For those of you that don't know who Tyler Perry is, check out www.tylerperry.com
He does alot of good for the community and does it in the name of God. He has this character named Madea and she's this old Southern grandmother type that keeps it real. She's a little bit 'off', but underneath her 'rewriting history' she has a good heart with great messages of life and hope. If you're out shopping and you see Tyler's plays or movies on DVD, buy one. Trust me on this, you will LOL and get a good message as well. Enjoy!!!!!!!
Check out this montage of clips from his play, 'Madea Goes To Jail'.
Clip from 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman'- The Play
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Story from AOL News
This story really touched me.....
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 17) - The answer to one of the happiest mysteries in the Kansas City area is being revealed this year. A man who has given away millions of dollars and become known as Secret Santa for handing out Christmas cash to the needy is allowing his name to be publicized after 26 years.
But the reason for the revelation is an unhappy one. Secret Santa has cancer. He wants to start speaking to community groups about his belief in random acts of kindness, but he can't do that without telling people who he is.
The man who has spread cheer for 26 years is Larry Stewart, 58, of Lee's Summit, who made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.
Stewart told The Kansas City Star that he was the man who would walk up to complete strangers, hand them $100 bills, wish them "Merry Christmas" and walk away, leaving astonished and grateful people in his wake. He handed out money throughout the year, but he said it was the Christmas giving that gave him the most joy.
Now, he wants to inspire others to do the same. He said he thinks that people should know that he was born poor, was briefly homeless, dropped out of college, has been fired from jobs, and once even considered robbery.
But he said every time he hit a low point in his life, someone gave him money, food and hope, and that's why he has devoted his life to returning the favors.
Stewart grew up in Bruce, Miss., reared by his elderly grandparents, who survived on $33 a month and welfare staples. They heated water on the stove for baths and used an outhouse.
After he left home and college, he found himself out of work in 1971. After sleeping in his car for eight nights and not eating for two days, Stewart went to the Dixie Diner in Houston, Miss., and ordered breakfast. When the bill came, he acted as if he'd lost his wallet.
The diner owner came to him.
"You must have dropped this," the owner said, slipping a $20 bill into the young man's hand.
He paid, pushed his car to the gas station, and left town. But he vowed to remember the stranger's kindness, and to help others, when he could.
He arrived in Kansas City because he had a cousin here. He got married and started his own company, with money from his father-in-law.
But the company failed in 1977 and he couldn't pay the bills. It was the lowest point in his life.
"I was a failure in business. I was a failure as a husband. I was a failure as a father," he remembers thinking.
He got into his car with a handgun and thought about robbing a store. But he stopped and went home - and got a call from his brother-in-law, offering him money to tide him over.
After being fired from two jobs on two successive Christmases, Stewart stopped at a drive-in. Although he had little money himself, Stewart gave a cold and miserable carhop the change from a $20, much to her delight.
That's when Stewart's mission to secretly give away money at the holidays began.
Eventually, Stewart became a success and started Network Communications in 2002. The firm used independent sales agents to enroll customers for Sprint long-distance service.
In 1996, an arbitration panel ordered Sprint to pay Network and its sales agents $60.9 million in commissions it owed. Stewart got $5.2 million.
The poor boy from Mississippi now had a family, lived in a nice house and drove nice cars.
So, he started giving away more money, to dozens of causes. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Salvation Army. The National Paralysis Foundation. The ALS Foundation. He supports the Metropolitan Crime Commission's Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment program.
And, all along, he gave away money to needy strangers.
But Christmas was special. He'd distribute thousands of dollars during visits to coin laundries, thrift stores, barbershops and diners.
People shouted with joy, cried, praised the Lord, and thanked Stewart repeatedly.
But Secret Santa moved on quickly to avoid attention.
He did sometimes invite newspaper and TV reporters along, if they promised not to reveal his identity. It was reporters who dubbed him "Secret Santa."
In 1989, after some people chased his car when they saw the cash he carried, he decided he needed protection. He called Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Phillips.
"I thought, 'OK, this guy's nuts,"' recalls Phillips, now the Jackson County sheriff. "But at the end of the day, I was in tears - literally - just seeing what he did to people."
Eventually, Secret Santa took his sleigh ride to other places.
In 2001, after the terrorist attacks, he went to New York. The New York cop who accompanied him said he'd never forget the experience.
In 2002, Secret Santa was in Washington, D.C., victimized by the serial snipers. In 2003, it was San Diego neighborhoods devastated by wildfires. And in 2004, he was in Florida, helping thousands left homeless by three hurricanes.
Last Christmas, Secret Santa went back to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast.
He stopped in Houston, Miss., where the diner owner had helped him so many years ago. On a previous visit he had surprised the owner, Ted Horn, with $10,000. This time, they stamped $100 bills with the name "Ted Horn," and gave Horn money to distribute. And Horn took money from his own bank account to give away, too.
Stewart has enlisted "elves" for years - George Brett, the late Buck O'Neil, Dick Butkus. He's already inspired copycats.
Four other Secret Santas plan to distribute a total of $70,000 of their own cash this year.
And Secret Santa plans to give away $100,000 this year. Since he started, he estimates he's given out more than $1.3 million in Christmas cash.
But this will likely be the last Christmas for Stewart's tradition. In April, doctors told Stewart that he had cancer of the esophagus. It had spread to his liver. He needed treatment, fast.
With help from Brett, he got into a clinical trial at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. Doctors tell him the tumors have shrunk, but they can't say whether the cancer is in remission.
"I pray for that man every single day," former Kansas City Chiefs star Deron Cherry - one of Stewart's elves - says. "There's a lot of people praying for him."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 17) - The answer to one of the happiest mysteries in the Kansas City area is being revealed this year. A man who has given away millions of dollars and become known as Secret Santa for handing out Christmas cash to the needy is allowing his name to be publicized after 26 years.
But the reason for the revelation is an unhappy one. Secret Santa has cancer. He wants to start speaking to community groups about his belief in random acts of kindness, but he can't do that without telling people who he is.
The man who has spread cheer for 26 years is Larry Stewart, 58, of Lee's Summit, who made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.
Stewart told The Kansas City Star that he was the man who would walk up to complete strangers, hand them $100 bills, wish them "Merry Christmas" and walk away, leaving astonished and grateful people in his wake. He handed out money throughout the year, but he said it was the Christmas giving that gave him the most joy.
Now, he wants to inspire others to do the same. He said he thinks that people should know that he was born poor, was briefly homeless, dropped out of college, has been fired from jobs, and once even considered robbery.
But he said every time he hit a low point in his life, someone gave him money, food and hope, and that's why he has devoted his life to returning the favors.
Stewart grew up in Bruce, Miss., reared by his elderly grandparents, who survived on $33 a month and welfare staples. They heated water on the stove for baths and used an outhouse.
After he left home and college, he found himself out of work in 1971. After sleeping in his car for eight nights and not eating for two days, Stewart went to the Dixie Diner in Houston, Miss., and ordered breakfast. When the bill came, he acted as if he'd lost his wallet.
The diner owner came to him.
"You must have dropped this," the owner said, slipping a $20 bill into the young man's hand.
He paid, pushed his car to the gas station, and left town. But he vowed to remember the stranger's kindness, and to help others, when he could.
He arrived in Kansas City because he had a cousin here. He got married and started his own company, with money from his father-in-law.
But the company failed in 1977 and he couldn't pay the bills. It was the lowest point in his life.
"I was a failure in business. I was a failure as a husband. I was a failure as a father," he remembers thinking.
He got into his car with a handgun and thought about robbing a store. But he stopped and went home - and got a call from his brother-in-law, offering him money to tide him over.
After being fired from two jobs on two successive Christmases, Stewart stopped at a drive-in. Although he had little money himself, Stewart gave a cold and miserable carhop the change from a $20, much to her delight.
That's when Stewart's mission to secretly give away money at the holidays began.
Eventually, Stewart became a success and started Network Communications in 2002. The firm used independent sales agents to enroll customers for Sprint long-distance service.
In 1996, an arbitration panel ordered Sprint to pay Network and its sales agents $60.9 million in commissions it owed. Stewart got $5.2 million.
The poor boy from Mississippi now had a family, lived in a nice house and drove nice cars.
So, he started giving away more money, to dozens of causes. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Salvation Army. The National Paralysis Foundation. The ALS Foundation. He supports the Metropolitan Crime Commission's Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment program.
And, all along, he gave away money to needy strangers.
But Christmas was special. He'd distribute thousands of dollars during visits to coin laundries, thrift stores, barbershops and diners.
People shouted with joy, cried, praised the Lord, and thanked Stewart repeatedly.
But Secret Santa moved on quickly to avoid attention.
He did sometimes invite newspaper and TV reporters along, if they promised not to reveal his identity. It was reporters who dubbed him "Secret Santa."
In 1989, after some people chased his car when they saw the cash he carried, he decided he needed protection. He called Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Phillips.
"I thought, 'OK, this guy's nuts,"' recalls Phillips, now the Jackson County sheriff. "But at the end of the day, I was in tears - literally - just seeing what he did to people."
Eventually, Secret Santa took his sleigh ride to other places.
In 2001, after the terrorist attacks, he went to New York. The New York cop who accompanied him said he'd never forget the experience.
In 2002, Secret Santa was in Washington, D.C., victimized by the serial snipers. In 2003, it was San Diego neighborhoods devastated by wildfires. And in 2004, he was in Florida, helping thousands left homeless by three hurricanes.
Last Christmas, Secret Santa went back to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast.
He stopped in Houston, Miss., where the diner owner had helped him so many years ago. On a previous visit he had surprised the owner, Ted Horn, with $10,000. This time, they stamped $100 bills with the name "Ted Horn," and gave Horn money to distribute. And Horn took money from his own bank account to give away, too.
Stewart has enlisted "elves" for years - George Brett, the late Buck O'Neil, Dick Butkus. He's already inspired copycats.
Four other Secret Santas plan to distribute a total of $70,000 of their own cash this year.
And Secret Santa plans to give away $100,000 this year. Since he started, he estimates he's given out more than $1.3 million in Christmas cash.
But this will likely be the last Christmas for Stewart's tradition. In April, doctors told Stewart that he had cancer of the esophagus. It had spread to his liver. He needed treatment, fast.
With help from Brett, he got into a clinical trial at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. Doctors tell him the tumors have shrunk, but they can't say whether the cancer is in remission.
"I pray for that man every single day," former Kansas City Chiefs star Deron Cherry - one of Stewart's elves - says. "There's a lot of people praying for him."
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Day 4 at the gym.......
I've been very busy. It's day 4 at the gym and I'm starting to look forward to going there after work. I consider this my 'me time' and I'm making the most of it. A co-worker of mine said something to me a few weeks ago that really started me to think. He said, 'You're always taking care of other people, but if you don't take care of yourself you won't be around to take care of anyone'. That has really stuck with me. I hope that I can continue the excitement about eating right and working out especially since it's the holiday season. Ya'll know how I like to cook. :)
Monday, November 13, 2006
I've joined a gym
Lord have mercy!!!!! I didn't realize how out of shape I am. I knew that I'd put on a few pounds, but I didn't realize how out of shape I was. I joined a gym tonight and worked out for the first time. Had a good time, but my legs are sore as heck! It's a smaller place, less commercialized, which I enjoy. I'll let you all know how it works out. No pun intended. :)
Saturday, November 11, 2006
I've started the book
I've started the book that I referenced in my previous blog. I didn't realize how much I had to say. I told my husband today that I knew that I had this creative side but I've been so focused on my career for so long that I had pushed the creative side to the back burner. Well, no more. I'm having the greatest time putting my thoughts down in an organized manner. More updates to come as the book progresses........
Friday, November 10, 2006
This is Music....
Searching YouTube today and found some great videos. Enjoy........
Eric Clapton
Sometimes the original is not always better. For those that don't know, this was Bob Dylan's song, but I think Hendirx did it much better.......
Eric Clapton
Sometimes the original is not always better. For those that don't know, this was Bob Dylan's song, but I think Hendirx did it much better.......
Thursday, November 09, 2006
I feel like writing a book....
I have this friend at work and she talks from time to time about writing this book about work. I won't give out the details as I think it's a brilliant idea and could one day be a best seller. You've just got to trust me on this one, it will be hillarious.
Anyhow, I got bored today and started thinking about writing again. For those that don't really know me, I used to love English class. I was one of these people that actually took pride in dissecting sentences. The more complicated, the better. I actually wanted to go to college after high school and study journalism. Because of some events, some in my control and some not, my 'dream' died. In addition to loving English, I am also one of those people who just 'has a face' that makes people want to tell me their life stories. I have met total strangers and within 5 minutes, I know things about them that sometimes I shouldn't. It's a blessing and a curse.
Back to my point, I have met some really interesting people and lived quite a life myself. I'd love to write a book and tell stories that I've either heard or lived myself. I would keep all names anonymous and strictly tell the stories and add my commentary at the end. Some would be funny, some would be sad, some would be informative.
I'm really seriously going to give this some thought.........
Anyhow, I got bored today and started thinking about writing again. For those that don't really know me, I used to love English class. I was one of these people that actually took pride in dissecting sentences. The more complicated, the better. I actually wanted to go to college after high school and study journalism. Because of some events, some in my control and some not, my 'dream' died. In addition to loving English, I am also one of those people who just 'has a face' that makes people want to tell me their life stories. I have met total strangers and within 5 minutes, I know things about them that sometimes I shouldn't. It's a blessing and a curse.
Back to my point, I have met some really interesting people and lived quite a life myself. I'd love to write a book and tell stories that I've either heard or lived myself. I would keep all names anonymous and strictly tell the stories and add my commentary at the end. Some would be funny, some would be sad, some would be informative.
I'm really seriously going to give this some thought.........
Thursday, November 02, 2006
More thoughts on getting out and voting......
I had this further thought today about voting. We as Americans need to look at ourselves as 'investors' in this country.
We invest financially with the payment of taxes and we invest socially with our belief systems and actions. That is why, as an 'investor', we should vote for candidates that support our 'investment stategies' for this country.
Would you hand over your hard earned cash to an investment broker that you did not trust or did not care to tell you what you were investing in? Absolutely not! So why would you waste your voting power by not showing up at the poles on Election Day?
I promise that this will be the last post about voting. I just feel very strongly about this responsibility that we all have for making this country a place for all of us to live and thrive.
We invest financially with the payment of taxes and we invest socially with our belief systems and actions. That is why, as an 'investor', we should vote for candidates that support our 'investment stategies' for this country.
Would you hand over your hard earned cash to an investment broker that you did not trust or did not care to tell you what you were investing in? Absolutely not! So why would you waste your voting power by not showing up at the poles on Election Day?
I promise that this will be the last post about voting. I just feel very strongly about this responsibility that we all have for making this country a place for all of us to live and thrive.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Get out and Vote on Nov 7th
There is nothing I hate worse than folks that sit around and complain about the state of this country when they don't get out and vote. If you don't vote, then how can you feel you have the right to complain?
I believe that voting is not just a right, but it's our responsibility as Americans. This is the information age and there's no excuse for not knowing the issues and which candidate supports your point of view. So please make sure that you vote on Election Day!!!!
I believe that voting is not just a right, but it's our responsibility as Americans. This is the information age and there's no excuse for not knowing the issues and which candidate supports your point of view. So please make sure that you vote on Election Day!!!!
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