May we care for ourselves through the seventh principle of Kwanzaa – Imani. Imani (Faith): believing beyond the flesh and trusting with the Spirit. LISTEN HERE Symbols of Kwanzaa include: Mazao (Crops): these crops symbolize African harvesting celebrations as well as the rewards of productivity and collective labor. Mkeka (Mat): the mat symbolizes the foundation of the African…

May we care for ourselves through the sixth principle of Kwanzaa – Kuumba. Kuumba (Creativity): creating and innovating with power, presence and purpose. LISTEN HERE Symbols of Kwanzaa include: Mazao (Crops): these crops symbolize African harvesting celebrations as well as the rewards of productivity and collective labor. Mkeka (Mat): the mat symbolizes the foundation of the African Diaspora–tradition…

May we care for ourselves through the fifth principle of Kwanzaa – Nia. Nia (Purpose): identifying and uplifting our unique purpose. LISTEN HERE Symbols of Kwanzaa include: Mazao (Crops): these crops symbolize African harvesting celebrations as well as the rewards of productivity and collective labor. Mkeka (Mat): the mat symbolizes the foundation of the African Diaspora–tradition and heritage….

May we care for ourselves through the fourth principle of Kwanzaa – Ujamaa. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): building and maintaining our businesses together. LISTEN HERE 1. Umoja: Unity – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. 2. Kujichagulia: Self-Determination – To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. 3….

May we care for ourselves through the third principle of Kwanzaa – Ujima. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): building and maintaining our community,solving problems together. LISTEN HERE 1. Umoja: Unity – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. 2. Kujichagulia: Self-Determination – To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak…

May we care for ourselves through the second principle of Kwanzaa – Kujichagulia (Self-Determination). Kujichagulia is defining, naming and creating and speaking for ourselves. LISTEN HERE The other days include: Umoja (Unity): maintaining unity as a family, community and race of people. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): building and maintaining our community – solving problems together. Ujamaa…

Self-care is uplifted by the celebration of Kwanzaa today, which celebrates our African heritage. As a cab driver once told me, “we are all from the same village.” As times change, we realize that the world is now our village. May we care for ourselves through the pride, honor and respect for ourselves as we…

Winter has always been a special time for me.This winter is even more special, with the solstice, which arrived on December 21, and the celebration of the birth of Christ Consciousness today, we are gifted with the peace of conceiving a new self as we, too, retreat indoors, like the roots and seeds of plants…

In Psychology Today, Dr. Pamela Rutledge says holiday movies are an important antidote to COVID stress and Zoom fatigue. They create a profound sense of hope, social connection, love, and purpose. Streaming movies, shows, or series allow us to “suspend disbelief and revel in the simplicity” of predicting the outcome, being inspired by the values, and feeling reassured…

One of the most powerful things that we can do to take care of ourselves is to look ourselves in the eyes, and say “I love you.” We all have inner critics, which make this process challenging. Even people who have survived the most serious dis-eases have a lot of difficulty looking at themselves and…

One of the greatest acts of self-care is to give. Giving from the heart is the most profound way to experience the generosity of what we give. Picasso said that while the meaning of life is to find your gift, the real purpose of life is to give it away. How do we decide whether…

One of the most challenging things that self-care requires us to do is be courageous enough to step out of the box of whatever is holding us back from being the awesome people we are. It requires us to leave the conventional and do what has never been done before, to face the fear of…