Standing Strong
June 29, 2009
You ever been in love?You ever had a falling out with your
family.Ever met that”special” someone that you thought was
going to be that person to help you reach the stars and give you
everything life has to offer? The answer to all those
questions is probably yes.
For Trina Stewart, these things were all components of her
young life post high school graduation
from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale,California.She thought she had found
love.She thought she had found that man.Cinderella had found her Prince
Charming.He was it..or so she thought.Then , in the blink of an eye,things took
a turn that almost turned fatal.
As I spoke to Miss Stewart, I remember quite vividly seeing
missing persons postings affixed with her image on supermarkets and phone booths.Almost
in disbelief,I remember telephoning many friends that knew her, telling them of
my discovery.Most ,like I, couldn’t fathom what happen.Recently, after nearly
18 years,( and thanks to Facebook)I reconnected with Trina .As we reminisced, I
breached the subject of how I had seen the postings in and around my
neighborhood.To my surprise, not only did she confirm what I had seen,she
expressed a desire to recount the story behind them.
Love,as it turned out, took Trina to Nevada.Love , however,
soon revealed to be short lived as the man of her dreams became an inhuman
monster , becoming both verbally and physically abusive.With this in mind,
Trina decided the best way to try and get out of the situation would be to try
and reopen the lines of communication with her family ,lines which had been
through the wringer.These attempts proved to be futile as
every time she gave family members a phone number to contact her and
establish her whereabouts, her “controller” would change the number and she
would be back to square one.One fateful night , however, that all changed.
See, one night, Trina Stewart, decided , she was going to
cease to be a victim.She was going to fight backThat what was different about
this night.What was also different was the gun that would come into play.Her
“assailant”retrieved a gun from an upstairs bedroom and vowed to kill her,
backing her into the kitchen, and in his deranged state,expelling a bullet from
the gun. The bulletstruck her on the left thigh, leaving a tennis ball size
hole in her leg, which immediately began gushing plasma.The fact she didn’t get
fatally wounded was due to her inadvertenly turning her hips as she tried to
avoid her attacker.
As she laid there, drifting in and out of consciousness, she
kept telling herself she recalls” I’m not going to die”As most abusers do, he
blamed her for forcing him now to finish the job and kill her and whistled a
second shot past her head that she recounts she “only heard but never saw” due
to her enormous bloodloss.
Then ,in either a moment of clarity, or a stroke of genius, she turned the
tables.She began to use her words to soothe his troubled lament..She exclaimed to him
repeatedly”Baby, we can work things out.We’ll be alright”.All the while, she’s
nearing a critical state of unconsciousness.But not her will to live.Her words
proved to be soothing enough for her then boyfriend to phone 911 and report that
his girlfriend had been”accidentally shot”and that an ambulance was necessary.At
this point, things become cloudy .The next vision she sees is in a hospital room, surrounded by
her mother, brother and cousin, who she had lost contact with, previously
sabotaged in attempts to repair and heal the wounds that had been opened up previously.
The road to recovery was not an easy one.Doctors told her
that the damage she sustained to her leg would not allow her to walk again.But
she was not to be denied .With help from her brother, helping her with physical
rehab,she was able to overcome this obstacle and move forward, earning a degree,
speaking to young women about the perils of domestic abuse, and how to see the
signs.She also put her story in musical form , recording two albums , including
one that was almost autobiographical in recounting the incident, at the studio that
her brother and cousin built from the ground up.
What’s next for Trina? Marriage,children?If the right one
comes along.For now though, she ‘s just content to tell you her story…of
tragedy,triumph…and rebirth.
5 Tupac Lines to Live By going into 2009
December 27, 2008
As the year changes, as 2008 makes way for 2009, people are going to make new rules, create new motto’s, only to break all of them. So i figured i might as well add to the pot with 5 lines to live by in 2009. I’ve been listening to Tupac alot lately (CB listen’s to Tupac alot period… lol) and i figured why not. Pac said a lot of good things, most of which are real and will apply to life no matter the year. So here it goes… 5 Tupac lines to live by going into a new year.
*Sidenote: as a matter of fact they all come from the same song (i guess i’ll branch out later, just too many rules in this one song). Taken From “Blasphemy” off the Makaveli Album.
#1 – “I got advice from my father, all he told me was this// N!gg@, get off yo ass if you plan to be rich”
Make your money in 2009. You’ve heard people say time and time again, to get different results do something different. Sitting on the couch wont make you a dime. Unless of course you’re a reality TV blogger, only then is it an investment.
If you’re currently unemployed, while looking for a job, learn a trade, or a hustle. Rolling blunts isnt a skill you can add to your resume, im sure, as well, running from the police doesnt qualify you for public service. Running from the police doesnt equate to Running for office.
#2 – “There’s 10 rules to game, but i’ll share with you two// Know, n!gg@s goin hate you for whatever you do!”
As cliche’ as it may sound, you will be hated in 09 if (keyword “if”) you are progressing. Your enemies will definitely hate, and yes your boys will hate too. That conversation you always seem to walk into and the room gets quiet. Thats the hate, you see it. Dont think its the unemployed friends either. Check the scratching of the head, when you walk into that room and they go “sssh sssshhhh” look for the one who scratches his head. He’s the one that starts the hate circle. Remember hate is contagious, if you humor it you too will find yourself hating at some point during 2009. Which leads into another line which i will use to reinforce this one: “…Watch for phonies// keep yo, enemies close n!gg@ watch yo hommies!”
#3 – “Everybody kissing ass to go to heaven aint goin…”
So very true. For all the folks going to church on New Years Eve, kissing ass only works on the job. Act like God knows your heart, he sees through the b.s. believe me. So that “holy ghost” dance you’ve been practicing might look good to Sister Patterson, but to God, its ugly. I understand many of a believer will “change” for the new year, but who you fooling? If you already know come Jan 15th you’ll be back to that coke and yac’ why quit? There is a difference between living right and lying to yourself, as well there is a difference between true Praise and Kissing Ass!
#4 – “Do what you gotta do, but know you got to change// try to find a way to make it out the game”
Hustling in 2009. Is its played out yet? Hustling has been the fad for a few years now. I know that helped a lot of unemployed brothas get @$$ in 08. When she asked “Well, what do you do for a living?” and you replied in your best Jay-Z voice “Im a hustl-a, ima ima Hustl-a,” she may have thought it was cute, it WAS in style. (you may frown but i’ve seen it happen, even the career women had their moment of infatuation with the “hustla”). But come 2009 take that hustle money and invest it somewhere. Yes if you look at the stock market now, to the untrained eye it may seem like a moment to shy away from purchasing stock. Four words “Buy Low, Sell High.” Apply those block tactics you’re all too familiar with to the stock market, and trade your hoodie for a suit in 09.
#5 – “Promise if i have a seed, ima guild him right…”
It was either this line or “Money over B!tches cuz they breed envy…” but the latter of two seemed so trife i figured id leave it alone. So anyways, how about going into 09 we put more effort into parenting? “Mama gotta have a life too” was a lie, like Martin used to say “somebody done told you wrong!” Mama’s life is her child, and Daddy’s life too. Get your priorities right in 09, hell why wait, get em right, right now! Not saying you cant leave them with Grandma and go out every once in a while, but those children need rearing, and loving, correction and reinforcement. And quit trying to be your child’s friend act like an adult why dont you. Make it point, PTA meetings over happy hour and parent teacher conferences in place of the Savoy or the Dynasty (my L.A. folks know what im talking about lol)…
Any more lines? What you got?
Beautiful Life | the topic: abortion… | Common – Retrospect for Life
October 22, 2008
“Hoodrats dont abortion your womb// We need more warriors soon// Sent from the stars, sun, and the moon.”
A lyric from Nas suggesting that the option of abortion not be used, and terms within that lyric would suggest that he is refering to his black people. This brings upon a debate about the option of abortion and the validity of its uses. When should it be an option, under what circumstances, and even more the moral implications that come along with it.
Some argue against abortion at all costs, some say only in rape cases, others argue that unplanned parenting is a valid reason for abortion due to the fact that a couple not ready to (and i say couple losesly, meaning two people, not exactly two people together) parent can lead to troubles and hardships that might negatively affect the child. But i think we all have come from some adversity, and have had to overcome it, i dont believe death is validated by avoidance of struggle.
Even planned parenting isnt easy, there will always be obstacles, its life. Raising a child takes a certain level of maturity. A child cannot teach another child to be an adult, but even that doesnt constitute abortion. Most would not want the birth of a child to HAVE to grow them up, but that is part of the harsh realities of life. When you make the decision to engage in sex you make the choice to take the chance of conceiving a child. “Mama gotta have a life too,” but only after Mama has taken care of her RESPONSIBILITY of raising that child.
When i say, raising, i dont mean just food and clothing, i mean rearing, teaching, guidance. Common, in the song “Retrospect for Life” said:
“… Weekend visits and buying J’s aint goin make me a father”
Some would use abortion as an excuse, a measure of prolonging their child-like-ness while putting off the responsibilities of parenthood. If you’re not ready, fine, im not saying everyone has to have children, but thats a issue of prevention. Something thought of before sex, before conception. If you aren’t yet responsible to become a parent, not yet financially ready, at least be responsible enough during sex to prevent death. Like Common said at the end of “Retrospect for Life” “3 hundred and 15 dollars aint worth yo’ soul. 3 hundred and 15 dollars aint worth it…”
Im not pro abortion, nor am i anti abortion. I am however an advocate of life, and my moral beliefs say that all murder is wrong, but, I believe abortion is a decision that should be left to the individual. In some instances it might be valid, but i leave that decision to those who have that decision to be made. I’ve walked into planned parenting once, wasnt my choice but of course it wasnt my body either. She felt she wasnt ready, but i promise you that is something she now regrets. She wasnt of age to make that decision responsibly, so then i guess its safe to say she wasnt ready to be engaging in sex….
I leave on this note, what if Mommy would have aborted you?
Common – Retrospect for Life | DOWNLOAD
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