Forever Young, J. Wilson Ferguson

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Forever Young, J. Wilson Ferguson

Being Present

My son, a rambunctious and zealous 4 year old, has no concept of future, past or present.  What matters to him is what matters to him right now.  For a time, my gift to him is the opportunity to only be concerned with his immediate present and not much else.  Soon, life will begin to challenge his innocence and hurl him into the situations that will mold him into whatever he desires to be whether it’s President of the United States, an NBA player or a window washer.  Through it all, he will gain preparation, humility and awareness about what is to become his future.

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Forever Young, M. Dolphus

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Forever Young, M. Dolphus

Growing Up in The Valley!

The memories I have of growing up in Hidden Valley are fond memories that I will always cherish. Playing outside till the street lights came on and the bats came out. Hearing mothers calling their young-ens "come inside wash up and eat". Sometimes their would be as many as 15 kids outside, on a summer night, in the Valley.  Ahh, the innocence of it all, everyone knew each other and everybody looked out for one another.

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Forever Young, D. Christopher (2nd)

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Forever Young, D. Christopher (2nd)

To be young and carefree, again. 

The majority of adults would probably give just about anything in the world to return to their youth. This, of course, is hardly possible as one cannot turn back the hands of time. It is also a sentiment I find just as impossible to convey to young adolescence. For whatever reasons, children nowadays are eager to become adults. 

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Forever Young, E. Fuller

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Forever Young, E. Fuller

The Rupture

The cocoon had been somewhat comfortable, but it was confining. Worst of all, I could see outside of it.

I had only consumed the mental and spiritual nectar, that my parents wanted me to eat. I hungered for a broader menu intellectually, and for a more diverse range of acceptable companions, besides the ones who were stuck in cocoons like myself.

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Forever Young, B. Wilkes

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Forever Young, B. Wilkes

I often look back over my life, my youth and think about what I "coulda, woulda, shoulda."  Not that the opportunities weren't afforded to me, I just didn't take hold of them… I let go. 

As the saying goes, "If I knew then what I know now..."  

And if I could turn back time, I would tell my younger self, don't just live in the moment, look beyond the right now.  I should have taken time to plan wonderful things for the future.

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Forever Young, J. Devereaux

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Forever Young, J. Devereaux

My fondest memories are growing up on a street called Hull.  It was the first time my life that I felt I had stability.  We lived in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home with a semi-furnished basement.  My Grandmother, who lived with us, had the main bedroom; I was fortunate to have my own bedroom, and my mother lived in the basement.

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Forever Young, EarthAngel

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Forever Young, EarthAngel

My Youth Was Spent At Her Feet

I remember as a young girl, constantly being by my grandmother's side.  Actually most of my elders but especially my grandmother.  I'm her first grandchild, born to an unwed teenage mother but loved dearly by her and my grandfather from the very start. I'm from Louisiana so family and community is everything!

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Forever Young, D. Christopher

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Forever Young, D. Christopher

Remember The Time: Teenage Love

Tracy, pictured below, is one of the most hardworking, educated, career-orientated, smart and intelligent people I've known in life. She was also my teenage love. Raised in the same neighborhood, we attended high school and one year of college together (I left as a sophomore and enlisted in the military). Together we share a child, my oldest daughter Christina. If anything like her mom she's headed for a good quality of life. The same can be said if she follows in my footsteps, but only after learning the hard way. Some teenagers prefer the hard way, anyhow. 

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Forever Young, C. Black

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Forever Young, C. Black

Ahhh Youth…

 

I sat down thinking that this would be a quick and easy topic to drop a few lines for. As I sat brainstorming on how to tackle this theme I thought back to my adolescence. Youth for me was filled with a distinct feeling of not knowing who I was and where exactly I fit in. I was constantly trying to find that comfortable persona that would allow me to freely fit in to the social scene that I wanted to be a part of. Looking back, I remember being impressed by my friends and classmates that seemed to have found their lane. I wished at the time that I could have the confidence in myself that they seemed to have.

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♫ Pretty Bird

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… Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird
Sounds so pretty when you cry
Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird
You're so pretty, but why I never see you #fly?


Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird
Please don't die, please don't die
Pretty bird, pretty bird, I know your hurtin'
Well so am I, so am I
Pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird, pretty bird
Please don't cry, you can #fly ...

Forever Young, C. Franklin

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Forever Young, C. Franklin

FIve Grown Up LessonsThat Developed From My Childhood Memories of Batman

 

Growing up, one of my most enduring memories is of watching Batman in all of his incarnations from the goofy 1960’s version all the way to the darker version in the 1990’s. As a child, I looked up to this character because he seemed more real than other superheroes. He didn’t come from outer space, or have super speed. He was just a regular guy who wanted to do something heroic.

To a skinny kid growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, that was beyond belief!

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Forever Young, A. Price

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Forever Young, A. Price

Youth,

Just Like You & I

As a child I oftentimes wanted to live inside my dreams. Most were peaceful and unruffled. I was able to blossom as the crocus in the winter snow. However my dreams were soon awakened by reality at the age of 6 with the death of my father and two uncles. In the blink of an eye the three of them were taken away, leaving me to begin experiencing the harshness of life at an early age. 

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Forever Young, R. Boyd

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One of the critiques of the Church is that it falls short of fulfilling a vital role; providing a voice during social unrest. The Church, to a large extent is a reflection of our community and many look for counsel; from the Bible and those called to serve.

Rev. Dr. Reginald Boyd, Jr shares his sermon from Sunday August Twenty Four Two Thousand Fourteen where he provides counsel from the Bible and answers "how shall we be at peace in a time such as this..." 

The message begins on page three, please read and share your thoughts.

"Warning! A War is Coming!"

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