Tilapia & Me (a fish tale)

Just after I bless my food, I hear this raspy little voice:

"Don't get the coffee. It's 2.25."

Excuse me? I ask, as I am not only a tea lover but currently have a 14 inch tall glass of water in front of me. I am neither thinking nor drinking coffee.

She was a small woman with shocks of amber hair styled in a small sea of tiny swirls. She wore a London Fog trench coat. She looked frail.

"Now, I don't even know if you like coffee," she began, "but Dunkin Donuts has good coffee." She pauses for emphasis, looking disgustedly at her narrow brown mug. "And you're certainly not gonna pay 2.25 for it." She lowers her voice two more decibels while covering her mouth with the margharita menu. "Can you believe this place? Now, my shrimp were delicious, with the baby spinach, but 2.25 for this? I could see 1.50, 2 bucks, but 2.25? Come on..." she said, clearly indicating not only the crime & the cup, but the very incredulity of it all.

"I asked for another piece of garlic bread...fifty cents! I mean..." she trailed off. "Thank God water is still free." We both had to laugh. "What'd you get?"

Tilapia, I said. It's on the Weight Watchers menu. Three grams of fat.

"Oh," she said. "Fish."

It's spicy, but nice.

"Oh yeah? Mine was good too, except I didn't have near as much shrimp as I'd like. What can you do. Everything is more expensive these days. But my shrimp was good."

I began to eat again. She stood to leave a tip and button her coat. She smiled wistfully.

"You have a nice evening. It was nice talking to you."

You too, I said.

"And be sure to try the Duncan Donuts coffee."

I will I said. I will.

Single Divas eating solo: 1
Lonliness: zip

(And may you also eat good in your neighborhood this rainy spring day.)

Blessings,
DivaCardista
www.blessedstarcards.com
5/13 is right around the corner...

85 Degrees?!? Shut up...!

OK, so the "shut up" part doesn't look so great all printed out, but...

I just want to celebrate the first proper sunny Monday of Spring!

And I want to say how happy, awed and proud we are that the
courageous Viginia Tech students are making their way back
to campus.

May we continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

Have a great day.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
www.blessedstarcards.com
clik da link for the
Mother's Day Sale
this week!

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (so hold on)

Ok. Quick howdy do to you! Now for some quick old/new stuff right off the dome:

• Not only is it not raining -- I mean, I get the whole "May Flowers" connection, but c'mon! -- it is SUNNY on this here mornin! Whooeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
• If you ever get the chance, make your way to see La DIVA, "the original DreamGirl", our Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph's opus Sometimes I Cry. Oh my goodness. You will not regret it. It will make you rethink your position on all things political and deeply personal when it comes to AIDS. And, yes, you will laugh and cry. If you think you love the Diva Artiste that Ms. Sheryl is, wait till you sit and spend some time with the ACTIVIST she has allowed herself to become. Radiant, charming, and catalytic.
  
  And get the t-shirt. She designed it herself. Now THAT'S a Diva.
  
  Let's see... what else...
• For my sisters on the journey with DivaCardista [brothers too, if you really want to "get" us fabulous Diva gems] please read Showing Mary by the inimitable, witty, for real, down-by-law Bible Scholar, educator, sister girlfriend Renita J. Weems. She, too, is a radiant revelation not to be missed.
• And my taxes --thank you Mr. Govemint Man for the "Biblical Rain" extension!--are DONE. Thank you Lord!!
• OK. Now I gots ta see my "That's So Raven".
  but before i go...

For all the sad and lonely, deep and misunderstood folk reading this:

• pleaseplease live like a Millionaire and phone a friend when you feel like you can't take it anymore. Skip the gunshop and
• find yourself a good church home,
• find yourself a compassionate counsellor,
• find somebody to listen to you and give you blessed, uplifting counsel.
• Pray! That's why God is t/here, just to hear and help us. [And He's open 24hrs...]
• Read a good book and share what you read with somebody. Un/fortunately the days of instant friendship pretty much gets phased out after the first few days of Kindergarten. And then each & every one of us therefore are charged with the mission of finding and making friends.
• Go to the library and read up on how people make friends.
• [No, everyone else is not conceited, stuck up, stupid, fake, a liar, or a skanky backstabber. It just seems that way sometimes. And if we are, well...pray for us and then give us a wide berth until we grow into our better selves.]
• Making a few good genuine friends is not impossible, though it is hard sometimes. So en route to finding flawed but actually good people [which is most of the planet] do
• learn to love your wondeful self while you are on the friendship journey.
• Develop your skills which help people and bless the planet, whether that's in sports, business, the arts, or something brand new. But please...at the very least,
• promise yourself that today [& tomorrow] you will live if only to honor you and
• hold on...
  
  Oh...you know the rest.
  
  And you know why.
  
  I just pray that we all can do our best to
  
  stay peaceful and evergreen.
  
  Blessings,
  DivaCardista
  www.blessedstarcards.com
  Make Ma Happy on 5/13
  Order your Mother's Day Cards
  while supplies last...
  auiiite?

Roscoe Lee Browne?!?

Awww, man!

We are sad to know that this Thespian Most Royal has gone from our sphere.

Didn't you just love him as The Voice in "Babe"?

Especially as a classically trained performing artiste in this gloomy era of

Eat That Bug, M@#%$#&^*#@*!

entertainment, your DivaCardista loved to be able to look to him
every so often to bring that certain grace and dignity to performance,
be it comedy, dramedy, tragedy or whatever-dy.

Aww, man.

Right about now in this era of violence, confusion, embarrasment & shame,
war for no reason, "truth" played back as "treason", and random greasy
nakedness that reveals nothing, we could use a few more like him.

Brother Roscoe, we miss you already.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
www.blessedstarcards.com

just so you know...

While your DivaCardista controls many things...

the interesting folk just above who claim that

they can help you access wealth, love, riches, fame, glory & a sparkling credit report if you just breathe through your authentic self and beleeeeeeeeev and buy their four step program of superdedupernatural healing for just $99.95...

um...

just so you know...

that ain't me, y'all.
and
by the by

ain't no secret
to what
Jesus can do...

free of charge.
ok???
ok.

live in peace y'all.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
www.blessedstarcards.com

PS: except for the worship song lyrics link. that's looks pretty cool! check that one out!!

Viva la Saved Sisterhood!

Just came back from a wonderfully clarifying, energizing, catylizing and empowering women's conference with my church sisters and all of our good girlfriends from across the country and around the world. Mmm mmm mmm! Just so great to get away and worship Jesus & study His word and challenge ourselves anew to manifest His great goodness all over this here terrestrial ball.

In fact, one of the super duper highlights/manifestations of the weekend journey [as in the best antidote for all talk and no action making for empty worship and a meaningless spiritual walk every so often punctuated/interrupted by ersatz "holy" calisthenics, holla if you feel me] was when your DivaCardista joined with her sisters in the gorgeous ballroom of the Philadelphia Marriott to raise over 60 thousand dollars for the deliverance of our sisters caught up in the absolute horror and shame that is Darfur.

60K+! Now how meaningful & truly awesome is that?

Blessedly, the Co-Pastor of my church is a long time friend and colleague of the Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Boston (as well as a pediatrician at the South End Community Health Center). Her name is Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D. The organization we were blessed to join our faith and financial resources with is hers and it is called

My Sister's Keeper

http://www.mskeeper.org/site/

Check them out and make a donation. It will do your heart & soul good.

Enjoy this April day and may your Holy Week be blessed.

Blessings,
DivaCardista
www.blessedstarcards.com
ps:
need a lovely lil Easter card?
buy 1 and get 1 free, girlfriend!
just stop by the site by 4/4/07,
and mention code lilDIVA4easter.