Twelve Reasons for The Season

• “For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
• “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8; cf. Hebrews 2:14–15).
• “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
• “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
• “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
• “God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5).
• “For God so loved the world that whoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16).
• “God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
• “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
• “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against . . . that the thoughts of many may be revealed” (Luke 2:34ff).
• “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
• “Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarches, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:7–8; cf. John 12:27ff).

Peace, love, and blessings,

Rachel Araya

Schoolhouse Massacre

I enjoy my constitutional rights. However, I would gladly give up my right to bear arms if it meant stopping the senseless violence that is pervading the land of the free. Like all of you, I was shocked when Adam Lanza took a Glock, a Sig Sauer, and a .223 caliber Bushmaster rifle to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Our nation cried when this mad man launched the bloodiest attack in our nation’s history against our babies–America’s children.

In my opinion, something should’ve been done after the Columbine attack but in this country the National Rifle Association has enjoyed a long stint as ruler of the lobbyist. That’s right. I said it. The NRA is a powerful lobbyist group that aggressively supports an individual’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. In its lobbying for gun rights, the NRA opposes measures which it believes will conflict with the Second Amendment and/or the right to privacy enjoyed by gun owning citizens. In fact, the NRA believes that gun ownership is a civil right. The organization calls itself the “oldest civil rights organization in the United States” (it was founded in 1871). I bet Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are turning over in their graves right now.

Thank goodness that the President of the United States has called for meaningful action to take place. After the Connecticut massacre, President Obama denounced the weapons of war that are so readily available today that serve little purpose beyond warfare. Our President wants to make smart reforms to the gun laws to make sure that guns don’t fall into the wrong hands. The president announced he is launching a gun-violence task force in wake of Newtown massacre. I have no qualms about stricter gun laws in America especially when so many mentally ill people and evil people are roaming our land just as free as the breeze!

Declaring that the time for action is overdue, President Obama promised that he would work with Congress for tighter gun laws that would curb many violent acts after last week’s schoolhouse massacre that left 20 schoolchildren and six adults dead in Newtown, Connecticut.

I believe that our President can convince Congress to implement gun control measures that would prevent tragedies that are killing innocent people and children. The tide is changing in America. We want our babies to live long lives.

Adam Lanza was a dirty devil. And let me just say this: GOD allowed this tragedy to happen. I believe that everything happens for a reason. It’s time for us to make a change and become a more peaceful nation–domestically and internationally.

Love, peace, and blessings,

Rachel Araya

The Right-to-Work for Less

A right-to-work law is a statute in the United States of America that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees’ membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring. “Right-to-work” laws do not, as the short phrase might suggest, aim to provide a general guarantee of employment to people seeking work, but rather are a government regulation of the contractual agreements between employers and labor unions that prevents them from excluding non-union workers.

President Obama blasted Michigan Republicans for seeking right-to-work laws saying that they represent anti-union politics. “What they are talking about is giving you the right to make less money,” said Obama while at an engine plant in Detroit, Michigan.

In spite of the near 13,000 people who protested on Michigan’s State Capitol, the Michigan Legislature and Governor Synder enacted a ban on mandatory union membership which dealt a heavy blow to organized labor in Michigan. Michigan is home to the U.S. automakers and the symbol of industrial labor in the United States.

Republican Governor Synder said, “I view this as an opportunity to stand up for Michigan’s workers, to be pro-worker.”

The teamsters union national president, James Hoffa said, “Let me tell the governor and all those elected officials who voted for this shameful, divisive bill–there will be repercussions.”

The Republicans view this bill as freeing their workers while Democrats view it as undermining a basic union tenet of bargaining collectively with employers for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

One of the consequences to this divisive law is that the Republicans are essentially weakening the Democratic party. The Democratic party gets its grass-roots support from unions.

Apparently, the predominately white Republicans either forgot or didn’t care about the struggles of black workers and women workers in America. It is no secret that women of all color also benefitted from the civil rights movement and affirmative action.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a long time ally of organized labor. He led marches and spoke to crowds of thousands as protestors confronted an increasingly violent response from random people and the police. In fact, the scene at Michigan’s State Capitol gave me a glimpse into history as police pushed and dragged out peaceful protestors. The police even used pepper spray on them. Not too long ago, Martin Luther King told a crowd at an AFL-CIO convention that labor was a civil rights priority.

Thanks to the power of unions, black workers and women who were vulnerable to racism and sexism in the workplace, enjoyed a relatively nice work environment. The unions provided the much-needed on the job protections that Michigan’s mostly white legislature has now taken away.

Let it be known: Unions helped bring economic justice to black workers, women workers, and all of the other workers as well. I agree with James Hoffa. There will be consequences and repercussions!

Peace, Love, and Blessings,

Rachel Araya

Women Are Under Attack

The recent articles about the two men charged in the attack on a pregnant woman shocked me just as much as the actual attack that left LaTonya Bowman, a 22 year old woman, burning alive with a gunshot wound in her back. I am outraged because of the lack of information about domestic violence in these articles.

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used by one person to maintain power and control over another person. Some people often recognize abuse in others and in one’s self a little too late. This is what domestic violence looks like: physical battery, sexual violations, emotional games, verbal insults and threats, surveillance, isolation, and even economic stresses. There is no doubt in my mind that LaTonya Bowman experienced some of these things before this recent attack.

People need to know that a woman is being beaten in the United States every nine seconds. (Source: American Institute on Domestic Violence 2001) People need to know that 1 out of 3 women will be hurt at some point in her life either physically or sexually by a husband, boyfriend, or ex-partner. (Source: American Institute on Domestic Violence 2001) People need to know that intimate partner violence is the leading cause of injury to women. It affects 1-3 million women a year in theU.S., making it more common than muggings, stranger rapes, and car accidents combined. (Source: American Institute on Domestic Violence 2001)  People need to know that on average more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands, boyfriends, or ex-partners in the United States.(Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund)

Jamal Rogers and Antonio Mathis are being charged with kidnapping, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit 1^st degree murder. LaTonya Bowman was bound with duct tape, forced in a car, doused with lighter fluid, set on fire, and then shot in the back because Jamal Rogers did not want her to have his baby. People like Jamal Rogers and Antonio Mathis use any excuse to justify their despicable behavior. Oftentimes people who do unconscionable things are called “sick.” These two men are not “sick,” for that definition merely serves to give them an excuse for their unconscionable behavior. Jamal Rogers and Antonio Mathis are domestic terrorists. They are criminals who need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law for every crime charged in this case—plain and simple.

We must not participate in the conspiracy of silence hovering over domestic violence any longer. Domestic violence is a terrible crime. LaTonya Bowman and countless other women (including myself) know this very well. We all need to be concerned about domestic violence. Women are under attack. What should we do? We should become proactive in order to break the cycle of violence. Please remember that violence begets violence. Please do not take the law into your own hands. Women need to seek help and leave.

In May 2006, Kalyn Risker founded Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) with the mission to equip survivors of domestic violence with the appropriate financial tools and resources needed to enable women to leave and recover from the economic portion of domestic violence.

If you need financial assistance in order to leave or if you would like to make a donation to help women move away from crisis situations, please contact Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) at 1-800-757-4919 or visit www.NewSafeStart.org. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233). If you are in immediate danger call 9-11.

Peace, love, hope, and joy,

Rachel Araya

Bringing Home Bianca Jones

Bianca Jones was reportedly traveling with her father in a 2004 silver Mercury Grand Marquis on Friday when they were carjacked. The father told the police that he was forced to give up the car with her in it. The vehicle was subsequently recovered, but the girl remains missing.

Bianca is described as a 2 year old African-American, 2 feet, 5 inches tall, 25 pounds, brown hair, and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink dress, pink tights, pink shoes, and a purple coat, according to an Amber Alert issued last week by the Michigan State Police.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. said that the “authenticity and credibility of the original version of events is under intense scrutiny by our investigative team,” seeming to suggest that police do not believe what the father told them happened. Bianca’s father,D’Andre Lane, failed a polygraph test. However, he gave the police permission to enter his home to search for anything suspicious. He claims that he doesn’t have anything to hide and that he would never hurt his own child. He is cooperating with the police in this investigation.

D’Andre Lane appeared on Nancy Grace’s show saying: “My daughter is a beautiful little girl. She has a bright personality. She’s the type of person that lights up a room when she walks in it. She’s very intelligent. She’s just a wonderful little girl to be around.”

On December 5^th approximately 150 volunteers turned out to help look for Bianca. The police are still looking for her. I am urging anyone with information on the possible whereabouts of this precious little girl to contact Detroit police. Let’s bring Bianca Jones home.

UPDATE:

In October 2012, D’Andre Lane was found guilty of murder and first degree child abuse even though Bianca’s body was never found.

Love, peace, hope, and joy,

Rachel Araya

Kwame Kilpatrick’s book profits from “Surrendered”

A Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, Judge Groner, ordered that an escrow account be set up to collect all profits from Kwame Kilpatrick’s book until the former mayor’s $860,000 restitution is paid. Some money has already been made on Kilpatrick’s newly released memoir, “Surrendered.”

The issue in the hearing was whether profits from Kilpatrick’s tell-all book would be forfeited to pay off the remaining $860,000 in restitution Kilpatrick still owes Detroit.

In court, Assistant Prosecutor Robert Spada told the judge that a company owned by Kwame Kilpatrick’s sister, Ayanna, signed the book deal one day before the former mayor was sent to prison in May 2010.

“We have a contract between Ayanna Kilpatrick’s company, and the publisher, and we don’t know where Mr. Kilpatrick figures in there, and where all the profits are going,” said Spada.

Prosecutors then questioned the man named on the book’s cover as a co-author, Khary Turner. Turner’s wife is one of Kwame Kilpatrick’s cousins. Turner testified he hasn’t been paid yet, and he’s still negotiating his contract with Ayanna Kilpatrick’s company, AKtion Enterprises, LLC.

“My understanding is, she [Ayanna] has assumed control of Mr. Kilpatrick’s rights, so in our deal, she is presenting herself as an acting co-author. That’s part of what’s still being negotiated,” said Turner.

Under the Michigan Crime Victim’s Rights Act, someone convicted of a crime cannot profit from the crime until victims are compensated. Kilpatrick attorneys, Daniel Hajji and Kevin McCallister, tried to argue that the law at issue is unconstitutional. But at times, that only seemed to anger the judge.

“You’re not helping his case – you’re not answering the question — that’s the problem. You’re making things worse, now I’m more confused than ever,” said Judge Groner.

In the end, Judge Groner ruled that an escrow account must be set up to collect book profits, so Kilpatrick’s restitution can be paid to the city of Detroit.

The judge also said he would sign an order to set up an escrow account for the Michigan Department of Corrections, because the state can go after Kilpatrick to re-pay the cost of his incarceration.

Some may argue that the idea that anyone would profit from a crime is an affront to our system of justice and is something that every crime victim should be protected from. While many find it despicable that there is a market for stories and other ways criminals may be able to exploit their crimes for profit,  a market does exist.

The Michigan law was designed to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes through the commercial exploitation of their stories. Any money that could potentially be earned by a criminal resulting from the commission of a crime would first be used to compensate their victim and others who have the right to sue under the law.

Is this law fair?

Some questions that may come to Kwame Kilpatrick’s mind:

1. Does this mean you will own the publishing copyright on my life?
2. At what point will I stop ‘paying’ for my crimes?
3. Where does my future career lie as a former criminal trying to help other criminals rehabilitate and earn a living through writing?

Convicted criminals already ‘pay’ for their crimes through sentencing and where the conviction is sound, rightly so. But the government is now trying to impose secondary punishments and a further removal of liberty, specifically the freedom to profit from memoir writing.

Please read this brief description about “Surrendered:”

Learn the truth behind his meteoric rise in politics, the crippling controversies surrounding his administration, his downfall and, ultimately, his redemption.

The saga that led to Kwame Kilpatrick’s imprisonment is widely known. He was convicted and served time for lying under oath about an affair with his chief-of-staff, a long-time friend. He was sentenced to prison after being convicted of probation violation. In his soon-to-be released memoir, Surrendered: The Rise, Fall and Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick, he chronicles his rise and demise while offering a revealing intimate look at his family, his current surreal life in prison and his hopes for the future.

I’m ordering a copy of the book. Are you?   

Love, hope, peace, and joy,

Rachel Araya

Welfare Cuts in Michigan

REPOST

The Michigan House and Senate passed legislation approving a four-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits. If you have been on welfare for four years, you are automatically cut off.

Come October 1, 12,600 families will be cut off the rolls. The family unit will also lose their insurance and their food stamps. Then every month, more people will be eliminated. If you have been on welfare for say three years, you only have one year left. Ohio is also going through this process — they are trying to legislate a three-year time limit. These are examples of the wholesale cuts that are taking place in the Rust Belt against that section of the working class that has the least. If allowed, it could eventually affect the whole working class.

The four-year time limitation is part of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), the welfare “reform” bill that was passed in 1996 under the administration of Bill Clinton.

However, it was left up to the states as to when they would implement this part of the bill. Some states rushed to implement it and others tended to leave the time limitation alone.

Now, the present administration in Lansing—via Gov. Snyder—is not only implementing the time limitation with the blessing of the legislative branch of the government, he is going back retroactively.

However, the original legislation establishing the four-year limit was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm at the beginning of her second term. She promised during her campaign that she would not sign it. She used as an excuse that the legislation only cut off adults, not children in the family. It is unclear from the legislation whether that provision is still maintained.

The Governor says people are to get a job. How can you get a job in an economy that is not producing jobs for the vast majority of people? People are getting thrown off the job rolls by technology. People are going into the Michigan Welfare Rights Office who are trying to match up two or three jobs. They still can’t survive. They are not grossing the amount of money they would have realized if they had their old jobs. They need assistance.

The Michigan government claims that by moving to do the four-year time limitation, an estimated $77.4 million will be saved. There is no consideration given to what will happen to people without money to buy food or shelter. They will be out on the street.

If the masses of people do not rally against these particular cuts, it will set the foundation for the cuts to go deeper. They will continue the taxation on the pension, eat away at other benefits of the workers, and eliminate certain programs not relevant for the corporate interests. If we allow this to go forward, what is it going to do for social security on a federal level? Will there be a time limit for social security? We have to think about this. Enforcement of this bill would set the foundation for all of our benefits to be eliminated.

Something to think about.

Peace, love, hope, and joy,

Rachel Araya

Casey Anthony: “The Worst F*cking Person?”

What kind of mother murders her child? Casey Anthony called herself “the worst f*cking person” in a text message she sent on July 16, 2008.  Caylee Anthony was a missing child on that particular date. However, forensic evidence proved that she was dead. Was it an accidental drowning in a pool that caused Casey Anthony to chloroform Caylee and wrap duct around the toddler’s head three times, and subsequently dispose of her body in the nearby woods? Was it a coldhearted mother’s act of premeditated murder that took precious Caylee’s life? Those are the issues under scrutiny in the Casey Anthony murder trial that could very well send Casey Anthony to her own early death.

 A computer forensic expert testified in the Casey Anthony murder trial that she found Internet searches for chloroform on the Anthony family’s computer. The chemical chloroform can be used to knock someone unconscious, or at very high levels, can kill someone especially a toddler.

The prosecution claims that Casey Anthony, 25, used chloroform to render her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, unconscious before wrapping three pieces of duct tape around the toddler’s nose and mouth to suffocate her. Moreover, the prosecution claims that Anthony searched the internet for instructions on how to make chloroform.

Police computer forensic expert, Sandra Osborne, testified that she was able to find Google searches for chloroform on the family’s computer in spite of the deletions.  

The searches were found in a portion of the computer’s hard drive that indicated they had been deleted. Detective Sandra Osborne of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office testified that the deleted material remains on a computer’s hard drive and can be retrieved until it is overwritten by new data. It had not been overwritten on the Anthonys’ computer, she said, and “a complete Internet history” was obtained.

Defense attorney, Jose Baez, challenged Osborne during cross-examination, asking her if it was possible that another computer user could have searched for the term chloroform besides Casey. Osborne affirmed that possibility. She also said that there were searches for, Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, whom Anthony claimed to be Caylee’s nanny, on July 16, 2008. Notably, there were no previous searches for that name before that day.

The prosecution team is building up its case against Anthony with a heavy emphasis on the chemical chloroform. The foremost expert on human decomposition science, Dr. Arpad Vass, said the amount of chloroform in the air and carpet sample from Anthony’s trunk was nearly 10,000 times that found in normal human decay. Prosecutors claim the test proves that Caylee’s dead body was in her mother’s car trunk. Vass affirmed that storyline, “I can find no other plausible explanation other than that to explain all the results we found.” Vass has studied human decay for 20 years.

Caylee Anthony, the doe-eyed toddler that stole the nation’s heart after family photos were released, died on June 16, 2008. The medical examiner ruled it a homicide by undetermined means.

The defense claims that Caylee died in the family’s pool in an accident and that George Anthony, Casey’s father, helped keep the death a secret and helped his daughter dispose of the body. I don’t believe that line of defense at all.

Casey Anthony is accused of first degree murder. If convicted, she could be sentenced to death. Given the evidence of chloroform and human decomposition in the trunk of Casey’s car, Casey Anthony may very well be a dead woman walking. Chloroform has a sweet smell. Given this fact, the sweet smell of justice might be just around the corner.

Love, hope, peace, joy,

Rachel Araya

Killing Your Beloved

It saddens my heart every time I read or see a story on the news about a mother killing herself and/or her children. Recently, Lashanda Armstrong drove a minivan into the New York Hudson River after enduring a domestic violence dispute at home. She drowned herself along with her four children. Her 10-year-old son, Lashaun Armstrong, managed to roll down a window of the sinking vehicle, get out of the car, and swim to shore. Killed along with Lashanda Armstrong were Landon Pierre, 5, Lance Pierre, 2, and 11-month-old Laianna Pierre, police said. Lashaun is staying with his mother’s aunt Angela Gilliam and “doing fine,” she said.

It might be of interest for you to know that a relative called police to report a dispute at the home of Lashanda Armstrong who was only 25 years old. Shortly afterward, she drove off a boat ramp several blocks away from her apartment approximately 60 miles north of New York City.

Officials believe Lashaun Armstrong hit the button on a power window to escape from the driver’s side as the minivan began to sink in the 45-degree water. Fire Chief Michael Vatter said that the vehicle went under within two minutes. “He got out of the car, got up onto the boat ramp, turned around and it was gone,” Vatter said.

A passer-by found a soaked and cold Lashaun Armstrong along the shore and took him to a firehouse for help. The boy was so distraught that he had difficulty talking but ultimately told firefighters what happened, the fire chief said. Rescuers went immediately to the river.

Divers searched for about an hour before finding the minivan submerged in 10 feet of water about 25 yards from the shore. They used a tow truck to pull it up the ramp. Everyone inside was dead.

Before this tragic incident occurred, Armstrong appeared stressed-out when she picked up the children at the Young and Unique Christian Development Child Care, said Shaniesha Strange, who is a supervisor in the infant room.

“The only thing she’d say was that she was so alone,” Strange said. “She’s a single parent. She takes great care of her kids, goes to school and works. She really needed a helping hand.”

The man police identified as the father of the three dead children, Jean Pierre, was questioned. Police would not give details. He apparently didn’t live with the mother and children, and he could not immediately be located for a comment.

Hetty Minatee, another teacher at the day care center said that Armstrong enrolled the four children there in September. At first Jean Pierre would come in with Armstrong in order to pick up the kids. “A couple of weeks ago, she came in a little upset,” Minatee said. “She said, ‘Miss Minatee, I don’t want the father to pick the kids up or have any contact with them.’ She said she was trying to get a court order so he could never see the kids again.”

Why did LaShanda want the court order against her ex? That is the question! This mother intentionally killed herself and her children. People want to know why a seemingly loving mother would resort to suicide-murder.

Before everyone judges her, consider this: when people are dealing with domestic situations often there’s no one to step in and help resolve the issue. People like to instigate or standby on the sidelines and talk about you more than help you. I know this to be true because I have spent a considerable amount of time talking and working with battered women and their children. Not to mention the fact that I was a battered woman myself. Fortunately for me, I decided not to have children with my abusive ex-husband.  I couldn’t imagine having children with a man who was violent towards me. Obviously, I didn’t care what happened to me but I do care about children. I couldn’t put them in harm’s way. As a matter of fact, I think that I would protect them from an abusive man by any means necessary. I know this about myself. Would I send them to GOD if my man or my ex began abusing them? I don’t know. I don’t think so but the truth is no one knows what they are capable of in a hostile environment, which reminds me of Toni Morrison’s book—Beloved.

In Beloved, the mother, Sethe , feels that it is her moral duty to rid the children of a life that cannot be tolerated. In order to save her children, she feels as if she must kill them, so that they will never be able to experience the hardships and trouble of slavery that she went through. Even though she overcame slavery, she doesn’t want her children, her ‘best things,’ to even have to think about going through what she went through. It is especially important “that the girl-children be made safe, first and foremost. They are the ones who can grow to have their milk stolen, their wombs defiled, their womanhood mocked” (Morrison 179). In Beloved, we see the constant idea of the stealing of a woman’s milk. In order to prevent this from happening, to protect her children, Sethe’s “best things,” from experiencing what she did, she begins by killing her first-born daughter in an attempt to unify them together on the other side where they will be safe from all the dreadful outcomes of slavery.  The concept of protection and destruction comes into play whole-heartedly throughout Beloved.

 As Sethe speaks and explains to Beloved why she had to kill her “best thing” she says, “My plan was to take us all to the other side. They stopped me from getting there, but they didn’t stop you from getting here. Ha ha. You came right on back like a good girl, like a daughter” (Morrison 240). Here, we see the story coming full circle. Sethe had to get her daughter out of this world in order for her to be safe… She had no intention of leaving her oldest daughter cold and alone in an unfamiliar place. Rather, she had every intention in joining her, along with her other children, had she not been interrupted. Sethe clearly values her children as is evident in her descriptions of them, and she does for them what no person can do.  Clearly, Sethe does not want to hurt her children. Instead she wants to protect them from the almost unbearable life of slavery. Sethe’s love was so “thick” that she was the only person able or strong enough to cause her daughter pain so that she could not be dirtied, but would always be clean and safe, on the other side.

Sethe killed her daughter as a means of protecting her. Morrison makes that clear. Again, no one knows what they will do in a hostile situation until it happens so it is an act of futility to say I would never do this or that. The mind is a powerful entity. Sometimes it plays tricks on you. I do not advocate or condone this kind of behavior. Killing yourself or others is just flat-out wrong. The Bible tells us that it is a sin so I don’t think that I would intentionally go against the commandment—“Thou shall not kill.” However, I am not certain because I have never been in that particular situation because I don’t have any children. I am merely explaining that the mind and heart will make you do things that are seemingly out of your known character. I will say that Lashanda and Sethe were two loving mothers who wanted to protect their children by any means necessary. Let me just say for the record that there is a season and a period for everything. And you will find your seasons and periods in the Bible in “ Ecclesiastes Three.”

Love, hope, peace, and joy,

Rachel Araya

Spring Cleaning

Spring has arrived. Have you done your spring cleaning yet? Sure, you can clean out your closet, dust your blinds, and beat your rugs. But can you throw out that no good man of yours? I hope you know how to declutter your life because it is very unhealthy to hold on to that which is polluting your mind and cluttering up your heart. If you have a lot of STUFF around you, I pray that the following information motivates you to do some spring cleaning.

I’ve come to realize that you can’t attract a healthy love as long as you are holding on to all of his STUFF. I am not a professional love guru by any stretch of the imagination. However, I have had my share of men cluttering up my life with their self-serving STUFF. In a way, I am definitely a self-proclaimed expert; I know how to throw out that messy man.  Clutter makes attracting a loving man either difficult or just flat-out impossible.

The first step to decluttering your love life is to break up with your no-good man. If you have a good man, hold on to him for dear life. If you do not have a man who completely adores you, it is time to get rid of him and all of his STUFF! I don’t mean possessions either; I mean all of the mental STUFF that he deposited in your mental bank account.

Try the completely honest approach. This is perhaps the best way to break up with your partner. In order to avoid a messy break up, you must be brutally honest with him. I have learned through my own trials and tribulations that breaking up with someone via e-mail, phone, or text are generally considered rude and tacky. It is best to schedule a meeting with him so you can address your issues face to face. It is real simple: Just tell your man that you are no longer interested in seeing him. It works! Trust me. Be careful. Don’t let him drag out the issue at hand. You are under no obligation to explain exactly why you are ending the relationship. If he has any pride at all, he will simply accept defeat and back off. Oh, ladies, please do not be the bearer of bad news. It is not necessary to crush his ego with news that you are sleeping with his best friend. Just a joke!!!! Please ladies, seriously, have some compassion.

Try the avoidance approach. If you would rather avoid a discussion about the relationship, it is okay to simply disappear. Perhaps he doesn’t deserve an explanation. If this is the case, don’t answer the phone, set up a filter in your e-mail to delete his messages automatically, block him from seeing your facebook page, and change your phone number. Without a doubt, he will get the not so subtle hints and he will move on without you. Of course, a persistent man might show up at your job or at your home. If this happens, please do not be scared to call the police. Statistics prove that some men turn violent after a break-up. If your man is abusive or turns abusive, please consider filing a police report and obtaining a personal protection order. The PPO is not just a piece of paper. The PPO gives you some power. Please call the police and put his ass in jail. You deserve better. Get rid of that piece of trash!

The break up with me approach works too. You can either tell him how horrible you are, or you can start doing things to show him how horrible you are. Please refrain from violence. Violence is not necessary. My advice is simply to get on his nerves so doggone bad that he will leave skid marks.  The one advantage to taking this approach is you probably won’t hurt his feelings or crush his fragile ego.

Once you declutter your life institute the “no contact rule.” Please give your ex some time to get over you. We all need time to heal after a break-up. Spring is in the air. Don’t just clean your home. Dig deeper! Clean up your love life: Throw out that unhealthy relationship, go into therapy, and plant new seeds. Remember, bloom time is almost here.

Love, hope, peace, and joy,

Rachel Araya