40 Acres and Mule

Wednesdays WELLness

I have endured much, I have suffered long, I have prayed hard and I want my 40 Acres and a Mule! It is 2012 and so many of us are still awaiting compensation in the form of 40 Acres and a mule. Our hearts, minds, and souls yearn for restoration to give definition to all that has been lost. I don’t know what your situation is but I do encourage you to move beyond placing all of your energy and effort in the hope that what youve lost would be restored. Don’t spend your life waiting for broken promises to become your future guarantees. When we do this we enslave ourselves to the past and it continually haunts us as we drown in bitterness. I want to declare for you, me, and us that there is something better, something significant, something more relevant than the 40 acres and mule that has you distracted. What good would a mule do you now when you have the option to have The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport “World Record Edition” vehicle?!

I know all too well, what it feels like to want ‘wrongs’ to be made ‘right’. My heart deceived me in suggesting that the heart surgeon had to be the one who inflicted the injury.   Major General William Tecumseh Sherman gave the special field order for 40 acres and a mule but after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln his successor Andrew Johnson revoked the order. Oh what a tragedy!!!! But the story does not end there….we sit here is 2012 with a black first family and many many many African American persons who have made incomparable contributions to the country in which they were once enslaved. No, we did not get our 40 acres and a mule but with consistent hard work and perseverance we created a blessing instead of depending on a handout.

My words to you today is to keep walking upright and giving this life the best fight thats within you and you will find yourself better than you were before, having more than you imagined and lacking nothing.  Does ‘life’ owe you?....maybe. But don’t spend your precious moments waiting to be paid back when you can make the necessary deposits to live your best life now! Yes, back child support would be nice, an apology from your abuser would be sweet, reconciliation from your absent parent would suffice, that settlement you’ve been awaiting may save the day, that old job/old pay/old position would feel good if restored, I know you want your home and car back, only if you had one more day with your deceased loved one etc etc etc. If it comes…good, but if it doesn’t you will not lay down and play dead until it arrives.

As we commemorate the end of slavery via Juneteenth, I will continue to challenge you not to be enslaved to your past but create opportunities to celebrate your present and future. Juneteenth commemorates freedom while emphasizing education and achievement. What joy it brings me to witness that as we celebrate the fact that we are free we also acknowledge that it was attained through education and achievement. You are your best rewarder!!! Gird yourself up and pay yourself back for all that was taken. That way you, your children, your community, your country will eat the fruit of your labor and for generations to come more educated and achieved African Americans will spring up and keep the party going.

Until Next Time Ladies,

Meet me here, draw from here, quench your soul thirst here at Wednesdays WELLness----Signed, Miss Ebony