The Queen's Royal Court

Happy Birthday & Thank You!!!

Ladies Night Out!!!  Good Looking "Bunch"!!!
A Beautiful Bouquet of Women!

I usually put my foot in my mouth which usually gets me into some hot water. Please understand that it’s not intentional, I’m direct and expect the same from others. So what I am about say is not meant to offend anyone. Happy birthday, Virgos! No, you are not any more special than the other months and signs. (Don’t put your faith in horoscopes.) It’s just that most of my family, friends, and associates were born from August 22 – September 23. I mean it. I just about have someone that I know for just about each of those days. What’s so interesting about this is that these are close friends. Some are past friends, old friends, new friends and even potential friends. The others are family members, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. Each of these people has made an impact in my life. Real friends are hard to find and harder to lose.  They are there when you need them even if you are angry with each other.  They will celebrate your ups and share your downs. Life is a learning experience but a friend recently told me that, “I have to let go of the past, forgive, and move forward.” Like I said, some of these people are in the past. Some of them won’t even look at this website and just never encouraged me on this. It is what it is. Simply said, I had their back but they didn’t have mine. I’m not the ass-kissing type of person to get along. Either we trust each other or don’t. It might hurt for a while but I will get over it. God has brought me too far to leave me and He has always placed an angel along the way in my life’s journey, though temporary, to guide me. I have learned that it is God’s timing, not mine, or anyone else’s that can speed up or slow down our destinies. I may not be the man others wanted me to be but as long as I trust in the Lord, I will be the man HE intended for me to be. Although you might have a special place in my life, know that God will always be first. If anyone can accept that and include HIM, we won’t have a problem that we can’t overcome. Life is short but we think it will last forever. That is why I want to say thank you all in case we may never hear from each other. I’m not getting morbid, but at Mass this weekend, a fellow parishioner, told me that her mother was literally dying in front of her. Her mother will be 91 years old in October. She is a beautiful woman and we often talked of her husband being stationed in Hawaii when they were young. I can imagine her vibrancy and love of life in her early years, now she is frail and just getting tired of living. No one can take the place of a mother on this earth. That’s why I said life is short and we squabble over trivial matters. Some say time is a great healer, others say sometimes its not.

Remembering 9/11

Let’s not forget the victims and survivors of 9/11 nine years ago. Their losses will never be forgotten. Our prayers are with them and their families. But don’t ever forget the first responders! Remember the pain and suffering that they are still going through. Yes, they have horrible memories etched forever in files they wished to forget. Some of them have health problems from breathing in the contaminants that were in the air. Even now they are still fighting for government care. This day did not come without its share of controversies. Muslims wanted to put a mosque within 4 blocks of ground zero. This is offensive to some even though they do have a right to practice their religion here in America but I think it’s a matter of respect and find another location. This is a separate article as it is but I’m not taking away from my homage to 9/11. Another major controversy was with a Florida pastor who threatened to burn the Muslim Koran. What is wrong with people? Hopefully, I’ll have a guest editor who will discuss this issue in detail later. Keep in mind that we lost people at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa., too.  Our soldiers are still fighting and dying in the mountains and desert sands on foreign soils to maintain our security. I ask that you keep our country and military in your prayers.

Not A Peaceful Sight!

This diorama featuring the Massachusetts 54th regiment fighting on Morris Island originally was built to be displayed in the Statue of Liberty. After several years at Fort Moultrie, it has been given to the Seashore Farmers' Lodge, where it is now displayed.

More History!!

Yes, I’m still caught up on the Massachusetts 54th Regiment’s history and its associations. Lodges such as Seashore Farmers’ Lodge No. 767 were, along with the church, the heart of the community. Communication and cooperation with other lodges in the area and annual lodge parades and gatherings helped cement ties with the wider African American community. If a member or a member’s family was ill the Lodge members would “nurture” them; they gave money if possible and provided assistance with the home and children. The Seashore Farmers’ Lodge also provided assistance, recreation and education for the community; they raised money for the local Sunday school, and hosted Vacation Bible School for the area children. The Lodge members were small farmers, bound together by familial and community ties. The building has a lateral gable roof of raised-seam tin with exposed rafters, wood clapboarding, concrete piers, and windows with wooden full-panel shutters as simple openings.

Growing Old Together!

We all work for the best things in life and can’t always afford the most expensive. We want things to go our way and make us happy. We marry and expect it to last a lifetime. (There’s a poignant story linked to this.) We have children that are products of our love and we pray that they are healthy, intelligent, and beautiful. We also hope that their lives would be better than ours and that our grandchildren would continue the tradition. We want to be major contributors to society, our community, and our country. We don’t want to be famous but remembered in a positive way. That’s correct, we want the right job, the right spouse, the right family and the right everything that will make us fit in our own limited world. Well, those of us that have lived long enough knows that not always life will give us what we want. And even if we meet some of those of goals, they don’t always last. If you noticed, I didn’t mention God or Christ until now. That’s what normally happens when we focus on the material things. We’re so busy trying to meet our goals that we leave God out of them. And when things fall apart, then we tend to remember Him. We wait until it’s almost too late. We should be grateful that He doesn’t think like we do. He knows that we change when we think we have control over our lives. We forget about humility and pride takes over. Things fail because we don’t include God in our plans at the offset. As we get older and realize our mistakes and failures, we remember to consult with Him first before we act.  Yes, life happens and we deal with it.  We have to!  We need God more than ever in our lives.  Too bad we wait until we're older when we give Him the honor and praise that is due.