Be Anxious For Nothing…

I love it when God is absolutely clear about what I’m to do. Yesterday, during my prayer and bible time, a page fell out of my bible, and I knew, instantly, that I was suppose to share the scriptures on the page. The image for the post is a page from my bible. God probably wanted me to share the scriptures because He loves you. And I love you too.

Today is my last day of blogging to Essence,. I’ll be there tomorrow, ready to have fun — an incredible filmmakers’ circle has been created in Zoom and What’s App — and One Night in LA will screen on Sunday at 12:20 p.m., in Theater 2.

Thank you for reading these posts. I’m not sure what’s next. But I shall be anxious for nothing. You be well!

Philippians 4:6-8

6. Be Anxious for nothing,

but in every thing by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be know to God;

7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus

8. Finally, brethen, what ever things are true,

whatever things are are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything,

praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 3: 12-15

12. Not that I have already attained,

or am already perfected,

but I press on,

that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus

has also laid hold of me.

13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;

but one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15. Therefore let us as many as are mature,

have this mind;

and if in anything you think otherwise,

God will reveal even this to you.

A note from MeMe: Typing this felt like a warm shower, or an evening swim on a warm summer night. I could feel God’s cleansing water washing over me:)!

What Am I Going To Write?!

As much as I’d like to reveal a master piece here today, there’s a lot going on and I can’t. But I can write about what I’m going to write when the tic, toc on the clock slows to a crawl, tic, toc, stop! When the sun sets in an blood red, orange sky, and the breezes from Santa Monica beach reach me in the San Fernando Valley, and the day darkens at 4 p.m., then I’ll write! Haha.

Mostly it’ll be about L-O-V-E, loving a Black man, because I’m an expert at that. I’m especially good at loving the tall, fine ones, who are 6’3 and taller:). That’s who God designated for me, and I, happily, accepted the call. So, I’ll allow my heart to bleed on the page with l-o-v-e.

I’ve loved four tall Black men — my hubby and three sons — to the end of the earth and back, so I’m going to write about the journey. I’m going to podcast about it, and SHOUT about it. I know that male toxicity starts at age 2, LOL, and I prevented a heap of it from being unleashed in the world.

“Stay calm, Black man:),” I always whispered. I love you, which should be enough.

I’m going to write about Walter Lee, a fictional character in my head. Walter Lee drives a Cadillac, always wears shiny shoes. He and Obama would have been good friends if I’d created him back then. He’s a principal, an educated Black man, with swagger and finesse, a man who is always in a suit and crispy white shirt and he smells so good! Teachers fall to their knees when he calls them to the office. LMBO. Ole, Walter Lee, I’m gonna have fun with you. He’s my Cup of Tea so maybe it’ll be an open fiction story here.

I’m going to write about you and how perfect you are! Enough said. Next,

I’m going to write about these times we’re in like Nina Simone said that I should. And Harry Belafonte preached the same thing. Go to my Instagram @memekellywriteselevatedstories and @onenightinlamovie and a clip of Nina is there. It’s also on my facebook page at @onenightinlamovie and memekellywrites

I’ll put up Harry Belafonte next week!

And, finally, I’m going to write about loving Georgia and Otis, and all the other babies that I get to love when I teach elementary school. I’m addicted to teaching, like I’m addicted to writing. I used to play teacher when I was a little girl, and I was always the teacher and the kids always had to put their head down and take a nap:). When I first walked into a classroom for Los Angeles Unified, I, literally, kneeled down and kissed the floor. I had on blue pants with suspenders and white crispy shirt and loafers, and it was my 33rd birthday. Boy, was I looking smart. A classroom is sacred ground.

Okay, that’s enough for day, GTG:)

P.S. Hold up, wait a minute, I’m back. I’m going to write about G-O-D. But for God, I would not be here, still in love with words. Thank you, God. I love you.

I AM SOMEBODY ~ JESSIE JACKSON

Essence is celebrating 30 years because they love us, and I’m celebrating 30 years of writing because I love us too, and I’ve loved myself with the written word!

I started writing because I wanted to survive in a world that felt harsher than I’d imagined as a child, that wasn’t a storybook of fairy tales. And when Los Angeles went up in smoke after the Rodney King trials, words started rumbling in me, and when I sat down at a computer, chapters flowed out of my heart. All I needed to do was sit still and they would come out.

And celebrating 30 years of letting them come out – as essays, blog posts, plays, and now films --- I realize that if I still sit down, there is more to come and this is where I’m supposed to be at this very moment: Tapping my fingers on a computer keyboard.

And that has always been 80% of the journey, finding where exactly I’m supposed to be, rooms that will accept me and are warm and comfortable. In the 70s, I found them at UCLA. Except for my grades at the end of each quarter, LOL, there was nothing that I wasn’t supposed to be there! 

I found a room at Second Baptist Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Los Angeles, with grandmother and her clan, introduced to me by friend Monique, who I’d like to end the journey with and I’m going to find.

When you walk into a room where you’re supposed to be, the walls glimmer, the curtains sway, the lights blink off and on, and birds sing.

I love walking into rooms where I’m supposed to be, which starts with a smile from me. I must smile at everyone I see which used to be easier before everyone became somebody. When we were just people in the struggle, making it just another day, it was easier to smile. I fault Jessie Jackson for pumping us up too much with that dang poem.

“I AM Somebody.”

As a little girl, I rode on a bus from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Chicago’s Push; it was in the 60s (don’t do the math), and that poem was recited the entire damn way and I knew we were in trouble.

I am…Somebody —

Jesse Jackson, Chicago, Illinois USA

I am Somebody!

I am Somebody!

I may be poor,

But I am Somebody.

I may be young,

But I am Somebody.

I may be on welfare,

But I am Somebody.

I may be small,

But I am Somebody.

I may have made mistakes,

But I am Somebody.

My clothes are different,

My face is different,

My hair is different,

But I am Somebody.

I am black,

Brown,or white.

I speak a different language

But I must be respected,

Protected,

Never rejected.

I am God’s child!

Thank you Jessie for starting us on our way. But he forgot a few things.

We shouldn’t become what is not just, fair, and loving

We shouldn’t become what our ancestors despised!

We shouldn’t be more concerned with images on Instagram than being real with ourselves and others.

And oh boy here we are!

Thanks, Jessie. I pray he’s doing well.

You Will Be Dead Soon Enough, So!

Try to learn to breathe deeply,

really to taste food when you eat,

and when you sleep, really to sleep,

Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might,

and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry,

get good and angry. Try to be alive.

You will be dead soon enough!

~Ernest Hemingway

P.S. My daughter-in-law Caroline, a therapist, had this quote on her Instagram, and I love it! Thanks, Caroline. I went to Cuba to watch Caroline’s dance before Cuban government officials with a theater and dance troupe from his school. I sat in Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar, and I just stared.

What’s in Your Heart?

Something has come over me, and all I think about is L-O-V-E!

All I listen to is love songs: Love and Happiness.

I want 30 more amazing summers to be with my sweet grand babies, Georgia and Otis, and my sons, their wives, and my hubby, and I believe the road there is paved with L-O-V-E!

And I know the journey will not be an easy feat.

We all get irritable and mad at others at times. We are impatient.We get down on our selves, especially after spending a moment comparing ourselves to others on Instagram.

And it’s hard to love others when we’re not feeling our best and are impatient, irritable, anxious, or experiencing all at the same time. I joke that there are no Ps in my name, and there aren’t: Just watch when I’m in a long grocery store line with a clerk who is taking her sweet time, and you’ll find me darting between lines trying to find the fastest one.

But, these days, I’m being mindful. I’m slowing down. While on LA Freeways, I’m jamming great music rather than switching between lanes.

My husband is monitoring what I say to our boys, and I’m constantly reminding myself that only requested advice is GOOD advice! The rest is just meddling in folks’ lives, which is none of my business.

So, I’m keeping my head down. I’m creating. And I’m loving.

Once I attended a workshop in a Zoom and the facilitator of the workshop was one of the meanest women I’d ever encountered. And as I sat there, I wondered how she could be so mean. So while she was berating and critiquing my work, I left the Zoom, mentally and virtually, and begin to google her to see what her story was. I found that she had a horrific past of tragedy, and I begin to understand her more. When I returned to the Zoom, I put on my compassion hat and filled my heart with L-O-V-E, first for myself, to protect myself from her darts, and then for her. I didn’t cuss her:)!

It was an act of returning to love, similar to the name of one of my favorite books. It’s by Marianne Williamson and was given to me right after I started writing. I was at a conference in Belgium with my Mom, who, at the time, was Director of Military Schools for the Department of Defense, Atlantic Region. We had traveled to Belgium from London, where we were living at the time. She was speaking at her conference with hundreds of educators who worked for her, and I sat in the audience because I didn’t have anything else to do. Suddenly, a principal, who was close to my Mom and whom I adored, tapped me on the shoulder. Perhaps, he could see that I was just passing the time and a bit bored. He whispered, “I have great book you should read.” And then he gave me his copy of Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. I exhaled, knowing that it was a divine gift, something I was suppose to read. I then left the conference and went upstairs to our room and did not emerge until I had finished the book. And when I came out of that hotel room, I was changed.

And that’s how I feel in this season of life. I’m emerging from 30 years of answering God’s call to write and create. Although the journey hasn’t been as rosy as I’d liked, there’s satisfaction deep in my soul, and I know that all I need to do now is to Return to Love!

How are you feeling in this season? And what is in your heart?

Love,

MeMe

P.S. You can always email me at memekellyinspires@gmail.com

OPTIMISM!

Optimism by Lady Harmony is my Cup of Tea today!

The world is filled with so many negative things: rising suicide rates among young people. My three sons have lost four friends to suicide in the last two years.

There’s growing homelessness in Los Angeles, although it’s gotten so much better under Queen Karen Bass’ reign!

The divide between the Haves and the Have Nots is growing wider and wider and no one seems to care.

There’s divisiveness in every corner of our lives, and on Los Angeles freeways, drivers aggressively cut you off and drive dangerously at high speeds.

When I walk in the mornings, no one says good mornings anymore, or peers into the stroller when I’m pushing my grand babies to sneak a glance at the baby.

We’re exposed to so much negativity these days that we must be intentional about replenishing our souls with positivity and sharing and receiving love. We must take care of ourselves.

So, today, I’m sharing an uplifting song.

Click above for Optimism or go to https://youtu.be/DyJf42TfJu4?si=35yLzpvlUqUeIRwY

Yesterday, I jogged — yes jogged:) — to it, and I’m about to jog to it again today. It makes me feel amazing, and I pray that it does the same for you.

Song writers are creative geniuses and Optimism’s lyrics are a poem. I actually had to listen to the song and write the lyrics down — you can thank me later. Haha. So, it’s cryptic and incomplete. But, I wanted you to see how beautiful they are:

The rain keeps falling and

 The sun keeps shining

 The grass keeps growing and

 The moon keeps rising

 The wind keeps blowing and

 The world keeps going around!

 Around, Around, Around

 The rain keeps falling and

 The sun keeps shining

 The grass keeps growing and

 The moon keeps rising

 The wind keeps blowing and

 The world keeps going around!

 Around, Around, Around

 Sitting down… on the bed to see what the day brings,

 You get pressure on mind

 Feeling so confined

 You can stress all day

 You can worry all night

 But I ain’t never seen worry ever change a thing

 Tell yourself I’m going to let it go

 My life is more than…just…

I’m not going to get caught up in the struggle.

 I’m keep shining

 I’m keep growing

 I’m keep rising

 I’m going to keep going

 Repeat!

 Keep the Faith!

You’d Better Think!

People aren’t thinking anymore!

They’re following others on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik-Tok

They follow celebrities, organizations, churches, anyone or anything that makes them feel better about themselves while eliminating the need for them to think.

I have six men in my life, my hubby, three sons, my grand baby son, and my brother. And often I have to depart from what they’re pushing me to do and think on my own! So, today, I reach back to a good old soul tune to remind us strong, independent minded women to think!

“THINK”

by Lyn Collins:

“If it’s not in the vision, don’t make no decision!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKix_06L5AY

Enjoy!

Essence and Black Women

Essence was designed to encourage Black women, to make us believe in our selves and to see our beauty when others did not. It was designed to help us think deeply about our essence, who God delivered us to the planet to be. And then within that framework, it inspired us to shine our light!

That’s what it did for me!

So, having my first indie feature film, One Night in LA, be an Official Selection of the 2024 Essence Film Festival is all the validation I need. I wrote it for Black women and for women of color. Honestly, I wrote it for ALL women, regardless of the color of our skin, because I, truly, believe women are the foundation of the world! The main character is bi-racial and her mother is white. The movie is about getting to the essence of who Crystal Thorn truly is, all parts of herself, white and Black( she identifies as Black woman), a mother to Black sons, and a wife to a Black man!

It’s a poem and a love letter to women! It makes us think about what’s really important in our busy lives. Because I produced it on a slim budget, it doesn’t have bells and whistles to distract you from the Essence of the message, which is a divine call to women to think deeply about our journeys and what positive offering our lives should be.

It’s a critical time in history, and we need deep thinkers like no other time. The country has slid backwards and women’s right, the rights of the LGBTQ community, the rights of creatives to think independently and share freely are all threatened. The democracy is in peril!

We must all think! Think about what we can do to help America to turn itself around. Throw your energy and effort in the fight for democracy. I’m fighting with my pen and stories for my bi-racial grand babies. I don’t want them to have less freedoms than I did.

What will you fight for, what will you fight with — your words, an act of service, your fierce love of others — and when will you jump in the ring and box for Democracy.

One of my favorite authors is James Baldwin. One Night in LA has a James Baldwin flare because I originally wrote it as a play, honoring many of his sentiments and ideas. Not many people know this, but the beginning of it was my final in an African American Literature class while I was working on my MFA at the University of California as a Distinguished Dean’s Fellow ( I just have to throw that in:). I’m proud of returning to graduate school to get an MFA after raising my sons and dropping them off at college. I loved my Professor, a lesbian African American Literature scholar, and that’s why my main character is an African-American Literature Professor, a DEEP thinker. It was a play.

Thank you Essence for seeing the value in One Night in LA and thank you for seeing me as a writer.

I love Essence! And James Baldwin. And You reading this post!

What Did James Baldwin Think About Hollywood?

James Baldwin is one of my favorite authors. The beginning of One Night in LA was actually a play and my final writing assignment in an African American Literature class I took while working on my MFA as a Distinguished Dean’s Fellow at the University of California ( I can hear James Brown sing, “La di da:”). ONILA was my way of honoring him and his book, No Name in the Street, in which the Washington Post article below says that “Baldwin recounts the Harlem that shaped his early consciousness and the later murders of his friends Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, along with his stay in Europe and in Hollywood and his return to the American South to confront a violent America.”

The article also discusses the Netflix Documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which I loved, and what James Baldwin thought of Hollywood. Samuel Jackson, my Chattanooga Home Boy, narrates I Am Not Your Negro, which was everything for me. My Mom taught Samuel in Junior High school.

I often wonder what James Baldwin would think of the “Negroes” in Hollywood in 2024:)! Hmm. this would make a great play, but do I dare write it from my outside/in position:). Nooooooo, although it’s clear “What’s Going On” from where I sit! And sit:)!

Click Here for the Washington Post article and make sure you watch I Am Not Your Negro on Netflix.

XO,

MeMe

YOU!

You are my Cup of Tea today.

Thank you so much for reading the “Cup of Tea with Me” blog.

You are my Cup of Tea because you’re perfect just as you are and according to the bible, you’re made in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:27

Take a look at your beautiful self in the nearest mirror and give yourself a hug.

I won’t be here on Sundays. I’ll be SHOUTN about our God, who knows how perfect you are!

Peace.

YOU MUST DEFINE YOURSELF

DURING A SPEECH AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AUDREY LORDE SAID,

“If I didn't define myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive,"

Today, my “Cup of Tea” is that I agree with her, although it’s not easy to do in today’s world.

But, don’t give up. Get quiet and still and listen. Then, DO U! Be Your Own Man. BYOM, I wrote in One Night in LA:)! By and by, you’ll know what that means, and, hopefully, it’ll include being kind to others and loving others as much as you can.

This blog doesn’t give me the freedom to post pictures like I want, but hopefully the picture of Audrey Lorde pops up. She’s pretty.

The Power of Love/ Color Blind World

I had a powerful prayer session this morning that left me feeling truly blessed. I'm not sure where to start, but I've decided to share my thoughts on the importance of love in our lives. I've been listening to "Say You Love Me" by Jamison Ross for weeks, and it has been a source of comfort for me during this time. Soul music and my bible keep me inspired!

The ultimate love scripture for me has been 1 Corinthians 13, which has kept me loving the same man for 46 years. This summer, we'll celebrate 41 years of marriage. Both of us are flawed, just like anyone else, but this scripture has always reminded me of the true essence of love. Whenever I felt I had an advantage over my husband due to his perceived shortcomings, God would bring me back to 1 Corinthians 13.

This scripture has taught me that love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud, and it always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails, and it is the greatest of all virtues. We must remember to check ourselves and our actions before judging others. In addition to my thoughts on love and marriage, I'll also write about my love for Black people on my way to the Essence Festival. Despite facing hardships, we continue to create and spread light, love, music, dance, art, intellect, and culture. Essence loves us, and I love us too! But, ultimately, my prayer is for a color-blind world, where my grandchildren won't be judged for their race and where my sons won't be judged for falling in love with women of a different race.

I hope you enjoyed this Cup of Tea with Me.

When You’re Not Sure!

Stop!

Get off of social media.

Be Still & Know that He is God!

Psalm 46:10

P.S: I’ll return tomorrow and complete this post with a cup of a tea. Ha, or maybe that’s enough:).

I RETURNED!

Three posts in, and I’m already tired, but I will forge ahead. We are in a time like no other with information coming from every direction, and it’s so easy to get sucked into the social media vibe of being every where, doing every thing, looking fabulous! When, in fact, you need to be home tending to a sick puppy, or feeding the baby, or concentrating on one single thing! So that’s it, nothing magical, just sensible let’s slow down, put our phones away, get quiet and still, so that we can be directed from that perfect still place that knows ALL about us and what exactly we MUST do!

I repeat, put our phones down, especially in public places where there are wonderful humans in arm’s reach who may have something interesting to say, like “Good Morning. Let’s Have a Cup of Tea with MeMe:)”

People — strangers included — are the best kept secret. Put your phone down and spend some time with wonderful people, or meet a new person in a coffee shop or in an airport terminal. Okay, this has turned into a MaMa Kelly Post and so it is!

XO,

MaMa Kelly AKA MeMe

WHY A CUP OF TEA WITH ME?

There’s a divine plan in work in all of our lives. It nudges us and guides us to just the right people and places that are meant for us. And If you want to see a Black woman SHOUT, recite,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

‎Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

Most of us know that God’s plan is at work. If you need evidence of this, revisit the Fired Up and Ready to Go story of Edith Childs and Barack Obama. It explains that sometimes when we’re tired and at our worst, God will send an angel to guide us to our destiny place. Edith Childs was that angel for Barack Obama.

And for the last seven days, I’ve had my own encounter.

Please read my first post under the “Cup of Tea With Me”banner, We Love You, before reading this one, to understand my encounter fully. I wrote it two days after I returned from San Francisco feeling fired up and ready to go. But, before, I could hit the ground running, I fell ill. In the post, I explain why San Francisco fires me up, and how when I returned, suddenly, I felt like there were 1000 tiny pieces of glass lodged in my throat. Instantly, I knew that I had to sip tea, lemon, and honey, and retire to bed rather than do the 100 things I’d plan to do to share One Night in LA, my indie feature which is an Official Selection of the Essence Festival:

So on Day 1 after returning, I sipped; on day 2, I sipped, and on Day 3, I sipped some more.

By Day 6, I was concerned, although I went out for about an hour.

On Day 7,  which was this past Sunday, I could, finally, speak and eat without feeling the tiny pieces of glass I envisioned in my throat. Still, I rested. But, I felt like God had turned me around:). I was clear about what I needed to do to be ready for the festival. During the week, I entered into a distribution agreement for One Night in LA. And I begin to feel more at peace and ease about this leg of the journey.

During the seven days, I slept, rested, took cold medicine, and sipped tea, honey, and lemon. My husband is the great comforter so he was by my side with comforting offerings of tea, soup, snacks, and Nyquil. He kept repeating, “just rest.” He knows that I’m sometimes child-like, and it’s hard for me to sit still and be quiet. During the seven days, every morning, I would, eagerly, wake, and then swallow slowly to determine if it was time to jump back into activity. When I’d feel the glass and the lump in my throat, I would slump back into my bed and bury myself under the covers. On Saturday, I went out briefly to my sorority (Delta Sigma Theta, Century City Alum) chapter's end-of-the-year meeting. I went for the last 20 minutes of the meeting, and I felt pretty good. I was supposed to go to lunch afterward, but when I swallowed while waiting for the meeting to end, I felt the glass, and I decided that I had to see my doctor on Monday to make sure the sore throat wasn't a symptom of something more serious. I touched my heart rather than hug my Sorors goodbye for summer while explaining that I had a bug and didn’t want to get anyone sick.

While quiet and still for seven days, I thought about the next 30 days on my way to the Essence Festival, and what it meant to me to have my first indie feature, One Night in LA, be an Official Selection of the festival. I thought about the journey of 30 years of writing, which has been filled with tacks and nails:). I’ve only continued because I’m a WGA (What God Anoints) writer:)! I produced One Night in LA with the help of friends and family. I crowdfunded it. I’ve pack theaters and produced plays. I’ve written, directed and produced several short films that have been featured in notable festivals. After I dropped my sons off at college, I returned to grad school to get an MFA in Creative Writing because it was on my bucket list. I’ve toured the nation with my novels On Edge and Wings to Fly. To share my words, I’ve done it all! I’ve persevered and kept the faith.

While sitting still with a cup of tea, I thought about who I wanted to be as a writer moving forward, and I decided that I would end my writing journey as I began: Loving others, loving America, and loving Black people with my written words.

I decided that what the world needs right now, more than anything else, is L-O-V-E! Ironically, it’s what it needed in 1993 when I begin. In 1993, I remember listening to Stevie Wonder’s These Three Words a 1000 times.

I reminded myself that first and foremost, I’m a writer, although I create in many ways.

And so I will write my way to Essence while sipping tea, lemon, and honey. For the next 20 days, I will blog.

And here I am!

In yesterday’s post, We Love You, I wrote about being a Quiet Storm, a woman reconciling 30 years of writing while sitting in an upside-down world:)! Today, I must add that, no matter what spin I place on my journey, it all adds up to a journey filled with my love for America, readers, audiences, viewers, and you.

I thank God for my angel, which came during seven days of quiet and stillness, sipping tea, honey, and lemon.

Now, I’m fired up and ready to go!

P.S. These posts are written quickly in the mornings after my prayer time. They’re edited by moi:). Please overlook any mistakes. If I tried to make my words perfectly combined, flowery, and special, I would never share a post. I would use AI. LOL. These are from imperfect me.

I love you! I look forward to my cup of tea with you tomorrow.

WE LOVE YOU!

We Love You!

This is the theme of the 30th Anniversary of the 2024 Essence Festival which fits perfectly with my mission as a writer for the last 30 years. For me, One Night in LA, my first feature film, being picked as an official selection of the 2024 Essence Film Festival is a convergence of a perfect storm, a Quiet Storm: Me 30 years after beginning the writers’ journey making peace in an upside down world!

I started writing in 1993 because I needed a place to express the love I had for America, my birth country, that was a bit of a mess back then, as it is now, but that I thought I would always love. I wanted to express my admiration and love for African Americans. We were so strong to pursue our best lives in the wake of so many obstacles. I was in aww of our light and success. Our rhythm and the love notes we sang in the midst of the trials and tribulations we faced. My love would always be peppered with contradiction; a little anger about this or that. Forgiveness for missing the mark, and finally ladled with acceptance of it all because “It is what it is.”

We can only just be!

I needed to allow the emotions swirling in my head to land on a soft surface. And so I prayed, and I was guided to write. Although I had no idea where God was taking me, I knew He knew I was a sensitive soul. I needed soft landings, like I used to fold into my Bigmama’s arms while my Mom pursued worldly things. The first thing I wrote was a novel, On Edge. I called it a ”Coming-to-Sense” novel, a novel about urban professionals, figuring out how to be true to their inner selves while cultivating self-love no matter what. By the time it got to book store shelves, it was 1997, but, still, some weren’t ready for my main character's husband being in the closet, a dedication to my high school BFF Dennis Billups.

Dennis was a 6'9, handsome Moorehouse graduate, a Kappa, who passed from an AIDS-related illness. He was my wing man, my encourager. He was the first person I said “I want to write” out loud to. We’d talk on the phone all night long while my husband worked the night shift and my three boys slept nearby. Some times we’d hurry off the phone as my husband’s key was turning in the lock. We talked about his life as a professional gay man in Los Angeles. Dennis had been openly gay in high school and hated that many didn't dare to come out. Now that we had lived a little. Gone to college — I’d graduated from UCLA, he’d graduated from Moorehouse — we were coming to grips with the realities of life.

I loved having three little boys but was , in the words of my favorite poet Langston Huges, finally realizing that,

“Life Ain't No Crystal Stairs. It has tacks in it!”

But, still, We Love Us, could have easily been our themes of life. We met our Junior year at El-Cerrito High School, which is a picturesque Bay Area town, settled between Richmond and Berkeley; in its hilly parts, there are 360-degree views of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, set beneath blue skies. When I moved there in the 70s, the people were friendly and open-hearted. It was diverse. Although the Blacks were bused in, all the students were one big happy family with Dennis leading the charge as our class president. As such, he was the organizer of decorating our class float, and we would party and have fun in the sessions decorating it. Dennis had long arms and they were always flying in all directions, as he emphasized this or that. The first time, I drank so much that the room was spinning, I was with Dennis. He kept assuring me that I’d be okay.

The moment I swung open the doors of El-Cerrito High School, walked its corridors with my Detroit swagger — Detroit, the land of cool Black people, who had migrated from the South — I was a big hit. I had a “sitting on the corner blowing Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson tunes vibe.” LOL. My favorite album that year was Smokey Robinson's Quiet Storm. I was an old soul, a jazz note, a girl who would grow to be a Quiet Storm.

I was instantly popular as Dennis Billup's sidekick. It also helped that I moved down the street from the vice president of El-Cerrito, and she and I became car poolers and instant best friends. It helped that my Mother was a big wig, literally and figuratively. She and her cohort were some of the first Black women to wear weaves, drive Cadillacs and Mercedes, and dress in St. John. She was a Rockafeller Fellow and studying under Dr. Ruth Love, the first Black woman Superintendent of Schools in Chicago and Oakland, and Laval Wilson, the first Black male Superintendent in Berkeley and Boston. We were in good times.

It was the 70s and “We Love Us” was the theme of America,

We loved America for changing. Changing its laws that made my Bigmama, Daddy Floyd, and Mama sit on the back of the bus. That wouldn't allow Black folks to go to school.

We Love Us metamorphosed into a country where everyone could move on up, to get degrees, move into a house overlooking the bay, drive fancy cars, leaning to the side, adorn in St. John. Even while some relatives lived in garages, we had hope that Change Was Gonna Come!

We Love Essence for putting us on every cover with our brown skin glistening and making us feel proud of our brown skin!

We Love Us, Black People, for persevering with love in our hearts, for going through horrific injustices, while being a Natural Woman as Aretha sang and a Quiet Storm as I will be, loving on America with words, just like the lyrics below do,

Quiet storm blowin'

Soft and warm, a quiet storm
Quiet as when flowers stalk at break of dawn, break of dawn
A power source of tender force
Generatin', radiatin', turnin' me on, turnin' me on

Oh, you short circuit all my nerves
Promising electric pains
You touch me and
Suddenly there's rainbow rings

Quiet storm blowin'
Through my life, oh...
Quiet storm blowin'
Through my life, oh... blow, baby

Check back tomorrow for another cup of tea from me. I’ll explain where the Cup of Tea Theme comes from.

Hello

I’m so happy to have a space where I can write from the heart. This is it! The act of writing and sharing are my blessings on this journey. I look forward to filling these pages with inspiring thoughts and hard truths from my heart! Until then, sending you a hug.

MeMe

I’m Back

My creative juices are flowing, and it’s important in this season for me to share. So, I’m offering a Your Voice Matters Workshop on Saturday, February 24th, 2024, 3 to 5 p.m. PST. https://www.elevatedstories.me/your-voice-workshop

And I’d love for you to get a copy of any of the e-Books. www.elevatedstories.me/books

Just contact me at memekellyproductionsllc@gmail.com and I’ll email it to you.

Also, the screening on February 18th of One Night in LA is going to be a virtual screening except for a select few who will join me for a private screening.

Stay Tuned