Wednesday, September 3, 2025

 Where I Came From: Destined To Be Free...

The oldest of ten siblings born and raised in Natchitoches Parish of Southern Louisiana on Antebellum Plantations

Constantly striving and surviving the elusive life and its manifestations.

We were subjected to the Jim Crow Laws of Segregation.

As we and our parents grappled with the manacles, chains of prejudice, and degradation

During the time up to the mid-1960s, when cotton was king, it was duly panoplied with abject discrimination.

The focus was to pick cotton and do other farming chores

Young boys of color were denied and prevented from education

A restriction prevailed for 10 years to open those doors

Still, focus on being destined to be free...

With the mindful knowledge of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863

When three million slaves were declared to be set free...

The enormity of time spent as sharecroppers in the southern State

It was our dream that freedom, liberation, was soon to be at the gate

Clearly seen and done with generations of our dads

Performing farming chores, migrant work, and free labor, all bad

Such encounters with the sharecroppers' situation were more than enough

Such an emergence unfolding through the mid-1960s was a bit too rough

The plethora of occurrences of lean times on our bodies was great wear and tear

The unappreciated labor of love from the plantation owners was brought to bear

It would be nice to occasionally have time to catch a glimpse of being free

Thus, the yearning to stop the tedious journey to grasp Civil rights was the plea

We still believe in faith, strength, choice, and sustaining hope

Holding on to sheer determination, willpower, faithfulness, and the reins of the rope

No matter the efforts or the presence the road roadblocks on the path of the journey of life

Whatever behavioral traits are needed to be tenacious and relentless

We worked on the cognitive mind to have positive thoughts to alter the strife

The sheer survival technique we held as sharecropper/tenant farmers was inherent in the beacon of light

Therefore, the revelation, the foreknowledge, and the perseverance for survival to overcome were the beacon of hope for the dream of the not-too-distant night.

I am indeed appreciative of the exposure inherent in the vicissitudes of the ‘suffering and glory’

With the sharing and telling of some of the painful events in the life of this aforementioned poetic story

While enduring painful events of life on the path of the journey, for how many of them might we be grateful today?

The simple truth is that most who never experience self-discovery believe that such situations of suffering and glory never came their way.

I am indeed privy to learned and know that every painful seed provides dimensions to really develop and grow.

Steve Braxton, National Poetry Contest Winner of "Best Poets Of 2024", Eber & Wein, a compilation, Library of Congress Data ISBN 978-1-60880-798-7

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

 Lifestyle Change Insights & Intel:

We must take especially good care of ourselves as we enter the senior years of life. Special Care and attention should be a Focus on Mental Clarity and Sharpness, to avoid being too forgetful
The Use of Raw Honey can play an important part in the process:
~Morning Boost: Mix a tablespoon of raw honey with warm water and drink on an empty stomach. This approach can help oxygenate blood cells and energize the brain
Other Methods with the Use of Raw Honey to stimulate the brain power:
~Mix Honey with green tea and drink it
~Mix honey with cinnamon {teaspoon of honey w/pinch of cinnamon and eat it directly
~Make Oatmeal with w/honey, add chia seeds, and small chunks of bananas
Other Brain-Boosting Foods:
`Blackberries, Dark Choc, Walnuts, Almonds, and flaxseeds
Also spinach, broccoli, Fish, Salmon, & Mackerel
Dessert Serving Mix: Soak some almonds, then crush, grind, or smash them, sprinkle with Raw Honey, and eat them as a dessert
Note: Raw Honey is an antioxidant that has an anti-inflammatory effect, and it has a good Gut-Brain Connection for mental clarity and emotional balance.
Steve Braxton, Lifestyle Change Practitioner, is also the coordinator and Spiritual Director for The Annual 40 Days Daniel Fast Lifestyle Change that serves to Cleanse, Detox, Purify, and Healing of certain ailments of the body, as it Promotes Physical and Mental Well-Being To Be and Stay Healthy


Steve Braxton