I can’t speak for everyone, but I can’t thank God enough for the blessings he continues to rain down upon me. Yes, I said God. I make no apology for my blessings, which I fully acknowledge from the love, grace and mercy of my omnipotent and benevolent benefactor, the Almighty God, the maker of heaven and earth. I’m constantly in awe of why he blesses me so abundantly in the love and loved ones he surrounds me with. I know I am here for but a blink in the face of time, but I cannot begin to praise and glorify God enough for the things he has allowed me to borrow while on my visit here on earth.

While there are those who seek to denigrate God and contribute their blessings and accomplishments to man or chance, I personally make no mistake acknowledging God for the things he has allowed me to borrow. Those things include my family, friends, health, and some material things. I guess you can say, I am providing a testimony to the power and love of what I find the most important factor or propriety in my life. I can only hope to continuously stay in God’s good favor.

I truly respect others in their beliefs and practice in following their chosen religion. However, I cannot understand why other Christians like myself have allowed our religious practice to take a backseat to those of others in this country. I don’t believe forcing religion on anybody, and everyone should have the right to forgo or not participate in what they feel goes against what they believe. I, for one, will not allow man to dictate my religion in public or anywhere I chose to pray because my obedience is to a higher authority void of mundane influences. Thus, I will willingly suffer the consequences imposed on me by man for allegiance to my Higher Power. I also feel that when God is blessing you, you have an obligation to proclaim those blessings in his name, if only to let others know his goodness and love.

Therefore, I have an update on those who are constantly asking about my sons, my heroes. My sons hate for me to write about them, but they will just have to forgive me this time. Matthew is graduating May 10 from Tuskegee with honors. Steven has graduated from Hampton with honors and is concluding his first year in dental school at Howard University—on the Dean’s List. I am also blessed with a multitude of young men I love and consider an extended part of my family, who are in college or have graduated and continue to make progress meeting their educational and occupational goals. I have nothing but praise and kudos for these young productive men who give me hope for a better tomorrow. The devil is a liar if you buy into the belief that all our Black boys are destined to fail.

If I don’t have bragging rights, then no one has them. But seriously, I’m only sharing this information to show the love and grace of an awesome God continuously raining blessings down upon one on his children, who loves him dearly.