The Soul of A Man

The soul of a Black man should be profound and practical should someone ask about content and character. The depths that are ours, deep within our psyche are the volumes of consciousness that make us who we are. We are men of color - Black men tried, true and transient at times. We are who we are because time has shaped our mindsets and given us definitive stereotypes that we are still endeavoring to grip for positive results. We are constantly being asked - what is it that makes us the way we are? My response is simple. I tell them I am who I am and iniquity has given me my lease on life to have changed and tell a GOOD story!

Early on I knew my destiny, but had problems accepting it and making it the entity that would give me confidence. I kept a store inside of me, as I kept my emotions captive. I was shy and introspective and lacked verve and vivacity to allow me to be open with my thoughts. I was told that I was sensitive, and I grew to believe it seeing much around me succumb to my penchant for change. I got the chance after enlisting in the military and attending college. I came away intact and armed with new truths that shaped me as a man. I saw the world, met people of stature, married, had kids, and have run businesses. I am the man that time created. I am a writer!

All my adolescent years became a portrait of me framed for the notion of telling stories and being good at it. I began to write and envisioned becoming an author. I thought putting my thoughts on paper would be a nice life but never stopped dreaming. I studied hard, researched on my own, read laboriously for information on all things literary. And in the interim I learned HOW to write; I paid close attention to how specific writers wrote their stories, especially language and sentence structure; I took a few writing courses, but mainly I gained a penchant for talking to those that I'd befriended along the way. What's inside MY bears witness to a world of expressionism that is opinionated and quite open.

The career I’ve carved learning to be a respected as a journalist and freelance writer is best exemplified in my view from the catbird seat. That’s my voice viewing life as I see it as wit, words, and the wisdom thereof. The road that I and my brothers travel is not an easy one. What are we thinking about then? What else is on the minds of men? Our minds are not idle, and my mind is full and reverberating. I’m a conversationalist at heart and will talk to anyone willing to debate realism vs. ambiguity. I've always wanted to run as fast as I could to the finish line of life, where God would be there to shake my hand and say, “well done my faithful servants” I want to be deserving of this, because I do not want to see women continuing to be the head of households, and where my community is not run by matriarchy. I want my young folk to take inventory of their lives so that self, family and community are interwoven for sustained awareness. I want black-on-black crime to cease for Agape Love to permeated using a sense of connectivity, commitment and the commission of good intent.

My soul is my temple and my spiritual being is alive bubbling to the top waiting to explode! I'm striving for inner peace and ways to teach my children for the next generation. I want us Black men to finally get it together so that we are inferior to no one and that we have balanced the scales. I would want you to know me as I am!

Winners in the Face of Adversity

Signs of the times will have us in direct contact with the pertinent things that are prevalent to take heed of what's right and what's wrong in our lives. We go about our business and we are products of our environment and certainly the barometer to measure worth pertaining to all of the above. We Black men have been challenged in greater proportion than in any other time in our lives. We at times have searched for answers, and have given quite a bit to eschew some of the ill-will that surrounds us, but to some there are much more to do. We have to search within to apply much more to arrive at solutions. These are the times where we have to just put our feelings out there. We hurt, and are susceptible to scrutiny and critique.

I read a book recently there I'd like to share with you. I read it, reviewed it, and have come to realize that my colleagues and many others are just normal folk on the fringes of an impartial society that breeds brokenness. The book's characters are trapped in life, or in situations that they don't want to be in; some are looking for a way out, and others beyond hope BC. But a familiar thing happened along the way toward redemption. When you find the Lord and He gives you an amplified ear to hear His still small voice - you MOVE! This book, THE TRIUMPH OF MY SOUL is here for you, complete with my reflections. Read it and know that redeeming value is all in how one tackles his/her adversity.

The trials and tribulation that God allows us to traverse says a lot about challenges and change. We are broken on purpose to have the wherewithal and ability to keep our heads to the sky, and know that if there’s a will there’s a way. TRIUMPH OF MY SOUL by Elissa Gabrielle is the first of several books in a series that will give voice to human conditions that cater to the angst and adversity that color our spiritual Diaspora as people of color. These are inspiring stories of victory over adversity, and the ability to know the difference between living vertically vs. horizontally. The Triumph of My Soul ably delivers poignant testimonies with heartfelt stories of love, hope, faith, redemption and inspiration.

With this firmly in mind, the authors therein presented in this anthology spoke with heart-felt vigor and preservation of mind opening their souls to succeed beyond and despite the ‘brokenness’. These are their stories, and in the midst of the storms, there’s courage, faith, and wisdom to call upon He who strengthens us. You get a chance to read each entity and perhaps rejoice knowing that “this too shall pass”. Author Elissa Gabrielle assembled a worthy crew of writers to expound on these ideals of hurt and pain illustrating personal vistas in discovering solutions and applications. Albeit, not all of the stories in this set are created equal. There are a few that weren’t as strong as others which are typical of anthologies of this nature where balance may not be in the offering. In this case though, nothing is taken away from the overall tone of success that I render.

How far must one travel to know that a new lease on life is eminent, or there’s a saving Grace in adhering to that still small voice? I found ardent answers as I read each story and imagined how I could be the recipient of His loving embrace! The authors bearing their souls are some that I’m familiar with, and others that are cutting their literary teeth for the first time. 

The emotions and struggles seemed up front and personal. I can hark to the stories that touched me most. To wit: Jessica Tilles’ ‘Julian’s Grace’ showed how one can go beyond living for the moment to enable a deeper value of an innate love beyond the surface. It’s a gut-wrenching love story that demands your attention; my favorite by Allison Deese – ‘Discovering the Joy Within’ is the story of how a teenaged mother rallied against the forces of nature to triumph over an abusive lover, and how examples were shown to give credence for perseverance. Then there are stories depicting adolescence where maturity materializes in the end for new leases on life, and where the downtrodden can realize how victory can be won by exhibiting due diligence.

In times like these we need shining examples of inspired triumph in the face of adversity, and this collection of short stories are yours to revel and rectify ways to ease issues that may be definitive in helping rather than hurting. This is the benefit of the empathy that compelled me to put my feet in the shoes of the authors that bared their souls. If this is the mettle that Ms Gabrielle adheres to, then the subsequent books that will be part of her lore will give notice that she is a force to be reckoned with. Grab this book, read it, and know that there’s a silver lining behind every dark cloud! Kudos to you Elissa for bring this coterie of writers together to share what it means to do what it takes to be winners!