the house of miss birdie

SO... Yes it's been awhile. Living life and stuff. The thing is, in my absence here, I've sincerely been taking care of business for myself and Bam. Now, it's time for me to share what I've learned with you. I wrote a few books, crossed over a few genres but still stayed within self help. Now more for adults. I realized that to help the children that my earlier books highlight, I also have to help the people entrusted with their care. You can't pour from an empty cup. We all do it. Give energy and resources that we honestly don't have. After doing that (and burning out several times) I've come up with a new philosophy for myself. "You'll get there Birdie, one moment, one day at a time." Simple, right? How? That's the other piece of the philosophy, it's by "Shifting Up." To shift by definition, is a slight change in emphasis, direction or focus. By shifting up, you make small changes towards a better life. That's wh...

After reading article after article, hearing complaint after complaint. I'm tired of hearing people complain about Tyler Perry. In the seat of public opinion, everyone is allowed to have their opinion. #1 Complaint: Because of using Madea. He's described as a "Clown" "Buffoon" "Drag". "Tyler Perry has gotten rich off of exploiting Black Women." -  is the most popular. Yes, he has built his career with Madea, a pistol packing, abrasive no-nonsense woman with stereotypical toxic behaviors but still relatable grandmother figure. A long ignored truth  is that black women aren't feeling protected in our communities. It is no secret that black women are silenced, with our health, our children, our men, out in the workforce. We get called bitches for having power in our voices, people tremble and call us toxic when we stand up for ourselves. We want to be there for our men but the truth is, a lot of black men don't know how to lov...

Ok. Being that I myself live with depression,  I have been very defensive about explaining what has been happening lately with the untimely deaths of some people around us. It's hard to accept but these loved individuals were afflicted with a chronic condition that they have now chosen to take the path of least resistance in their lives by ending it. Don't kill the messenger, it's the most simplistic way to explain it. In other words, all they want is the pain to end. Their reasoning and justifications are not for us to understand. Don't take it personal, it's not you. It's the easier way out, literally. Now I'm seeing well intentioned posts that wonderful people are offering a shoulder to cry on. We love you very much but... 1. Depressed people don't want to stay there. It is a painful place to be. So unless you're a professional, talking about it with you is not the way to help us long term. Sometimes we're in a dark place and we don't ...