Morning Edition - 5/14/07

Enter You; The Time Is Now
It’s serious. Really serious. Presently, 39.5 million people are suffering with HIV/AIDS globally. In 2006, there were 4.3 million new HIV/AIDS cases. Still a more horrifying statistic is the 2.6 million adults and 38,000 children who reportedly died of HIV/AIDS in 2006 alone. All to say that talking about it isn’t getting us very far, but doing something about it is. Thank you to everyone who has donated to my NY AIDS Walk campaign. I am now $550 shy of my $2,000 goal. With less than one week to go – the walk takes place next Sunday, May 20 – your help is sorely needed. Please take a moment to make your donation to the cause. By simply clicking here or clicking at the NY AIDS Walk headquarters on the right side bar, you can change the lives of millions. The process takes a couple of short minutes. That’s right, each donation goes directly to the cause and no money touches the hands of the walk participants. This is certainly the year to not talk about it, but be about it. Join me in the effort to exterminate HIV/AIDS.

I’m Blessed and I Thank You
The last few weeks have been a peek into what happens when you believe. My new apartment came through, my vacation plans are on schedule and I’m overwhelmed by how lucky I am to have such incredible friends. In my heart, I can now see that they are my chosen family. As such, it warms my heart all the more because I was not born into this love, but grew into it. I want to extend a special thank-you to my HEART family…. Clent aka J’Moo for being my rock after my moving back to NYC. To Juanita and Linda – my sisters in the true name of love – who at the spur of the moment and without hesitation, stepped up and purchased a new pub table and high-back chair dining set as a housewarming gift. I can’t say enough how such a generous gift has impacted me. It is an expensive present that was only overshadowed by the love you two have shown me throughout the years. Finally, my fearless warrior sister Col aka Caspar. She is my eagle eye, my voice when I’m too shocked to speak, my heart when I have no love to give. Col has been my friend since I was 8-years old and we’ve managed to experience childhood, teens and now the treasure that are her children, my nephews and niece, Bryan, Derrick and Sophia together. My prayer is that we can sit in side-by-side rocking chairs in our golden years to continue laughing at the things we need never even open our mouths to speak – I hear you by simply looking in your eyes.

The Dates Update
With so much going on, it almost escapes me to talk about the cast of characters that comprise my dating circle. As I told a friend last night, I have a great crop of men in my corner and they all have such positive qualities that a date with any of them is a memorable night and a distinctly different experience. Diaper Jo (DJ) is still around. This July he turns 21 and although I’m very apprehensive about our dating, he continuously reassures me that our age shouldn’t matter. We’ll see. Right now he has mastered the art of attention-giving and staying relevant by being ever-present. The Head Of Education (the HOE) has returned from his trip through Asia. His visit included stops in Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Yesterday, his text read, “It may be Mother’s Day today, but Daddy’s home baby.” I blushed when I read it and I’m happy to have him back. I suspect I won’t have a moment to see him before my vacation, but as luck would have it, the HOE will also be at San Juan Brothas for Memorial Day weekend. Let’s see how that surprise announcement actually plays out when we’re surrounded by thousands of hot, tan men and several circuit parties. Then there’s Babby Daddy. He’s my red-bone cutie who is the package with the package. The hottie-in-the-know is a single dad of a 7-year old. Presently he is the front-runner for my sincere attention. He’s beautiful, funny, smart and passionate. I’m debating whether he will be my first house guest at my new crib. Stay tuned…

On Blast
Knowing what you want is as important as believing that you will get it. This includes following the line of your wants to see if ultimately what you seek will make you happy. Recently I talked about holding the torch for a past love and recognizing that the window of opportunity was closing on anything ever rekindling in that relationship. What I didn’t realize was that the window of opportunity wasn’t closing; I am actively shutting it. You see, as I sat to consider what I want out of life and love, the perceived torch I held for this person was extinguished by the reality that what I really held was a life based on who I wished this person could be – and ultimately be with me.
What “want” can you admittedly think through to completion, that when analyzed, is not realistically something that will be good for you?

Keep passin’ the open windows…