Seeds, Lent, Easter, Spring and Victory

Courtesy of Fandroid on YouTube



     "Yet another Janelle Monae reference?", you ask? In this particular instance, it behooved your humble blogger to share the message in the above song, given the time of year and its deeper meaning. Now that the weather is starting to break, many are in celebration mode, enjoying the benefits springtime has to offer (sun, plants in bloom, change of clothes, etc.). However, as nature teaches us, this season is not just for enjoyment, but reflection and upkeep.

     Returning to aformentioned song, a particular line has been particularly hitting home for yours truly lately:

"...cause when the rain falls, my seed will grow/ I'll be further to my dreams tomorrow" 

 

The seed metaphor was particualarly intriguing, considering how nature works.  We just came out of the Lenten season, which could be seen as a time of preparation in the same way nature requires soil to be prepared for sowing seed. The latter consists of eliminating weeds, loosening the soil, and working it with various gardening tools. Lent sees those who participate in it doing likewise-eliminating, loosening, and using tools in the form of fasting to make improvements to our lives. 

 

After the preparation comes the sowing and watering (i.e. rain, manual watering).  In our lives, "watering" can come in the form of challenges or trials. As the verse above implies,that's when the seed grows.Victory!!!

 

Almost-

 

It could be easy to sit back and relax and enjoy the blooming flower, but keeping it blooming requires maintenance.  The same is true for our lives.  Now that we made it to Easter, reverting to the things we were trying to get rid of  during Lent can be very tempting. Just like blooms in springtime, our lives need upkeep after we achieved the desired progress. This includes reflecting on said progress and attending to any challenges to it. The aforementioned lyric is telling in this sense in that Janelle notes that she'll "be further" to her dreams, not already there. There's work to be done.

 

This season has a bounty for us to appreciate and enjoy.  All that is for naught, though, if time isn't taken out to look back at what it took to get that bounty. That includes using the lessons from the preparation to address any obstacles to growth.. It's then and only then can the victor, as they say, get the spoils.  Nature teaches this well.

References:
 

http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/sowing-seeds-00400000014973/

Food for thought

Here's something that popped into the mind of your humble blogger this week that felt  important to share:

Don't be scared to progress.

Blessings,
Ms. Rana

Women's History Month and St. Katharine Drexel

Photo courtesy of WomenofGrace.com

In a 2009 interview, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, the woman behind the quote "Well behaved women seldom make history", answered question on the benefit of looking back on the lives of women in history by touting the diverse ways women have engaged in public life over time. She noted how throughout history, women have "invented things, been leaders, been good at gardening, religious heroines. They've been queens.". To celebrate Women's History Month, your humble blogger would like to take a look at the religious heroines  of the historical equation-in particular, St. Katharine Drexel.

Given her feast day was celebrated on March 3, it seems fitting to honor the Philadelphia heiress who gave it up to help the marginalized of her time as a part of not just Catholic history, but women's history. Born to a wealthy family, she went on to become the foundress of a Catholic religious order dedicated to missionary work to Native Americans and African Americans. Her story exemplifies the power of faith lived out, especially in the most adverse of circumstances.

 In the aforementioned interview, Ulrich asserted "If you look at the long view, women have always contributed to the economy of their society...". In this light, St. Katharine Drexel demonstrates how helping those on the fringes is the heart of impactful contribution to the economy of society.

A great account of St. Katharine Drexel's life and work can be found here: http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2000/feature1.asp



References:

http://daretodream.typepad.com/weblog/2009/07/janika-dillon-interviews-laurel-thatcher-ulrich.html

Spotlight: Ulysses Dove

(Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater website)

Since it's Black History Month, let's talk about choreographer Ulysses Dove. Born in South Carolina and hailing from the Alvin Ailey camp, Dove's works have been performed by a number of top dance companies, including Ailey and Royal Swedish Ballet. Sadly, he passed away in 1996.

Regretfully, your humble blogger has been out of the dance loop for quite some time and only had a vague familiarity with his name and work until now (read:  catching a performance of his pieces once or twice). Today, I had the pleasure today of seeing another Black historic institution, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, whose repertoire included a masterful rendition of his heart-wrenching piece "Dancing On the Front Porch of Heaven (below is a video of the Royal Swedish Ballet performance). If you have the chance, do yourself a favor and catch it on DTH's tour, going on now.



A great biography on the dance icon can be found here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/dove.html

Check out Dance Theatre of Harlem's tour schedule here: http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/calendar

Unplugged

So-

Rushing out of the house this morning, your humble blogger forgot to take her phone with her, which, is a borderline cardinal sin in the world of MsRanaDee.  The interesting thing, though, was how freeing it felt in many respects. While having access to all that a smart phone offers can be convenient, not having my phone on me for a while made me realize how nerve wrecking such access can be sometimes and how refreshing it is to have moments to just be.

Now that we're two weeks into the new year, how many of you made resolutions to limit your technology usage? How's that been coming along? Even if you resolved to change your technology habits, think about making an allotted part of the day technology free-no phone, TV, or computer. Even if it's just for an hour, see how it feels to be away from the wired world.

Style Icon: Janelle Monàe

So Cover Girl just released their new commercial with Janelle Monàe today. Of course, it behooved your humble blogger to dish about it. Why? Everything about Janelle's looks here demonstrates why she's a style icon. She is a master of the art of simplicity, packing the punch in the details- in this case, the wonderfully structured white sleeveless top as well as the unbuttoned 3/4 sleeve white blouse with form-fitting black pants and signature oxfords. Classic with a bit of wow. Priceless. And that's just the clothes. The makeup? On point as per usual. Then again, one can never go wrong with a natural look, especially with a pop of color (like at :06 with the lip) Black and white has never looked this good! Speaking of :06- who else would totally rock that look at for New Years? Just saying.

"Like a rose in the cold, will I rise?"...Yes.

Stain glass honoring the founders of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana

91 years ago today, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis by seven dynamic women.  While meditating on the anniversary of this organization your humble blogger has been blessed to be a member of for 5 years, a song lyric came to mind.  That lyric is the quote in the title.  Like the yellow tea rose, which is Sigma Gamma Rho's flower, the Sorority has risen "to heights of great attainment"; and, if grace allows, continue to rise.

It seems no accident that the yellow tea rose was chosen Sigma Gamma Rho's flower. The flower is noted for its foliage during the autumn months, when the chill in the air begins to be felt.  In addition, the "tea" part of the name comes from the unique tea scent it gives off.  Like it's flower, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. has risen in the midst of the cold climate that marked the era in which it began to become a 85,000 plus strong blooming sisterhood emanating its' unique "scent" of enhancing the quality of life within the community.

In 1922, Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Cubena McClure, and Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin were students persuing teaching degrees at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.  According to Michael Washington and Cheryl Nunez, Indiana's colleges graduated black students at one every three years between 1861 and 1900. As Sigma Gamma Rho's founders were African-American, one could imagine the hurdles they had to face.  In addition, Sigma formed during the time in which the Ku Klux Klan was reaching apex in Indiana.  Joseph White notes:

" The Klan was at the height of its strenght in Indiana in the summer of 1923. The number of members probably reached its peak by late 1923"

Not even a year into its inception did the founders of Sigma Gamma Rho have to deal with forming their organization in such a climate. Add to that the inequality in the education of black students at the time, one would have to have the heartiness of a yellow tea rose in late autmn to rise.

Rise, however, Sigma Gamma Rho did. With members worldwide, and initiatives such as its partnership with the Centers for Disease Control to fight AIDS and Project Reassurance to address teenage pregnancy, she continues with her "aims soaring upward" towards its mission to "enhance the quality of life within the community".

91 years strong and beautiful as ever.  Like the yellow tea rose, you rise, bloom, and emit your unique scent. Here's to more years of "Greater Service, Greater Progress" my dearest Sigma Gamma Rho.

Works Cited

Washington, Michael H. S. & Nunez, Cheryl L. The Rise of The Greek-Letter Tradition. African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision 149.

White, Joseph M., "THE KU KLUX KLAN IN INDIANA IN THE 1920'S AS VIEWED BY

 THE INDIANA CATHOLIC AND RECORD" (1974). Graduate Thesis Collection. Paper 24.
http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/grtheses/24