  BlogSeptember 12, 2011 What a day, what a dayToday was a roller coaster ride. My mom woke me up early and we went out running errands and having a fun "girl's day out." We had a blast. We found ourselves at this spa that focuses on cleansing, internal health and wellness. A typical "proud mom," my mother told the owner how "awesome" I am and began talking about my film, What Things May Come as though she were making an argument to the academy for it to receive an Oscar. Impressed, the lady asked me to come on her talk show tomorrow.
High on life, we left and went to get some BBQ...I mean, if you're getting a detox the next day you might as well get it in, right? Lol I was talking to the owner about natural haircare products when I get a phone call from my property mgmt company. They called me at nearly 1pm to tell me that while the cleaning company was at my house the day before, they had the doors open and my cat got out of the house. I was (and still am) devastated. Aside by a quick trip to the vet, Athena had never been out of the house in her entire life. Now, she's out in the world alone trying to fend for herself....plus, she's declawed.
To make matters worse, I'm in DC visiting my mom so there's absolutely nothing I can do. I can't even put into words how absolutely and amazingly horrible I feel. As soon as I get back from DC I'm moving to LA....what happens if she comes home and I'm all the way across the country? :( The ONLY consolation I have is that I have an amazing boyfriend. Not only has he made a point to regularly check on me to see how I'm doing, he went out of his way to go to my house and look for her. I didnt even have to ask him to do that. He did it on his own. He even went to the shelter for me to see if someone brought her in. Anyone can tell you they care about you....what makes all the difference is how they show you.
I was planning to take Athena with me to LA and leave Prince (my yorkie) with friends here in the DC area. I guess the universe had other plans. I immediately went to get my dog. I couldn't stand the thought of losing them both. My prayer is that my baby is out there safe and sound...that, worst case scenario, someone found her, loved her and wanted to keep her and give her a fantastic home. Haunting thoughts have entered my head all day, but I'll continue to work on keeping it positive.
I love you Athena! Stay safe my little princess.
Post a Comment September 8, 2011 I'm so excited! So, I've been trying to keep it under wraps, but the closer I get to "M" day, the more excited I get. I'm moving to Los Angeles! Finally taking God up on his offer to grant me his PERFECT provision. No longer doubting, questioning or second guessing myself or His plan for my life. I'm stepping out on faith and doing what I know I have been purposed to do.....and that's an amazing feeling. I'm obviously not good at keeping up with my blog, but I'll try my best to chronicle my journey... Goal for today: Finish cleaning my house....so I can hire cleaners to come in and clean it some more lol My love song to LA lol
July 11, 2011 What's on your list?The list. Oh, you’ve heard of it. All of the traits that you want your mate to have. The things that you are believing in God to provide because, ask and ye shall receive, right? Over the years I’ve heard a number of arguments on why people should or shouldn’t have a list. On one hand, you shouldn’t settle for less than what you want/deserve; however, on the other hand, how do you really, truly know what you want until you’ve met the person? In fact, many of the successfully married people that I’ve met reveal that the person they married is not anyone they ever expected to wind up with, yet they couldn’t imagine life any other way. Having a “wish list” may be a good idea for Christmas or birthday gifts, but when it comes to your dealings with other people, are you really going to pass on a what could be a wonderful husband/wife and parent to your future children simply because he doesn’t drive a Benz or she prefers jeans and a t-shirt to dresses and heels? Ultimately, that decision is up to you. Either way, I still think it’s very important to honestly evaluate what you want in a mate and I believe the first step to considering what you want is to define what a mate or spouse is, exactly. If you really think about it, isn’t your spouse an “overseer?” They “oversee” the children, the household, the bank account…God forbid you get sick, they will “oversee” your medical affairs…This is a very important task to be appointed to someone. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul gives his protégée Timothy direction on how to select the deacons and overseers of his church. He mentions the following traits that a person (in this case, a man) must have to become an overseer. He must be:
*Please take a moment to review the chapter in its entirety, as I left off a couple of points for clarity’s sake He also goes on to say that "11In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything." In Ephesians 5, Paul compares the relationship between husbands and wives with that of Christ and the Church. Maybe using the criteria the church uses to select their overseers as a guide to how we approach the selection of our “overseers” is a good place to start. At the end of the day, maybe it’s not having a list, but what’s on your list that makes the biggest difference…How do these things fit in to your ideal description of a mate? comment posted by M. Legend Brown on 07-11-2011 Food for thought.... comment posted by DeAnn on 07-11-2011 Good. Post a Comment February 2, 2011 The Chase...Practical Advice for WomenIt’s amazing how sometimes a simple statement can hit you in such a way that it becomes profound…as if there’s some special secret shared between you and your consciousness…that happened to me today. While watching a video on zebras (don’t ask lol) I heard the narrator make a statement that moved me in such a way I simply felt that it would be selfish not to share…particularly with my single [ ie. non-married] sisters out there. The statement was this:
Now, I know you’re probably thinking “okay, this chick is nuts,” but allow me to explain. Take a moment to think about the last time you were courted. I know that’s laughable these days, but seriously…think about what happened the last time a guy really tried to express sincere interest in you. Now think about how you responded. It goes without saying that the times when a gentleman caller would come to your house, meet your parents, take you out on a nice date, bring you home and the highlight of the night was a kiss on the cheek, are far gone. Today, having sex on a first date, or shortly thereafter, is becoming an increasingly common experience. Now I’m not here to lecture you on whether or not sex is an acceptable practice outside of marriage. That’s between you and your maker; however, I will discuss a few brief examples of how, in my humble opinion, we can work towards having more fulfilling romantic relationships.
The advice I normally get as a woman is “You’re so awesome; he just sucks. You should leave him.” Rather than focusing on what “he’s” doing wrong, my advice to you [and myself] focuses on what we as women can do differently.
1.) Be interested in the one who wants to “chase” you.
Until recently, I’ve had a tendency to fall head over heels for guys who cared absolutely nothing about me. For a while it seemed that the worse a guy treated me, the harder I fell for him. I guess I figured if I just loved him hard enough, he’d eventually love me back. Interestingly enough there was always some amazing guy around whose constant attempts to show me how special I was went completely unnoticed. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship” I said…”He’s just not my type”…”He’s too nice/young/tall/short/skinny/fat/etc…” You name it, I’ve probably said it. Sound familiar?
One day, one of my mother’s male friends gave me a bit of advice that took me years to understand. “Don’t like the guy you like; like the guy who likes you.” I thought he was some batty old man until I experienced the difference for myself. The thing is, you can be the most amazing woman in the world, but a guy knows what he wants…and if you think that he doesn’t know what he wants, or he’s afraid to commit, I’m sorry sis, but it’s probably just that he doesn’t truly want you. He may have fun with you or think you’re “cool people” but if he’s not showing you that he wants a future with you, it’s probably because he doesn’t see one with you. He’s likely just waiting around until someone better comes along. I know that is harsh, but it’s real.
If the female cheetah ignored the advances of the male that was trying to vie for her attention, and instead waited for that hunky cheetah that she thought was cute but wasn’t really into her, she’d wind up becoming a lonely old cat lady (sorry, had to! Lol). I don’t want that for any of us…so let’s make a vow to ourselves that rather than wasting time on guys who could live without us, we’ll start paying attention to the ones who don’t want to.
2.) Allow yourself to be “chased.”
“Equality” is a word that gets thrown around so cavalierly when dealing with male/female relationships. In fact, I’m reminded of an episode of Golden Girls when Blanche spoke on the topic with one of her dates. After saying he wanted to treat her like his equal she laughed heartily and replied “Your equal? I don’t want to be treated like your equal. I want to be treated much better than you.”
To me, this is the right attitude to have when approaching a relationship. Know your worth. Not saying that you shouldn’t treat the man well, but allow him to be a man and in doing so, treat you like a woman. Yes, you can open your own door. You can pump your own gas. You can open your own jars, pay your own bills and do a myriad of things that you don’t need a man for…but realize, when a man is seeking to do these things for you, he’s not trying to undermine your ability, he’s trying to compliment it. Consequently, you should also be very cautious of a man who’s not willing to do these things for you. A man who truly cares about you wants to make your life easier.
So many times we run men off with our “independent woman” machismo act. I know you may have told yourself that they’re just intimidated by your degrees, titles and ability to provide for yourself, but in all honesty and sincerity, if a man wanted to have a “pissing contest” at home, he’d date one of his boys. This isn’t to say that you should not be proud of your accomplishments, but in being proud of what you’ve already accomplished, don’t take away his opportunity to show you what he’s seeking to accomplish, with you. Men show their love by their actions. They’re hardwired to provide for you and when you take that away from them, they don’t understand the point of being with you. Once that happens, the relationship is over, even if it hasn’t yet begun.
3.) Don’t have “kittens” unless the potential father is willing to go the distance with you…
With 72% of African American children being born out of wedlock, this is probably the most important point I hope you take from this message. So many times a man shows us a little attention and we reward him with our bodies. A lot of men won’t even date a female that’s not sexually active, so if you’re going to be in Rome you have to do as the Romans do, right? You’ve got to be in the game to win it, don’t you? No. Having sex is not a game. The decision to have sex or not is a very personal decision and there are both spiritual and physical consequences tied to your decision. While it would be highly unrealistic to think that my message will stop you from having sex, I hope that it will at least make you more cautious of whom you allow to be a “potential father.”
I fought tooth and nail this week with someone who says that women are the reason there are so many children being born out-of-wedlock; that their decision to sleep around with “no good men” is why 68% of children are raised in a household without a father. I disagree. I think there are a number of factors that contribute to that statistic…All in all, he and I do agree on one point. As women, the consequences of sex typically affect us a lot harder than they do men. While sex may be a fun past time for two consenting adults, it’s vital that we protect ourselves. Remember that ANY time you lay with someone, you run the risk of contracting an STD or getting pregnant. The only "method" that's 100% safe is abstinence. Therefore, take a little advice from lady cheetah: Don’t have sex with a man who’s not willing to go the distance with you. The men who are willing to go the distance with you will respect you for your decision, and the one’s who don’t won’t stick around…..and let’s be honest, we’re better off without them anyway.
That’s it. I hope you don’t take this message as me thinking that I have all of the answers, because I absolutely do not. I do hope, however, that this message helps at least one woman. I hope it shows you the value that you have and it gives you the courage to demand that a man show you that he’s willing to go the distance with you. I hope that it leads to a successful relationship built on mutual respect and adoration…and I hope that it gives a woman in a relationship that isn’t for her the strength to stand up and realize that you deserve better, even if it means being single for a little while longer.
I don’t mean to assign blame or belittle nor do I mean to offend. I only wish to empower. I love you and I’m praying for you.
Your sister,
Sequoia
comment posted by Kenneisha Thompson on 07-09-2011 WOW!! I love this. It is so very true. Like you, I'd never heard that phrase about who to get involved with. Phyllis Cicero shared it with us at rehearsal one day. She said her aunt told her: "Don't go after the one you like. Go after the one that like you." Like you mentioned, wisdom from "Seasoned Saints" gets overlooked by us "youngins." But I must agree, living it makes all the difference! And I do love how God gives us examples of His wisdom in nature. Thank you for sharing a valuable lesson from the Lady Cheetah! I plan to do the same :) ~Blessings, Kenneisha Post a Comment January 19, 2011 Updating my blog. New year, new me!Happy New Year! Since it's a new year I decided I'd start afresh with my blog. My plan is to provide new, fresh content at least once a week. I decided to migrate my posts from my old blog [using a new system] for those of you who may be interested in reading them. Get ready world, cuz Quoia's got a brand new blog [cue music from Papa's Got a brand new bag I look forward to sharing my life with you! With love, Sequoia |
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What's Sequoia Doing? Sequoia is finishing up production for her film What Things May Come. The trailer for the film will be out soon. She is also staying very busy with theater projects and has found a new hobby; radio. Sequoia recently premiered on the Street Speaker Radio Show with Eljay Da Comic, Dupah and Kemp, host of the blog Kempsaidwhat.com. The show is currently searching for a new co-host. If you'd like to "see" Sequoia in radio, contact Fishbowl radio and the Street Speaker Radio Show. Stay tuned for more updates. Want to book Sequoia for a gig? For Booking:
Linda McAlister Talent
100 Oak Lane
Waxahachie, Texas 75167
(972) 938-2433
linda@lmtalent.com
www.lmtalent.com What's Next for Sequoia? Thank you for visiting! Please visit often to find the latest and greatest news on Sequoia. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500 What a day, what a dayThu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500 I'm so excited!Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0500 What's on your list?Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0600 The Chase...Practical Advice for WomenWed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Updating my blog. New year, new me!Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Day 16: Someone that's not in your state/countryWed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Day 15: The person you miss the mostWed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Day 14: Someone you've drifted away fromWed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 Day 13: Someone you wish could forgive you | |||
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