Because I Love You

As my husband José and I toasted the new year at a party with old and new friends, the thought of recent news dampened my optimism for a prosperous new year. Last year ended with a somber realization the new year was going to be grim due to receiving some bad financial news. As Krik Franklin’s song “Intercession” says, “ Jesus please mention my name, see I got some bad news today…, its got me questioning my faith.” Like Kirk, I was questioning my faith too. W hen someone at the party exclaimed, “And a prosperous new decade,” I let go of my dashed hopes and embraced the optimism for the coming new decade. Maybe 2020 would be awful, but 2021, 2022... could be   good again. But that didn’t remove my grim outlook. Then the following events happened, and I was reminded that my circumstances were not defined by my financial or physical abilities; it was going to be a year of abundance anyway!   1) My girlfriend’s son and his wife had a healthy baby girl on New Year’s Day, born about...

I put Aaron on the potty seat in the bathroom, he was 20 months old, then I went into the kid’s bedroom to finish nursing Ana. After I finished with Ana, I heard Cannaday’s high pitch voice coming from another room, “Be still Aaron. Be still.” I was so busy getting ready I forgot Aaron was on the potty seat. It was December 1988 and we were getting ready to attend a Kwanzaa celebration and dinner. This was going to be our first big family outing since having Ana in August. We were living in a two‐bedroom townhome. The bathroom and bedrooms were upstairs and the living room, kitchen, dining room, and family rooms were on the first floor. I assumed their father was in the basement level of our townhouse ironing his clothes. I tightened up my bathrobe and headed for the bathroom down the hall to get Aaron off the potty seat. The light was on, and Aaron was sitting quietly on the “throne” while Cannaday, his 3 ½ year old big brother, was standing in front of him. The “throne” is a pott...