STOP.....LOOK.....LISTEN!!!!!

"FOOD FOR THOUGHT""TO OUR CHILDREN" We must support our children in every way we can. We must allow our children freedom to express themselves creatively. We must praise our children and thank them for their gift of inspiration. We must motivate our children spiritually. We must challenge our children to a higher level of achievement. We must increase our children's self-confidence and improve their overall quality of life.(written by Afeni Shakur: mother of the late great Tupac Shakur) "The Year 2008" "Here are a few excerpts from the book "THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE" This is a book that contains some newly discovered poetry written by Tupac Shakur" "THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE": "Did u hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete. Proving nature's laws wrong it learned 2 walk without having feet Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams it learned 2 breathe fresh air Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else cared!" "UNTITLED": "Please wake me when I'm free I cannot bear captivity where my culture I'm told holds no significance I'll wither and die in ignorance But my inner eye can c a race who reighned as kings in another place the green of trees were rich and full and every man spoke of beautiful men and women together as equals War was gone because all was peaceful But now like a nightmare I wake 2 c That I live like a prisoner of poverty Please wake me when I'm free I cannot bear captivity 4 I would rather be stricken blind than 2 live without expression of mind "WHAT IS IT THAT I SEARCH 4: "I know not what I search 4 But I know I have yet 2 find it, Because it is invisible 2 the eye My heart must search 4 it blinded.And if by chance I find it, Will I know my mission is achieved? Can one come 2 conclusions, Before the question is conceived? Just as no one knows what lies beyond the shore, I will never find the answer 2 what it is that I search 4." "GOD": "When I was alone and had nothing I asked 4 a friend 2 help me bear the pain no one came except...GOD when I needed a breath 2 rise from my sleep no one could help me except...GOD when all I saw was sadness and I needed answers no one heard me except...GODso when I am asked who I give my unconditional love 2 look for no other name except...GOD!" "LIBERTY NEEDS GLASSES": "excuse me but Lady Liberty needs glasses And so does Mrs. Justice by her side Both the broads R blind as bats Stumbling thru the system Justice bumped into Mutulu and Trippin' on Geronimo Pratt But stepped right over Oliver And his crooked partner Ronnie Justice stubbed her Big Toe on Mandela And liberty was misquoted by the Indians slavery was a learning phase Forgotten without a verdict while Justice is on a rampage 4 endagered surviving Black males I mean really if anyone really valued life and cared about the masses They'd take 'em both 2 Pen Optical and get 2 pair of glasses" These are just a few of the poems found in "THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE" I urge everyone to purchase this book and read his poetry...Tupacs poetry can teach us about universal needs that textbooks rarely address, They also teach us that humanity as a whole suffers if anyone starves..and in the words of Leila Steinberg, Unfortunately, it took his death to teach us that when one man dies, we all bleed. I am also going to leave a few quotes written by Paul Laurance Dunbar and Susan L Taylor...please read and pass this on to all who you think need uplifting, these words should affect our everyday lives. Paul Laurance Dunbar: "The mind is the standard of the man." Susan L Taylor: "We must want to do more than merely survive, we must want to succeed. Our greatest challange is to remember who we are-the people who refused to die-and to do the work. This is the appointed hour. We can choose. We can change." Im going to leave the definition of the seven principles of kwaanza on this page as I feel these should also relate to everyday of our lives. To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. To define ourselves, name ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined and spoken for by others. To build and maintain our community together and to make our brothers and sisters problems and to solve them together. To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit together from them. To make as our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. To do always as much as we can in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. To believe with all our heart in our parents, our teachers, our leaders, our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SIGN MY GUESTBOOK!!!! "Until Next Time!!!!!!!" "Peace Y'all!!!!!!!"