Category Archives: Story Time

Heaven is in it All

Posted on by

Heavens in it All

There is nothing that goes on on earth that Heaven doesn’t know about

There is nothing that earth can hide from Heaven

Heaven is in it All

Mind your’s Earth said to Heaven

Heaven said Not So

Because whatsoever is bind on earth is bound in Heaven

Whatsoever is loose on earth is loosed in Heaven

There is nothing that you go through that God doesn’t know

Even if you choose not to pray, he still knows

Even if you say, I don’t trust you anyway, God still knows

There is nothing done on earth, that Heaven doesn’t know about

Heaven is in it All

Heaven is all in it
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:19

Bread Factory in Bronx

Posted on by

One night, after church, my dad mentioned the strong smell of bread that was in the air. It was a strong smell. We all could smell it and have been smelling it for years. I never really knew where the smell was coming from; however, my dad knew. He said he used to go to the bread factory all the time, long  time ago. That night my sister and I urged him to take us.

When we got there,  the gate was locked and there was music playing that the entire neighborhood could hear. It was good that the doors to the factory was open! After my dad found a way to open the gate, we walked pass the ‘don’t trespass’ gate and went inside.

I was in awe! It was almost like a mini bread festival. Everyone was packing bread and there were huge bread machines everywhere! There was bread sliding off and on slides, bread spinning, bread being thrown into bags… Bread everywhere!  The workers created an assembly line and was not even distracted when we walked into the place.

The workers were so kind and happily packaged bread for us to enjoy. When my dad offered to to pay for the bread, they turned my dad away and kept working. We were surprised and happy at the same time. We got some good Italian bread for free! Straight from the oven into our tummies.

The Bronx is full of finger lickin’ surprises!

Bread Factory

I’m Blessed

Posted on by

There are times when you can just sit back and look at the world and realize that you are blessed. That is when you try to start counting your blessings and naming them one by one. Many times, family is always first on your list of blessings and then perhaps your friends, employment and food these things are always at the top. And sometimes after you said all that, you may think and Thank God for God. Just for being God.

Blessed

Growing up in the Bronx

Posted on by

Bronx

I live right under the train station. I was born in the apartment building I live in now and the first thing I heard when I was born was the sound of the train. Not a day goes by without me hearing that sound.  Because I was born in the Bronx, under the train station while a train was passing, the sound never annoys me. As a matter of fact, the sound is apart of me. It is in my system. I could never understand why people plug their ears when a train is rolling by, you are going to hear it anyway!

My first toy was of course a…teddy bear. You thought I was going to say train? Well, It wasn’t a train! Who lets their new-born baby sleep with a hard train toy? However, when I got old enough to talk, I asked for a train. And I still have toy trains in my room now.

Hopefully, I will get to become a train conductor or maybe I can become a carpenter and carve mini trains out of wood.

My uncle used to spray paint trains ‘back in the days’ . I didn’t believe him until I saw a photography book by Martha Cooper and saw pictures of trains riding through the city with graffiti all over them. I mean, even the windows had graffiti on them. Looking at the photos made me wish I was there to experience it in real life! Can you imagine sneaking into  the rail yard with your best buddies at night just to add fancy colors and letters on a train that will ride through the infamous New York City?! Anyway, that’s another story.

I still don’t know what I want my career to be but I know it will be something concerning trains.

Living in New York City

Posted on by

Living in New York City I have learned to LISTEN  to people and to pay attention to the good that is said and done.

The GOOD. The FUNNY. The POSITIVE. The BRIGHT.

I said Good Girl because of your SMILE.  Keep up your SMILE. LIFE will SMILE to You.

Man who works at the vendor machine

That Hat is SPECTACULAR!

Man at the Guggenheim Museum

You made your hat?? …It’s Great

Lady on the #2 train

You still look Good!

co-worker at Lord and Taylor

Lord and Taylor knows who to hire!

An older lady with her family in the dresses department at Lord and Taylor

She always have Amazing hats!

My employer

If you listen to the positive, you laugh more. You Smile more. You are happy. And you just happen to love to live life!

Can you remember some of the GOOD news you heard about yourself and still remember it today? Doesn’t it outweigh the bad news??

American Taxi Driver

Posted on by

American Taxi

On Thursday, I took a taxi to work.

Today (Saturday), I was crossing the street and saw the same taxi driver who drove me to work. He remembered me.

He should have remembered me after all we been through…

On Thursday I flagged him down…not knowing he didn’t know a lick of ENGLISH! I hopped in, told him my destination.

Right away he started speeding down the road in the right direction but little did I know that he did not understand what I said.

When we reach the first red light, he turned around to confirm the address… And he did not know WHAT I was saying. I didn’t know what he was saying either.  I tried to remember all the Spanish I could remember but my brain was stuck. No matter what I did, all I could think of was the word libro. And he asked me  sabes un poco de español? I didn’t know what to say to that.  But I thought to myself: Well, yeah, I do but I’m not in the mood to be searching my brain for my poor spanish vocabulary!

This was the beginning of a stop and go trip as we drove through the BRONX seeking good Samaritans who wouldn’t mind translating.

(You must be asking yourself: why didn’t I get out the taxi and take another one? Well, I wanted to see where this trip will lead and I put myself in his shoes. If I was in a Spanish-speaking country, and I was an English taxi driver, I would want my passenger to have some type of mercy on me.)

First we flagged down a Latino elder gentleman who told the taxi driver what area in the Bronx I wanted to go to, not the exact place.

Next, when we got to the area, we attempted to flag down an old lady but I think she thought the taxi driver was hitting on her because she ignored him. And he said Ella, ignorando las and moved on to another person who looked like she was in her 20’s (we were in an area with very little people) who said she didn’t speak ENGLISH. (We had many more attempts but I kept telling him to Go! The only word he seemed to understand).

By this time I was confused. I asked myself many times where America was heading. It’s scary. English seems to be the second language of the country.

Oh, you are also probably wondering why he didn’t use his GPS- He didn’t have one! Neither did he have a phone (Not knocking him for not having a phone because I didn’t have one either).

Finally, we came to a shopping center and flagged down a young Latino guy who was a lot of help.  He translated everything pretty well and when he was done we were one block away from the place. I could have gotten out to walk but I didn’t know the area well and we had to ask a white taxi driver who directed us to make a left turn.

Finally we reached the place safely.

When I was crossing the street today, he was at the stop sign and when  he saw me his eyes widen and he waved endlessly with a huge grin. All the while, he was speaking in Spanish, as if to tell me in so many words, this is my country, learn my language.

I was happy to see him too. I waved and said: How are you doing?! Even though I knew how to say it in Spanish.

Living in the Bronx II

Posted on by

Living in the Bronx II

I have learned to LISTEN closely for the train

I know when to run for the train

Which way is it going??

North or South

UPtown or

downTOWN

EAST OR WEST

i have learned to WAIT for the BUS

BUT-

just in case I am running LATE

I know when to run for the Bus…and when the Bus driver will wait

or when he will just leave me standing there waving

I have learned when to just walk and listen to my IPOD

because only in a blue moon or a New Dawning will the bus drivers in the Bronx wait or stop to pick you up.

OH, like when PRESIDENT OBAMA won presidency… That was like a NEW DAWNING. I caught the bus. The bus driver even greeted Me.

I have learned when to SPEAK and when not to SPEAK and

Just in case I speak when I should have not spoken

I know when to pick up my walking pace.

oh, like when that man said good morning

not everybody wishes each other a good morning

are you wishing everyone who passes by a good morning or

just me??

I’ll say good morning and

walk a little faster- JUST IN CASE

I’ve learned when to look

when to pay attention

or when to simply ignore

Like. A Beggar. when to ask and when not to ask.

or like a driver. when to go and when not to Go.

And I learned all of this living in the Bronx

The Material Thing

Posted on by

The Material Thing

I could tell by the way he carried that thing that his heart was torn between me and it. He was with it everyday.

Almost Every night.

I wonder who would he choose. What would he choose. If he had to…

Sometimes I’m grateful it’s not another person.

Other times I wish I had a thing I was devoted too

as much as he.

At least I don’t think I have a thing, but he says I do:

Your Cannon, your camera

I say:

You dress up for your thing

He says:

You do too!

I say:

you carry it almost everywhere.

He says:

You do too!

I tell him

sometimes I can’t stand it.

He says

Sometimes I can’t stand it too.

The other night, he was late to a function. My function to be exact. Really late.

All my friends and family were already present.

He and his thing went out. They had a jig. He was jamming.

When he came to my function, he was late but light hearted.

At least he was light. Free. Fun.

He looked good.

He had his tux on.

I bet.

I think.

Sometimes-

I know he dresses for his thing.

This makes me a little jealous.

I was jealous.

He walked in with the thing on his back.

Looking Cool.

Almost with a Miles Davis swag-

but not quite because his swag, is his swag.

He sat beside me.

Well, this was after I happily helped him take his thing off his back and put it on the floor. Now he was free.

The function continued.

Even though his thing was on the floor,

his fingers were constantly moving.

His pen

His staff paper

were always ready.

I was going to reach out to hold his hand but I didn’t.

I kinda enjoyed seeing his rhythm.

I wanted to tell him

you never wore a tux for me

but I could tell that he was happily torn

I wanted to tell him that I loved the shirt and the tie

but I could tell that he was happily torn

And honestly, I didn’t mind

So, I just picked up my canon and snapped

A shot of him being happily torn.

To which he asked me to put the camera down

He said

I like seeing you free. And not- Torn.

Free.

Liberated.

Light.

And with that, he held my hand.