Life's an Interesting Trip on Facebook

For the past several months I have been re-connecting with old high school and college classmates from the '70s via Facebook. Some of these people were truly my friends, while others had very little to say to me back then because I wasn't a part of their "in crowd."

As I read through some of their posts I am somewhat amazed that these are the SAME people I knew back then. Back then some were ready to kick my butt over the smallest of things. Some just didn't like me because of my skin complexion or the fact that I made good grades while others were simply jealous over the fact that I made the cheerleading squad and they didn't.

These re-connections have made me realize a few things:

Kids really do grow up.

Thank God there is a God and some of my former classmates have discovered the Bible.

Holding on to old grudges serves no purpose--besides the other person has probably long forgotten what the dispute was all about.

Real maturity comes when you learn to start judging others from the inside out instead of vice versa.

Everyone deserves a second chance to be a better person.

It's still nice to be remembered.

Join me as a I take another trip down memory lane on Sunday, February 28 during my interview with a former high school school mate who went on to have a successful NFL career.

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Burn Baby Burn Takes on a New Meaning

When I hear burn baby burn , I'm thinking of a disco inferno, but, for some folks, this phrase has them thinking about death.

According to The Cremation Association of North America, more and more baby boomers are considering cremation as their last rites over a ground burial. Although many Baptists view cremation as an unacceptable destruction of the body, some 37 percent of Americans say they would like to be cremated after they die.

Research also shows that people who would prefer cremation tend to be well-educated, earn higher-than-average incomes, and reside in Western boomtowns and Sunbelt retirement communities far from their birthplace. Psychographic surveys show that they share a socially progressive agenda, supporting issues like doctor-assisted suicide and the legalization of marijuana. Most choose cremation for the convenience, the lower cost, or to help preserve land.

Some Funeral Home Directors say they are finding that many people now live away from their family and they feel it's easier to be cremated and have their remains sent to another part of the country. With people living longer, they have more time to direct their children as to what they want to do. And they consider that cremation involves fewer decisions for their family.

But even in cremation--you can go out in style. At one funeral home in Raleigh, NC a family can sit in a softly lit viewing room and watch through a window as their loved one enters the cremation chamber. If relatives want to, they can say prayers and scatter flowers over the body before the metal door closes, or even push the button to move the body along.

So what do you think? Have you decided whether you want to be cremated or buried after you die?

Our Parents Thoughts Fifty Years Ago

It's amazing to me how much has changed in 50 years. Even as a baby boomer, it seems like a lifetime ago due to the changing culture.

Here are some of the things our parents were saying back in the Fifties:

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00."


"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00will only buy a used one."


"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous!"


"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter!"


"If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."


"When I started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon.


"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying, "DAMN" in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it."


"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."


"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President."


"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."


"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet. It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."


"I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."


"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."


"There is no sense going away for the weekend anymore, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel."


"No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood."


"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it!"


"I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to Congress."

What are we, as baby boomers, saying now?

Love, Sex and The Masons on Valentine's Day

On Friday, my husband and I decided we deserved a special Valentine's weekend getaway so we packed our bags and met each other at the Hilton in Alexandria, VA.

The beautiful thing about our relationship is we don't have to get away to re-kindle our love. It always seems to be with us no matter where we are---but on this particular weekend we found love and the bizarre all in the same place.

What a lovely opportunity it was to meet women who make up a group known as the silver-haired representatives. Apparently, their National Congressional Meeting was being held during the same time we were enjoying our Valentine's weekend. They told me about their movement while I shared information about my group, Boomer Diva nation. (To learn more about the Silver-Haired Congress, click here: SHC

Then there was the bizarre---which brings me to a group known as The Masons. Who are they? Well, to be perfectly honest I don't know much about them at all. I've always thought of them as a secret society of old men---certainly older than the baby boomer crowd I'm accustomed to hanging out with.

Anyway, the Masons were also staying at the Hilton and on Valentine's Night they had a rather interesting ritual going on. A self-proclaimed Masonic Pimp escorted members, one-by-one, into a conference room. No one ever told me what was going on in there but whatever it was, it made me thankful my husband ISN'T a Mason.

Enjoy the pictures.

A Baby Boomer's Witness to History Part II

While standing in a LONG LINE to get on the Metro (train) following the Inauguration, a man behind me said, “I can’t believe I drove all the way from Michigan to see the Inauguration on a TV screen.” He then smiled and added, “But it was worth every minute of it. I’m glad I was here!”

I echo those sentiments as a 51-year-old baby boomer who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with millions of others on the National Mall to witness history in the making. The swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States was nothing short of spectacular.

It didn’t matter that it was freezing cold or that I had to walk several miles to get to a spot where all I could see was a Jumbotron. Being crammed into a small space with strangers didn’t seem to stress anyone out. Instead it gave us an opportunity to mingle, to laugh and to make some new friends.

I’m still in awe of how one man could inspire so many people from around the world to come to Washington, DC to celebrate the day.

There were people in wheelchairs----mothers pushing babies in strollers and fathers carrying young ones on their shoulders. There were those who dressed to impress with their stylish mink coats, fur hats and Obama gear—while others looked like they hadn’t slept in a few days. Two young women told me they drove 40 hours straight from California to be there. A family from Louisiana braved the freezing cold for six hours while waiting to hopefully get a good spot and glimpse of our new Commander-in-Chief.

It was all a sight to behold---a moment in time. I clearly understood what the First Lady was saying when she said “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” Of course, she was harshly criticized for her comments but for those of us who have felt disenfranchised---especially African American Baby Boomers----January 20 represented a day of reckoning.

Enjoy the slide show.

A Baby Boomer's Witness to History Part I

Over the next couple of days I will be blogging about my experience in Washington, DC as I witnessed history in the making with the swearing in of President Barack Hussein Obama. I hope you’ll be a frequent visitor to this blog and even share your own thoughts to the various posts or just offer a comment on your reaction to it all.

My daughter and I arrived in Garrisonville, VA on early Monday afternoon. My husband had made arrangements for us to stay with some of his friends. There was a house full of people upon our arrival. Some of the host’s family members decided to make the road trip from Atlanta, Louisiana and Texas.

It was obvious everyone wanted to be a part of this historic occasion.

After unloading the car, we got right back on the road and headed to DC for a day of sight-seeing. Initially, we thought we could park the car at the Metro Station in Springfield, VA and travel into the city but everybody else was obviously thinking the SAME thing. So my husband, being the smart man that he is, figured out a better Metro Station for us to go to and, sure enough, there was hardly anybody there. We joked about the scarcity of people due to the fact that it was in the “hood” and some tourists couldn’t begin to find it and probably wouldn’t dare go there if they did.

Our first stop was the National Mall where all of the festivities were going to be held. There were people EVERYWHERE and plenty of vendors selling all kinds of items. People were eager to buy anything that had Barack’s name on it. One vendor told me he sold 3000 shirts at $10 a piece in 48 hours. Not a bad hustle. Some people don’t make that in a year.

I decided I wanted to take pictures of people wearing Obama hats so I just stopped people at random and asked if I could take their pictures. I met folks from California, Jamaica, Ohio, Louisiana and even right in my own back yard of North Carolina.

Then we took pictures of the grandstand where all the big whigs would be gathered as well as.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the emotion of Inauguration Day from a baby boomer's perspective. Meanwhile, Enjoy the slide show.

What Obama's Inauguration Means to Me

My daughter and I will be among the millions who will endure the cold and the crowds to be a part of history on Tuesday, January 20. I am going, in part, to cover the event for my local radio station as their Chief Correspondent.

Even if I don’t get anywhere near the swearing-in ceremony or get a glimpse of our soon-to-be President, I still want to be there. I NEED to be there.

I will be perfectly honest. I never thought I’d live to see what is about to take place. Why? Because I am a baby boomer. I grew up during a period of segregation. Although I wasn’t raised in the segregated, lynching South, I was still subject to the “subtle discrimination” that existed in the rest of the country. It was still a “separate and unequal society.” Racism has been alive and well ever since I can remember.

Obama’s inauguration certainly won’t change race relations overnight but maybe it will start a much needed honest dialogue between the races. At the very least, he gives my grandson hope that “Yes, he can!”

What do you think? Do you see race relations improving as a result of Obama’s presidency? Do you think there’s a race problem in America?

Happy Grandparents Day

I am a baby boomer. I am also a grandmother. Today has been designated as a special day for me and millions of others who walk in similar shoes. This is Grandparents’ Day

Grandparent's Day is celebrated in September, on the first Sunday following Labor Day. The idea to create the special day was originated by a woman named Marian McQuade. The West Virginia homemaker and mother of 15 children believed there should be a day to celebrate and honor the lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to encourage grandchildren to inherit the wisdom and heritage from their grandparents.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter made it a national holiday. National Grandparents Day was first celebrated on Sunday, September 9, 1979.

Some Grandparent facts:

According to the Census Bureau, there are 6.1 million grandparents who have children under 18-years-old living with them. I am a part of that statistic.

Thirty percent of all children are cared for by grandparents whose parents work outside the home.

The average age of a boomer grandparent is 53.4 years old.

Data shows nearly 40 percent of boomers are grandparents. In real numbers, that translates to roughly 30 million.

More than three-quarters (76.5 percent) of boomer grandparents own their homes, and 46.4 percent generate more than $50,000 in household income.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re a grandparent, Happy Grandparents Day and may God continue to give you the strength to persevere.

What Position Do You Play in Your Child's Life?

This week, many baby boomer parents, like me, have been going through the experience of sending their children off to college for the first time. We are becoming something called “empty nesters.”

I would like to say helping my daughter enroll into college for the first time was a wonderful and teary-eyed experience---but it wasn’t. My greatest disappointment is the fact that she didn’t even consider my alma mater—but instead, chose to go to the school her father and my WAS-band went to. This decision was made in spite of the fact that he offered no support and no consultation. In hindsight, it’s probably better that he didn’t because that probably would’ve made matters worse!

Unlike my daughter, all I had to do when I arrived on the Ohio University campus was find my residence hall and move in. My daughter, on the other hand, was ill prepared for what was to come on her orientation day because she had not taken care of certain things in advance. She had no housing assignment and no class schedule. Her immunization records had not been turned in.

Some things have definitely changed. Unlike when I was in college, incoming freshman have to take an English and Math exam to see what level they’re on. I though that’s what the SAT’s were for. The good news is she scored a perfect 100 in English but failed miserably in Math. She may end up changing her major from Business to something else since she will be required to take a few Math courses along the way.

While my husband (her step dad) and I were waiting for her to finish with her testing, I stepped up to try to close some of the gaps by trying to get her a room assignment and request her immunization records from her doctor.

Then it hit me. The reason my daughter was so laxidasical with this process is because she had been so accustomed to me doing everything for her. In the football game of life, I was her linebacker. I blocked for her time after time when she was faced with challenges. As her quarterback as I called plays for her to make sure her transitions were smooth. I would also tackle for her if someone was trying to keep her from excelling—especially her teachers.

I have become the type of baby boomer parent I have written about and been critical of. I made it too easy for my daughter to get through life up to this point.

After 12 hours of walking around on campus trying to handle things, once again, on her behalf, I have decided the buck has to stop here. It’s time she learned about struggles and heartaches, success and failures on her own—without my interference. I just hope and pray that I’ve taught her enough that she will stand on her own and rise to the challenge.