The place where my soul woke up--"My" Island in Turkey
There are things in nature that make you believe that there is something greater than yourself or just what you know. Today I was reminded of this when I visited Princes Islands, islands two hours (by a ferry ride) from Istanbul. I tried to capture the beauty in pictures but they pale in comparison to the real thing. More to come when I type my journal entries.
It is almost 3 am in Istanbul and almost 9pm in New York. i have been journaling every day after I get in and today there was so much to process. I do not think that I can just sit here, with droopy eyes, and do the sites and sounds justice in my state of tiredom. However, I am taking lots of pictures and writing down my thoughts and will post them, maybe in a long blog entry with dates on them…but we will see. Turkey is beautiful, and so is life.
“I am leaving on a jet plane…” And with that line from that famous song, I am off to Turkey–yeah!!! I am totally excited and right now things seem oh, so, surreal for me. I will be traveling with friends, staying in Istanbul and going to little islands close by. All with this I am thankful and praising God for this possibility. Yesterday, I wasn’t even sure if I was going, and today I am. My friend, Yuly, gave me a journal to write about my experiences there, just like she did when she visited Morocco by herself. I wept when she placed the journal, wrapped with a purple ribbon ( her favorite color) and a card, on my desk–it was so unexpected. The cover of the journal read, “Follow your heart.” In a lot of ways I felt the city calling me and for me to explain what I mean will take more time than I can give at the moment seeing that I still have to pack! All I will say is that Istanbul surrounded me in the past year– my eyes would land on the word a lot. So all praises to the Heavens, my ancestors, the Most High, for this, and may I truly follow my heart. Ameen.
Early this morning my heat induced asthma was bothering me. It was so hot in my room, and I was restless. Tonight, it is chilly. What a crazy weather we’re having on the Northern-East Coast. The weather has been crazy for everyone, actually.
It’s July 4th, America’s Independence Day. My block, filled with a diverse group of people–mostly immigrants, is celebrating in varied ways. My Hatian neighbors and their Italian tenant barbecued in their backyard. My mother did the traditional late-night barbecue she does every year although she and my dad talked about doing it earlier next year…that discussion, too, happens every year. My nieghbor across the street is blasting loud calypso music. I wonder how our new Asian nieghbors, who live next to that family, are taking all that music, and how they celebrated their Independence Day. So, here I am taking all the celebration in, from watching the celebration at the US Capitol on PBS, and wishing I was there, to being here, in Brooklyn, and appreciating all the good vibes around me.
I fell in love with him after I received a collection of his songs, Urban Hang Suite, at my high school graduation party, and I never fell out of love with him. I discovered others while he was on hiatus, but none could do it like he did, and so I would often replay his words over and over again waiting for new ones to consume me…AND now he is back! Maxwell, you didn’t loose a beat, love. I dig this song so much.
