Rainbow Colors of Silence

Ladies, we love to chatter. Too often we're told that we sound like cackling hens, but that never stops us from engaging in the fun sport of girl talk. Some women amuse themselves by only listening to the sounds of their voices - nobody else's.  Some women speak ignorantly above the delightful voices of sound reasoning. Some women listen quietly, then speak words of poetic wisdom.  Some women never ever stop talking, even in their sleep.

But no matter our individual conversation style,  each of us should practice silence because of its restorative nature to resuscitate our lifeless thought processes.  Our minds must seek new knowledge so that we may grow to become more peaceful within ourselves. This is an important fact about silence:  you don't always have to go to it, sometimes it comes to you unannounced. You only have to acknowledge and appreciate that silence's ultimate purpose is helping you learn your true and authentic purpose in life through serial contemplative moments of self-discovery.

This edition shines the spotlight on my friend and business partner W. Jeannette Strickland, who is a life empowerment coach and the principal owner of WJS Worldwide Consulting, LLC. This smart woman is a great conversationalist who loves to talk, and she speaks highly about silence.

...listen with an open mind and enjoy!                                                         

                                                                                                             -demetrice

21st Century Woman Spotlight

Jeannette  hangs out on her lanai where she feels slight cool breezes... listens to the rustling of trees... and views the sky above seas. She tunes out ambient noises and "just go into my mind to rejuvenate and contemplate."

"The other day, I had this quiet moment. I closed my eyes and saw these beautiful colors. They were like colors of the rainbow that were intensified. It was absolutely amazing. It was just one color right after the other. It wasn't a bright sun. It was just that I was there in heaven and that was all to it. It was a nice peaceful time. I didn't have to go to school. I didn't think about grading papers. I unplugged the phone, and I was just out there." - Life coach W. Jeannette Strickland  describes a moment of quiet introspection while sitting on the nature-inspired lanai inside her peaceful  home in Kissimmee, Florida.

A multitude of calming yellow, blue and pink swirling softness all meshed together often beckons her beautiful mind to dream quietly in the charcoal blackness of night. So many colors wrap around her mind's peaceful thoughts like paint brushes that wrap around the artistic fingers of her favorite artists - Itzchak Tarkay, Picasso, Schaefer & Miles, Alexandria Krysinski and Linda LeKinff  - when they create beautiful and colorful mind boggling masterpieces of art. Like this woman who dreams vivid colors, these artists may find themselves drifting off peacefully when meshing yellow, blue and pink swirling softness on quiet canvasses.

Jeannette and friend, Annette Kennedy.

Jeannette Strickland loves vibrant colors: the colors of flowers, the colors of mankind, the sparkling colors of love and friendships dipped in silver and gold. Although she socializes frequently, the colors of silence satisfies her inner being more and awakens her spirituality regularly. Sometimes she just needs to listen attentively to her inner voice whispering, "It's okay for me to be me. I've got to be me."  Quiet whispers awaken her promptly at three o'clock in the morning with soft rainbow kisses.  It's truly as romantic as two lovers sharing tender moments of silence in the same space... the true essence of requited love.

"The real purpose of silence is inner-searching, rejuvenation, restoration  and contemplation," says the very attractive, super intelligent, ultra-loquacious, fun-loving, down-to-earth and gregarious 65-year-old (aka the Grand Diva). She single-handedly nurtures three daughters who blessed her with eight loveable grandchildren who affectionately call her Nana. She works part-time for the Osceola County School District as a substitute teacher 'beating down' 122 students with love and affection in hopes they learn the importance of a valuable education.  They respectfully and affectionately nickname her Miss S.

Jeannette knows her life purpose. She smiles poetically, then recites the same resuscitating command heard from silent whispers during two near death experiences several decades ago: "Go back! What about the children?'  Both times she came back for her young daughters, Frenchella, Stephanie and Kimberly, because her mother died when she was seven, and she did not want her children experiencing the difficulty of existing in a world without her maternal love and guidance.

As years passed, she realized 'what about the children?' meant all children, no matter their race, creed, or color. Children instinctively trust her hugs, smiles, compliments and words of encouragement.  Defiant middle school students take heed and listen to harsh chastisements because they know that she cares about their well-being.  Again, Jeannette knows her purpose. "I am fortunate enough to know why God left me on this earth and what my purpose is.  So I try to dedicate myself to young people by speaking some truth into their lives and letting them know that I'm there for them. They belong to me because I belong to God,"  she says with a gleam of certainty in her eyes.

Given her genuine concern for all people and her notorious gift for gab, this cosmopolitan woman's true life purpose might actually be to whisper eye-opening truths into the lives of all God's children, including adults. Women and men appreciate her hugs, smiles, compliments, words of encouragement and sound advice, also.  Her soothing voice leaves listeners  longing to hear more of her common-sense approach to life.  As for the defiant listeners , such as her adult grandchildren, well they return later when  the truths spoken earlier redirect them back to this  adventurous woman  who enjoys watching foreign movies with the volume turned down pretending she's watching genuine silent movies and who travels extensively throughout North America, South America, Africa and Europe seeking greater understanding and invigorating spiritual moments of silence beyond the comfort zones of familiarity.  She knows what she knows based on experience, observation and books, and her sheer presence touches the respective lives of temperamental tykes, confused teenagers and independent thinking adults when she shares comforting knowledge. 

"Men appreciate women who have a voice."

Jeannette possesses a strong voice. She advocates women expressing their forthright opinions without fear, and she decries the archaic idea of indoctrinating  girls to become powerless, voiceless women under societal rule.

"Women need to voice their opinions, to be seen and to be loved," she roars like the symbolic female liberationist depicted in Helen Reddy's 1973 song, 'I Am Woman.'

"We need to get over telling our daughters to be quiet and how lucky they are to have a man. We need to be nurturing them and telling them how fantastic they are, how much they have to offer and what to look for in a man.  A man who wants you to be quiet is not the man for you because it's going to come a time when he needs you not to be quiet. And that's going to be the time that is going to be the deciding factor in his life."

Jeannette explains why she needs and wants more in her life in order to become the whole person she dreams to be. She promises that if she ever thinks something is wrong with her, "I am getting a plane ticket! I don't feel imperfect, but unfinished, I feel that God has started something that he intends to finish, and it's not done yet."


On the flip side, she acknowledges that sometimes women talk too much and can gain from being silent. She suggests that women occasionally cease being superstars in their own minds, silence their voices,  practice objective listening and learn from others. 

There is 'never, ever, ever, ever' too much silence for this incorrigible, sexy senior who lives alone by choice in her comfortable abode. Her longtime boyfriend not only respects her strong opinions, but also her privacy and occasional need for solitude ...  silent moments set aside for awakening her mind and remembering all the positive, life-changing lessons of yesteryears.

Jeannette, who is pursuing an online master's degree in psychology from Nova University in Orlando, believes the most powerful dynamic agent of silence is spirituality.  While listening keenly and conscientiously to what's purely happening inwardly, she uses insightful spirituality as a silent motivator to steer her in the right direction toward becoming a better person by setting realistic goals and being productive each new day. 

"When I'm thinking, when I'm feeling - that's my growth time. The silence is all encompassing at certain times in my life. Nothing else is going on. There's nothing to stimulate me. It's just the quiet time when I grow," Jeannette softly professes.

Visit Jeannette' s website: http://www.wjsworldwide.com

                                                                                                                                                        -demetrice





What's Coming in February 2012

it's time to say good-bye

it's been real, 

but the

quiet whisper has spoken

and my heart is  listening...

hoping the final edition touches every heart.

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part III

Ladies, this issue concludes the POSW series.  A very special Thanks a bunch!! to Sonia Parris and Barbara Cusack for sharing their inspirational spiritual journeys in the last two editions.

This issue spotlights Ana Marie Lowry - a spiritual woman who seeks happiness within herself through the love of Jesus Christ.


Like Ana Marie, I am happy in my glorious relationship with the Lord. I have known spiritual happiness since that early morning hour when God's presence captivated my soul 21 years ago.  During a recent moment of quiet introspection, I retrieved the following missive I wrote on the day of my spiritual awakening:

"The most important thing to me at this moment is to get my act together and learn more about the power that I have come to accept as the truth - God. It's going to be difficult because it's not just enough to believe in God, but to understand what this power really means to me and to learn how I can be shaped into a better person. Basically, I like my personality, but I know that something needs to be added or extracted to make me a much happier and successful woman... I care for people and would like for my concern to be known, if not worldwide, then nationwide. This is my dream. I'm scared, but it is important to me that I be a positive role model."

Ladies, I hope that each of you experience happier times during the coming year and for many years to come.  And I hope that all of your dreams come true. Happy New Year to a happy new Y-O-U!!




21st Century Woman Spotlight

Brewing Flavorfully in Jesus Christ

Ana Marie Lowry, consultant and certified executive trainer, loves a nice cup of flavorful coffee. She talks about her spiritual connection with God at a Starbucks restaurant in the beautiful Bohemian Hotel in downtown Orlando, Florida.

"Coffee gives water flavor and changes the nature of water. I want to be that coffee in the community.  I want to be the one that gives a flavor to the community and that flavor will be the Lord. There is a scripture that I always twist - 'Come and taste that He is good.' So I always tell people, I knew the Lord knew about coffee."

 -Ana Marie references Psalms 34:8 as she speaks about being a servant  

"O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusteth in him."

Ana Marie grew up in a Catholic family in Tolima, Colombia, where her father taught her the power of unshakeable faith and prayer. 

Yet, the South American native worshipped the Creator according to Catholicism and lived faithfully as a religious woman for 31 years without ever developing a personal relationship with God. The nature of her faith changed after she accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, which evolved her into a spiritual woman who, through daily prayer, connects gloriously with the Father and Son. 

"I am a daughter of God and a sister of Christ. And that's powerful. The Lord gives me the strength to do things I believe are humanly possible. But with him everything is possible," says this wise woman.  There was a time when she successfully dissembled her inner pain behind a smiling face because she found it impossible to reveal her depressing truth to the world. 

Ana Marie counted herself among the number of clowns she collected years ago. No one knew the sadness fathoms deep down inside the effervescent young, single woman who needed much more consolation than those she readily and eagerly consoled. That was then. Ana Marie no longer pretends and sheds the tears of a clown. Today, tears of faith flow freely from the fountain of inner peace nestled comfortably inside this mature spiritual woman. What you see is what you get when a beautiful spirit smiles on her attractive, middle-aged face.

"I want people to know that my relationship with the Lord is real. They say when you have a relationship with the Lord, the light on your face will be radiant. I believe that," she says calmly in a rich Spanish accent fluent in English.

"I treasure my relationship with the Lord."

The avid reader of the Bible also treasures family jewels - her marriage of 14 years, five sons, two grandchildren and her mother. She enjoys romantic strolls on moonlit beaches with her husband, Tony, who brings her flowers every week without fail. She plays board games with 11-year-old Samuel who cherishes his favorite place on Earth - their peaceful home. She blows kisses upward toward the eternally peaceful home of twins Jonathan and Patrick, who both died at stillbirth 13 years ago. She loves her adult stepsons, Joshua and Tony Jr., and Tony Jr.'s two children as if they all shared matching DNA. She holds her elderly mother's arm lovingly and speaks tenderly to her. 

This wife, mother and business woman also treasures her inner peace and peace of mind.  Ana Marie asserts that the outside peace comes when one has a relationship with the Lord. She openly declares that it is her prerogative as a faith-filled spiritual woman to discover how good it is to have a relationship with the Lord and to experience how wonderful salvation feels. 

"That correlation goes with me in my personal life and will be effective in my business life and professional life. It goes everywhere. I don't seek happiness outside. My happiness is inside," states Ana Marie, who provides spiritual guidance and biblical teachings to young women at her church on how to relate to the Lord.

This woman of faith says her purpose in life is to make disciples and help people understand that developing a personal relationship with the Lord evokes assurances of a better future.  She shares a touching testimony about serving the Lord by serving her mother through the powerful force of faith. 

All was going well almost three years ago when the Lowry family's picture perfect life was suddenly interrupted by the news of Ana Marie's mother's near death experience. After making the decision to relocate her sick mother from Colombia to Orlando to live with them, Ana Marie asked  the big question, 'Why me?'

The answer unfolded right before her servant eyes. "I have seen what the Lord has done. I needed to serve my mom, and I am dedicated to serving my mom. Now I enjoy serving more than anything," she says with a glowing smile. "I move forward in my faith and allow my life to be a reflection of what faith is."  

Miss Julia - a friendly, petite woman - exudes happiness, looks healthy, walks slowly while Ana Marie holds her arm and enjoys a nice cup of coffee as much as her servant daughter.  M-m-m-m!! Can you smell the aromatic goodness of coffee wafting through the community? 

Blessed is Ana Marie Lowry who trusteth in the Lord.

"I give him the praise for who he is, and then I ask the request of which I would like his input. On a daily basis I tell him what I would like to accomplish. Then I say, 'But whatever you want me to do, let me do it.' 

That is what I call my prayer."

- Ana Marie explains her praying style. She receives spiritual guidance from her husband who is a man of Christ. The husband-wife team own and operate A&P International, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. 

                                                                                 -demetrice

What's Coming in January 2012

Shining the spotlight on W. Jeannette Strickland

... she is sixty-five and sexy, sassy, strong-minded & readily admits that more times than not, she needs to be more silent

The Beauty of Silence ...

listen to your inner voice whispering the truth 

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part II

Barbara's Monday sunrise

Ladies, when you open your eyes wide and look at life objectively rather than subjectively, what do you see?  Do you see ugliness or beauty? Do you see life or death? From the time I was a teenager, I sought high and low for my purpose in life. At 37, I finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up - a public relations extraordinaire. I quit my job and enrolled full-time in college.  I'll never forget the premonition I had in the admissions office. A pessimistic feeling overwhelmed and forewarned me that I would be that close to earning my bachelor's degree, then something would happen. I ignored that sinister incubus and enjoyed my collegiate life at University of North Florida as a communications major, public relations intern, member of the public relations student society and staff writer for the student newspaper.  I was a carefree, sassy divorcee and an empty-nester traveling north on Life Is Wonderful Blvd.

Fast forward two years: My dream was evolving into reality, and I was six weeks away from graduating, relocating to Miami, enrolling in the graduate program at Florida International University and pursuing a career in public relations. One night while preparing for a trip to Miami the next morning, my daughter informed me that her favorite uncle - my youngest brother - was terminally ill. Within one week, I withdrew from college, deferred my dream and returned to Tennessee to take care of Christopher, who I thought would live at least another year.  Two months after my arrival, he died from complications of AIDS. After his burial, I immediately lost my sanity, fell into deep depression and mourned my loss from 1995 to 2002. 

Chris' death did not depress me because I knew God was watching over him.  Instead I mourned the death of my temporal dream. I disintegrated emotionally and transformed hellishly for a period of time. Fortunately those seven years were the "bestest" years of my life because God opened my eyes wider than ever before. I saw God loving me and teaching me His way through the storm of depression and preparing me for storms to come. I have matured into a spiritual woman who sees nothing but the beauty of living in faith eternally as I walk in the strongest of faith toward my authentic spiritual purpose. I see the sunrise!!

                                                                                        -demetrice

21st Century Woman Spotlight

Barbara's Monday Sunrise

Business woman Barbara Cusack discusses her faith in God in the comfort of her living room. She owns a residential and commercial cleaning service and markets her Four Tias Black Bean and Corn Salsa brand in stores across Central Florida.

"I stopped asking, "Why me?" when I turned 41. That was a momentous event in my life finding out I was HIV positive.  I figured that I would make the best out of being HIV positive. Why not me? Since then, I've opened up my heart more to people. I have transitioned into having a love walk trying to reach out to others regardless of knowing that I have a status."

                -Barbara recalls the last time she asked God, "Why me?"

BARBARA CUSACK lives a rather unpretentious life in a small, quaint two bedroom house located near downtown Orlando, Florida.  Leather seating, antique chairs and tables and a well-preserved grandfather's clock deck hardwood floors in the living room area.  Sentimental pieces of wall decorations add value to the cozy room. A small collection of 'rescued' international dolls sit on glass shelves inside a tall, slender lighted curio cabinet designed with glass and laminate wood. Various sizes of God-made and man-made seashells rest on a white wooden shelf above the picture window facing the south.

Oh, how she would love it if the picture window overlooked the east so that she could own the breath-taking view of red, yellow, auburn, gold and blue colors commanding the distant horizon at sunrise for her mesmerized eyes to see.

"I relish seeing a beautiful sunrise. I love it. Seeing the sun when there are no clouds around makes me say, 'Oh, thank you God. I'm sorry for complaining'," says Barbara. A strong unpretentious faith in God expands beyond what her spiritual eyes can see and what her human mind could never fully understand. She does understand one thing - the beauty of life.

"It's so beautiful being alive. I have been HIV positive for many years.  I am so very thankful that I get to see the sunrise," says the 47-year-old single woman who received her diagnosis 15 years ago. She contracted HIV from her husband who died in March 1997.

Barbara's relationship with Jesus Christ changed after her diagnosis.  She ceased being a religious woman and became a spiritual woman because "my way of being religious was not working. I don't want to go back to how I was never again. I don't want to be religious anymore."

Since surrendering to God six years ago, Barbara has cultivated a more spiritual friendship with Jesus Christ and God, which has given her the inner peace she's never known before. Many doors of opportunity have opened wide for her to connect spiritually. She prays continuously throughout the day for forgiveness and the safekeeping of others . She takes love walks and reaches out to love the unlovable. She obeys the still small voice that commands her to forgive others without a pause.  She honors and serves God because of the goodness and mercy bestowed upon her during her period of spiritual transition. She knows from whence her blessings come.

Absent a miracle, Barbara also knows the day will never come when she'll  smile at a picturesque sunrise from the picture window inside her quaint home.  That's no problem because opportunity knocks every Monday morning when she gets an important wake-up call from the Holy Spirit.

"I have an opportunity to look at the sunrise on Monday when I travel east going to work. So I try not to be late," she chuckles.

Barbara's cleaning business gives her access to many clients' homes, and she cherishes helping others bring chaos to order. She believes that her purpose in life is to serve others.  Hearing clients say, 'I've been looking for that,' or 'You've done a great job,' confirms her belief that the Lord wants her to be a faithful servant to others.

And Barbara wants to be a faithful servant to the Lord. In order to understand exactly what that entails, she attends Bible study every Wednesday, read devotional books, seek spiritual guidance from her mother and always stops and prays (ASAP) to be as flexible as Him. 

"If I have a client in need, I always stop and pray. I'm never too busy. I've learned to be flexible by taking a few extra minutes to stop and pray for someone. That's what Jesus did," says the gregarious spiritual woman who also stops and saves (SOS) beautifully crafted dolls from being discarded into a pile of garbage.

The picture window in Barbara's quaint home doesn't face the east for her to awaken to beautiful sunrises.  However, it is this honest to God truth that this HIV survivor faces every day that matters more to her - she arises every morning witnessing yet another breath-taking, glorious and beautiful Son-shining day that the Lord has made for her.

Barbara recently transitioned from living with a parrot and territorial cat to sharing her home with her boyfriend and his three dogs.  The feisty feline transitioned, too. When the dogs moved into his space, he relocated to the next door neighbor's backyard.

"It is my prerogative as a spiritual woman not to be afraid of transitions because God wants us to be open to change. I'm not just the cleaning lady. He put the dream inside me to make my brand of salsa. I have the right and privilege to transition when He calls me to transition." - Barbara

                                                                                    -demetrice

 

What's Coming in December

Ana Marie Lowry

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part III

 

What's Coming in January 2012

Listen more than you speak.

The Beauty of Silence

Why it is important for women to take a break from talking and listen quietly to their inner voices whispering the truths about their personal and professional lives

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part I

Ladies, I was baptized in a small Baptist church in Memphis, Tennessee, and truly wanted to connect with God. When there was no connection anywhere, I started practicing agnosticism and atheism out of frustration with organized religion.  

About 20 years ago, while giving a speech presentation about a fellow college classmate who was a man of God, something strange started rumbling inside me which immediately affected my ability to think or speak at times. That strange feeling troubled me from the moment I returned to my desk until the moment I fell asleep on my large living room couch. During the moon's morning hours, a force awakened me. I rose, pointed my closed eyes toward the ceiling, stretched my arms wide and upward,  and cried out with joy, "Yes, I believe!" I fell back into slumber. Hours later I awakened to the sun's dawn and felt God's Son inside me. That day I denounced atheism and started my long journey to connect with God without the influence of organized religion because I wanted to walk in faith step-by-step in isolated peace.  That's my prerogative as a spiritual woman. Yes, indeed!

Faith - where does it come from? This question inspires me to learn about how other women practice their faith. I yearn to know their prerogative as a spiritual woman whether they adhere to a traditional strict religious tenet or not.  I asked three women - Barbara Cusack, Ana Marie Lowry and Sonia Parris -  to share their personal stories of God, faith and religion with me and you.

Sonia

 

Barbara

Ana Marie

The ladies were asked the same questions in separate interviews.  Although I had no prior knowledge of their religious beliefs, I expected to hear "religious woman" from any two of them when I asked, "Are you a religious woman or a spiritual woman?"   Suffice it to say, I was quite shocked and grew even more curious about their explorations when they all answered, "spiritual woman."  It's interesting that their stories are both different and similar. What I love most about their stories is the simplicity of their relationship with God despite the complexities of adversity. 

My initial plan was to combine their stories in this October edition. Instead, each woman is featured in separate S.E.E.K. & SHINE editions.  The October edition (Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part I) features Sonia, and the November and December editions (POSW Part II and POSW Part III) will feature Barbara and Ana Marie, respectively.  I hope ya'll walk away inspired by their spiritual walks of faith.

Enjoy!                                                                                                                     -demetrice


21st Century Woman Spotlight

Sonia's Surrealistic Spiritual Climb

Trees speak volumes to this spiritual woman, and these wonderful natural creations transport her away to Psalms 23 where she finds inner peace whenever discord disrupts her spiritual groove during times of uncertainty. 

"I like climbing trees. I'm always climbing somebody's tree. When I'm walking in the morning, I will literally stop at a tree and put my body close to it where the two of us are immersed as one and I feel the energy imparting from that tree into me.  It empowers me.  It really, really does.  I remember as a kid, I was always up in some fruit tree eating a mango, an apple or something.  Trees - they just nurture me."

...she and a white ibis cross paths near a water-lily laced pond.

Her mantra: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil..."

It’s one surrealistic pleasure taking spiritual walks through her beautiful South Orlando, Florida neighborhood connecting with God’s greatest perennial plant that grows various delectable fruits while her inner child reminisces of the days when she climbed trees to pick and eat ripened apples in the neighborhoods of her Caribbean homeland - the island of Jamaica.

 It’s quite another surrealistic pleasure walking on blind faith down the streets of glory hand-in-hand with the greatest Loves of them all - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - when her weakened spirit seeks strength, stability and peace by connecting intellectually, emotionally and spiritually with three branches of the bountiful tree of life.:  faith, hope and charity.

Sonia Parris clings tightly to her strong faith in God because, "He picked me," she says in her beautifully well-blended Jamaica, West Indies and Jamaica, New York accent that speaks articulately, calmly, matter-of-factly and cheerfully. Unsuspecting laughter breaks free from her occasionally as she engages excitedly in this serious conversation about spirituality and religion.  Yet you better believe that it's no laughing matter when she softly says, "faith is funny and you cannot get by without it."

The former internal auditor and 20-year employee at Orlando Utilities Commission respectfully shuns organized religion; however, this spiritual woman, who is married to a Muslim and attends church, studies the Koran, the Tanakh, the Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, Confucius, Plato, the Egyptian Book of the Dead and, of course, the Holy Bible for spiritual understanding and growth. "I read a lot of religious books. You cannot convince me that they are all not saying the same thing. When you read these books you see that we are all one.  We really came from the same source," says Sonia, who then recalls a miraculous moment that sealed her faith in God. 

Forty years ago, a younger brother was diagnosed with cancer of the jawbone. Sonia's prayerful mother objected to the surgical removal of his jawbone and prayed for God to heal her son. After undergoing about three years of chemotherapy and radiation treatment at a New York City hospital, one faith-ful day the x-rays revealed that her brother was cancer-free and had a new jawbone of a baby. Medical staff called him the 'miracle boy.' That's when a teen-age girl's faith in God took hold and has continued to strengthen during the most heart-rendering moments in adult her life. 

One particular day in August 1982, a "funny and weird force" pulled Sonia, then a young wife and mother of two children, inside a gift store where she purchased a Holy Bible, which she read from cover to cover in three months. She didn't realize that God was preparing her for personal adversities to come -  the stillbirth of her daughter Erica in March 1983, a divorce from her first husband and the death of her brother who had defied jawbone cancer yet succumbed to an aneurysm 20 years later in 1993 at 34.  The deaths of a daughter, brother and marriage never prompted her to shout toward heaven and ask the lamentable question, "Why me, Lord?"  Instead, unquestionable faith made her stand tall in God's glory and say to herself, "Why not me?"

"Those were the roughest times of my life, and those were the times when I became stronger because I had to reach deep down inside where God lives, where Christ is my hope and glory. Had I not had that faith, I don't know what I would have done," says the compassionate 55-year-old who serves as a volunteer for the Red Cross Dial-a-Friend program that administers services to senior citizens. Sonia makes frequent calls to her sick and shut-in 'friends' to boost their spirits.

And when her spirit sinks low, oftentimes she calls on inspiring poets like Maya Angelou and D.H. Groberg to revive her spiritual groove by reciting their respective poems Still I Rise and The Race.  Ultimately, she regains inner peace by reciting scriptures from the books of Psalms, Hebrews and Corinthians, then prays a simple prayer, "God, please let it work out well for me."  At the appointed time, she smiles graciously and proclaims, "I made it through this one. Thank you."

Sonia knows precisely who she believes herself to be. "I am a child of God, and the thought of God," she declares.  "When I think that, I can overcome any obstacle and withstand any opposition.  I can just be plain happy all the time regardless of all the crazy stuff that's going on. I can be at peace. My prerogative as a spiritual woman is exactly that - it's my prerogative.  It's my right to do what I know God is telling me even though it does not line up with what someone else or the religious body is telling me." 

Amen, sister!!

"Please God, don't let that prayer take hold."
-Sonia Parris' humorous plea when a church member vowed to pray for her after he failed to impose his religious beliefs upon her.  

Sonia lives with her husband, Abedellatif, parents Clarence and Etta, and son Shaun. Her daughters Shante and Erica live in Florida and heaven, respectively.   -demetrice




What's Coming in November and December

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part II


Barbara Cusack has built a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ.

"I had to surrender. Surrendering was hard because I wanted to do things my way and be in control.  

I had to surrender. My way of being religious was not working. The light bulb came on, and I was ready."






Prerogative of Spiritual Woman - Part III

Ana Marie Lowry says she is a daughter of God and sister of Christ.

"I know that my existence has a greater purpose than what it appears to be. My purpose in life is to go and make disciples and share with people the beauty of having a personal relation-ship with the Lord..."

  

 

 

Dominique's Feminine Mystique

ARCANE WOMAN

there lies within her a secret so quiet

no one will ever know just what - it's private

if you approach her with inquisitive eyes

she'll avoid you gracefully - just that, no lies

she'll reveal unashamedly past mistakes corrected

her secret remains a mystery -

future stakes protected...

arcane woman you can see

i wanna know your secrecy

arcane woman i need to know

the secret you hold - it's killing me so.

                                                           -demetrice (1982)

21st Century Woman Spotlight

Dominique wears her feminine mystique like a lady.

"Powerful. It's something that's inside that I think a mysterious woman can possess where people just think, 'I don't know what it is, but that is a powerful woman.'  She has that kind of energy that you can just feel.  Whether you see it or not when you're around her, you feel that power - that energy coming from her. She is filled with a lot of things that are good. Yeah, powerful!"
      -Dominique O'Connor describes a mysterious woman in one word 

She kept her deep-dark secret silent for years until that one fateful day she shared her harrowing ordeal with other women who were also victims of domestic violence.

She carefully shares some of her 'don't-you-say-anything' secrets with only those she trusts -  women of character.

She methodically cultivates the rich soil in her secret garden from whence inner secrets bloom a beautiful and colorful flower with petals layered in over-the-top confidence that attracts people's curiosity and keeps them coming back for more and more and more and more.

She emphatically declares that a mysterious woman has a strong attitude and a strong sense of confidence that other women want to emulate but not duplicate.  


Dominique O'Connor honors her feminine mystery and wears it 'like a lady' even "when I'm in the dirt.  How I carry myself and what people expect are not quite exact, still they like who they see," says the professional registered nurse and amateur vegetable and fruit gardener who lives in Orlando with her husband, Jerry, and their sons, seven-year-old Shawn and five-year-old Andrew.

What's not to admire, like, or even love about a compassionate charge nurse who sings and dances for military veterans in the hospice unit at the Orlando VA Medical Center? Her familiar laughter brings them happiness.  Her warm-hearted hands gently massage tense back muscles of one grateful veteran who misses her dearly when she breaks for  family vacations.  Her patriotic ears stand at attention and salute the centenarian as he recalls storming the beaches of Normandy during World War II and the paralyzed Vietnam veteran who explains why he risked his life to save a group of orphans and nuns from murderous attacks by the enemy.   Tears flow freely from her big round brown eyes when real-life wounded American soldiers share fascinating and powerful stories that touch her emotions in ways movies like 'Saving Private Ryan' never could.

The attractive and happy-go-lucky 38-year-old has 18 years in the field of nursing and practices good bedside manner on a regular basis.  "I'm here to help and heal. I make it a point to go into each room with a smile and be the best that I can be.  And I do my best to make them feel good. I may not be able to cure their illnesses, but I can at least guarantee them that I'm here to make their day better."  Beginning in October, Dominique will teach certified nursing assistants how to provide care to terminally ill residents and their families, avoid burnout and learn coping mechanisms as a caregiver.

Dominique hangs out at Lukas Nursery in Oviedo, Florida.

Family, friends, co-workers and neighbors know all too well of Dominique's natural passion for helping others.  They seek her advice on how to rear children with autism (her older son is autistic) and personal finances. Mentoring women with self-esteem issues magnifies her purpose in life because she briefly lost that attribute after a traumatic domestic abuse incident in 1992.  After enduring a tiresome day of college classes and working the night shift as a CNA, she was roughly awakened from her sleep, knocked unconscious and raped in her off-campus apartment. Dominique hid her secret for three years, became anti-social and struggled with her self-worth. 


"He [the rapist] may have taken something from me, but it was only temporary because everything he took from me then, I now have back," says the mysterious woman who credits her late father for helping her develop a strong personality and build a strong sense of self-confidence during her teen years.  

Colorful fabrics of self-confidence, self-esteem, honor, dignity and self-respect drape her provocative mystique, and she wears all the colors well.  Even during low key moments, arcane qualities take control, and her powerful personality bursts on the scene for all to witness in undeniable amazement.  The self-described born leader revels in knowing that she can wield her mysterious personality for the good of others and cast a positive effect on them.  "People don't know how I do it, but it's on purpose. Everything I do is on purpose."

It's no secret that Dominique's predetermined life's purpose centers around helping others. The future grass roots politician calls it 'providing community service.'  You can place a safe bet that whenever she decides to hit the campaign trail, people will be drawn by her absolute self-confidence and super ultra, high-energy level leadership style.  Opposing candidates and local residents will think to themselves, "I don't know what it is, but that's a powerful woman!"

Dominique's feminine mystique is a beautiful flower to behold.  You truly have to see it to believe it.

"When you exude confidence in a good way, I think that's a mystery because most people don't have that.  So they gravitate towards that and it makes them curious."

- Dominique O'Connor

                                                                                          -demetrice

What's Coming in October

Prerogative of Spiritual Woman

spiritual woman prays for heavenly guidance from to the God who created her beautiful mind and sultry soul ... spiritual woman apologizes not for embracing her heavenly blessed feminine existence.