Love in Action
Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action! Celebrating the 3-Year Vision
The time of the year is here for acknowledging, commemorating, and celebrating the third year anniversary of my vision for “Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action!” This luxurious resort is in tribute to the powerful, creative and loving African-American women, who share their humanity for the good of many.
The Mission: To be the premier place, where tributes to Sisterhood are evident throughout. Hospitality, Hope and Health are the Pavilions of our connected spirits and the avenues of our expression.
The Vision: To be an opulent waterfront international destination in Chicago, IL. People from around the world will feel the energy of African-American women and use “Sistah’s Home” – as a place of respite, renewal and rejoicing.
Lucy Bass Givens: My angel has gone on to her next assignment!
I know, everything must change and I am growing less resistant to these facts and relying more and more on what I feel in my heart. This is the place where I can hold on to the eternal. My Sistah-friend, Lucy Bass Givens, has been my Angel for well over twenty years and she made the decision on September 30, 2014 to move on. Her transition from loving and supporting me here on this earth has taken on ethereal proportions and propensities. I shall always feel her presence with me.
Oh Yes, The Beat Does Go On!
I learn from leaders. A very, very strong, resourceful and highly effective mentor of mine recently gave another masterful lesson. In her teaching, she gave me much to consider about myself and my beliefs in the face of opposition. In my dreams and desires for my life I already know many people will be drawn to me to help me achieve my goals. Even with this awareness I also know that I will encounter those who will not be in agreement. The Master Mentor, who is always looking for ways to help others, shared invaluable tools to help me stay committed to my own success.
Her first line of protection for her teachings was to create a system to capture her work that allows her the ability to “re-play” that work. It not only provides help to others who may have missed the original presentation; it is also a system of accountability. Those of us who have not firmed up our own accountability system must do so in our quest for greatness. I need to consistently review my work and see that it matches my plans and goals. Do I have integrity with my word, do I follow-up on the things I have said?
Secondly, the Master Mentor made it clear that you need to be clear and decisive about your purpose. Often times in facing the opposition we react defensively and began refuting the situation as opposed to focusing in on that crystal clear knowing about our true purpose. She used her explanations and expressions of who she was as offensive statements. She listened to the opposing views and politely continued to state what and why she was. She did not waiver in her stand. Her opposition had included angry and abusive comments, people who let her know that she did not meet their expectations of what and how she should express herself. For me, the old way would have been to go on the defense, shoot them down with my rage, and or my indignation and denial, and most probably, a few choice curse words.
During this class, she demonstrated other powerful aspects of a leader. I had been reviewing Che and Trevor’s Social Media Power www.cheandtreavor.com just before the class and her responses appeared as though she were reading from the same document! …Step 38.– Be Polite -she was that the entire time; Step 39. Advertise Successes- she did this with her stories of the many praises for information provided and so on. She addressed the issues and allowed open discussion. And guess what – in her freedom to allow ‘discussion’ she received nothing other than applauses for her stand. What a divinely inspired class!
Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action: One Year Anniversary!
Aside Posted on Updated on
October 2013 is here and it seems hard to believe that on the 20th of this month, a whole year will have gone by since “Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action!” had its introductory “Prayer and Praise Breakfast.” The outcome of that event will remain legendary to me because I got to see, feel and be with people who believe in me. Although not everyone has embraced my dream for this opulent waterfront resort, this past year has brought a significant group of new recruits. In addition, many more people are seeing this “International Destination” here in Chicago as a tribute to African-American women and the value our Sisterhood brings to the world. “Sistah’s Home” is anchored in Hospitality, Hope and Health and has transformed into a true help for people during this year.
Looking back over the year, I stopped to reflect on achievements and am grateful that there have been many. I count my decisions that shape and influence the ambiance of Sistah’s Home among my greatest accomplishments because of the many options in the universe. Inspiration is the key influence to all of my selections: the vivid colors like those captured in Dr. Yemonja Small’s divine painting, “Like there’s No Tomorrow,” and words that remind us of our connectivity in the poem by Jo Anne Meekins entitled “United.” Ideas and practices that motivate and elevate are in: Celebration permeates the air, colors uplift and engage, and music carries the spirit that emits success and well-being with tones of love throughout all of it. These choices create the feng shui environment of Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action!
THE VISIONING CONTINUES:
Each day at “Sistah’s Home” will begin with drumming music (the soul chakra tone of my people) and an opportunity to listen to an inspirational prayer-based conference call, The Love Journey, Inc., from Monday through Friday. Sistah’s Home, a movement in itself, has the strong, powerful chords of triumph and invincibility in the music. New and cherished sounds of authentic personal expressions flow throughout. Fragrant spices, herbs and flowers that heal and promote a sense of well-being are soothing and richly aromatic. The resort “hums” with energy in each space, according to its design.
The Hospitality Pavilion offers prolific ways of welcome that include young and senior aged Personal Concierges. Our Personal Concierges are available to ensure that each guest’s wishes are fulfilled in accordance with our mission to be a premier place where the Love of Sisterhood is expressed and experienced. Inside the warm atmosphere is a feeling of “come in and relax, you can take a load off here.” Beautiful and magnificent arrangements of flowers and fragrant herbs and spices are part of the elegant backdrop throughout. Spectacular art titillates the eye and imagination. The immediacy and thoroughness of service are rendered according to personal requests.
After cordial greetings and settling in, guests usually look forward to refreshing themselves in Sistah’s Home progressive degrees of elegant eating venues. Great chefs and nutritionists provide delicious and palate pleasing meals and a wide assortment of cultural delights. I can already envision the largest eating area, showcasing the diner with important and powerful seating and lighting while guests enjoy a meal. The designers know exactly how to create the desired setting. Varying degrees of progressive elegance also affords the opportunity to eat with a personal group of participants in smaller and more specialized eating areas, like the upscale luxurious dining area or the paparazzi bar and appetizer areas for observation and networking. The greatest group of staff waiters makes all dining experiences memorable. During a television episode of the George Oliphant’s “Meal Estate,” I heard a dining concept of “no room service” that was pleasing to me as yet another way to promote the connection of our “alike-ness” as people and especially as sisters. The largest area for meals was in a communal space. I think a “room service” concept could exist in a late night experience and in keeping with the artists and the night-time visitors of guests.
Also within “Sistah’s Home” resort campus is the Hope Pavilion, an area anchored by a greenhouse and non-denominational chapel. The greenhouse provides mostly all flora and fauna needed in-house and services the surrounding communities’ need for fresh produce and flowers. Mind you, I know nothing more about greenhouses other than I love them and that it will be a magnificent feature of “Sistah’s Home.” The “therapeutic” effect will be especially great during Chicago winters. Always on the look-out for news and information on how to promote Green Technology throughout the resort, I attended a summer festival that featured a number of green tech entities. Well wouldn’t you know it, I was introduced to Urban Farms South, a bountiful urban garden growing in the heart of South-Side Chicago. The “farmers” turned out to be four men, passionate about organic produce for people living in “food-deserts” throughout certain areas of the city. These four men grow produce and flowers; offer the opportunity for others to rent plots for personal growing; open themselves to providers of nutritional information; provide classes on canning and preserving of garden contents; and even host vegan meal dinners for the public several times a month. My excitement about finding this urban garden pushed me to find out more. After several visits and conversations with these guys, I learned they were more than a little interested in helping me set up the Sistah’s Home greenhouse! They have been gracious enough to steer me to needed resources (i.e. blue prints, expenses and individuals to run the greenhouse) and have also offered to be lead contractors for the greenhouse.
Sistah’s Home – The Place of Love in Action! We are celebrating our one year anniversary with a Fish Fry on Friday, October 18, 2013 at 6 p.m. This event will be held at St. Edmunds Tower Community Room, 6141 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL. Come join us for a festive evening of food, fun and fellowship!
Cider Enterprises Book Club 