Everyone knows how this goes yet again. And it’s really simple. No need to link or google or even #Hashtag. Today, many around the country and in the household or other areas, we Americans will be celebrating that holiday of food called Thanksgiving. From the Parades to the NFL Games, Dog Shows, or other new traditional ideas that will boost the food day. And yes, there will be us going out to the clubs and shaking off the pounds to get loose for Christmas. Or staying home for the house parties.
And yes, there will be constant reminders of the horrors that our Native American brothers and sisters will not participate in this Thanksgiving Day due to the killing of their ancestors outside of a church on a Sunday morning many moons ago. Henceforth, The National Day of Mourning. We know this.
But this holiday, yes does have the two words of Be Thankful for the things and ideas we already have. So here in its 11th Anniversary tradition, here is another traditional Stephen’s Spot Thanksgiving Blog of “Be Thankful”. Break out the tablets, Smartphones, PC’s or laptops. Start reading!
If you have a GOOD PAYING job that is good for you and it pays well, be thankful.
If you don’t have a job and still looking and STILL not quitting, be thankful!
If you have good insurance, either health, auto, home or dental STILL be thankful.
If you have a good car or truck that gets you to work every day, and still runs well with or without repair be thankful.
If you FINALLY have a good doctor or you still don’t have one, but still want to get that monkey (and constant NAGGING) off your back, STILL be thankful about improving your health. And STILL trying. Take your time!
Now I need to say this: If you found out that you have a chronic illness like Diabetes, and you had a devastating moment of asking why it happened and didn’t have the words. But also you had conversations and online postings about those who have it already and knows the feelings of the battles, and you learn from them and they can inspire you to be better and get with the program of what they know, and still believe that it’s possible that you control diabetes and not let it get the best of you. In the month of National Diabetes Awareness Month: BE THANKFUL that you have a support system that can back you up. I’m learning that since February 20th this year. And personally, if you read my blog story about me being a now Type 2 Diabetic, I thank you.
If you have a cool dentist and he or she is good and professional, be thankful.
Like any year, if you have lost any loved one this year or years past, and still feel down that the space is empty or the chair is empty, and you want to fill it up with a new generation of family members that want to pull ahead, even close friends, we must try to be thankful to carry on. It’s hard, but we must. I still miss my father, and like last year, my Thanksgiving will be different without him.
If you had folks praying for you all year for all the things you’ve been experienced no matter good or bad, be thankful that there are folks that know, and are in your corner.
If you are expecting a raise in 2019 and will be getting it, be thankful!
Do you still love your gifts and talents that are unappreciated? And still, do them all the time? Be thankful!
If you still got your parents and/or relatives as your back up, be thankful that they still care.
If you had a sibling in the freaking hospital more than once, who is being taken care of and heard good news about coming home, and I know this AGAIN: BE THANKFUL!
If your Mother had a minor surgery done to remove kidney stones, and blood infections, and still be able to eat or move around then some: BE THANKFUL!
Got good neighbors that know you no matter how long? Be thankful.
Met any new neighbors lately? Be thankful.
Moved to a different city recently that you feel is best? Be thankful.
Moved back to a city that is best? Be Thankful.
Got a good plan to get that next step in your career, or a different career, and a mindset? Be thankful.
If you encountered a project or program that really SUCKED MAJOR BALLS and you tried your best, and you had a bad review to feel discouraged in all, but you also realized that there are other things you can do, still be thankful that you can still other things that make you stronger! To hell with the things that don’t work. Stay with the things that can work.
For all of my church folks: if you want your Church to succeed despite those want it to fail due to jealousy, BE THANKFUL that you are willing to fight!
If your birthday or anniversary is coming up or it already happened, be thankful!
If you are STILL very introverted and darn proud of it, and not ashamed to tell about it or embrace it, be thankful!
Single and not in a relationship? Be thankful.
Married with or without kids? Be thankful.
Single and no kids? Be thankful.
Single with kids? Be Thankful.
Divorced? Be thankful.
You still have a church home that you stay and willing to have your kids to grow IN THE CHURCH? Be thankful.
If you have been given a side gig, and love it to be paid with that cash money or checks, no matter what it is, be thankful.
Got a good pet or know a pet that knows you well? Be thankful.
If you STILL give back to your community, your Alumni, your Church, your Scholarship Committees, your Fraternity, your Sorority, your Unions or other groups that have been treating you good all this time, be thankful!
If you have served in your community as an Election Inspector (like me) for 12 years or more and still work, BE THANKFUL!
Wisconsin: If you have voted in this Election and if your favorite actually WON, BE THANKFUL!
If you STILL appreciate the value of your former teachers or coaches, or former principals, of anyone that knew your value of education, be thankful.
If you can’t wait to eat the meal that gives you life, be thankful you can still eat the grub.
Still avoiding fake news? Be thankful. They suck.
If you read the old blogs that I can’t control the reading, but still want to read what I want to say regardless from my black point of view, be thankful! Not just for me, but for you.
If you STILL got stuff in your house that you want to give away, be thankful. Somebody will take it.
Still fighting Racism, White Supremacy, Sexism, and others? – Be Thankful.
Got a good business handy? And it’s good for you to make that money like Uber or Lyft or It Works? Hey, be thankful!
If you switch your career to a new company in the past year or will go to a new company, be thankful!
Own a business? Got your own time schedule? Invested in a product or material? Be thankful.
If you got many reachable sources to give, or to provide, or to share, or to support, and it’s really catching on, you better be thankful!
If you are planning to vote in 2019 and 2020, be thankful! Get your ballots ready.
If you are looking forward to another holiday weekend of fun, be thankful.
If you are NOT shopping on Black Friday, but willing to spend Black Friday outdoors in the woods or parks, Be Thankful! It’s a release to avoid a violent backlash.
If you are not shopping on Black Friday, but willing to spend your cash at a local business, or on Cyber Monday, be thankful.
If you are donating to your favorite charity on Giving Tuesday, Be thankful!
If you can’t wait to deck your halls for Christmas or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, AFTER Thanksgiving (some of you did it ahead of time) Be Thankful.
If you criticized Donald Trump for his “horrible so-far job” as President and his tweets, REALLY BE THANKFUL!
If you are breathing right now normally: be thankful.
If you were removed from a company that had you started in the game, then a rift in Management occurred, but went to another company that is good so far, BE THANKFUL!
If many in the black community have black pride PLUS Melanin Responsibility to uplift our black people without sarcasm and forced stuff, BE THANKFUL!
Now I have to say this again: If you kneeled while supported the protest of inhumane acts of people of getting brutalized by the police (as in the NFL Players) and support the idea of waving the flag: your thankfulness is valid because even though many of you supported a kneeling movement in a Colin Kaepernick way. NOTE: It’s not about the Flag or against the military or veterans. It’s about the ongoing concern of black folks getting the wrong treatments of social injustice!
If you are walking tall real good, be thankful.
If you are expecting a really good breakthrough, BE THANKFUL!
If you condemn any racist act on the internet, social media, at your job, or in the house, or in the neighborhood, or any act of disrespect, forced patriotism, and you had to write letters of complaints to a certain company, STILL be always thankful to get your voice heard! Put the pressure on them on not coming back!
If you are upgrading your house to be better, be thankful!
If you got a plan to take a vacation, be thankful.
If you still got your old game systems on a Throwback Thursday and they still work, be thankful!
If you still listen to your old school joints on your radio, or maybe some new school material, be thankful.
NOTE: For my readers that had to go through hell with the wildfires in California, and the Hurricanes out east, and still feeling hopeless. I want you all to understand that it’s a hard Thanksgiving Day for you as we know. But in a sense, you should be thankful that you can rebuild. And BE EXTRA THANKFUL that yet, you are still living! And be EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA THANKFUL that a breakthrough is coming for the better!
If you are a conscious-minded person, a defensive-minded person that you know is best, for your own opinions and viewpoints without any harm or hurtful feelings towards humanity, be thankful!
As of today: I’m thankful that Stephen’s Spot has now reached 1,000 posts! If you read all or some of a few blog posts within the past decade in all: BE THANKFUL! And I thank you for reading! More to come.
For my Sagittarius readers: guess what? Our season is back TODAY on Thanksgiving Day! Are we thankful, now? (SAGS RULE!)
And finally: If I missed anything that many have thought about, and it’s good: we all should be and forever so thankful that we must march on. Like they say at the black funerals: It’s already been said. It’s already done.
Happy Thanksgiving!
#BeThankful
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My Take: Hands off Wisconsin GOP! Your version of a Black History Month Resolution is just whack.
Posted: February 13, 2019 in African American Stories and Viewpoints, African-American Introversion Bliss, Black Empowerment, Black History Month Viewpoints, Black Issues, Black Milwaukee, Black stories that all should know and realize, Black Wisconsin, Commentary by all means, Every American MUST realize!, Local News and Politics, Midwest African American Commentary, My Take, News and politics, Southeast Wisconsin Matters, Wisconsin African American Commentary, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!Tags: Black History Month, Colin Kaepernick, Racism, Wisconsin Democrats, Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Republicans
Normally, I hate to interrupt my ongoing celebration of Black History Month of 2019, but recently today, I caught an ire of a story that nearly had my blood boiling. This is the article that many of us Black Wisconsinites had to read while encountering a thing called a Snow Day:
From the Wisconsin Public Radio Website:
Later on, in a 61-34 vote, it was almost that the vote went through, but later on afterward, the Wisconsin GOP removed Colin’s name because he was deemed as well: “too controversial.”
After reading this article, this was the stupidest thing I ever read. For the second time behind closed doors that the Wisconsin GOP who are mostly white are telling black folks what they can put into a resolution that makes them feel better. But when the name Colin Kaepernick appeared in the idea of the resolution, they all had those nightmares of him kneeling before the National Anthem. Oh, did they mention that Colin was born in Wisconsin? Yes, he’s from here! We’ve found this out when he torched the Packers. Colin Kaepernick is from Milwaukee. Grew up here. Liked Brett Favre and everything. And yes he went out west with his family after age 4 and also played ball in college and of course played in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers until he went through Green Bay and en route to the Superbowl. And lost. And of course Colin got beat by the Packers 17-3 and the majority of the season just benched. Then the kneeling started. Everywhere he went and just kneeled during the National Anthem. Why?!! We know that he didn’t take any future offers with other NFL teams. But with all the Kneelings he was protesting, later on, was against police brutality. Not against the Flag or the Pledge! And the thing also VETERANS who saw his protesting also joined his cause. Even a Veteran named Nate Boyer who was a fan of the 49ers at first didn’t like Colin’s cause, but the two got together and talked about why was it necessary. Hell: EVEN President Obama commented that Colin’s protest was exercising his Constitutional Right as a citizen. And plus, Colin Kaepernick is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. A black fraternity that was founded in 1911.
So to the so-called Wisconsin GOP: in regarding your resolution to choose whom we should recognize during Black History Month in Wisconsin is indeed a “direct kick in the crotch.” That’s almost sound is like you telling us what we can do and what we can’t do just to stay in our lanes and keep quiet. That to me as a black resident of Wisconsin is flat out ridiculous and I dare say racist! Majority of you probably never had the ability to acknowledge the legality of Black Wisconsinites of the contributions we made here in all of the 170+ years that the Badger state has been in the union. Thusly, you haven’t known anything. Probably never attended a Black History Month or Juneteenth Day Festival or anything that pertains to the ongoing contributions of Wisconsin’s African-American Historical Aspects. For once, I’ll say in regarding not including Colin Kaepernick in “your” Black History Month Resolution is really stupid! You labeled him as a “controversial figure” all because of his protests of the Flag, his Pig Socks, the National Anthem and amongst others. And you label him as a controversial figure. You know who was a deemed a controversial figure that was deemed hated and many folks after about 50 years since his assassination is still admired: that’s right, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oh, I can name another controversial turned likable figure: Muhammad Ali, who had to relinquish his championship belt in boxing because he refused to join the military during the Vietnam War. But many liked him! Juan Carlos and Tommie Smith, whom in 1968 had the black fists raised and head bowed on the podium in Mexico City, And oh…..they were controversial, but many now are liking them after their gesture. And keep in mind that 1968, MLK was killed, along with RFK months later. Another controversial figure that stood up for civil rights for the female side of things: Fannie Lou Hamer, who stood up for the movement fighting for the right and encouragement to vote in the south then was beaten up for her act of protest along with her supporters. But most of her cause, she progressed forward. Even after she questioned the statement regarding the idea of black folks were being murdered for their rights to vote such as: “Is this America?” to a convention in 1964. And oh: Remember Rosa Parks, whom as we know refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama? Yeah, that one. And that was deemed controversial!
So what does of all this mean? I highlighted a few African-Americans most we know by reciting events, examples of protesting, and speeches. But THEY COLLECTIVELY were criticized for being controversial. But many years later are being admired as part of the movement and want to effect change. Even other men like Malcolm X, other women like Dorothy Height, and countless other African-Americans that fought for EFFECTIVE CHANGE!
What I hate to say that the GOP of Wisconsin does not give Zero F’s about black folks. And the population of the African-Americans in the state is roughly under 8%. While is ok to recognize the black leaders in the state for various contributions is fine, but to not recognize Colin Kaepernick and for the Activism/Philanthropy he has brought: such as Anti-Police Brutality, Youth Initiatives, Community Reform and Minority Empowerment, Health Reform and Nourishment, and Climate Change Awareness. And additionally, he donated $50,000 to two organizations here in Milwaukee a couple of years ago. So this guy as many looked at being un-Patriotic, in all, with the flag in all, looked controversial, but at least he’s doing something right to address the ongoing concerns of America’s dilemma dealing with racism and countless others. Even this biased BS crap in Madison of a controversial resolution of Black History Month!