Things About Virgos:

Virgo is known for her love of work and service to others. Virgos have a strong need to be needed and a talent for healing the sick, giving good practical advice and assistance, and solving problems for others. Their advice is usually worth following because it tends to be based on a thoughtful analysis of the pros and cons of a potential course of action rather than a knee-jerk emotional reaction.(True. I had to learn how to balance though. Before I would give more of myself to others than myself but there has to be some balance or you will get worn out. I finally realized I’m not superwoman and its not meant for me to solve everybody’s problems.)

You make a wonderful impression with your skilful insights and broad-based knowledge. Simply put, you are a most interesting person to be with. When others get to know you a little more, you can be a fascinating person with all sorts of useful titbits of information. (So true. I can’t tell a joke even if you give me a punchline, but I do like to have fun. If you don’t know me, take the time to get to know me…smile)

On the most practical level you really like to do things properly, meticulously by working through the work or service you perform on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter how small or large the task, you take pride in how well you do it. You investigate things before diving in. Once you have all the information required you complete your task to the best of your ability.  (I think this is why I make a good project manager. I’m a stickler for details…some folks hate I ask so many questions and hold them accountable to deadlines.)

Others who aren’t quite as precise in the way they carry out their own work find it hard dealing with you. In your own mind there’s no point in doing anything half-heartedly. You’d rather not do it at all. You are very clear on this.  (I hate when folks don’t follow up the way I think they should.  I feel if someone expects something from me, then they should live up to their end and provide me with the information I need in a timely fashion.)

Time is also important to you. So you like to make sure you use it well. It would be unusual to find a disorganised Virgo. Keeping a diary and making lists are a favourite pastime of yours. Of course having the right pen and paper to keep your lists is just as important so a favourite hangout for some Virgos is the local stationery supply store. It sounds a little weird sure, but you do need to have the right pen to write with! (Two hand snaps.  Time is of the essence is what I always say. I hate being late. I hate someone else showing up late. I don’t like turning things in late. I just like things done in a timely fashion.)

You are cautious about all manner of things from how much the food bill costs to what type of person is just right for you in your social or romantic life. You have a hawk eye and can spot an error a mile away. If that food bill is out by 5 cents you’ll pick it up. (Cashiers beware because I’m watching the cash register like a hawk and I also double check my ticket before I leave the parking lot. I am also cautious about who I let into my “innercircle.”)

Your Virgoan antenna is sharp as a tack and you’ll pay special attention to the fine detail of any subject matter. You’re also very well read and interested in a variety of topics. You consider yourself an eternal student of sorts. (True. I like to learn about new things because you never know when the information will come in handy.)

Some people think you’re shy and unassuming but this is only because you cautiously like to observe and analyse people and situations before jumping to conclusions.  (If you know me, I’m not shy. But I am quiet around folks I don’t know. I’ve learned that you learn a lot just by listening.)

Virgos are prone to worrying, agonizing over things, and in extreme cases, hypochondria or germ phobia. (I don’t totally agree with this. I do worry about things sometimes but as far as being compulsive about it–no.  I am particular about hygeine. If I’m in line and the cashier sneezes into their hands and doesn’t wipe them off or use sanitizer to clean them, I will get my stuff and go to another line.)

Virgos don’t fall in love easily and they are very choosy about their mates and friends. They are drawn to people through intellectual curiosity rather than shallow physical attraction or passion. Virgos need intellectual stimulation, and will quickly grow bored in the company of those who make small talk rather than speaking of serious, important things. (True.  I don’t fall in love easily but when I am in love–I’m in love. I don’t like superficial folks.  I’m attracted more to a man’s mind and how he handles himself day to day than to his physical statue…but don’t get me wrong, I like something good to look at too…smile).

R.I.P. Uncle Cle. Your memory lives on. Love always!

Excerpts from the “I Have a Dream” speech:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

To read more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, visit wikipedia.com.

Fast forward to 2007/2008 and here we are dealing with some of the same issues of the past.

In this day and time, we shouldn’t be dealing with racial issues, but we are. In this day and time, our children should be free to live in a society that will accept them on their merits, not the color of their skin.

Whether you’re Black, Hispanic, White, etc…it shouldn’t matter. What should matter is your character? How can we develop the character of our kids if we’re always having to explain the ignorance and hatred of some people’s actions?

Do you think our society will ever be color-free?

To add some food for thought, here’s a poem I wrote on the subject.

Color-Free
© 2007 by Shelia M. Goss

The color of my skin shouldn’t define me
Because when I go out of this country,
American is all they see.

My Brown-sugar, Caramel, Ebony, Hershey-chocolate,
Mahogany, Mocha, Vanilla complexion
Is only an outer shell.
You have to dig Deeper,
If you want to know
What’s embedded in my mind.

My skin color might hint to my Races
Past struggles and pain,
But don’t lose the fact that we’re
Individuals and not all the same.

One day I hope we can all
Be one big happy family
In the meantime, I’ll leave a legacy
To the younger generation.

Show by example on how to get through
Life’s complications.
I will teach them how to love
Through my own interactions.

I will show them how to give
And not wait for someone’s reaction.
I will encourage them to dream and not
Let society dictate who they can be.

I will show them the benefit of believing in
Oneself, but most of all in a Higher Being.

I hope to see the manifestation of my vision
A society that’s COLOR-FREE.

www.sheliagoss.com

Those were the words I heard on the phone at 1:25 a.m. that morning. I knew before I answered what the outcome would be. I had prayed the night before for peace to deal with his illness. An illness that snuck up on us like a thief in the night. One month, he was moving around with a slight cough, the next month, he could hardly catch his breath and was officially diagnosed with lung cancer (no, he didn’t smoke). Less than 2 months after being told he had lung cancer, God called him home.

On Nov. 3rd, the day before he died, he could barely talk but he wanted me to read scriptures to him so I did. One scripture he wanted me to read was Psalm 23. I knew he was preparing for his transistion home.

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   ²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
   ³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
   ⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
   ⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
   ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

So today I remember my Dad and his life and love he had for his family. I also remember the example he showed me, even to the end, to put my trust in God.

Congratulations to my home team, the New Orleans Saints, for winning their 1st Super Bowl. We’re partying like it’s Mardi Gras. I dedicate “What a Man” by Salt N Pepa to the whole team. Who Dat?

The players who I heard speak to the reporters after their win, all expressed one common thing–they acknowledged  God Almighty. It was destiny.  They were the under dogs. The sports experts thought the Colts would win, but if God be for you, it doesn’t matter who is against you.

Miami Gardens, Fla. – Leading 24-17 and trying to stop the Colts, CB Tracy Porter intercepted a Peyton Manning pass and raced 74-yards for a touchdown that gave the Saints a 31-17 lead. Porter, a native of Louisiana, delivered the first Super Bowl title in Saints history. To read the rest, click here.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Coretta Scott King & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She wasn’t a woman afraid to show emotions and he looks like he’s enjoying it.

What’s that old saying, “Behind every good man there’s a good woman” or something like that Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) was married to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She’s also known as the First Lady of Civil Rights.

Coretta Scott was born in Heiberger, Alabama and raised on the farm of her parents Bernice McMurry Scott, and Obadiah Scott, in Perry County, Alabama. She was exposed at an early age to the injustices of life in a segregated society. She walked five miles a day to attend the one-room Crossroad School in Marion, Alabama, while the white students rode buses to an all-white school closer by. Young Coretta excelled at her studies, particularly music, and was valedictorian of her graduating class at Lincoln High School. She graduated in 1945 and received a scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

As an undergraduate, she took an active interest in the nascent civil rights movement; she joined the Antioch chapter of the NAACP, and the college’s Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees. She graduated from Antioch with a B.A. in music and education and won a scholarship to study concert singing at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

In Boston she met a young theology student, Martin Luther King, Jr., and her life was changed forever. They were married on June 18, 1953, in a ceremony conducted by the groom’s father, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. Coretta Scott King completed her degree in voice and violin at the New England Conservatory and the young couple moved in September 1954 to Montgomery, Alabama, where Martin Luther King Jr. had accepted an appointment as Pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist.

To read the rest, click here:

Win a copy of Martin Luther King: The Essential Box Set: The Landmark Speeches and Sermons of Martin Luther King, Jr.  By Clayborne Carson, Kris Shepard, Peter Holloran

What do you have to do to enter? Leave a comment on this blog post and there will be several other opportunities this month to enter but you have to check the bottom of random blog posts.  (Sign up to mailing list so you’ll be alerted of new posts).  The more you comment, the more chances you have to win. Contest ends on February 28, 2010. U.S. & Canada residents only. Avoid where prohibited by law.

This month is the official month we celebrate Black History. Some ask why do we need an entire month? Well, unfortunately, if we didn’t have the month, kids and adults would never learn about people from our rich past. We are survivors, fighters, educators, scientists, philosophers, freedom fighters, professional business men & women, athletes, entertainers, founders, inventors, etc. and yes even president.

SheliaGoss.com will be featuring women past and present that have contributed to Black History in some way or another.

We can thank Carter G Woodson for initiating what is now an official celebrated month of Black History.

Dr.Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875 in New Canton, Virginia, the son of former slaves James and Elizae Riddle Woodson. His father helped Union soldiers during the Civil War, and he moved his family to West Virginia when he heard that Huntington was building a high school for blacks. Coming from a large, poor family, Carter Woodson could not regularly attend school. Through self-instruction, Woodson mastered the fundamentals of common school subjects by age 17.

To read more about Carter G. Woodson, click here.

Today, I honor my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and the many women that came before them. Each one of these ladies made an important impact not only in my life, but in their communities through service and making a stand for justice.

I recall a story my grandfather told me about his grandmother, my great-great grandmother. She came from Africa. Made her way to the shores of America on a slave ship via Virginia. She walked from Virginia to Louisiana. Owned by the Prudes. Bred children–some she was able to keep and then there were others that were taken from her–sold into slavery just like herself.

Thanks to my mom, I was able to learn about the many contributions to Blacks in our nation, not just during Black History month, but all year through and that’s what we need to do for this new generation. Celebrate Black History daily.

Color-Free
© 2008 by Shelia M. Goss

The color of my skin shouldn’t define me
Because when I go out of this country,
American is all they see.

My Brown-sugar, Caramel, Ebony, Hershey-chocolate,
Mahogany, Mocha, Vanilla complexion
Is only an outer shell.
You have to dig Deeper,
If you want to know
What’s embedded in my mind.

My skin color might hint to my Races
Past struggles and pain,
But don’t lose the fact that we’re
Individuals and not all the same.

One day I hope we can all
Be one big happy family
In the meantime, I’ll leave a legacy
To the younger generation.

Show by example on how to get through
Life’s complications.
I will teach them how to love
Through my own interactions.

I will show them how to give
And not wait for someone’s reaction.
I will encourage them to dream and not
Let society dictate who they can be.

I will show them the benefit of believing in
Oneself, but most of all in a Higher Being.

I hope to see the manifestation of my vision
A society that’s COLOR-FREE.

For fun, answer today’s quiz question in the comment field:
Who escaped slavery in Maryland in 1849 to become the conductor of the Underground Railroad?

Harriet Beecher Stowe
Angela Davis
Harriet Tubman
Rosa Parks