An Appreciation Post for Feral Cats

An appreciation post for feral cats...

How many of you know about the Floods of 1937 that drowned Cincinnati for a whole month? I remember learning about the flood through pictures that used to be on the walls of the old IGA as a child. Northside, Camp Washington, & Cumminsville were affected drastically by the floods due to proximity to their Mill Creek. It led to the Mill Creek being invaded in concrete and other levies & dams being built to control water levels in the future. A little talked about after effect of the flood was an influx of rats, mice, and rodents. To help combat the infestation, people started bringing in cats to the neighborhoods. 

Feral cats can minimize rodent problems and are a “green” alternative to pest control. Feral cats keep rodent populations in check and discourage new rodents from moving into the area. While some people feel that cats (feral or domestic) attract rodents because of uneaten cat food, the opposite is true. An established, vaccinated, and sterilized colony of feral cats will deter other stray and feral cats from moving into the area. This actually decreases the chances that people will encounter an unvaccinated cat, and will virtually eliminate problem behaviors like fighting, yowling, spraying and roaming.

Did you know that the City of Cincinnati consistently has ranked in the top 25 for most rat infested cities? As developers continue to build more apartments and situations were people live closer together and create more waste, the rodent population will increase. So appreciate your local feral cats, they're helping keep Mickey & Minnie out of your cupboards

 https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll11

Keeping Simone Biles in my Prayers

I have never been able to do a cartwheel, roundoff, backflip, or any type of flip. Even when I determined inwardly and told my brain to run fast, bend toward the ground with my hands, then with my own arms supporting my body into an upside down vertical position, flip myself forward, to land upright. NEVER. BEEN. ABLE. TO. DO. IT. I was a cheerleader in high school... I could jump decently, do splits, kick high, pick up and catch people who weighed 100+ lbs, even could do a full 10-15 minute dance routines several times a day... BUT... even with practice and workshops and coaches... I could never somersault or tumble. NEVER. BEEN. ABLE. TO. DO. IT. As a child, I participated in karate competitions. I won several medals and trophies for katas. And because I was of a few females who participated in the sport, I would have to spar with males. I only placed once in sparring with boys... but I always beat the girls. Even in junior high at Schwab, I got into a fight with a boy. I left with a scratch on my face and my dignity; he left embarrassed. BUT! I NEVER WAS GOOD AT GYMNASTICS! NEVER EVER! AND NEVER WILL BE!

I'm writing this to say... my simplistic novice ideal of doing a bare minimum cartwheel has been insurmountable at every point in my lifetime. It's not because I never wanted to or that I didn't work hard to attain the goal. I just was never physically able to do it.  So I can't even imagine how it feels emotionally for Simone Biles to not feel the mental connection between her brain and her physical body. Because it is something she should know how to do like breathing air, right? Just 5 years ago, we were watching her break records, create new moves, and win medals. She is The GOAT! A lot has happened in those 5 years though. I don't think as human beings we realize how integral  the health of our brains, our thought process, and our mental well-being along with life experiences affect our entire body. It's not as simple as we believe. If it was that simple, I'd be an Olympian too! 

Stress & trauma have major affects on the brain. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) not only affects soldiers after war, but people who have survived childhood traumas. Miss Biles has experienced much in her young life. And I'll just keep her in my prayers for her peace of mind. 

Stop Saying You're Going to Get "Natural Immunity", That's Not How Bodies Work!

NO ONE IS BORN WITH A FULLY DEVELOPED IMMUNE SYSTEM! There are only 2 ways the human body develops a "natural immunity" to disease Passive Immunity and Active Immunity. 

Passive immunity happens immediately and occurs when from mama to baby through the placenta or through a blood transfusion. Passive immunity only lasts for a few weeks or months. 

Active immunity means that you have been exposed to a disease and your body triggers the immune system to develop the antibodies to fight the disease. This means you actually have to be INFECTED in order for the signal to spark the immune system to start making antibodies to fight sickness. 

Active immunity does not mean you will not get sick in the future! It means that your immune system now has the information to fight a specific disease or illness in the future. Active immunity is takes a few weeks to grab a hold but it is long lasting and in most cases, lasts a lifetime.

Your personal immune response can be strong or weak. It's strongly based on genetics and your current physical condition. The genes that are passed on to us from our parents and those before play a great deal in our immune response when our bodies are introduced to new illnesses & diseases. If there's a history of your family battling with a certain sickness, you need to do the things needed to build your immune system so it can have a strong immune response. 

How do you boost your immune system?

(https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system)

•Don't smoke.

•Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

•Exercise regularly.

•Maintain a healthy weight.

•If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.

•Get adequate sleep.

•Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly.

•Try to minimize stress.

•Keep current with all recommended vaccines. Vaccines prime your immune system to fight off infections before they take hold in your body.

I know y'all won't like that last one... but unless you're willing to take the chance of getting infected... you're not going to get "natural immunity".

You can have "supernatural immunity"...but I'm reminded of a man named Job.

How I Felt About the Leandria Johnson Videos

At church some folks asked me how I felt about Leandria Johnson's videos. I simply replied, "I ain't got time for Leandria!" I just watched a few moments from each video. I understand but I don't excuse either.

Look here, if you want to do something with your life, than do it! Nobody can hold you back or hold you down but yourself! It doesn't matter what anyone says about you, if you feel you have a purpose to do something, then forge ahead and keep it moving! Especially when you're standing at the threshold of opportunity and blessings. And furthermore, you don't have to compromise your faith, your values, or your morality in the process.

Just because you see with your mortal eyes the success of others who got to where they are using the road of instability and greed doesn't mean you get to judge them because you decided not to do the same. It's hard to do, but pray for your enemies! Pray for those folks that use you despitefully! Pray for those who attack you! Do good for your haters! If they're hungry for gossip, feed them with kindness. If they thirst for rumours about you, quench it with blessings.

God puts you in certain places and certain perdicaments with certain people, not to harm you but to set you up for success. We are being tested in our faith daily! Even more these days because we are constantly bombarded with messages that aim to destroy the hope and faith that abides within us. We as believers have to be able to see with our spiritual eyes, be guided by the Holy Spirit, and then meditate and listen for an answer.

Lastly, there is power in the words that you say. Are you speaking words of life or death? Positivity or negativity? Love or Hate? Are blessings proceeding out of your mouth or just a litany of curse words? Don't take so lightly the things said in high emotional splurges. The words that we say are linked to our thoughts and the intent in our hearts. Once it's said, you can't take it back. You can apologize, you can repent, but there is a cost to pay. Moses never got to enjoy the Promised Land because he spoke negatively of God's people. How can God take you to the next level when the words that you speak aren't coming from a place of love & respect?

That one relationship...

Memory Monday:

When I was a freshman in college, I used to date this fine brown skinned Adonis, he looked exactly like Tank. I mean everything: body, face, and he could even sing.  I was totally infatuated with this man! I'd sneak him into my dorm at night, middle of the afternoon, whatever, I had to see him. He had tattoos on his arms, one I remember being a spiderweb. I really was into this man and he wanted me to commit to him.

So why am I not with this man now? Well, one afternoon he called me and confessed he loved me but that he had been not telling me everything about his life. So you know I started thinking the scenarios; gay, bi, drug dealer, escaped from jail, devil worshipper, was Joan of Arc in a former life. I don't know!

Well, he proceeds to tell me that he was a single father and had a 3 year old daughter who was his pride and joy. He thought that it was time I should meet her because he felt I would be a great stepmom to her.

Now to some ladies, this would have been a sigh of relief. It may have even sounded romantic, but look, I was young. 18 years old, just tasting freedom. Didn't have any kids, just getting into the swing of college life and entering adulthood. But here's this man that's throwing these words of CHILDREN, PARENT, MOTHERHOOD, MARRIAGE, RELATIONSHIP, at me and what happens? PANIC!

So I'm sitting on the other end of this phone call receiving this new information. My heart is pounding so hard, I can't hear my thoughts. I'm trying to process my reaction because I really like this man but do I love him?  And do I know him enough to say yes to meeting this child too? Am I ready for this?

All I could ask, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't see me."

"This is a lot to think about right now."

"What do you need to think about? I thought we were working toward something here!" He was yelling now. I didn't know why he was yelling but I just started crying because I knew he wanted me to answer him then and there.

"I'm not ready."

"So that's it? I have a kid and you don't want to be with me anymore?!"

"I never said that! I said I wasn't ready to meet her. You just sprung this on me what do you expect me to say?"

"I don't know. You said you weren't ready but I am, so I think that's it."

That's how that relationship ended. When I look back at it, I feel the same emotions. Guilt, anger, frustration, even fear. Though now, 17 years later, I can truly see that God was protecting and covering in that moment of decision. Life changing decision at that.

I could always ask "What if I had?" But the overriding thought is "If the Lord had not been on my side, where would I be?"

Human life is a series of twists, turns, intersections, crossroads, roundabouts, u-turns,
splits in the road, and sometimes dead ends. We're all on this journey and we're all headed for destinations that are significantly influenced by the choices we make. Looking back for a moment at where we have been helps us not make the same errors we've made in our past.

The moral of this story is: Let Life Happen To You So You Can Grow. Stop being afraid to the feel pains of your past and don't let your past overtake your future. Learn and grow. Learn and move forward.