We gotta have faith in each other. We gotta have faith in ourselves. We gotta be real sisters and brothers. We ain’t got time to act like nobody else. Abiodun, The Last Poets
One of the coolest moments for me during our annual Family Kwanzaa gathering on January 1st was when we all started singing “We Gotta Have Faith” by one of the original Last Poets. I had the pleasure of meeting Abiodun and getting his permission to record the song on my first album Praise Songs and Every Day Songs. To hear those words sung with joy by all three of my 30-something children and the 25-year old baby of the family was PURE JOY! It was reward for commitment to culture and it was the joy along the journey.
In this new year, I have started writing an idea for reflection and regeneration for this journey we call life for each and every day. Each week, I will share a few nuggets with you. For week one of 2022, reflect on at least one of these:
1. What do you know to be true and good about you?
2. Set a timer for ten minutes and write down 50 goals. No holds barred! Anything you have ever dreamed of doing that can be done! We’ll come back to the list later.
3. Plan your own personal silent retreat. Start with an hour and work your way up to a day if you’d like. It’s amazing what you hear when you sit still and stop doing.
The rest of the lyrics to the song: We gotta build a new build a new world for the children, teach them how to love and learn who we are. We got the power and the will to determine just where we’re going and exactly how far! We ain’t got time to act like nobody else!