Celebrating Our Differences
Loved Ones! Welcome to our sixth Anniversary Issue! It has been our blessing to serve you with the mission of Garden Spices: …to explore and celebrate differences through the lens of people of various ethnicity, beliefs, genders, physical and mental abilities in hopes of finding the core of…
…Yes, the above image was our lavish suite at La Maison (LM) Midtown Houston. Of course, we have an inside track; one of the owners, Genora Boykin, is a cousin to my friend, Mr. K. The co-owner is Sharon Owens, and both Boykins and Owens meet the standard…
When we’re young, so thin ribs are ladder rungs, we long to gain flesh to ward off taunts and name-calling that shadows us even in our moments of private silence. We think joy will find us when our body starts to build flesh around our timid skeletal frame….
Traci and Marlon Hayes It’s easy to instruct someone else not to give up on their hopes and dreams, but it’s not so easy to soldier on in our own lives. There are times when it seems as if life will be a consistent string of losses…
Her name is Debra. I met her In a Publix grocery store maybe fifteen years ago. We were different people then. I am still a private and contemplative introvert, and she is still a socially-oriented extrovert. One might naturally conclude that we are polar opposites. However, we do…
On holidays, we invite family and friends to share the day with us. Of course, the backdrop is the backyard where we grill meat— barbecue ribs, shrimp, maybe chicken or steak— and add three or four vegetables, potato salad, side dishes of fruits, and corn on the cob….
Nelson Mandela “The ability to withstand hardship or adversity especially the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort…” Meriam Webster Dictionary The phrase “Still strove, with his last ounce of courage..,” from The Man from La Mancha, Impossible Dream (preferably the Luther Vandross version) never fails to stir my soul. It…
My sister and brother/friends Denice and Tucker Lott are living their miracles. They have navigated serious family illnesses, a thriving business, their non-profit, Soul of Santa, and, recently, the renovation of their home. Relaxation is paramount to their well-being, and the sunroom created to harbor the healing, rest,…
I was all ready to visit my new granddaughter. She was right at two months old, and I was excited, packed, and ready for my wonderful experience. The Sunday before I am leaving, my son calls and suggests that we postpone for a while, and I agreed as…
Several years ago, three heart-centered black women combined their deeply felt emotions and, combined with their intellectual gifts, managed to inaugurate the Black Lives Matter organization. The endurance test immediately began as the opposition was enormous, challenging, and rivaled by those who knew the BLM movement could evolve unprecedented social…