Category Archives: M.Y. Words

My American Idol

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“My American Idol”
Jan08-4My freshman year at UNC I was a cheerleader.  One of the teams I cheered for was women’s basketball.  The team was just returning off their 1994 NCAA Championship.  Although I’d never been a fan of women’s sports, I immediately became mesmerized by the talent of the women.  Tracey Reid, Marion Jones and senior Charlotte Smith (see left pic) led the team in a stellar season.  Carmichael Auditorium would be packed with fans and I would be anxious and excited to flip down the entire basketball court to pump up the crowd.

One of my favorite memories was on December 4, 1994. The Tar Heels were playing NC A&T.  It wasn’t expected to be a close game, but the athleticism of our girls was still supreme.  And then I saw it happen.  I was really there sitting in the front on the sideline.    I watched Ms. Charlotte dunk a basketball in a game!  This is the day that she became my ‘idol’.  I watched her throughout the season with style and grace.  Not only was she a talented athlete, but she was beautiful.  She showed me that being dark skinned is a sexy, soulful thing.  I watched gleefully as she accepted Player of the Year and then went on to play overseas and WNBA.

Jan08-4bBeing just a miniscule freshman I was often too scared to talk to her.  Last week I traveled back to Chapel Hill to watch a UNC women’s basketball game.  My cousin, senior Latoya Pringle (see right pic), currently is a 6’3 center for the team (obviously I didn’t get the height).  And guess who is one of the assistant coaches? Charlotte! I became that young giddy kid again who was nervous to even see her see me looking at her.  It brought back those memories for cheering for her over 13 years ago.  But would she take a picture with me?

I waited like a groupie until after the game with my family.  My cousin brought Charlotte out and said, “This is my cousin. She cheer–” Charlotte interrupted her and said, “I REMEMBER HER!” Hip hip hooray!! Fireworks went off in my head.  We took our picture (she ducked down so I wouldn’t feel midget status) and life was good.

M.Y.  January 2008

Thy Closets Runneth Over

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“Thy Closets Runneth Over”

Jan08-3Okay, I will be the first to admit that I have A LOT of clothes.  I really do.  But it’s not completely my fault.  Part of it is because I haven’t grown for the past decade.  I’ve been the same height and weight since college so I never really have a reason to throw a good piece of clothing away.  The other part of the ‘reason for the season’ is my mother.  My mother and I wore the same clothing size and same shoe size.  When she passed away, my closet almost doubled.  She wore the classiest suit and had some pretty amazing shoes.  Whenever I wear something that belonged to her and someone asks what brand it is, I say it came from the “Mom Collection”.

I recently took a tour of all the closet space I use just to see how bad it really is.  First there’s the walk-in closet in the Master Bedroom.  One side consists strictly of tops.  They are separated: sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve and blazers.  Each individual shirt section is also divided by color.  On the other side are all of my pant suits, skirt suits and pants.  Throughout the closet are rows and rows of shoes racks and above the clothes are my collections of sweatshirts.  I then walk across the room to a dresser and see 2 shelves of casual tops and shelf of jeans.  The other dresser in the room has t-shirts, undergarments, socks etc.

That’s sounds like about in itself – but that is only one room!  The office has a closet that holds all of my sweaters and casual sweat outfits (matching top and bottom).  One guest bedroom closet holds all of my dresses and skirts.  I just love dresses!  The next guest bedroom holds my formal dresses and my mother’s clothes from Africa.  Then I find the dresser that really lets me know that I have far too many clothes.  This dresser has four drawers.  The top drawer contains all of my bathing suits and sports bras for working out.  The next drawer holds my other tops for working out.  The next drawer has all of my long pants for working out and the bottom drawer contains all of my shorts for working out.

I realize that I could clothe an entire village in Africa and probably their distance relatives in Asia.  I’ve made the commitment to go through my closets and donate the clothes that I haven’t worn in years. That’s not the easiest thing to do, though.  Sometimes you’ll hold up something you’ve worn once in 10 years but have such a wonderful memory of the time you wore it that it’s hard to let it go.  I also will not put another new item in my closet until I get rid of something else.  Parting is such sweet sorrow, but as I watch my stack of clothes grow that I will donate to charity, I know I’ll be help bring a smile to someone’s face as they prepare for an interview, go to church or get dressed for a first date.

M.Y. January 2008

And Baby Makes 3 (or 4)

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“And Baby Makes 3 (or 4)”

Jan08-2Two of my friends are pregnant – very pregnant!   It’s been an amazing journey to watch them over the past seven months. One is married to her high school sweetheart and they are expecting their first child.  I was blessed to be able to travel with her to Richmond, VA where she showed her family (literally) that she was expecting.  They were overjoyed at the news, yet amazed that she was able to keep in a secret from them for so long.  I’ve watched her develop a craving for oranges and a little waddle, but not skip a beat!  I’ve seen her frustrations with maternity clothes and the excitement at the Carolina outfit her son will wear home.  I asked her about being pregnant and she said, “You feel sick. You feel good.  You feel tired.  You feel kicking.  You feel love!”

My other friend is married to her college sweetheart.  They are expecting their second son.  Although both friends are close in due dates, they’ve had completely different experiences.  This friend has unfortunately had to live the past several weeks in the hospital on bed rest. Christmas, New Years Eve and all the holiday celebrations were spent gazing at white walls and eating hospital food.  She’s taken this time to research the horoscope of the baby. He will be one of two signs.  When I asked her about pregnancy, she simply said “It sucks!”  I asked if there was anything positive, she said “No, it sucks”.  I looked at her husband to ask his two cents, he said, “Yeah, she’s right.”

So is there really nothing positive about being ‘knocked up’?  Although she said pregnancy sucked, I was able to see the light at the end of her tunnel.  Sitting next to pregnant friend #2 was her three-year-old son.  I watched her look at him lovingly as he munched on his dinner.  Even when she hears his voice on her phone, she’s overcome with pride and joy.  So while they may feel unsexy and like everyone is looking at their body, I see their motherly glow.  Although they want to cry, want to sleep and want to eat everything in sight – I know that two magnificent young men will be born into our world this Spring!!

M.Y.  January 2008

Happy New Year 2008

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Happy New Year!!  I wish you all the blessings for 2008!

Jan08-1The year 2007 started out horribly for me.  My desktop computer crashed.  I attended the funeral of my grandmother in Fayetteville, NC.  I then traveled back to Louisville to attend a second funeral for her (family drama).  While watching the news I saw that there was a car accident where a man running from the cops crashed into a car ejecting seven kids.  Two of these kids were my former students.  I went to the hospital to see one of their precious souls on life support.  That sight went straight to my heart.  Then the heat in my house went out and I had to purchase a new heater.  Then my laptop crashed.  My boyfriend and I broke up. Oh, and did I mention that all of this occurred before January 20, 2007?

I prayed daily that this would not be how all of 2007 existed.  Luckily, my bad luck ended there.  On January 26, I went out on an outing that would change the rest of my life.  Renee Murphy, Shannon Maxey and Tioka Ivory entered my life.  I was never one to be a part of a girl group or a ‘chic clique’ but these women have become my best friends.  It is simply amazing how God puts people into your life.  I didn’t ask for them to be placed there, but he knew it was what I needed in my life.  These women have been there for me through thick and thin and I am truly blessed for their existence.

The rest of my year went pretty well.  I was able to travel to North Carolina, Cleveland for the Women’s Final Four, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Arizona, Virginia, Detroit and who can forget Puerto Vallarta.  I expanded OnyxLouisville and have met many wonderful people in the Louisville community.  I was able to join several Boards and also became a volunteer ‘Big”.  I was fortunate to see a plethora of top notch plays, concerts and performances here in the Ville.

December 31, 2007 ended with an odd twist, but I do believe everything happens for a reason.  I’m still waiting for genuine, true love to enter in my life.  I know it will happen when the time is right.  It’s going to be great in 2008 and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

M.Y.  January 2008

Tis the Season 2007

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“Tis the Season”

This year I learned that Christmas is much more than just December 25.  It’s a season.  My Christmas started on Friday, December 14 with our annual office party.  Each year, my 12 co-workers and myself make homemade presents for each person.  Although we cringe at the thought of making something, we are always touched by the creativity and thought put into each present.

On Friday, December 21 I went to the Home of the Innocents.  The Pediatric Convalescent Center children had a Christmas pageant.  This wasn’t your ordinary performance.  These kids are all medically fragile.  The majority were in wheelchairs and depend on skilled nurses for eating, movement and all daily activities.  Although these kids will never be fully independent, it was wonderful to see the smiles on their faces as they heard the bells jingle or became excited at the music playing in the background.  I looked around at the Home’s cafeteria workers, employee and parents and saw that they were touched.

Sunday, December 23 I went to the Christ Mass at St. Stephen Church across the bridge.  All of the choirs performed along with the liturgical dancers.  One of my joys of the holiday season has always been Christmas hymns.  I was blessed for two hours to hear the sounds of hundreds of voices singing songs of both old and new.  As I walked out the church door, I knew Christmas was right around the corner.

Monday, December 24 I went to the pageant at the church where I grew up.  At the very end of the service as we sang the closing hymn, the people in the pew in front of my scurried around.  The majority of the church members are over the age of 60 so I thought something happened to one of them.  Instead, it was a young adult, Katie, that I grew up with, that had fainted.  Our rector stopped the service as she asked if there was a doctor in the house.  The person that rushed across the sanctuary was Doug, another person I grew up with in this church.  Although it was an unfortunate incident, it was amazing to watch the former youth of the church now serving as young adults.  You never know when you’ll be called to give back.

Then Christmas Day arrived.  My morning began with volunteering at Wayside Christian  Mission to serve lunch at the men’s center.  As the men strolled in to be fed, the choir in the background started singing the following words, “Thank you Lord. I just want to thank you Lord.”  These words resonated as I went through the line to get a plate to serve for someone.  I stopped and paused as tears filled my eyes and became so thankful for all the things in my life.  As I placed the plate in front of someone while saying “Merry Christmas”, he turned to me with a smile and said “God Bless You”.

The rest of my holiday was spent with friends, food and fun.  It ended at five the next morning.  It truly was a wonderful holiday season and I don’t believe it is over. Blessings exist is all shapes and sizes.  If you think yours are low, just look around and see the small fortunes that we often take for granted.

M.Y.  December 2007

It’s About People

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“It’s About People”

Part of my job requires me to visit schools to represent teachers.  I had just finished a meeting at Shawnee High School and was in the hallway talking with one of my teachers.  As I walked off, headed toward my car, I heard a small voice say, “Ms. Yeager?”  Ms. Yeager.  I know that name.  I don’t hear that name often.  There are only certain people that call me that name and they usually aren’t more than three apples high.  See, Ms. Yeager was my teaching name.  It’s the name precious little six-year-olds anxiously yelled out when they knew the answer to a question, needed to use the bathroom or excitedly yelled out when they discovered a new word they could read.  Whose voice could this be?

I turned around to see a tall, thin, beautiful teenager.  Right away I knew who it was.  It was Devron Williams, and she was one of my favorite students from my first two years of teaching from 1998-2000.  It’s so hard to imagine that my cute little first graders are now ‘want-to-be grown’ sophomores in high school.  Although she now towered over me, she still glared at me with the same sense of admiration that existed nine years ago.  Devron was always soft spoken and very, very shy.  I remember when we did a holiday play and each child had a talking part.  Although Devron wanted to be in the play, she was too shy to say anything.  So, she became the stuffed teddy bear that just sat there on the stage.  Hey, if it worked for her, it worked for me.

We talked in the hall for several minutes and it was hard to determine who was more excited.  I was impressed that she still remembered a lot of facts about me.  I reflected on all the wonderful stories/letters she wrote for me throughout elementary school.  As I walked away, I realized truly what this holiday season is about. It’s not about snow, or presents, or additional vacation days. It’s not about sales, or college bowl games or a warm bowl of chili (although all of those things are nice).  It’s about people.  I call this my transitional Christmas.  I’ll try to continue some old traditions, while at the same time I’ll slowly develop some new.  So this holiday season, try not to get too caught up the hype and hooplah.  Just when you start feelings stressed or depressed, realize the true meaning of the holidays and surround yourself with positive people or be the positive person for someone else!

*Also, thank you for your input on last’s week fictional scenario.  Both at the LULYP social and online there was very good dialogue between the sexes!*

 

M.Y.  December 2007