Inspirational Monday: not without you...

when i first thought of the "gift of jewels" project, i was a little uncertain about sharing it. i am incredibly humbled by your positive response. i am so inspired by those of you who decided to participate and make this pen pal project so exciting.

the project quickly gained international flavour. we have as many as 49 participants from all over the *world*! if you decided to participate, you will be sending a "gift of jewels" from your loving corner of world to a randomly selected recipient on the roll call. although no one else knows where their "gift of jewels" is coming from, you can rest assured that it will be from one of the following countries (ooooh, i wonder where yours will come from?):

Australia
Canada
Denmark
Faroe Islands
France
Maldives
Norway
Scotland
South Africa
Spain
UK
USA and more.

isn't this awesome? i hope you are all as excited as i am. ;) remember, do not spill the beans.

and it's totally up to you whether you want to send your "gift of jewels" anonymously or include your return mailing information. i imagine it would be nice to know who sent it though.

*many thanks for joining me in the "gift of jewels" project: spreading love all over the world.

*one little favour: when you receive your "gift of jewels", please stop by this post and share your thoughts with us. to make it easier, the "gift of jewels" photo button in the sidebar will directly link to this post.

One World. One People. One Love.

*Inspirational Monday is hosted by vchelle over at Operation You.

a necessary extension - "gift of jewels"...

I have received several emails from folks who missed the entry deadline for the "gift of jewels" project. If you are one of those, the deadline to sign up has been extended until the end of the day today, AUGUST 30, 2009. I sincerely apologise if my earlier announcement that names of the intended recipients will be sent out today caused any confusion as to the window of opportunity to participate.

to join the "gift of jewels" project, click here. please be sure to send your mailing address to necessaryroom@gmail.com.

for the current list of participants, check out the roll call.

Give thanks.

EXTRA! EXTRA! - the "gift of jewels" project...

To all participants in the "gift of jewels" project:

please note that a personal email has now been sent to you with the mailing address of your intended recipient. feel free to leave a comment on this post to verify receipt. if you have not received it, please notify me at necessaryroom@gmail.com.

remember, no one else knows who's sending their "gift of jewels" so don't spill the beans ;)

all "gift of jewels" should be mailed by September 11, 2009, the Ethiopian New Year.

let the celebration begin...

one love.

final boarding call...

friday, the 28th of August is your last opportunity to enter the "gift of jewels" project.

for a not-so-sneak peek at who's participating, check out the roll call. many thanks to all those who have joined in this fun adventure.

let's put love in an envelope and spread it all over the world.

click here for more details. only a couple more days til we find out who our intended recipient will be. oh, how i wonder...

Conscious Friday: wave your flag...

steel pan, soca, roots
zouk, reggae and calypso
rice raining from above
feel da mist, da damp air
oh yeah, it's j'ouvert morning

follow de truck
all de way down de road
in your feathers and glitters
jump up and wave,
wave your flag

*This Saturday is the 36th annual Boston's Caribbean Carnival, where West Indians will swarm the streets of Boston from the Caribbean, New York, Canada and all over the world in celebration of their African-Caribbean culture and heritage.
Pure love and harmony.

*Update: Out of respect for Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral and mass, the festival has been postponed.

Have a Conscious Friday and a divine weekend. One Love.

*Machel Montano: Won't Stop


*Richie Spice and Alison Hinds: King and Queen

roll call...

This Friday, August 28, 2009, entries for the "gift of jewels" project will be closed. For details on the "gift of jewels" project, please click here.

If you've decided to participate, you will be receiving a "gift of jewels" in the mail from one of these lovely bloggers from at least 12 different countries. I am really excited about your response to this project and hope it will be equally fulfilling for you.

vchelle, operation you

christina, soul aperture

kath, souers du jour

margie, souers du jour

gayle, planet m files

elk, red or gray depends on the day

julochka, moments of perfect clarity

darcel, the mahogany way

wanda, what would wanda do

lala, my castle in spain

iasa, blissfully unaware lounge singer

beth, be yourself, everyone else is taken

kamana, journalling through photos

tracy, pink purl

kristin, hello sweet world

shell, swan of dreamers

pixie dust, stories i can tell

sunnymama, sunny day today mama

samforone, samosas for one

paige, the baby dust diaries

lisa, lisa's chaos

omchelsea, it's just the way it goes today

lynne, wheatland news

an open heart, recovery from a life not lived

tara, paris parfait

anali, anali's first amendment

connie, loose lemons

bee, from the desk of bee drunken

cherie, this side of town

the bodhi chicklet, the bodhi chicklet

eastkentuckygal, a mountain mama

jacquie, corridor living

alycia, and the three bears

suvarna, raptinlight

amelia, notes from the edge

cam, journey wildly

christine, creative world

dorit, gerandisgleðir

tracey, Necessary Room reader

sherry, everyday possibilities

marilyn, delights of the heart

robin, bird tweets

janet, are we there yet?

kim, queen of arts

spread your wings, spread your wings

judipatootie, judipatootie

kate, inspired

elizabeth, retinal perspectives

*thanks to all of you for joining in the "gift of jewels" project: spreading love all over the world!

it's almost time...

to give up summer fun
and head back to school.
bummer...

*hey, am i the only parent whose child played with the kids from school all summer long without contracting the swine flu? just wondering...

Inspirational Monday: call to duty...

"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little better than the one we inhabit today." President Barack Obama

*if ever you get the opportunity, do become a volunteer.

Have an Inspirational Monday.

*For more inspiration, please visit Operation You, the host of Inspirational Monday.

day trip...

let's get going, time's a ticking...














best thing to do? grab a chair and a good book because i ain't going in dem 65 degree water...














ha! watch her tippy-toe gingerly toward the water. think it'll make a difference?














a few waves later, she's committed...















what better place to wrap up the summer vacation than at the beach?
















*wanna have some more fun? join us in the "gift of jewels" project.
for more details, please click here.

Conscious Friday: the letter...

I distinctly remember. As a little girl, I had a pen pal. Whatever happened to pen pals? Hmmm...

With a never-ending supply of energy, my daughter buzzes around with her pink diary always close at hand. So, I had a very naughty idea. Always ready for a challenge, she was game. So, this summer, I watched proudly as my daughter started writing letters to her loved ones. Letters that have creative and expressive thoughts about what's going on in her life. Pure joy!

We calculated the time it would take the letter to be delivered. We imagined where each letter was on its journey at that given moment. Several moments throughout the day. Was it tucked in a bin in a town post office, or in the back of a big truck on the highway? Did the truck driver pull over to sleep, or is he or she going to drive straight through? Is it on a plane amongst the clouds and stars, or is it going through customs? We imagined and imagined. Until the letter arrived safely in the mailbox of the person we sent it to.

Do you get a special feeling inside when a letter, postcard, or care package comes in the mail from afar? The sheer joy and anticipation of having your eyes loyally follow the handwritten words down the lanes of the page hoping they will continue forever?

I still get that feeling. So, I've reinstituted a modified version of pen pals here in my necessary room to spread some joy. Click here to learn more about the "gift of jewels" project.

Have a Conscious Friday and a divine weekend.
One Love.

*Ky-Mani Marley: Dear Dad


*Ky-Mani Marley: So Jah Seh

gift of jewels...

Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)

*Enkutatash means the "gift of jewels". When Makeda, Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her bolts by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early times and as the rains come to their abrupt end, dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside. But Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today's Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal new year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu of the traditional bouquet of flowers.

*(adopted description)

~ ~ ~

But we are gonna do things a bit unorthodox around these parts. For those interested, please join me in sending a randomly selected person a greeting card in the post? It can be personally hand-crafted, a photocard, photograph, or even a purchased postcard or greeting card. We must all agree, however, to fully respect each others personal information and work.

If you wish to participate, please leave a comment on this post by August 30, 2009 (including the link to your blog). All participants should also email me directly at necessaryroom@gmail.com with their snail mail address. I will randomly select the intended recipient of your graciousness from amongst the participants. For added mystique, I will send you a personal email shortly after the deadline with your recipient's information. Please know that your information will not be shared with anyone other than the person selected to send your "gift of jewels".

All gift of jewels should be postmarked on or before September 11, 2009, the Ethiopian New Year.

So, wanna join in the fun?

*to see the list of participants, click here.

UPDATE:  give thanks for joining me in creating this wonderful experience.  it will forever warm my heart.  one love. Se'lah.

run into the night...

she clutches her baby close to her chest
lest tomorrow will bring excruciating pain
but for now she remains completely oblivious
enjoying only this moment, this sun down
run into the night, sweet angel
tomorrow is another day.

*Update: Baby B has made it through the surgery to mend the hole in her heart and is now in the intensive care unit. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

One Love.

a hole in her heart...

I went to a festival one starry night not too long ago. People were swaying their hips to the rhythm of the bassline as reggae performers mash up the dance. With my baby Niki in hand, for the first time, I can say that I truly enjoyed people watching as I listened to my shutter open and shut. Music to my ears. Among the vast sea of people that night, one couple in particular caught my eye. They, I promise you, were having the most fun at this dance. I admired them so much because having Down's Syndrome did not inhibit them from demonstrating to all what it means to live life to its fullest.

Yesterday, I watched as Baby B smiled, thoroughly enjoying the motion of the baby swing. Although she was too young to run around the playground with her older cousins, she was glowing in this moment and her glow was infectuous. My heart felt warm as I connected with her spirit, feeling the contentment in her heart.

For those who would like to partake, I am asking that you all say a special prayer for Baby B as she takes her tiny 18-month old body and spirit within the walls of a surgery room tomorrow. She was born with Down's Syndrome and has a hole in her heart. Although she was not expected to live at birth, she has survived this long. Tomorrow the surgery aims to repair the hole and give her a chance to continue enjoying life to its fullest.

I could not have been this conscious of Down's Syndrome but for Ann of Incredible Gift. Through this blogging journey, we crossed paths and I have learned quite a bit by taking a moment to just read and reflect on her words. Give Thanks Ann.

October is Down's Syndrome Awareness Month.

One Love.

Inspirational Monday: JAH in a I and I...

(click on photos to enlarge)













JAH in a I and I,
JAH in a everybody...














I am greatly inspired by so many fine individuals out here in blogland. I so appreciate the amazing friends who take time out of their busy schedules to share a little bit of themselves and their life with me. Although these days, I may not get around as often as I used to, I want to say that I always am reminded of you all. I miss you when I don't get the opportunity to blog-hop as I would like. I think of you constantly and just wanted you all to know that. Always positive vibrations.

Can you feel it?

*Inspirational Monday is the brainchild of vchelle at Operation You.

*Also stop by and visit Lisa's Chaos for Macro Monday.

Conscious Friday: in this time...

*Bob Marley: Talkin' Blues


*Sizzla & Luciano: In This Time


*Black Uhuru: One Love


Have a Conscious Friday and a divine weekend.
One Love.

cold ground was my bed last night...

I imagine many people listen to these Bob Marley lyrics everyday. When I go about my everyday life, I see those words come to life, but it's no song. Although unimaginable to some, there are people who will sleep on the streets tonight because they cannot afford a place to live. There are people who, although sick, will be refused necessary medical attention because they cannot afford insurance. There are people who must beg others, with palms stretched forth, because they have no food to eat. Every day.

le blur...

a dear friend encouraged me to put my lens on manual.
this is what i came up with. ha ha ha.
i actually like it quite a bit.
perhaps because it's so abstract.
it reminds me of a bunch of roses
sitting contently in a vase,
its soft fragrance tip-toe-ing through the air,
making some deserving heart glad.

what does it remind you of?

many roads to trod...

celebrating the miracle of new life
greetings world. one love, jahfari

*Happy Inspirational Monday

hot buttered soul...

port and music
feeling like a queen
midnite chanting into the night













hmmm, how about some oatmeal raisin cookies
with the raisins soaked in port for about a month?
always thinking of ma belly














only how you can get that sweetness on demand
is to make it yourself, get it fresh and warm
ooooh, the anticipation














the smell of fresh dough rising in the oven
chocolate chips melt by her seduction
oh, my hot buttered soul













port and music
eating like a queen
underneath the moonlit sky

Conscious Friday: lover's rock...

*Beres Hammond: Rockaway


*Sanchez: Lonely Won't Leave Me Alone


*Gregory Isaacs: Night Nurse (Live at Sunsplash)


Have a Conscious Friday and a divine weekend.
One Love

remember love...

to my guardian angel
thanks for showing me
the true meaning of
unconditional love.

*Happy Birthday Auntie.

Inspirational Monday: talkin' blues...

every day
i am reminded
to give thanks for
the simple things in life

*did you give thanks today?

*Inspirational Monday is the brainchild of vchelle over at Operation You.