I Stay Strong on Twitter

After a long break, I Stay Strong (I.S.S.) is back on Twitter. As we all know, strength comes in numbers. With Twitter having global appeal, I.S.S. hopes to reach those who desire inner, outer and strength from others during their time of need. Adversity sometimes slows us down, but in the end it makes us stronger.

A Catastrophe Beyond Imagination

The definition of strength; the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance.

The people of Haiti have exhibited the very definition of the word, immensely, in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake which devastated the nation. In fact, over the last three years Haiti has been inundated with a series of hurricanes and other ailments prescribed by mother nature. It almost seems unfair, but as many Haitians would attest, their faith remains as solid as the infrastructures that remain sturdy despite the surrounding destruction.

A nation already ravished in poverty, the people of Haiti need food, water, clothing and a sense of unity from everyone around the world.

If you are watching your television, you can see the horrific events unfold before your very eyes. If you are listening, you would know that Haitians are in dire need of medical supplies and other basic necessities. If you are reading the newspaper, you are reading about Haiti; if you are listening to the radio, you are hearing about Haiti. Perhaps you know that despite help from the US and others, many are still trapped beneath the rubble; the death doll continues to climb. Whatever you do, help. Whatever you say, may you speak urgent words of love, encouragement and optimism to the Haitian people.

We cannot sit back and turn the other cheek. We must support Haitians in their time of need.

Donating to relief effort takes seconds. The best way to help, check out the Yele Foundation at www.yele.org

Welcome to a New Decade

It's 2010! And while 2009 was certainly a year for the records, I Stay Strong is unequivocally committed to aspiring; we will continue to find people of strength, words of encouragement, making sure finding strength during adversity continues to be the ongoing message.

Without sounding like every other blog, reflecting on last year, let's focus on moving forward to a new decade. 2010 and beyond should be about being the best person you could possibly be. Times are changing, challenging us all to step up and become globally connected. Thinking outside the box is only the beginning.

May this year bring about all you hope and desire.

God bless and remember to Stay Strong.

Protection

The millions of American soldiers, men and women, serving our country and overseas are to be admired. Since 9/11 and the War in Iraq/Afghanistan these are the true Americans who continue to protect our way of life.
This patriotic sentiment is not expressed by all soldiers.
For some military females, they not only have to protect our country, but they have to protect themselves. The silent reality; male soldiers are sexually harassing female soldiers. Women are finding it difficult to end relationships with fellow soldiers who aren't taking "no" for an answer. To those women who are struggling with this, we must give them our unconditional support. If this happens more often than not, why isn't the US Military taking these threats more seriously? The first step is talking about this issue.

To find out more about these unfortunate circumstances, check out http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/us/28women.html?_r=1&hp.

Shame, Shame, Shame

If you catch a cold, chances are, it will be passed on.

At the height of the flu season, many companies are gearing up for expected sick days from workers--it happens.

Wal-Mart takes a rather unethical approach toward employees for calling out sick. Instead, contagious employees are given a demerit badge for every sick day accumulated. This is the sad reality; we are in a deep recession, Swine Flu has everyone on pins and needles and now, hard-working individuals have to fear punishment. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place!

All hope is not lost. If you visit www.demeritwalmart.com you can give Wal-Mart a demerit for imposing this unfair, callous rule towards people trying a make ends meet. Lets help them out!

And to the employees--stay strong!

What We Ponder

Marriage is suppose to be a joyous time, a time when two people fall in love and make a promise to one another. A promise of faithfulness, commitment. A promise to remain upbeat when times are rough. No one was expecting an outstanding athlete like Tiger Woods to cheat on his wife, model Elin Nordegren, with multiple women. No one expected the man that changed the game of golf to openly financially support women who were not his wife. No one expected the father of two young children to tell a few of his women that he was unhappy with his life at home and no one expected to read this information in a text.
As the air grows stagnant and we ponder about the future of Woods, there needs to be time for the Woods' to gather their bearings and lean towards healing. In a society that expects to know everything about everyone at anytime, perhaps we need to reflect on the troubles that have befallen the famed golfer and his wife. Perhaps their problems are deeper than we understand. Perhaps we can offer kind words, respect and space, so that they can remain strong and hopeful that the promise they made to one another can be carried out.

Book Review

A good book could stumble upon you as unexpectedly as a rain shower, whether or not it is needed. However it comes, a great read is sure to spark good conversation.
For young adult readers, literature tends to be outdated or excruciatingly boring. Enter The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
The story centers around Charlie who, through a series of quirky, detailed letters, tells a "friend" about his school year and the chaos that comes with being a teen. A true page turner, the book gets to the heart of what I Stay Strong is about, finding strength through adversity. Charlie is an interesting character and Chbosky's description of each character really brings the book to life. Charlie uses his writing as a means to find himself through dire circumstances. The book is also a great stepping stone for those who want to read great literature, as several classics are mentioned; The Catcher and the Rye, The Color Purple and Hamlet. Happy reading!

Pick Me Up

Words. Whether written or spoken, words are often conveyed through subliminal messages; a billboard, a used magazine, a random stranger, a blog, yet sometimes words are given to us straightforwardly.

It's all a blessing in disguise. If by any chance you need a pick me up, if you face adversity, here are four strong quotes that ought to make your day a bit brighter:

"In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends." --John Churton Collins

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." --Henry Ford

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." -- Napoleon Hill

"Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll." -- Author Unknown

M.A.D.E

Dating is tough. And if your a teenager dating, it's even tougher. Sadly, there is a disturbing trend on the rise and it's affecting teens across the country; teen dating violence.

With teen dating violence becoming more frequent, you can bet that there are strong men and women bonding together, offering support and a safe haven for teenagers. Enter MADE (Moms and Dads for Education), sponsored by Liz Claiborne, this courageous group is out to educate teens about the dangers of unhealthy dating. Dating violence is an issue that parents want educators to emphasize in our nations schools.

The cool thing, you don't have to be a parent to get involved. Simply log onto www.loveisnotabuse.com for more info.

Don't wait another moment, Let us act now; you just might save the life of a teen.

Press Send

There use to be a time when sending a letter, a pen pal letter was something special. Perhaps in your heyday, or not, you passed love notes to a boy or girl in your English class. Maybe you were surrounded by friends and enemies that either loved you or hated you; they told you this to your face. Needless to say, it was personal.

The world is spinning and technology is taking us places we'd never expected to go. With social networking, including blogging, it's easy to get connected and stay connected. Even with our cell phones, we can shop, play games and chat with a long distance relative. Christmas cards? E-cards are quicker and no postage is needed. Plus, don't they come with a special Christmas jingle just for you? Seriously, why bother meeting Johnny at the local coffee shop when you can find out about his latest academic fete with the click of a button?

Maybe you should bother. Maybe you need to put down the phone, log off the computer and knock on Johnny's door and ask, "hey, do you want to go for a walk?"

Yes, human connection is still important, it's a detrimental part of our development. Technology and all its convenience is swell, but what's better than a good old fashion hug or a genuine Christmas card, better yet, a well intended handwritten note.

No life doesn't get better than that.

Another Name for It

Robin Fenty, otherwise known as superstar Rhianna, didn't expect the world to view her battered face, after her then boyfriend Chris Brown assaulted her earlier this year. Rhianna, like most women involved in an abusive relationship, went back to Brown shortly after the incident.

Rhianna spoke to ABC's Diane Sawyer about the incident, sighting that she decided to leave Brown after feeling she would be responsible for young women, who are knowingly involved in an abusive relationship, to go back to their partners. The singer pointed out that she couldn't live with herself if that had happened.

These days, the media is increasingly holding celebrities accountable for their actions. Through the media stars are able to let the public in on their daily lives. It cannot be easy to divulge such private information to the outside world, yet the times we live in call for consistent knowledge of others.

Thankfully, Rhianna put fourth a positive message to abuse victims. Some media outlets have gone as far as calling her interview a fraud, a publicity stunt or saying her "people" made her do it. Regardless of the negative attitude, Rhianna shared what she called "embarrassing" information with the public. Additionally, some media outlets claim that Rhianna was abusive toward Brown.

Despite the opinions of others, Rhianna was courageous in her intent. May she continue to take this experience and learn from it and more importantly, may she continue to stay strong.

Passion

Football is an amazing sport. According to Wikipedia, professional football dates back to 1892. Like baseball, football is a sport adored by most Americans, in fact football draws in over 10 million viewers annually.

The passion that football fans have for the sport is the essence of the game. Brett Farve, a well known quarteback, played for the Wisconsin Green Bay Packers from 1992 - 2007. Since then the National Football League superstar has left his beloved hometown; Farve now plays for the Minnesota Vikings. This sounds simple enough; Farve didn't exactly switch cubicles. Beloved by thousands of die hard Green Bay fans, Farve, through his own admission, felt it was time to leave the team. Green Bay fans were none to thrilled.

When the Packers finally met up with the Vikings, Favre was booed throughout the game. This didn't deter Farve from playing his best, taking his team with him.

We all draw strength from obvious and less obvious places. Sometimes we make changes in life that aren't always up to everyone's standards. One thing remains, we should always trust our instincts and always be the best we can be, no matter what anyone says.

Brain Game

The brain is fragile, an organ to be nurtured in every way possible. A good way to stay sharp is to play games!

Challenging yourself to a game of Sudoko, completing a crossword puzzle or simply gathering the family around the table for an intense game of Scrabble is just what the doctor ordered.

What do you do to exercise your brain?

The End

There is this belief that looms over our society; the belief that the world, as we know it, is coming to an end. With Hollywood pumping out movies such as I Am Legend, The Knowing and 2012, all symbolizing the end, what else are we suppose to infer?

It is the job of the entertainment industry to "entertain" us, though it would be slightly more comforting if we had more movies that empowered us to stay strong through real chaos; war, racism, famine, women and gay rights, terrorism.

Yes, there is so much more to be done in society, so much we need to accomplish as people.

Innately, we are strong. People exhibit strength though the most dire circumstances (9/11, Hurricane Katrina). It's amazing what happens when we put aside or differences and really come together as humans, not color, not race, not social class, but as people that care about our future.

Forget the fodder of Hollywood. Yes, we don't need their outlandish views on how it will all "end," we need them to show us the beginning.

Always Be Confident

You have to admit; women are always trying to better themselves in everything they do. Whether it's work, school or family life, the plight of the woman is to always stay true to oneself.

In the November issue of Glamour Magazine, the article, "The Seven Different Kinds of Confidence Every Woman Needs," a compilation of celebrity women discuss how they maintain their confidence and offer some solid advice. One worth noting is Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of the diva of all diva's Diana Ross.

Ellis Ross writes about having confidence in who you really are. The former star of the urban hit Girlfriends, chats about the steps she took to get there. For example, Ellis Ross says she made peace with her ultra curly locks, remembers to take deep breaths in situations that make her nervous and gives herself a break when needed.

I Stay Strong is build around encouraging everyone to be strong, no matter what they are going through, no matter who they are, it is always nice to know that there are others delivering the same message.