Month: April 2019

Abundance

Posted on by MarilynsCafeSociety

Hey Everyone.  I hope that all is good with you all and that you are experiencing abundance in all areas of your life.

Yes! Abundance.  On Thursday, I made the word abundance the word for the day on my social media.  Why,  you ask?  Well, first of all, just in general, I fully believe in abundant living.  I undoubtedly believe that our divine creator created us (humans), earth, and the entire universe with plentifulness in mind.  Think about the number of stars; the depths of the oceans; the vastness of the sky/universe; and, the number of hairs on our head and cells in our bodies!

Secondly, while prepping for today’s show earlier this week, I couldn’t help but notice a common undertone of “lack”, “limits” and “scarcity” in certain news reports that I read.  It compelled me to just say it—abundance! Listen, we have an ample supply of everything from food, water, air, to love, joy, peace, etc.  Abundance–the opposite of scarcity.  More than enough of the tangible and intangible.  Abundance!

Okay, I’ll stop.  Oh wait!  One more time.  God has given us every good thing that we need and want in an overflowing supply.  Wisdom.  Knowledge. Our cups runneth over!  I don’t know about you but abundant living is mine! Blessed to be a blessing.

Hey, did you catch today’s show?  It was delayed due to the Macy’s I.N.C. International Concepts Fashion Show that I walked in.  Here’s a couple pictures from the dressing room.

 

I’ll post a few from the actual fashion show on social media in a day or so.

Be sure to tune in Saturday, May 4th, 2019 for the next show on https://www.youtube.com/MarilynsCafeSociety.  Be sure to “like”, subscribe, share, and/or follow my social media platforms at marilynscafesoc on Twitter; Marilyn’s Café Society on Facebook, YouTube; and marilynscafesociety.com.  Peace.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Marilyn

Advertisement

Wonder Women

Posted on by MarilynsCafeSociety

Hello you all.  I hope that you are having a “wonder”ful week.  I am good for the most part and making progress on the goals that I’ve set.

So, as I grabbed my laptop and coffee to begin writing this week’s blog, I remembered that today was the day that Wendy Williams was going to have the sit down with Hip Hop Journalist, Dee Barnes.   Those who have been with me and Marilyn’s Café Society for a while know that I grew up loving and appreciating most music including Hip Hop/Rap.   Needless to say, I quickly tuned in and began typing the blog.  When the Dee Barnes segment started, I gave the show my full attention.  I wanted to hear her speak; hear her full story; hear that she is now okay.  I also wanted to hear how Wendy would handle the talk with Dee.  And, she did not disappoint   Wendy and Dee left us wanting to know, hear more of the story!

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s the back story.  Dee Barnes is a pioneer Hip Hop artist and television host who was brutally beaten in the early 1990s by Hip Hop Icon, Dr. Dre because he was offended about how his group was portrayed in an interview that was conducted by Dee.  (For the record, Dr. Dre is a changed man and has publicly apologized to all the women he abused in his past.)  Now back to Dee, apparently, the backlash of the interview and the altercation resulted in Dee being black balled in the industry which led to the ending of her career.  Over the years, she has been relegated to minimum wage jobs and infrequent freelance work.  More recently, she faced eviction from her apartment so she started a GoFundme page and went public with her situation.  This all got Wendy’s attention and resulted in today’s talk segment on the Wendy Williams show.

While watching Dee attempt to talk today about what happened to her, I couldn’t help but think about that question that has plagued the black community and, quite frankly, society in general.  How can a man speak and be so violent toward, disrespectful to, and dismissive of their human counterpart, their gift from God—woman?  And, more importantly, how could other women know about it and remain silent OR, worse, go along with it?  Since this is a question that has been raised from way back when, many have attempted to answer it.  The most popular answer that I’ve heard so far is this—many are concerned about their own social and economic standing.  They don’t want to be shunned or black balled too.  They don’t want to be the next victim so, they say nothing OR simply go along with it.

But God!!!!  I know some of you all get tired of me bringing up God but how could you not see him operate in this despicable story.  Dee was kept!  God gave her the strength and courage to say something about her situation which, again, led to the outpouring of support that she is NOW receiving.  I curtsy Wendy Williams for shining the light on Dee Barnes’ story and giving her and her daughter a place to live.  I also raise my glass to Wendy for putting on her “Wonder Woman” business cape and offering her (Dee) a publishing and movie deal.  #LikeABoss The results of this “lift” for Dee Barnes will no doubt change her life.  She will now have financial security for her future and the future of her children.  I trust that Wendy will fair well too. Blessings Abound with God Speed for both women.

Well, what a “wonder”!  I ended up writing a completely different blog today.  This is it!

Hey remember to tune in Saturday, April 20th, 2019 for the next show on https://www.youtube.com/MarilynsCafeSociety.  Be sure to “like”, subscribe, share, and/or follow my social media platforms at marilynscafesoc on Twitter; Marilyn’s Café Society on Facebook, YouTube; and marilynscafesociety.com.  Peace.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Marilyn

Beautiful Body

Posted on by MarilynsCafeSociety

Hey there!

A picture landed in my social media this past weekend.  I discovered that it’s something that has been floating around for a couple of years now.  It was a picture of few people standing in the pews of a church but the focus of the shot was on a young lady who was wearing a sweater dress that fully covered her body.  Sounds appropriate, right?  Well, here’s how some of the comments about the photo read-

“I bet the church mothers let her have it for wearing that dress.”

“What was she thinking?”

“Who wants what she’s selling?”

“This dress is not appropriate for church!”

You get the picture? {Pardon the pun.}  So the problem was not solely the dress.  I know for sure that if a physically less endowed woman wore the same dress, there would not have been a problem. The woman in the photo was ”stacked”, “curvy”, or as the Commodores sang…”36-24-36–A Brick House”.  LoL!  Seriously, the male and female human body is beautiful.  Some are just near perfection!  And, not just on the outside but also inside.  The human body is an amazing super machine made by God.  The source of the negative or critical response some had with this woman wearing the dress to church is their acute awareness of the beauty of the woman’s body.  The overwhelming beauty caused them to become uncomfortable.  It doesn’t matter if the dress was worn in the church or the club.  The response would have been the same.   It’s like the days when the sun is fully shining.  We enjoy the beauty of the sun and the energy it exudes but it is difficult to look directly at it because it’s soo powerfully beautiful!  So, let’s respond to the comments and questions that I repeated on this blog.

First of all, why would the church mothers (the seasoned Christians) be so judgmental and condemning of the young lady?  Why would they want to shame her for being so beautiful.  Is that how Jesus would handle her? No.  He would probably compliment her beauty and then recommend a more modest attire for the church house.  Secondly, the young lady honestly may not have given any thought to wearing that particular dress to church—a spiritual, religious place. Or perhaps she didn’t have anything else to wear.  Or perhaps she put the dress on and thought, I’m beautiful so I’m going to wear it but not realizing she and the dress would be a distraction.  Or, perhaps she was expecting the more seasoned saints to appreciate her God-given beautiful body without sexualizing and/or judging her.

Was she selling sex by wearing the dress?  I don’t know her to say.  Again, she may have innocently thought that she was cute.  Neverthless, those who have been “churched” from childhood or young adulthood were taught to dress modestly.  Ok, just in everyday life many of us (women) were taught by our parents to dress modestly period as a means of self-protection because to some our beautiful bodies can be reduced to sexual objects.

Lastly, as I stated earlier, had the dress been worn by a less endowed woman, there would not be a discussion.  However, the church is a spiritual place.  People congregate there to connect with God.  They are all on different levels of their spiritual journey so one could see your beautiful body and not get aroused or distracted; while another person that is not spiritually mature would objectify you sexually and become very distracted.  I advise women to maintain a level of modesty when dressing for church and life.  Those with exceptionally beautiful bodies must protect themselves.  In our youth, and especially for those who love fashion even as we age, it’s difficult to dial back sometimes.  It’s just fashion for goodness sake!  Right?!  No.  Listen, despite having a God given beautifully made body, you may not be able to wear a particular style/fashion of dress and if you do, you must cover creatively.

Remember to tune in Saturday, April 13th, 2019 for the next show here https://www.youtube.com/MarilynsCafeSociety.  Be sure to “like”, subscribe, share, and/or follow my social media platforms at marilynscafesoc on Twitter; Marilyn’s Café Society on Facebook, YouTube; and marilynscafesociety.com.  Peace.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Marilyn

Cry Baby

Posted on by MarilynsCafeSociety

I woke up in the wee hours of this morning in a panic.  I reached for my robe and started to get out of bed to run down the stairs to tell my mother the devastating news.  I thought, however, I don’t want to scare her in that way so I reached for my phone instead.  Yes, I’ll call her first to wake her up and then go down to tell her the terrible news.   But wait, did she already know?  Did I already know?  As I became fully awake and scrambled to get her on the phone, it occurred to me that I couldn’t call my mother; that she didn’t know that my brother, her son, past away; and yes, that I already knew.  I, then, began to cry.

Tomorrow, April 4th will mark my brother’s second year anniversary since transitioning to heaven.  My mother left us one month before on March 3rd.  Once again, this reality hit me.

For years, my older brother, Michael Charles May, was my muse.  When we were younger, I watched him in much delight as well as with serious concern!  And, I prayed for him often.  He had an adventurous spirit and met no stranger.  He truly made life interesting.  In fact, as his younger sister (and a few times as a young adult), I used to try to follow or keep up with him.  I quickly learned that I was not good at jumping fences; running from dogs; playing 16 inch softball; boxing; or breaking our parents rules.  Oh no!  I’m not crossing THAT line.  I was too chicken.  LoL.  Quite honestly, there were lines that he didn’t dare let me cross anyway.

What I learned from my brother was my social skills.  You see, I used to be somewhat socially awkward.  Michael, on the other hand, was a social butterfly.  He could talk to anyone.  He exuded confidence. He was an extrovert and outgoing.  He was fun-loving.  He had friends in all walks of life.  And, I prayed for all of that.  I, also, prayed that he would receive some of my more introverted, overly cautious ways.  I prayed that we would somehow balance each other out.  I now know for sure, that that was his prayer too.

My brother was a good person who at times in his life made bad choices.  Like many other young men of color, he suffered and endured injustices; and spent unnecessary, undeserved time in the system.  Through it all, he kept his head up and fought for his life even before his illness.  Yes, Michael Charles May was a good man.  I love you brother!

Michael and Marilyn – March 2016

Well, I know that my mother now knows that Michael didn’t overcome his illness.  He’s now with her.  As I close this blog, I’m going to do what he’s told me to do all my life. I can hear him right now telling me.  “Marilyn, you’re still a big cry baby.  Stop all that crying and toughen up.”  Then he would hug me and show me his big bright smile.

Remember to tune in Saturday, April 6th, 2019 for the next show.  I’m not sure about my next ‘Karioke Moment“ so just check here https://www.youtube.com/MarilynsCafeSociety throughout the week.  Be sure to “like”, subscribe, share, and/or follow my social media platforms at marilynscafesoc on Twitter; Marilyn’s Café Society on Facebook, YouTube; and marilynscafesociety.com.  Peace.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Marilyn