Frankly Speaking with Tyra G

Today has become a testing time and a time of self-evaluation. This is also a time to recognize that we are a journey, not a destination. This is a time to elevate voices of hope and reimagine what is essential. This is a time to remember who we are today; what we can do comes with a price. And we must remember those who paid for it when we could not or did not ask. Sometimes, we need help remembering that their struggle was real.

"Until today, you may have misunderstood death. You may have been grieving or mourning the loss of a loved one, believing they were forever gone from your life. Today, be a living reflection of the dreams and love you shared with someone who has passed on.

“People never really die. They leave their bodies. They end their physical existence to continue their spiritual journey in another form, on another plane. A person who has entered the realm of reality that we call death is never beyond your love. Death is not a cold, dark, or frightening experience. It is an essential part of life that teaches us to believe in what we cannot see. Once you have loved someone, your love will keep them alive". --Author Iyanla Vanzant.

This week, we will visit a place where memory resuscitates life. We will meet members of the Board of the Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society, whose mission is to emphasize the influence and contribution of African Americans regarding the history, education, development, growth, and culture of the Clarkesville, Tennessee, area. During my first conversation with board members, I was impressed that their volunteer commitment was born from a servant’s heart. They recognize and honor those who do not have a voice to remind us that their struggle was real.

Be inspired!

The mission of the Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron is to educate people of all ages about the Tuskegee Airmen, so their strength of character and ability to triumph over adversity may serve as a means to inspire others to rise above obstacles in their own lives and achieve their goals. Woven throughout their outreach program, the group's Six Guiding Principles – Aim High, Believe In Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready To Go, Never Quit, and Expect to Win – were developed alongside documented original Tuskegee Airmen to inspire students to rise above their obstacles.

PRESS RELEASE – "Minneapolis, Minn. – October 13, 2016 – The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron, America’s tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, today announced that Bill Shepard has been promoted to Squadron Leader. Shepard has been an outstanding volunteer and advocate for the organization since 2009, piloting the Squadron’s P-51C Mustang around the country and speaking to thousands about the importance of the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen."

An excellent walk back into history with a Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron pilot committed to keeping the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII alive.

So, fly with me... it's an incredible journey! The share the blessing.

First  Corinthians 13: 4-8 says, "Love is patient and kind; Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. ... Love never ends".

Wikipedia says, "Love is considered to be a positive and negative: with its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection, as "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another"; and its vice representing human moral flaw, akin to vanity, selfishness, and egotism,

Author Glennon Doyle Melton expresses Love as a message from God, and I quote: 

"When you were born, I put a piece of me in you. Like an indestructible, brilliant diamond. I placed a part of me inside of you. It is Love. Love is perfect, and it is untouchable. No one can take it. It is the deepest, purest part of you, that part that will someday return to me. You are Love. You cannot be tarnished by anything you've done, or that has been done to you. Everyone carries this piece of me, and I am a part of you, and you are a part of each other. The essence of each of you is LOVE.

Congressman John Lewis speaks of Love in action. Take a listen and be blessed. Then, please share.

During the pandemic, have you been feeling intimate with physical, mental, and emotional uncertainty and unrest? It seems that everything that can be shaken is shaking, where angry noise appears to be drowning out laughter and love.

I found I have been grieving the loss of power over my thoughts, my movements, my expectations, my finances, my future, my everything.

So, I created Moments of Mindfulness as an emotional and spiritual band-aide for the hurt we are collectively feeling. All of us at the table have permission to find the stillness that allows authenticity and vulnerability to rise above the noise. We are going to intentionally listen to each other beyond our spoken words and respect our different perspectives. Together we will:

Breathe in empathy and breathe out judgment.

Breathe in expectations and breathe out hopelessness.

Breathe in faith and breathe our fear.

Breathe in acceptance and breathe out anxiety.

WE CAN DO THIS!

I believe it! And I claim it.!

Click below to join our audio meditation exercise to jumpstart your path to peace. Our guide will be Ms. Sherrell Tucker-Moore, a lifestyle and wellness coach and yoga teacher.

Relax and enjoy. Then share if you are inspired.

Here in the United States, we began to see evidence of the unprecedented challenge to our healthcare systems and economy and wonder if our democracy would be strong enough to withstand the attacks on our constitution.

Globally, our world has been challenged in a way it had not been for over 100 years. An invisible enemy has invaded our privacy, routines, expectations, and hopes. Some of you, like me, have felt mental and emotional uncertainty and unrest. Everything that could be shaken is now shaking, where noise, angry noise, drowns laughter and love.

And yet, a look behind this external emotionally challenging landscape, perhaps peeking through the changing of seasons, lives for some an internal emotional, steady effort to maintain and sustain their lives with a part of them missing. A child.

The courageous conversation we share today demands that you listen with your heart and spirit. It is not designed to entertain; however, it will hopefully educate, empower, and encourage you to know that your pain is breaking the shell that encloses your understanding.

Be inspired by the authenticity of the David Owens family from Chatham, Massachusetts, as they share their story of loss, grief, and hope.

Life will accommodate you in any way that you choose. It is always listening to the silent requests of your heart and mind. It is always surveying the landscape of your heart, gathering the bits and pieces of the emotions buried there. Life can be an open book to learn about great mysteries and wonders. It can also be a mysterious and frightening pit you fear to tread. Or it can be a basket into which you can place your treasures and carry abundant blessings.

Until today, you may not have realized that life answers your requests. You may not have believed that you have the power and the right to ask life for more than you already have right now. Just for today, be devoted to creating a life of positive, joyful requests. Create them first in your mind. Next, make them in your heart. Then, speak to them into existence. Be sure to remember what you have created.

Be inspired by the creative, strategic, positive, and hopeful journey of Cape Cod entrepreneur Sandy Wycoff as she takes us along on her journey to discovering her why and living her worth. Her belief is that change is necessary, and she shares lessons learned as a daughter, sister, theatre major, teacher, wife, mother, and successful entrepreneur.

It's a fun ride. Take a listen. Then share!

So, what if you believed the greatest service you could offer in life is to be a light on the path?

Samaritan House fosters personal safety, growth, and self-sufficiency in adults and their children through freedom from sexual and domestic violence, human trafficking, and homelessness. Since 1984, Samaritan House has provided emergency and permanent housing, support services, and community outreach to victims of violence and homeless families in the Hampton Roads region.

Clients receive support through case management, counseling, victim advocacy, nutrition assistance, transportation, access to medical care, and vocational training. Our children’s program works with youth to establish healthy relationships, build self-confidence and break the cycles of violence. 65% of the clients we serve are children.

Be inspired by the stories included in this courageous conversation with Courtney Pierce, Samaritan House Anti-Trafficking Outreach and Service Coordinator.

“You can call it a germ, you can call it the flu, you can call it a virus. You know, you can call it many different names. I’m not sure anybody even knows what it is.” – President Trump-

Why do some people get really sick, but others do not? Are the models too optimistic or too pessimistic? Exactly how transmissible and deadly is the virus? How many people have actually been infected? How long must social restrictions go on for? Why are so many questions still unanswered?[1]

The confusion partly arises from the pandemic's scale and pace. Worldwide, at least 3.1 million people have been infected in less than four months. Economies have nose-dived. Societies have paused. In most people's living memory, no crisis has caused so much upheaval so broadly and so quickly. "We've never faced a pandemic like this before, so we don't know what is likely to happen or what would have happened," says Zoë McLaren, a health-policy professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. "That makes it even more difficult in terms of uncertainty."[2]

Frankly Speaking with Tyra G’s Moments of Mindfulness series shares the virtual table this week with Dr. Valda Crowder. Dr. “V” shares her road to emergency medicine, with stops along the way to secure degrees in engineering and business. Her unique skill set and commitment to the community and national resilience have led her to consult with and advocate for a host of diverse organizations to include NFL Player Violence, the CDC, Corizon Healthcare, provider to incarcerated inmates, the CDC, and the Congressional Black Caucus. The centerpiece of our conversation was some pandemic myth-busting.

Click below, and you will learn things.

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/pandemic-confusing-uncertainty/610819/\

[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/pandemic-confusing-uncertainty/610819/

This month's theme is: Thank you for your Service, Then and Now.

I am passionate about celebrating veterans and active-duty military who continually help us sustain and maintain our quality of life, often at the greatest of costs.

We hear stories through various lenses this November and December, including wars fought, age, gender, race, family impact, and cultural and social legacies.

Our stories have included Mary Jessie Herrera, a 100-pound, 20-year-old Military Policewoman who wore an M16 and a 9 mm sidearm in IRAQ as accessories. We have heard informative heart-to-heart stories from women who decided to serve in the Vietnam War as nurses, librarians, and social support personnel, as well as some unusual consequences of their choices. We cried during with stories from wives of Prisoners of War and military widows.

Today we are time-traveling as well: first, backward to WWII to meet some extraordinary heroes whose stories have often been left untold. Then we will fast forward into the 21st century to meet Pilot and Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron Leader Bill Shepard.

The best part of today's show is discovering how these stories are connected. And for many of our intergenerational and international audiences, these stories may be a surprise.

To start our journey, I will quote an account published in the Franklin Roosevelt Library titled: Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?

Take a listen and be inspired.

Susan Taylor, Essence Magazine Editor-in-Chief said in her 1993 book, In the Spirit:

"There is a wisdom that is as much a part of our being as our flesh and blood and bones. Intuition, the deepest knowing. It is alive in us as children as simple faith in our feelings. But as we grow up and the outer world begins to matter more, the channel to intuition narrows. Western culture stifles intuition, dismissing what can’t be explained logically and scientifically, and discouraging reflection and feeling. It offers no real answers to how life should be lived. But life is more than the physical, biological, and mechanical---more than what we can see and prove.

Intuition is a higher form of mind than rational thinking. It’s the synthesis of the heart, mind, and soul working to expand awareness and understanding, Intuition is the wisdom of the spirit within us, coaxing us to be fair, to do the right thing to embrace change as a natural and essential part of life. Intuition is the voice within that is forever pressing us to stretch ourselves, to take risks, to keep loving and giving birth to a new self.

Trusting the inner voice is a particular struggle for women".

Jaleh Moslehi, Chairperson of the Board, for The Center for Improving Women's Lives (CIWL), engages us in an intuitive, inspirational, and educational conversation about how CIWL has become a lighthouse for women embodied in this struggle.

Click below and learn things.