sassysage's Blog

There are so many amazing women and girls who are doing great things. So each month, I’m giving props to ladies who are making it happen. This month our queen is Nancy Pierre, a woman who was in a coma for 2 weeks and lives to tell her incredible story!

Nancy Pierre is a powerful speaker and minister. She holds a Masters degree in Social Work from Long Island University. Nancy is a native of Brooklyn, New York and was born to Haitian parents. Nancy (whose name means “grace”) is also a former actor, singer and dancer. She is married and has four beautiful children.
On February 5, 2007, Nancy was taken to the hospital for an emergency Caesarean section. She gave birth to Naomi, who was born with no heartbeat but was quickly revived, given a blood transfusion and immediately placed on a respirator. Nancy received a transfusion as well but slipped into a coma for 11 days.
Her husband began taking photographs of Nancy in her hospital bed to document that painful journey, with the belief that she would wake up. Her husband turned the pictures into a five-minute video and shared it with people all over the world via the Internet, asking for prayers for the return of Nancy’s good health and the survival of Baby Naomi.
Nancy and Baby Naomi survived! Nancy could not stop telling people about the miracle that occurred in her and Naomi’s life. She has dedicated herself to helping people overcome their past difficulties and serving her community through Nancy Pierre Ministries. Nancy is also in the process of writing her first book.
Check out the You Tube video of the miracle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_PWjjFjQVY

Nancy Pierre

i HATE u….

But they say that’s a strong word
Cause it took all the might I had to lift my head
Prop myself up with pride and walk away
U lied
Looked me straight in the eye with dishonesty
And fed me a fantasy
No wonder I make u tick when I called u out
U make me sick
Slick rick
…..They say HATE is a strong word

—————————
I admit I wrote that poem 8 years ago because some silly guy broke my heart. But what’s got me puzzled now is not men, but my sistahs. I was talking to a friend today and she told me how her 4 year old daughter is getting hated on in Headstart! The teachers put her in time out and make her take naps in a corner away from all the other kids not because she’s behaving badly but she’s confident, pretty and outgoing. I mean, what is the deal ladies? How could a cute little kid bring the wicked witch out of them?
I wish they were the only ones with a problem…Let’s face it; it happens more often than not. When we see a fellow female who is about her business, how many of us are proud? how many of us let her know we like that idea she presented in class? how many are glad she got the guy, good grades and cute shoes too! There is always the little monster in us that’s ready to attack and poke holes in her happiness. That inner critic that comes out to sever our sisterhood.
I think it’s cause we have such a hard time loving ourselves. How could we possibly love another who looks so much like us? How can we give props where they are due when we can’t praise ourselves without making an excuse for being smart, caring, talented and the many wonderful things so many of us are.
So girlies, I’ve got an exercise for ya.
Starting today, stop hating on your sisterfriends AND yourself. Every morning get up and sing your praises. Tell yourself at least one thing about yourself that you are proud of. Then make sure you find at least one female that you don’t know and say something you like about them.
Sisterhood…now that’s what I call a strong word!

Apparently Beyonce is not the only one that’s giving props to Diva’s…

This week’s Newsweek has an article about how our cultural obsession with beauty is affecting teen and tween girls.   

The article states that market research firm, Experian, found that 43% of 6 to 9 year olds are using lipstick or lipgloss!    They describe that girls are using beauty products at an alarmingly early age and spending a lot of time and money on fixing their appearance; including getting plastic surgery.   They ponder what this emphasis on beauty and perfection is doing to our girls’ identity and self esteem.   From my experience working with teen girls through THE MIND MAKEOVER^sm workshop, it’s clear that this is a major issue.   Girls often feel awkward about the way they look and are struggling to catch up with their changing bodies. And what do we do as a Society to support them?   Not much… 

 The Newsweek article states that “girls 11 to 14 are subjected to some 500 advertisements a day.”  It’s a media warfare on our girls’ psyche you say…

Well, it’s not just the bombardment of images that girls see in the media.   Everyday people like you and I can contribute the problem. When was the last time you saw a girl and commented on how ‘pretty’ she was.    Hearing Aunt Fanny rave again about your gorgeous hair, get’s a girl to thinking this image thing must be really important. Maybe more important than other things; like brains, creativity or personality…

But is this a new phenom or just old folks looking down on the next generation?  After all I am out of town and staring at my suitcase which is half full with beauty and hair products.    Did my ‘obsession’ with beauty just start with womanhood or was I groomed into being a Diva since birth?

Whether this is a frightening trend or the same storyline we’ve had through the ages, we’ve got to talk about it.  Is our worship of Divas good or bad for our girls? 

Let me know what you think…