Black Friday...Indeed

Relationships. Not shopping. It's one of those days when you realize something is over. Finally over. Shoulda been over long ago. Yet you hung on. Nibbled on the carrot dangled in front of you. Think he'll really see how you two could've been. He tells you how important it is to see each other, how much he loves you, longs for you and need to get to know each other again. Have coffee and talk. You agree, tell him how happy you'll be to do just that. You ask when to meet at Starbucks. His response? "I'll call you." That was August. Still no call.

Relationships. Sad in a way. Yesterday Thanksgiving. You do your traditional Thanksgiving church service at Inspiring Body of Christ Church with Pastor Rickie G. Rush. In a crowd of a thousands, he spots you As he walks up the aisle, he starts to wave, yet seems to hesitate to continue the wave. You just nod. He's later in the choir and seems to enjoy himself. Your lives have taken such turns. You do wonder where he'll spend Thanksgiving. You just know it's not with you. You realize there's a reason for that.

After service, as you journey to your Thanksgiving destination, he calls you. To say how good it was to see you in church. That's sincere. You know it is. You don't play around with stuff concerning the church house. He goes on and yaps about something else. You feel empty. There's nothing there. You tell him, you realize choices have been made, and you respect them. He just gets silent. Maybe he tried to reach out. Maybe it was to dangle a carrot.

Just this time you choose not to nibble. Nothing in his actions shown he would do anything different than the past. You've made mistakes where men are concerned. You realize how you let them tell you what was wrong with you. More than one told you how you expected to much. Including this man from yesterday. Your step-mother even told you once to not be so strong. Of course, this is the same woman who told you, while you were in your 20's, 'to have any man's baby, just so you could have one." You never realized that anything could be wrong with the men. That it could be their control factor. You always thought it had to be you. With your usual bold, brash nature, you feared if you spoke up too much, too soon, the men, who you thought you loved and cared for, would run for the hills.

You would stay silent for too long. Because when you finally did rise up, the men were aghast on how dare you say such things! They wouldn't pay you any mind. If you fought the fear and spoke up sooner, woulda saved you alot of heartache. You coulda chipped in for their bus fare to the hills.

Relationships. Whether they work or not, you need to be open about them. Cry some. Laugh some. Eat some ice cream. Yet, regardless of age, always learn from. Don't ever settle. You realized you settled for the bread crumbs thrown to you, by the man in the choir and others.

You deserve the whole loaf. Remember that.

Now, cue Gladys and her Pips tell us how to neither one of us.....