some say  " Get with it". while still others say," you don't understand me". The wise one knows this is an old song. It is the banter used to get your own way when you don't want to live by a code ... any code. We all go through times where we don't want to muster the effort to keep it together. We want to be FREE, INDEPENDENT and frankly careless. We don't want to adhere to our values or morals. We know what is right but we just want to relax. We want to have the pressure off for a little...answer to no one.... care about nothing, but the moment and ....well..... let our hair down. Therein lies the rub. If we settle into this selfish abandonment of boundaries ... which by the way helps to keep us  out of "real" trouble, we risk creating a habit that may take more effort to kick than we have the reserve of energy for. Now what people see is the broken man. He is a much more complicated puzzle that requires inclination to change, cooperation to move forward, and sacrifice of selfish pleasures in order to achieve the greater goal.He is someone who must not only analyze his actions but anchor himself to his village in order to come into his own. As he strives to reach the true potential of his best inner self and display the qualities garnered from his best examples. The strong child is a sponge growing thicker with experiences, while the broken man is shattered glass trying to piece experiences together to make a whole. AH!!!! So much easier to hold the sponge and make it useful.  So hard to mend the glass into something to hold. As we leave our mark(LYM)... we must not depart from the good examples during our journey. May we hold fast to the teachings when we are old , for they are the ones that will help to cement a positive legacy.  Until seven suns set.  LYM in ways that honor your village.

                                                                                                                                           -Mama Murray

Wisdom Wednesday

Great minds are to be honored as the pillars of real change in the universe. We need to nourish our naturally talented youth to  advance forward with their revolutionary. ideas and embrace their fresh ideas no matter if we can't see the end result. EINSTEIN like many people with unique abilities was seen as a quack. Little did the world. know many of the ideas we take for granted would be invented from the theories of this. uniquely talented mind. As we LYM, we must not let bumps in the road hinder our moves forward.We must use setbacks and naysayers to fuel our resolve to succeed. The key is to strive to  make a positive impact on individuals and society as a whole. Einstein had old G swag. If he were here today we would recognize his swervacity.As we search for inspiration in far places, we need to look closer to home. Special abilities are among us and and are not only under served but under appreciated as well.. Celebrate ideas, free thinking, wonder, amazement and quirks. Until seven sunsets, LYM with the "swervaciousness that would make great minds like Albert smile.

Mama Murray