Let's Stay Together

Hello again! 

First, thanks for continuing to visit the site. And continue to spread the word about the blog. I'd really appreciate it! Second, thanks to Noelle and Earniece for becoming followers of the blog. If you'd like to follow suit, just click the link on the right of your screen! 

Alright, so this morning as I was on my way to my externship, I popped in my old school mix CD. It's full of the old stuff our parents listened to: The Elements, Teddy P, Luther, The Temptations, Minnie Riperton... you get the idea. What I love about these folks is that they talk about real love. It reminds me about a joke Steve Harvey told about how he learned to "mack" girls by listening to Al Green. Imagine what our generation uses to "mack"... case in point: the song "Knock It Out" by Yung Joc. On that note, I digress.

Back to my ride in to work. These cats knew what real love was. Now my grandparents

 had been married for over 50 years when my

 grandaddy passed away. I have no doubt in my mind that they went through some hard times. My grandma told me a story about how one day she didn't have dinner ready when my granddad came home. And my grandaddy started yelling at her and told her, "When I come back you BETTER have my dinner!" She said she went to her room and packed her suitcase. And in her words, "Oh, you should have heard him begging!" Lord knows that my parents' marriage had many ups and downs, but they stuck it out.... even as it went from better to worse. That's real love.

Did you know the song by Al Green "Let's Stay Together" was penned after Dr. King was shot? Green explained that after his assassination, the whole world was in an uproar. He looked at his woman and thought, "No matter what's going on in this world, we've gotta stay together." And I think the same thing is true today. Our country is in financial upheaval as we speak. We still can't find Bin Laden. AIDS is a world-wide epidemic. And gas is too high. At some point, you've gotta look at your mate and say, "You know what? In this world, where it's looking more like hell on earth, we're better off together than apart."

They say Black Love is on the decline. And if 

you're like me, you've heard all the reasons... the lack of marryable black men, the attitude of black women, and the list goes on. But I think in my mind, I've begun to hope against hope. Call me idealistic or unrealistic, but I still believe there's someone out there just for me. And when I do stumble upon that man who is perfect for me (not that perfect man), you all will be the first know. But I said all that to say that the models of successful marriages and relationships are on the decline. Our charge as young, successful, singles is to re-create the mold for ourselves. We have gotta show the world that love is still the answer and love can still last. 

I must say that here recently, I've been a little encouraged. Two of my line sisters recently

 married their high school sweethearts. My best friend Allison's parents have been married for over 25 years. I recently designed wedding favors for a lady who was getting married for the first time... at 43 years old! And every time I see Barack kiss Michelle on the cheek, I just wanna melt! I know that relationships are never perfect, but to me, they're always worth it. So when things get tough, I say pray. And for some ideas on making the love last, ask Al Green.