Sister U Matter!
Step Up
by B.C. Raines on 09/12/17
I’m reminded of a story of a mule that fell into a deep pit. The town’s people observed the situation and decided that there was no way possible to help the mule out of the pit. So they began to throw dirt into the pit to cover the mule for its burial. (They assumed that the mule would die in the pit.) Well, lo and behold, the mule began to step up on the dirt and eventually stepped up out of the pit.
What am I saying? Step up. Sometimes we may find ourselves in situations where we can’t move forward; all we can do is step up. When unfavorable situations come at us and attempts to bury us under its “dirt”, just step up. You see unlike moving forward, a step up takes us higher; it elevates us. By the time the situation is over, we will find ourselves elevated on so many levels because we chose to step up.
Spread the word…Sister U Matter!®
You Are…
by B.C. Raines on 08/30/17
Great
Hopeful
Intelligent
Jovial
Knowledgeable
Loving
Marvelous
You are you. There is only one you. Embrace you. Love you. Forgive you. Appreciate You.
Remember…Sister U Matter!®
Be Your Sister’s Keeper
by B.C. Raines on 08/22/17
So to follow up on the That Ain’t Yo Business post, I thought I’d share my thoughts on just what is your business: to be your sister’s keeper!
So what does being your sister’s keeper mean? It means…
- looking out for each woman being that you encounter,
- doing what you can to make her look good to others,
- encouraging her to be her best, and
- gently helping her in areas where she may not be as strong.
You see if I do these things for you and you do them for the women beings that you encounter and they do it for those that they encounter (and so on), we’ve established a sisterhood that transcends race, age, social status, culture and even political party preferences.
Don’t see your sister walking off of a cliff and not try to warn her! Now that is your business (how she responds is hers; respecting her response is yours). So I encourage you--be your sister’s keeper and spread the word…Sister U Matter!®
That Ain’t Yo’ Business
by B.C. Raines on 08/16/17
Sisters, Have you ever noticed that we experience a lot of hurt feelings and keep stuff stirred up? Most times, it’s because we are talking about, acting on or tending to issues that are none of our business. Our business is making sure that we are speaking, doing and thinking right towards ourselves and others. But most times we are so busy watching everybody else that we stop paying attention to our words, actions and thoughts.
I recently heard of someone being reprimanded at work for an action that was easily fixable. Instead of the person owning up to their inappropriate actions, they begin to “call out” another employee on what they thought they had observed the other employee doing that was inappropriate. You ask, “What’s the problem with that?” Well, just maybe what the employee thought they saw, wasn’t the reality. In most cases, we really don’t know the whole story or see the total picture. If we could just take that same energy and focus it on making sure that we are doing, saying and thinking what we should, I promise you that we really won’t have time to “see” what others are doing.
Sisters, what the co-worker does…that ain’t yo’ business. What the supervisor does…that ain’t yo’ business. What a friend does…that ain’t yo’ business. What a neighbor does… that ain’t yo’ business. And it certainly is not your business to tell someone else’s business.
Sisters, I’m just saying: mind your own business and leave everyone else’s alone; ‘cause their business…that ain’t yo’ business. Spread the word…Sister U Matter!®
Those Touches
by B.C. Raines on 08/01/17
Here’s another lesson learned from my refrigerator experience that I want to share with you—be careful of those touches from others.
See, in trying to make my beloved refrigerator fit, I allowed a contractor to slightly modify my refrigerator cubby to see if we could make room. You see, I only needed approximately two inches more of space. Well, after those modifications, the contractor was able to fit the refrigerator into the space. But not with ease, there was some pushing and shoving used when all was need was a roll if the space were appropriate.
With all of the pushing and shoving, she—the refrigerator—was scratched and dented. I was sick. You see, the contractor did not see the value in her like I did. I saw an investment; a pay off for my hard earned dollar. An accomplishment. A desire of my heart fulfilled. The contractor only saw an object that needed to fit into a space. Another contractor moved her into a new space in the kitchen, now she has a limp.
My point…just be careful of those touches. Everybody is not for you and cannot see and appreciate who you are—your beauty, that you’re a prize, an accomplishment, a treasure, a rare jewel.
This applies to those connected to us by birth and/or association. Sometimes those touches can be so crushing, painful and spirit breaking. If allowed to, they can be debilitating and hinder us physically and definitely emotionally and spiritually. Trust me, Sisters, just be careful of who you allow to touch you—verbally and physically. You know words touch and can even kill, too.
Watch those touches and remember…Sister U Matter!®