One of my radio broadcasts bears the same title as the Chicken Soup for the Soul:Attitude of Gratitude publication that includes a submission of mine. It is my sheer delight to be able to pass words of wisdom from yesteryear to future generations in my Reflections of a Septuagenarian submission.
Words are immortal. Use them wisely, I say, for you never know how they can impact another person’s life. For example, when I read, “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1), immediately I thought of all the acrostics I’ve written to share my feelings about persons dear to me. At my 2022 graduation, one of my friends shared the following acrostic and blessed me in return:
The joy of completion is a wonderful feeling. I’m grateful to be among the disproportionate number of college graduates who have earned both a Doctor of Ministry and a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Disproportionate, what does it mean? Hmmm…unequal, too large or too small in comparison to something else. As I read reports about a disproportionate increase in the number of deaths by drug overdose among people of color, especially Black people, I reflected on some other disproportionate statistics. Racial disparities can be seen in many areas:
- Abortion clinics on or near high school campuses
- African-Americans suffering from the highest rate of end-stage renal disease
- Amount of income spent on housing
- Children placed in special education classes
- College enrollment among Black males
- Deaths by suicide on the rise
- Diabetes
- Dialysis centers in low-income neighborhoods
- Faculty in non-HBCU colleges
- High blood pressure
- Homeless folks living on the streets (including war veterans)
- Incarcerated males
- Killings by police officers
- Killings by other people of color
- Politicians (lawmakers)
- Prom dates for Black girls (A lovely, dateless girl said, “Black boys don’t like us.”)
- Security guard jobs (Does anyone realize that this is a risky occupation? Think of Tops in the Buffalo massacre on May 14, 2022.
Although this list is incomplete, I have an attitude of gratitude for the blessings of the Lord that are new every morning. In spite of the risks associated with living while Black, I am grateful for the privilege of looking back and seeing how far the Lord has brought me from, both as an individual with big dreams and lofty goals and as an African-American who knows what it’s like to be called Colored, Negro, Afro-American and other words, too.
Words can propel you to achieve or they can hinder your development. You must choose which words to accept and believe and which you will refuse to receive. I choose to speak up and speak out with a grateful heart.